Tuesday May 14, 15.5mi/24.9km

Wind Gap (1279.9) to Delaware Water Gap (1295.4) (PA)

What a great night to be indoors! It rained off & on thru the night, and it was still so cold when we left the motel at 8:30am.

The rain had stopped, but the rocks continued today.

There was another knife edge section, which took forever on the slippery slabs of rock. At least this one had a neat view of the undercast valley.

At the end of today’s hike, the ridge we were following ended at the Delaware river. There were cool views of the Delaware Water Gap, with the river and freeway way below.

I descended 1000ft/300m to the river valley, and entered a whole new world with lush plants, ponds, and warm temperatures.

There is a church in town that allows hikers to stay in their basement, so I went there. It was simple but clean – a room with eight bunks, a shower, a toilet, and a sitting room.

Bob and I dropped off our packs, and walked around town to get food. After a first meal at the local bistro, we stopped by a bakery.

Everything looked so good, it was hard to choose.

So I got a pie AND ice cream. Why choose?

We did a quick resupply shopping trip, to get us thru the next four days into New Jersey and New York. Goodbye Pennsylvania!

Monday May 13, 21.3mi/34.3km

Outerbridge shelter (1258.6) to Wind Gap (1279.9) (PA)

The weather forecast improved slightly, with rain starting at noon, so I got an early start to get as many miles in before then. The trail descended down to Lehigh Gap, and I could see the re-climb on the other side.

Crossing the Lehigh river was on a nice bridge, separated from the scary traffic. Everyone here drives like they’re on the phone!

The re-climb up the other side of the gap was quite steep and exposed. There was even a short section with some easy rock climbing moves- a foot jam, a stem up a corner, and a mantle up onto a ledge!

After 1000ft/300m of going up, there was one last good view back to where I had just been. And then the fog moved in.

The trail was a cruise for a couple of miles down an old road, since it had been rerouted. (The original trail runs thru a superfund site, the result of zinc processing at a former factory in the valley below.)

The rest of the day was up on a ridge, on rocky trail in the fog. It was Cold again, so just a few photos.

I took a break at the only shelter I passed by today, to get out of the rain while I ate. It said “happiness here”, it was right!

Bob and I arrived to Wind Gap at 4pm, and it was still raining, cold, and foggy. So we went to the Gateway motel. It was warm and dry… and that’s about all the nice things I can say about it. 🙂

I ordered pizza for dinner, and we sat and enjoyed the warmth and dried out, while watching bad movies!

Sunday May 12, 16.8mi/27.3km

Allentown Shelter (1241.8) to Outerbridge shelter (1258.6) (PA)

It rained all night, and was still raining when I woke up. So, I checked the weather, hoping it would be stopping soon. Nope!

So, Bob and I packed up, (rain) suited up, and headed out into a steady rain. The trail was quite wet.

I didn’t take many photos today, since it was cold, only 45F/7C, so my hands didn’t have much dexterity.

When I got to a feature called the “knife edge”, it was worrisome. I had hiked here years ago on a dry day, and the shoes just grip the slanty slabs of rock. Well, wet slabs don’t have much grip, so… I took my time. And used my hands.

The trail stayed rocky for a couple of miles, which was really slow with the wet rocks.

Around noon, I got to a viewpoint called Bake Oven Knob. I had also hiked here years ago, and the view wasn’t as nice today. Both because of the fog, and all the new graffiti. Sad.

After Bake Oven knob, the trail smoothed out, and it was a nice couple hours of trail to the shelter.

I arrived at 3:45pm, to find Bob had just arrived before me. It was very early in the day, but it had rained all day, so we called it quits and crawled in our sleeping bags. It was so nice to finally be warm and dry!

On a sad note, there were a couple of AT hikers who were attacked on the trail, down in southern Virginia. I’m safe and sound 800mi/1300km away, and authorities have arrested the suspect. Links:

Washington Post

Roanoke Times

ABC News

Saturday May 11, 21.9mi/35.2km

Hamburg (1219.9) to Allentown Shelter (1241.8) (PA)

I stayed up way too late watching TV, and dragged myself out of bed for the hotel’s breakfast. Bob and I walked over to the Cabelas store, to get a shuttle ride back to the trail. We got dropped off at 10:30am, and immediately there was a huge climb.

Once we got to the top, the trail was surprisingly quite nice, and not at all rocky.

I stopped at a nice lookout point called Pulpit rock, and enjoyed the beautiful day and warm sunshine. And so did about 40 other day hikers.

Surprisingly, just two miles later, there was another view point, the Pinnacle.

And all these large predatory birds (hawks?) were circling above. So cool!

From there, it was an easy 5 miles of hiking on an old dirt road. No rocks again! A great surprise. And there were even a couple more smaller viewpoints.

