Date: 2015-06-07
From: Wind Gap, PA

To: Backpacker Campsite
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: light rain

NEW JERSEEEEY!Today, we had one goal in mind: to leave PA. We left Wind Gap and walked the 2.6 miles from the motel back to the trail head. The initial portion of the day's hike was more of the usual rocks, with a particularly challenging climb through Wolf Rocks. Shrugs fought off many caterpillars too. The day was otherwise uneventful. We made our way to Delaware Water Gap in the late afternoon where we stopped at Zo«'s Ice Cream Emporium, a dairy bar styled with a cool retro look. We had hot fugde sundaes for supper as well as some iced coffee (for me) to help power through the final stretch.We crossed the Delaware River bridge, leaving Pennsylvania behind, like a bitter aftertaste. The bridge swayed as huge trucks passed by us, their loud motors drowning out our cries of joy. We had a gentle but sustained 4-mile climb before reaching the campsite. We flew up those hills at 3 mph and, along the way, I found a cool feather, a gift from the Trail, perhaps.7 down, 7 more to go.PENNSYLVANIA SUMMARYI thought about this summary for a while. My thoughts vis-a-vis PA are confused and undefined. What to say about flat, (mostly) viewless, rocky PA? I suppose I will begin with the more objective observations, then I'll delve into my personal perceptions of this state.- The terrain up to Boiling Springs is only midly rocky and very flat. A few sections like Chimney Rocks or the Rock Maze were of course rocky, but the names give you a fair warning.- PA is where you hit the half-way point and where you can attempt the half gallon challenge. Good stuff.- The section out of Boiling Springs, which is a very nice town, was through farmlands and fields - quite easy except in very hot weather.- The climb into and out of Duncannon is where Pennsylvania became Rocksylvania for me. Both were difficult. - A few mediocre views around here too, namely Hawk Rock, Kinter View and Table Rock View.The section spanning from Clarks Ferry Shelter to William Penn Shelter was mostly filled with small toe-stubbers and ankle twisters, but with rarely more than 50% coverage. This section was alright.- The Trail to and from the 501 Shelter had bigger and more numerous rocks. From this point onwards, the terrain was terrible.- The worst section was from Port Clinton to the PA-NJ border - 100% rock coverage, huge boulders, unhikable terrain. With the exception of the Pinnacle, the nicest view you get in PA, it's a string of difficult passages through the Knife Edge, Bake Oven Knob, Lehigh Gap and Wolf Rocks where rocks are the only feature. NEVER ATTEMPT ANY OF THESE IN THE RAIN.- Basically, the rock intensity increases as you move up north.- Water can be an issue here as many springs are prone to run dry in the warmer months. Not cool.- TICKS. These vile parasites have started appearing more frequently. Today even, I saw the unmistakable silhouette of a tick, its flat body and eight tiny legs, slowly crawling up the outside of our tent while we were inside, searching for warm blood. It knew we were there, it could sense us. I hate ticks so much. I feel conflicted about PA because I had been excited about hiking through the state a second time. I was hoping for an easier, more enjoyable trip. Alas, it has been quite the opposite. I was stunned at how my memory betrayed me: so little was as I remembered it and my mind omitted many, many details. False, lying memories. I guess you could say my relationship with PA has been...rocky. I left PA in 2013 with throbbing feet and haunted by the thought of rocks. PA had been my introduction to hiking. I had once thought that hiking was a leisurely activity practiced by children and little old ladies alike - my passage through the Knife Edge, Bake Oven Knob or Lehigh Gap shattered that illusion quickly. It blew my mind that people purposefully chose to hike in PA and endure it's toe-crushing rocks when receiving very little reward. A few mundane views did not justify PA for me. When I crossed that PA-NJ border, I never wanted to go back.Then, different thoughts started creeping into my mind. Maybe PA wasn't so bad, maybe had I been better prepared, maybe it was me the problem, not PA. This rationalizing persisted. Time went by - PA's harsh reality became a fluffy fantasy. I dreamt of going back. My Trail friends told me that no, PA hadn't changed, it wouldn't change, that I would experience the exact same pattern. I didn't listen and I entered PA naively believing that our relationship would be improved, smoothed out.It didn't. PA hasn't changed. I guess PA is just too... hard-headed.- Axon