Rock This Way


We took the 2:45 train to Harrisburg PA and then rode an uber to The Doyle in Duncannon PA. To refresh anyone who lost track- we hiked northbound from Harpers Ferry, WV back late February, got off the trail for a week for a funeral, then hiked southbound from Harpers Ferry, WV to Amicalola Falls, GA from late winter to late spring. 

TeaTime and I had an amazing and relaxing couple of days off in Atlanta and in Philadelphia. We were concerned with loosing our trail legs so we walked and biked as much as we could. We would learn quick that no matter how much you try and keep in good shape, your legs and knees and feet and ankles have muscles that only long distance hiking can tone. 

Back to The Doyle we went. The Doyle is known for being a trashy dive bar and hiker hostel with owners who self proclaim the place so. Every time a hiker comes in the door, the owner Vicky mumbles something under her breath like ‘oh, here comes more hiker trash’ or ‘did you all know we just got infected with hiker trash’. She has got plenty of entertaining one liners that everyone loves. We sat down and drank a beer or two, as one would at The Doyle. 



Pennsylvania is known for the rocks. Some hikers nickname the state Rocksylvania. The first day or two we really didn’t think much of the terrain. Our heads were so preoccupied with joy of being back on the trail that if there were rocks, we didn’t notice any severe pain in our feet. We were, however, battling with a little bit of boredom because of the relatively flat terrain of Pennsylvania. We had been used to beautiful rolling mountains at 3000 plus feet in elevation in the South that provided gorgeous views. Somehow flat terrain at 1000-1500 feet in Pennsylvania seemed a little tame. 



We cranked the tunes on TeaTimes phone and pressed on. The first day we tackled 17 miles and the second day we hiked 21 miles. By the third day, it was as if we stepped right into Rocksylvania. These weren’t little pebbles, nor were they constant large bolders. These were medium sized rocks that were everywhere so you had to step on them. They were sharp so every step was like stepping on one nail piercing into your foot. Imagine that feeling for miles and miles. To be fair, there were horrible periods of miles of these rocks, then there were periods of miles of softer and flatter terrain like service roads. Our feet were hurting pretty earlier than the usual pain they feel almost any day after 5pm or so. We trekked along and finished the third day with 20 miles complete. 







The fourth day we got word of some trail magic in the town of Port Clinton. A few miles before reaching the town, we came across a cooler with some water and Pepsi’s in it and a note that said there was a hiker picnic in Port Clinton pavilion ahead. We were thrilled! It was a former thru hiker Kodak 1000 and his huge Mennonite family who were grilling steaks and serving BLTs and homemade cookies. It was a feast to say the least. We restocked at Walmart and I was able to call my grandfather and my father for Father’s Day. 




Speaking of trail magic, we’ve had such good luck encountering all kinds of trail magic this last few days. We bumped into a pile of what looked like trash but ended up being a huge stock of toiletries. There were empty travel sized containers where we could fill up on soap and shampoo. Another time we got trail magic was on the hottest day of the year in a stretch of PA where there was little to no water. There was another former thru hiker naked Snowcap for his white hair and he was posted up with a cooler full of water and coconut water. He even had a few cold beers he was giving away. It instantly cooled us down and rejuvenated our tired muscles. And even another awesome trail magic time was when we ran into a current thru hiker names Baloo and his mother. He is from this area of PA so his mother joined him for a day or two of hiking. She brought pizzas to a shelter that was half a mile uphill near a road. It was so nice of her to haul it so far up the mountain. I gave her a hug and thanked her. TeaTime and I promised ourselves that from now on we will try and get out to the AT at least once a year to give out some trail magic ourselves. 



The rocks weren’t over yet. We woke up after eating pizza to a brief rain shower that seemed to cool the temperature off a lot. By the time we reach the bottom of our first climb for the day, the rain disappeared and the trail seemed clear again. Our accent was up and over The Lehigh Gap. It was the most bolder climbing and rock climbing we have had on the trail so far. If you are familiar with Dragons Tooth in the Roanoke VA area then picture that amount of rocks but multiply it by 10. We were lifting our legs and stretching our torsos out completely in order to reach the next grip on the bolders. Maybe the photos TeaTime took of me climbing will better describe the time. It was by far the most fun climbing we’ve done on the trail yet. From The Lehigh Gap to The Delaware Water Gap the rocks were consistent for miles on end. It was back to sharp pains in the feet by midday and the temperature wasn’t on our side. 





TeaTime and I have been good at starting our day by 6am or 7am to beat some of the heat, then take some time off for lunch in the afternoon heat, then continue on hiking in the late afternoon or evening. But by 2pm We get so sluggish in every step taken. It’s like the heat slows us down to the point where we aren’t productive in our miles at all. We might as well take some hours off and get on our siesta or nap. 



We saw two bears in the last few days. The first bear came around the campsite at 7pm looking for food. It sat right under our bear bag that was hung 15 feet above ground. The two women we were sharing a site with freaked out and instantly started crying profusely. I think they hadn’t seen a bear before and didn’t know what to do. We tried explaining to them to be loud and they’ll likely run away. Eventually it calmed them down. When the bear saw us, it scurried down the mountain and we didn’t see it again. We hung our bear bag again in a further location and a little bit higher just in case. The next time we saw a bear was on a ridge line eating blueberries. He wasn’t scared of us at all. The cute bear was so interested in it’s blueberries that it didn’t even mind us four or five hikers admiring it. The bears are not scaring us nearly as much as they did in the beginning. We’ll see what New Jersey holds for us. Apparently there’s a bunch of bear in NJ also.





Last but not least, the new direction we are hiking, northbound or NOBO, has given us a new perspective on "the bubble". As we've mentioned in a previous post, the bubble refers to the large clumps of hikers that can form when hiking the same pace or getting to the same destination day after day. When we were SOBO, we could avoid some of the bubble because we could easily pass the northbound hikers and find a secluded area to ourselves. As NOBOs now, we will be hiking with the bubble likely till the end in Maine. It isn't necessarily a better or worst way of experiencing our thru hike, it is just different. We are getting to know fellow thru hikers pretty well and we can depend on them if we need information on upcoming weather or terrain. We also are getting to know the hiking patterns of other hikers. There is the smallest bit of day by day competition when asked how many miles are you getting done today. You learn to be vague or brief in case others may want to follow too closely. We have learned to share campsites and to move out of the way when a hiker may pass or when we may pass another hiker. I've learned to watch the trail extra well when stopping for a bathroom break. The more often hikers pass, the more likely they are to catch you mid-relief. 

We made it out of PA with no major injuries, just some sore feet. It feels great to be on track to finish by the end of August. Maine is finally in sight and it is a bit scary also. I still can't believe we are more than half way done. I feel like yesterday we were shivering in the cold just as we left DC. We both feel stronger and more determined than ever. Summer- bring it on!




TeaTime on Hike Naked Day or the Summer Solstice


Comments

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