The last couple of miles had some small rocks, with some sections of smooth trail.

Bob and I cruised into camp at the shelter at 7pm, much later than usual but we had a very late start. There were two other hikers there, a couple of guys from PA doing a long weekend out. They were talking about doing the Mid-state trail, a 525km trail thru Pennsylvania, from Maryland to New York. Sounds enticing!

Rain is coming tonight and all day tomorrow… bleh.

Friday May 10, 18.8mi/30.3km

Hertline campsite (1201.1) to Hamburg (1219.9) (PA)

It was a short day before town, and I was excited about all the food options, so it was easy to wake up early. Bob and I packed up and hiked out at 7am. The miles flew by on easy trail, with a pretty flat elevation profile.

Of course it was foggy again. This seems to be the pattern in PA.

There really wasn’t much to see in the green tunnel, and the one viewpoint was just thick fog. By the end of the morning, the rocks that Pennsylvania is famous for had started.

The last couple of miles were rocky, and then there was a steep descent to town.

The trail goes right thru Port Clinton, which seemed like a depressing little town.

I picked up my new shoes at the post office, and then Bob and I got a ride into nearby Hamburg. It had every chain restaurant imaginable, a couple hotels, walmart, and more. We went to the Cabelas first, a national chain of outfitters for hunting/fishing. This one was fuccillo-sized (huuuge)!

Afterwards we went to resupply groceries, and eat dinner at Red Robin (bottomless salad and fries!). People often ask what hiking food I buy, so here’s a photo. Lots of variety!

It was a nice night in town, and staying indoors at the Microtel while it drizzled outside.

Thursday May 9, 23.6mi/38.0km

Rausch Gap shelter (1177.8) to Hertline Campsite (1201.1) (PA) + 0.3mi side trail

I woke up last of everyone in the shelter, and surprisingly got started hiking first. Immediately there was a detour around a flooded section of trail, due to beaver activity.

The trail stayed low in some fields in the morning, and went thru Swatara Gap state park.

There was a cool old bridge at the end of the park. It looked like it used to be a car bridge, since it was so over-engineered for hiking use.

I caught up to Bob, who had passed me earlier, and also met Beth. We took a quick break, but didn’t linger as it wasn’t that warm out today. But, I warmed up quickly, as soon as we passed under the interstate (I-81, one last time), there was a big 1000ft climb.

Up on the ridge, the fog was even thicker. There really wasn’t much to see in the green tunnel all afternoon.

There were these bright orange salamanders crawling all over the trail. They didn’t seem to be bothered by people, or attempt to flee at all.

As the day went on, the fog started to thin, and by 5pm, there was almost a view!

Just before camp, an actual view. Looking south.

At camp, the remaining available tent platform was a little small, so Bob and I squeezed our tents (Big Agnes fly creek, Tarptent rainbow) onto the single platform.

Hopefully tomorrow’s forecasted rain holds off until we get to town!

Wednesday May 8, 29.0mi/46.7km

Duncannon (1149.1) to Rausch Gap shelter (1177.8) (PA) +0.3mi side trail

I woke up in the church basement, and had a nice hot shower to start the day. There was even a little kitchen to prepare breakfast, but I only have non-cook foods for breakfast. I walked out of town shortly after 7:30am, crossing the Susquehanna River.

There was a climb back up to the ridge, which was surprisingly not rocky, just had a lot of rock steps!

Up on the ridge, there were only a couple of views all morning.

Looking northwest.Also northwest, but with powerlines!

I passed a shelter early on, so I didn’t stop, but it had a funny sign. Someone has been putting these eyes on signs for the last 500 miles!

Most of the day was a green tunnel.

Even when the trail followed a nice mulch road for a mile, it was still a tunnel.

I stopped for an early lunch at a shelter. This one was huge, two floors!

I hadn’t seen any people all day, so in the afternoon I listened to podcasts for some human voices. It was mostly a nice walk in the woods, with surprisingly smooth trail. I know the rocky trail is coming, but I’m grateful for every day that I can cruise along on a smooth one.

There was a trail junction, and it had pink blazes! Now I know what all this “pink blazing” is about… 🙂

Many of the water sources in the afternoon looked like this. Kinda orange, maybe some kind of mineral?

And there was a cool landmark at the end of the day, a monument marker for the western terminus of the Horse-shoe trail. It’s a 120-mile trail that starts near Philadelphia, in Valley Forge NP. I had spent some time hiking on it like 10 years ago, and forgotten it existed.I cruised another 5 miles, and arrived to the shelter at 6pm. There wasn’t any flat spots for a tent, so I slept in the shelter with 4 other dudes. One of which was Bob! I caught up to him!

