Farewell Rocksylvania

Nano crosses the Delaware into New Jersey

Eight more miles under our boots today, and an important 8 miles at that, since they were the last 8 miles of the AT in Pennsylvania. It was your standard rocky and flat PA trail, but there were several nice views scattered over the eight miles, which made it very enjoyable. We got a little bit of a late start because we relocated base camp. It's a bit surreal, because it's actually the last time we will relocate before we leave the AT for the season. I think I've been avoiding talking about this, because I'm actually quite sad that my 5 months of trail time is almost up. But, the winter weather is closing in upon us, and real world responsibilities, unfortunately, beckon us off the Trail. So not only were these the last 8 miles of PA, but they were some of the last miles of my adventure this season. More on my feelings about this to come. I tried not to think too much about it this afternoon and just enjoy the scenery.

PA Waterfall

A view of two states

We lolligagged a bit during our hike. Partly, I think, because it was quite cold and the chill slowed us down, and partly because we were trying to savor the day. It was gorgeous out, and you could see for miles at the vistas. We made it off of the PA ridgetop and across the Delaware River into New Jersey in about five hours. I'm not sure how I feel about New Jersey yet. The first thing we saw and walked on when we got into the state was a huge interstate. And it smelled like gasoline. Not exactly picturesque. But I'll give it a chance. The food here is good so far, at least. I had a tasty cheesesteak and hot fudge milkshake for dinner. PA was very beautiful, so I'm a little sad to leave it behind. But there are other states to be tackled.

Bye Bye, PA

Winter is in the Air

More PA Rockpiles

This morning, it was raining. We slept in a little longer than usual to wait out the rain, which was gone by 9:00 a.m. or so. One thing the rain managed to do, however, was make the cool days we've been having recently downright cold. I had plenty of layers to wear, though, and I'd much rather be cold than hot while I'm out hiking. It's amazing how fast the seasons are changing here. Just last week, it seemed like we were right in the middle of fall, and there was barely a crispness in the air. Now, all of the leaves that were just changing colors a few days ago are on the ground, and the air is far more than crisp.

The seasons, they are a changin'...

Most of the hike was our standard PA fare - flat and a little rocky - with a few steep scrambles over rocky outcrops thrown in for good measure. We weren't quite as efficient today as we were yesterday. I'm not sure if starting a couple of hours later made me lethargic, or if the terrain was a tad rockier and tougher to navigate, but I just wasn't moving quite as fast as usual. We hiked just over 8 miles in about 5 hours. We finished hiking around 4:00 p.m., got cleaned up, and drove back west a bit to go to dinner and a movie about Billy Joel and Sea Stadium. Mr. Smith joined us for his final goodbye, because now we're too far north to make visits convenient. With winter at our backs, we march on!

Something pretty always seems to find us out here.

The Flash

Superheros on the AT

Yesterday, we took a day off. As much as we have enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. Smith's AT Shelter for the past week, it was time to relocate. It was also time for Trail Sister to go back to college. So we enjoyed sleeping in a little later than usual, had a nice breakfast at a local bagel shop, and took Trail Sister to the Airport. Then we vacated Mr. Smith's deluxe accommodations and relocated base camp a little further north. We were sad to leave, but he did come out to go for a Sonic run and visit our new base camp. That essentially took all day, so it was a good thing we didn't plan to hike. Today, we hiked a little over 8 miles. We were really efficient today, and did the whole hike in just over 4 hours. The trail was flat and wooded, like most of PA, so relatively uneventful. We made things interesting though, by taking special precautions for hunting season. The clothes I chose to wear today were rather drab, which isn't ideal if you want hunters to avoid mistaking you for a deer. So, I strapped The Flash to my backpack. He was a toy that I rescued out of one of those claw machines. I got him on the first try. So he must be lucky, right? With that logic, and the additional fact that he is very brightly colored, easy to spot, and hard to mistake for a deer, I decided he should come along as my own personal trail superhero. He enjoyed himself thoroughly.

Nano and The Flash enjoying the Trail

We finished our hike for the day in the early afternoon, had a big lunch at a greasy spoon diner (the best kind), and spent the rest of the day being completely lazy. It was nice to have an afternoon to do absolutely nothing but rest. I think I needed it, since I was unusually tired. One thing is for sure, I am not afraid to drift off for an impromptu nap. I've got excellent guardians.

The Flash and Trail Dog keep watch.

