Climbing out of Palmerton

I had a great rest and resupply in Palmerton. It was the perfect town because I could walk off the trail (2 miles!) to my reserved room in a grand old house, and also walk to a local grocery store and restaurant.

It’s a beautiful town built in the early 1900s to support the workers of the zinc mining plants. That same plant is also the reason the area is a Superfund site. There has been a lot of work done over the decades to replant the stripped mountains, and most of what I saw was coming back and green. Work continues with aerial planting of native plants and remediation to get rid of invasive plants.

The climb OUT of Palmerton and the LeHigh Valley was crazy — probably about 1,000 feet in less than a mile on vertical boulders. It’s the hardest stretch so far, and some say it’s the hardest south of New Hampshire. I’m super proud that I did it well — thanks to Julie and the Utah backpacking trip, both of which taught me how to make those climbs. Go slow, know your footing and lean in, especially with a full pack. My pack was very full given that I had just bought groceries and you have to carry a lot of water because you can’t drink the water in a Superfund site.

Grateful that the rocks were dry and the fog was in so I couldn’t see the valley below. It eased my fear of heights. ❤️Read more