Tuesday May 7, 26.1mi/42.0km

Boiling Springs Backpacker camp (1123.0) to Duncannon (1149.1) (PA)

I was excited about breakfast, so I was out of camp by 7am, and sitting at a table in the Cafe 101 by 7:30am. The trail goes right thru the village of Boiling Springs, with a large pond along the way.

After a delicious chorizo breakfast burrito, I was on my way. Today was another warm humid day in the green tunnel.

Today was mostly flat walking through farm fields, as the trail crossed the Cumberland valley.

The trail also crossed many small roads, railroads, and even a couple of interstates today.

I-76, looking west (toward Pittsburgh).

I-81, looking towards Harrisburg.

One of my more exciting moments of today was walking through a field of cows. Hi cows!

There was also a long marshy section along a river. The boardwalk was definitely appreciated.

The water sources weren’t great today, mostly streams with agricultural runoff, and the occasional cow trough. CDT style!

Towards the end of the day, the trail re-entered the forest, and climbed up a ridge. The views are kind of obstructed by the leafy trees.

The view from Hawk rock.

Looking down on the village of Duncannon.

I descended down into Duncannon. It felt a little depressing, kind of a sad old place.

Of course, I had to stop by the famous Doyle hotel, known for its dilapidated state. I had dinner at the bar, but didn’t spend the night.

After a surprisingly good meal, I continued on another half mile, and stayed at a local church that welcomes hikers. Long day!

Monday May 6, 22.5mi/36.2km

Tom’s Run shelter (1100.5) to Boiling Springs Backpacker camp (1123.0) (PA)

I said goodbye to the other three hikers in the shelter, and hiked out at 7:45am. I was in no hurry, since the General store and AT museum opened at 9am and they were only 3 miles away. It was a nice warm sunny morning, such a change from yesterday’s weather!

When I got to the Pine Grove general store, they were closed! Apparently they are only open on weekends until mid-May. This was the store where hikers celebrate being halfway done by trying to eat a half gallon of ice cream. Given how much I love ice cream, this was pretty much the saddest thing ever.

In hindsight, starting the AT in mid-march was bad advice – many things are still closed for the season! Starting April 1 would be much better…

At least the AT museum was open. It was pretty neat, with lots of displays about the trails history, early hikers, and the gear used.

After 30 minutes I continued on, and just in time too. A school field trip had just arrived with a hundred kids!

The trail was nice all morning as it meandered thru Pine Grove Furnace state park.

At lunch, I stopped by a general store in Mt Holly Springs.

They even had Birch beer, which I love and used to drink all the time on road trips thru Pennsylvania. So I had pop and a milkshake, haha.

In the afternoon, there was a short bit of roadwalk, maybe a quarter mile.

And then a short rocky bit, but it was fun scrambling over the big rocks.

The trail smoothed out again after.

I came around a corner, and there was a massive rattlesnake. It was mortally wounded, but still half-alive, poor thing.

After the snake, I was watching out for more of them. But, the trail left the forest and went thru farm fields for the last couple of miles of the day.

It reminded me of the Te Araroa, farm fields, cow smells, and no camping allowed. I camped just outside of the town of Boiling Springs, at a campsite they have setup for hikers. Three older guys from Kentucky were also camping there, and it was fun to talk to them at dinner. They had thru hiked together in 2016, and had lots of good advice. The campsite is nice, and free, but it’s also only 150ft/50m from train tracks, so it will be interesting to see how late the trains run tonight!

Sunday May 5, 14.3mi/23.0km

Locust Gap Rd (1086.2) to Tom’s Run shelter (1100.5) (PA)

It felt great to sleep in late until 7:30am, and even better to not have to put shoes on to get breakfast! After one last shower and some final packing, we drove back to the trailhead. It was 11am and lightly raining, so it was a quick goodbye.

It was a quiet day on trail, and I saw almost no one. I passed by a shelter after a mile, and it was one of the nicest ones I’ve seen in awhile. Cooking pavilion, benches, flowers, multiple campfire rings, etc.

I continued on, and it started to rain more steadily.

I met one couple at the next shelter, who had stopped early at 2pm. I grabbed a snack and a break there, under a dry roof. The next shelter was only 6 miles away, so I continued on. Along the way, I passed the halfway mark!

It was last year’s marker, so it was off by a few tenths of a mile, since the trail changes slightly every year. But close enough!

There was a burn area at the top of a hill. The sign said that Pennsylvania’s DNR had done a prescribed burn here in the Micheaux forest.

I got to the shelter at 5:15pm, and one other guy was there, Max from Toronto. Another couple showed up at 7pm, and we had a full house! The rain should stop tonight, so hopefully it’s a dry day tomorrow.