The First Day

Friday, September 7, Lyle arrived in Delaware Water Gap.  He spent time looking around town, finding the AT partking lot and locating the bus station.  And he got a room in a local hotel so he could get a good night's sleep before heading out on the trail.  He also had time to visit a local church that hosts AT hikers overnight.  There were several hikers staying there so it was a good opportunity to get better information about the trail from people that had just been there.  It was reassuring to hear that there is a lot of "flat" trail  in the beginning so Lyle will have time to build up his "trail legs."  The bad news was that the weather report showed a lot of really bad weather heading toward Delaware Water Gap.  Lyle will make up his mind about what he should do when he sees the weather report in the morning--not a good idea to be out on the trail in severe thunderstorms if he doesn't need to be.  Lyle dined at a local restaurant and really enjoyed homemade rice pudding.  All-in-all a good day in Delaware Water Gap.