Serious Rockclimbing

More Crawling than Climbing

Today we hiked a little over 12 miles, and it took us much longer than we expected. It took us an hour to cover the first mile of this section, because it involved crawling up a mountain of boulders on my hands and knees, which definitely made for slow going. The mountain was once the site of a zinc mine, so the whole mountainside has been deforested, and has yet to recover from years of heavy industry. But climbing the open rockfaces was definitely a change of pace from the usual PA forests. It also made for a pretty great panoramic view once we finally pulled ourselves to the top.

Mountain-woman

The zinc mines that were once here have really left their mark on the landscape, and you can still see the effects for miles along the AT. The Trail has actually been relocated in this area so that it can be reclaimed by nature. But that is a long, slow process. For now, there is very little that looks like nature in the area. Instead, it looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic horror movie.

Wastelands of the AT

We plodded along the trail one step at a time, picking our way over the boulders and rock shards and around the dead trees. We didn't make it to the pick-up point until very late afternoon today, even though we started pretty early in the morning. It was just a tough hike today. But, we capped off the evening with a very nice dinner in the local downtown. I had lambchops and a pear tart for dessert. It's always nice to mix things up out on the trail, as far as scenery and terrain is concerned. Even if all the rock climbing has definitely left me sore.

Happy Hiker

Short days, Big fun

Another addition to our hiking crew for the day

Today, we only hiked 5 miles. Since Trail Sister is here, we wanted to spend some time exploring and finding fun things to see and good things to eat. So we opted for a short day. But, we had an extra treat today, because since Mr. Smith has a day off from his secret agent duties on Sundays, he was able to come with us on this little section of trail.

Enjoying the view

PA foliage is better when viewed with friends

After our 5 mile jaunt, we got cleaned up and went to go enjoy the area. There are lots of really fun, historic and interesting neighborhoods here, so there was lots to see. We wandered around the old downtown area and window shopped, and got some really incredible pasta at a local Italian restaurant. That, complete with watching Sunday night football, made it a really nice day. I'm still really glad that the whole Trail Team could be here for a few days, and extra glad that I had some extra company on the hike today, even if it was a short one.

Exploring one of the oldest AT shelters in PA

New Company

Another on-time delivery by Mr. Smith's AT Taxi

Over the past two days, we hiked about 20 miles. It's been much, much colder since the rain, which means I essentially stay bundled up in as many layers as I can, including snow-skiing gloves. Maybe I'm a wimp in the cold, but I'm a much happier hiker when I don't feel the subtle effects of mild hypothermia setting in. Yesterday, we hiked about 12 miles. The terrain was the Pennsylvania standard - flat and rocky through the woods with the occasional rock with a nice fall view to have a snack on.

Pit Stop

We went at a little slower pace than usual because of the rocks, but finished in time to rendezvous with a long lost trail helper.

Trail Sister arrives in PA

Trail Sister is on fall break from college, and decided to spend it up here on the trail with us. The more the merrier. Having the whole family back on the trail gave us a perfect excuse to plan a big picnic for the next day. Today, it was another very cold October morning, and we hiked a little over 8 miles. We saw and hiked behind a group of about 30 boyscouts for the first couple of miles. There were scouts of all ages and sizes, but every single one of them was excited to be on the trail. One of them, who looked about 10 years old, enthusiastically asked me "Are you going to go walk on the Knife Edge?!?!" Unaware of such an obstacle on the Trail, I responded with optimism. It was completely obvious when we reached the huge rock formation known as "The Knife Edge."

Living Life on the Edge

There were other interesting things to be seen along the trail today. We met the rest of the family and Mr. Smith at a very popular day hiking spot on the Trail, known to locals as simply "The Knob." As soon as you climb the rockpiles to the top of The Knob, it's not hard to see why it's such a popular spot.

The famous Knob view.

Trail Angel Mamma packed an amazing picnic lunch and Mr. Smith's AT Taxi brought the whole gang out for a picnic. We took our time eating and enjoying the view, since we only had to hike 3 miles after lunch. We also got to go to a Halloween Parade tonight, which reminded me a lot of parades in my hometown, and was a great time. Overall, it was a beautiful and fun day, which I was excited that the whole "Trail Crew" got to participate in.

Trail Crew

Exploring, Rain or Shine

Slowly but Surely...

