ApPAlachian Elation

I took a vacation home this weekend to play a gig with my good buddy and talented author Vinny Tobia, visit family & friends and participate in other much less exciting extracurriculars.

I also found time to hijack my Mom's bike took to the trails near Palmerton. Even though it's just across the Lehigh River, getting to the Delaware & Lehigh Trail requires a car or riding your bike a few miles out of your way. Guess which one I chose. Hah...at any rate, by the time I got to the trailhead, I was already 5 miles in:

I haven't ridden on a trail in quite some time, and I forgot how different it is from city biking. I decided to go up to the upper trail (which used to be a railroad bed). Even though I'm in the best shape of my life,  getting there was definitely not easy on the legs. I had to pause at the top to admire Palmerton off in the distance...

I continued on the upper trail, around the bend in the river and into the narrow, rocky area where bikes are forbidden (I walked/carried it. Even I'm not that stupid). Along the way, I ran into a guy I met years earlier at TV-13. As good a time as any for a photo op, right? :P

...and a tad further ahead, a view looking east across the Lehigh atop where the railroad bridge once stood:

I also found this marker stone, signifying the Lehigh/Carbon County line:

The trail got very narrow and rocky here, and I walked my bike for most of the next half mile or so. Eventually, I came down by the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and crossed the route 873 bridge back to the Palmerton side of the river to pick up a small portion of the Appalachian Trail.

On the other side of the former railroad bridge, looking west:

Don't look down...

That's route 248 down below. That first step's a doozy.

From there, the trail was wide enough to bike until I reached a rather steep drop near the Aquashicola Creek. I walked down the hill and had to briefly hop on the shoulder of 248 to cross it before I took the back streets home.

I'm glad I got out there, even if only for an hour (and a measly 12 miles haha). I'll be back...