Bulletproof

Palmerton, PA
Mile 1245

What will we miss when we're not through-hikers anymore? According to Hiker X (GA-ME 1996): "You'll miss feeling like you do now. You know. Ten foot tall and bulletproof".

He's right, we do feel bulletproof, but not for the reasons he's remembering. That's a lot of romantic nostalgia in his voice. We feel bulletproof because we aren't afraid of bullets anymore. We aren't afraid of bullets because they would probably hurt less than Pennsylvania. Northern Pennsylvania. I know a few hikers who might actually welcome hot lead over the dawning of a fresh, new, rocky 98 degree day.

I was so wrong when I said the rocks here aren't worse than anywhere else. I hadn't been north of Port Clinton yet. I hadn't gone through BMECC's jurisdiction (BMECC is a "climbing" club, not a hiking club, and they route the trail accordingly), and I hadn't touched the Superfund area, which looks exactly like the area depicted in "Road Runner" cartoons. Complete with electric blue rivers, from the contamination. Luckily, so far it is free of plummeting bodies coming to a messy end, concealed by a tiny white "puff". I loved those cartoons.

It's pretty breathtaking too. It's the first time I've felt daredevilish on the trail- I'm not naturally afraid of heights, but some of these boulder scrambles test my nerve. It's its own place.

And what the hell, leaping from boulder to boulder over endless chasms, we might as well feel just a little adolescence.

Just a little bulletproof.