Yesterday we hiked about 7 miles out of Port Clinton. We got a late start because we went exploring around the area for a bit. We found an excellent little PA Dutch Diner to have some brunch at, and had fun looking at all of the Halloween decorations that seem to have sprung up overnight. Pennsylvanians seem to take Halloween very, very seriously. They don't stop at a sign in the yard and a few pumpkins on the porch. We're talking whole houses covered in fake blood and spiderwebs. Very, very impressive.

Giant Inflatable Monsters will eat you!!!

It was another beautiful fall day, so even though there were no exciting vistas or other hikers out, we enjoyed the day and finished our 7 miles in just a few hours. Today, however, was not such a beautiful day. It was MUCH colder, there was a 100% chance of rain in the forecast, and it was already cloudy when we left for the trail at 7:30 am. We did have a most excellent chauffeur though.

Mr. Smith - Banker, Secret Agent, and Trail Taxi Extraordinaire

We hiked about 9 total miles today, and the first few were quite hard. Big rocks to climb over and a steep ascent. But the rain held off and the view at the top was worth it.

Leaves from Above

After we got to the top of the mountain, we were greeted by what can only be described as an interstate by AT hiker standards. It was a smooth, flat gravel road that had clearly been used for some kind of forest maintenance at one time, but was now relegated to transporting hikers. The rain set in about the time we hit the "interstate," but it was such nice walking I almost didn't care.

Leaves from Below

At the end of the 9 miles, I was a little cold and a tad damp, but nothing a nice heated car and a cup of coffee at a local diner didn't fix. The rain got progressively harder throughout the day, so it was a very good thing we got up and did our hike for the day earlier than usual. Timing is everything.

A few soggy steps closer to Maine...

New Trail Angel

1,200 Miles!!!

Today we had a pretty long day. We hiked a little over 14 miles. It helped that we boondocked in a parking lot right next to the trail, so we didn't have far to go to start our day. We also had virtually no elevation change until the last mile of the hike. So it was another very flat, very rocky kind of day. I'm noticing a trend here on the trails of PA with that.

The pretty views with fall colors are also a trend in PA.

It was noticeably colder today. I even hiked most of the hike in my coat. It's not so bad when you're in the sun, but when you get in the shade or stop moving at all, it's downright chilly. Also, if you've been wondering about the shirts I've sported recently - the ones that look like they got into a fight with a highlighter and lost - there's a reason for those. It's hunting season in PA. And I don't want to be mistaken for something wild and edible. Hence the flourescent shirts. We evaded the hunters and it wasn't hard to ignore the chills when there were pretty views and treasures to be found.

And by treasures I mean turnips. Someone planted a whole field of them on the trail for the deer. Lucky deer.

We walked down off of the ridgetop after 13 miles into the valley and the tiny town of Port Clinton, Pennsylvania. The town only has 2 streets in it. But it does have a railroad yard that is still in use. I've never seen a working rail yard before, even if it is only used for freight and not people.

Nano and Trail Dog at the Rail Yard

After we finished our long hike, my knees were sore from negotiating all the jagged rocks in the trail, so I was happy to go have a treat at a local chocolate shop (chocolate covered apricots...yummy) and relocate base camp. I am very fortunate to have a good college friend in this vicinity. We were on the debate team together as undergrads, and with him having a real job and a real life in Yankee country, I don't see nearly enough of him. Fortunately however, we were able to impose upon his hospitality today. His day job is in the banking business, but I'm convinced this is a front for serious covert secret agent operations. So, in the interests of protecting his anonymity, we will simply call him...Mr. Smith. Anyway, Mr. Smith graciously offered his driveway as a temporary base camp location. This pit stop comes complete with a local's guide to Eastern PA, homemade food, and showers we neither have to pay for, nor wear flip flops in. Heaven.

Mr. Smith's AT Shelter - The best in PA

Disneyworld for Outdoors Nerds

New Colors

10 more miles hiked today, all of which were unusually rocky but also very flat, so I suppose the difficulty level evened out. The fall colors are getting prettier every day. It's like walking through a watercolor painting. Really, really beautiful. Today's hike was rather uneventful for the most part. We stayed on a ridgetop the entire hike, and didn't see any critters and very few other hikers. We did meet a Southbounder named "Low Step" who actually sat down and talked to us for about 15 minutes. He said we were the first people he'd seen in two days. I think he was starved for company. We hiked the 10 miles fairly efficiently, and made it to the gravel parking lot where we boondocked with plenty of time left to explore. That's where the real highlight of the day came.

