931 miles

Heading down south to the land of the pines
I'm thumbing my way to North Caroline
Staring down the road, I pray to God I see headlights.

Made it down the coast in seventeen hours
I'm picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
I'm hoping for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight.

So rock me mama like a wagon wheel....


I'm on the "flop" of my hike, and I'm singing my favorite, catchy Old Crow song as I head south. It took me a day and half of actual hiking to get back in the groove -- lots of thoughts, feelings, and happenings to sort out, so I was grateful I had the trail to myself. Yesterday evening, Green Flash caught up with me, and this morning we walked through the barren, but recovering Superfund site down into Palmerton, PA.

Pennsylvania looks, sounds, and feels industrial. Palmerton is a long strip of a town, with very little greenery to shade it's sidewalks. The houses are so close together you could reach into your neighbor's window. Like mill houses. But the jailhouse clerk signed us in cheerfully and handed us goodie bags with toothpaste and TP. Hikers can stay in their spacious basement and shower for free. And the library had no lines for the computers and no time limit.

What a beautiful broken world.