Day 59: Bake Oven Knob Shelter to Leroy A. Smith Shelter (23.5 miles)

July 10, 2004 - After yesterday’s big miles on the hard rocks of Penn I slept in till 8 am. Started off around 9 and it was already very hot so I knew it was going to be a hot day. Still had problems with the rocks in the morning. Then I came to Lehigh Gap around 12 and saw this huge rocky mountain ahead. As I came down to the gap I was thinking it would be funny if we had to go up that rocky face; sure enough, I did. I picked the wrong time of the day to do so because the sun was very hot by noon and there was no shade. It was a full-body workout. That was a fun mile, then I got up on the ridgeline to hiking in these wasteland of rocks and burned trees. Still rocky all the way to the shelter. Only did 23.5 miles but it was such a hard day. I guess this is what everyone talks about the rocky part of Penn. Finished off all my food since I was going to resupply in the morning. I told that to some weekend hikers and they shared some of their dinner with me.

Hiking just after Lehigh Gap