Day 24: Stempa Campsite

11.7 mi

We got off to a late start which isn't unusual when leaving town. We couldn't get an early start as we were waiting for the library to open. We needed to pay bills and deal with email backlogs. The library didn't open until 10 so we walked over to the post office to mail out some extra gear. After the library we opted to eat lunch as the slowest cafe in town. All in all though our experiences in Palmerton was great. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. We got a free apple each at the market and the library tried to give us a free book from their used book sale stack. We didn't need on though so we passed.

The hike out and up was rough in the midday heat and in near full sun. We were carrying a full resupply plus lots of water as this was a dry stretch. The trail was rerouted through a nice section but the trail was rough going as we were tired. The last spring we passed was dry and we haven't checked this one yet. We hope it is good but just didn't have the energy to check tonight or press on the 4 mi to the next shelter. I haven't been seeing any water reports so we have no idea how any water sources are doing until we stow up.