It was very nice to be able to sleep in this morning, and even nicer to go out for a nice big breakfast before we got a ride back to Wind Gap. We went out with Bear Bell’s grandmother to a local diner and we all had omelets, which provided great protein for the hiking we had to do later.
Bear Bell’s uncle Jeff was kind enough to take some time out of his day to drive us back up to Wind Gap, which is a bit over 35 minutes one way. Before noon he had us to the trailhead and we were hiking again.
Maybe an hour into the hike it started to sprinkle, then it slowed down, then it rained. As always, the rain made the already difficult rocky climbs and descents even more tricky. We had to be careful not to slip, so each footstep had to be solid.
Our original plan for the day was to just hike in about 10 miles or so and then set up camp, but we had gotten an earlier start, and despite the weather we made some pretty good time. We ended up hiking the full 16 miles to Delaware Water Gap. One of the first buildings in town that we passed was the Deer Head Inn. We decided to treat ourselves to one more night in a bed, especially since we had just gotten wet in the rain that had come through during our hike. We got a room with a king size bed so we could just sprawl out.
After settling in and showering we explored the small village, sticking to the area immediately surrounding the inn. It was pretty quiet, and we didn’t really see anyone other than hikers. Just up the street the Church of the Mountain was putting on a hiker feed, something they do every Thursday for thru-hikers. We joined, but were a little late, so there wasn’t a lot of food left. It was okay though, it was a very nice gesture that they do this regularly. We also ran into an old friend… Tater was there! We hadn’t seen him since Hot Springs almost 2 months ago.
Next we went down to the little ice cream shop (or rather shoppe). It’s run like an old timey soda fountain. They make shakes, sundaes, and sodas with the syrup and soda water coming out of old fashioned taps. We offer course got some ice cream, and a hot dog and soda.
To end the evening we headed back to the Deer Head Inn. The restaurant/ bar downstairs is one of the oldest continually operating jazz clubs in the United States, and Thursday nights they do a jazz jam session. Starting at 8pm the house band plays for about an hour. Then after a short break, other musicians join in with their own instruments. It was great music and a great atmosphere. The band even played a few tunes dedicated to the thru- hikers that were at the bar; a tune called Walkin’, and another called On The Trail. ended up sticking around for 3 beers apiece… a little later than intended.