Disneyworld

Cabela's is essentially a superstore of an outdoor outfitter. The building was as big as a mall. They had dog kennels and horse corrals in the parking lot for their customers. It's that kind of place. They have everything anyone who wants to set foot outside for longer than an hour needs to survive. Everything. They even have a restaurant and a frozen zoo.

And by frozen, I mean shot dead and stuffed.

Look! A bear!

I probably could've spent days wandering around in there. The huge display of taxidermed animals and the heads on the wall were really impressive. They had everything from raccoons to water buffalo to lions. We had dinner in the restaurant there. I had an elk burger. If you've never had elk, you should. It will be the tastiest, leanest, juiciest steak you ever had. We resisted the urge to start spending money there and made it back to base camp with our dignity intact. It was still lots of fun to go look though.

Trail Dog thought so too.

Back in Triple Digits

Old Railroad bridge relocated to the AT

Today's hike took us 12 miles further, but past a very important milestone. As of today, we officially have less than 1,000 miles to go to reach Maine. 1,000 miles sounds like a very long way. But not as long as it sounded before I walked the first 1,000. The hiking wasn't too difficult. There were some obstacles, like steep climbs and rocks, but nothing Rocksylvania hasn't shown us before.

Doing the PA Rockslide...

...to get to the PA Fall Foliage View.

We hustled a little bit more than usual today. We got a late start, and it starts to get dark around 6:30 pm now, so we didn't want to be caught in the dark. I think we timed it just right today though. There were some great views right before our rendezvous point. We met several very nice Amish families out enjoying the view, and a family from Eastern Europe who apparently thought I was so cool (or so crazy) for walking 1,100+ miles that they wanted their picture taken with me. It wasn't hard to see why that spot, at that time of day, was so popular. We hit the overlook by the road just as the sun started to set, so the light on the fall leaves was perfect.

Just Right

Mileage Update:

Miles from Springer: 1,184

Miles from Katahdin: 994

There's a Chill in the Air

Fall on the AT

We've been 26 miles over the past two days, going 10 yesterday and 16 today. 16 miles is a very long day for us, even after being on the trail this long. We've only had a few 16 mile days, and even fewer that were longer than that. The difference now, however, is twofold. First, the terrain is much easier than the steep ups and downs of the trail further south. The trail tends to be pretty flat through here, even if it is still very rocky. Second, the October weather is MUCH cooler than what we're used to. Even in the week I was off of the trail for my interview, the average temperature has dropped 10 degrees. It's now in the upper 60s or lower 70s in the middle of the day, and in the 40s at night. Otherwise known as: perfect for hiking. So the wonderful temperatures and easier terrain definitely let us hike faster, with fewer breaks. Three cheers for efficiency.

Even leaving time for making human AT signs.

Today, we started hiking at about 8:00 a.m. so we could be sure and have plenty of time to get our 16 miles in. The thing about going outside at 8:00 a.m. in Pennsylvania in October is that it's cold. Very cold...

So cold, in fact, that I had to break out my coat for the first time on this whole trip.

But we pressed on through the cold. And by the time we reached the top of the first hill it had warmed up to the perfect hiking temperature. Most of the hike today was flat ridge hiking, but we actually saw lots of interesting things today. Part of the hike was along an old stagecoach road. I have to say, with all the rocks in the trail, I can only imagine that that stagecoach ride would've been...unpleasant. We also saw the ruins of an old coal mining town. Two of the more interesting things we saw, though, were water related.

Queen of the Stream. One of the biggest and nicest bodies of water we've seen on the AT in PA.

This is a limestone well purification dam at Swatara Creek. Pipes force the water from upstream to the bottom of a well filled with crushed limestone. The alkaline limestone treats the highly acidic water, which was polluted in the days of coal mining. When the water runs out the top of the well, it is no longer acidic. The water downstream is cloudy, but that is actually the clean water, not the clear water on the other side of the dam. Chemistry!

So after our adventures through the interesting nooks and crannies of Pennsylvania, and some good Pennsylvania Dutch food at a place called "The Farmer's Wife," (which served only "family friendly beverages" and a dozen different kinds of pie) we ended one of our longest hiking days in a while on a good note. Fall is definitely upon us, but it's only making things better.

Pretty Pennsylvania