Beth “Squeak,” Ritter-Guth, a long-distance section hiker, moved to Palmerton a year ago to live directly on the trail “to serve the hiking community.”

She provides free transportation from the Lehigh Gap trailheads and encourages hikers to stay at local spots if they can afford it, but also allows hikers to camp in her yard, take showers and do laundry for free.

She promotes all local businesses, but hiker favorites include Bert’s, Siros, Joey B’s, Papa Al’s and Country Harvest.

Her goal, after the pandemic, is to work with the Palmerton Borough to achieve official “Trail Town” status since Palmerton already provides all of the requirements to receive the distinction.

2020 has proven to be a challenging year for Appalachian Trail hikers, but, despite all the glitches, NoBo hikers have begun summiting Mount Katahdin. Jackie “Dirt Nap” Lastinger, from Lilburn, Georgia, who stayed with Squeak in Palmerton, was one of the first to summit (legally) in the 2020 season on July 22.

As her Facebook post indicates, “You owe it to yourself to give your all to something that sets your heart ablaze.”