Day 96

Day: 96 Miles: 15.5 Trip: 1269.1 Started: Palmerton, PA Destination: Leroy Smith Shelter

An ominous warning at the start of
the climb

We all got up and had a great breakfast at Bert's Restaurant.  We managed to score a ride back to the trail (1.5 mi) from the owner.  The climb back up to the ridge was a steep but rewarding.  This was probably the best view in PA so far.

ChinMusic and B-Rocket on
the way up

Palmerton is currently the location of the Palmerton Zinc Superfund site. It was added to the National Priority List in 1983. The site is broken down into four Operable Units: the defoliated slope of Blue Mountain, the cinder banks, the soil in town, and the ground and surface water.

The rest of the day was pretty smooth for the most part as we took a well groomed side trail around one of the contaminated zones.  A poorly marked section of trail got us a little confused later in the day, but all and all a great day for hiking.  The climb up from town was the highlight for sure.