Date: 2007-06-09
From: 501 Shelter

To: Port Clinton, PA
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: clear sky

When other thru-hikers hear that I'm from Pennsylvania, the most common response is, "You're from PA? No offense, but your state sucks." They are, of course, referring to the dreaded PA rocks, cursed with fear and loathing from Georgia all the way to Maine. Even the ATC shares the sentiment, writing in its hiker's companion as the introduction to the state, "No other state has been talked about with such fear by hikers who have never been there before. Since Georgia and Maine, you've heard rumors about the Pennsylvania rocks." It's no rumor honey; it's all true. Honestly, the first two-thirds of the state aren't too bad, but it's the last 80 miles that have hikers screaming and their feet crying for mercy. I got my first taste today. I wonder if it's enough to break me. Rocks are both physically and mentally exhausting, even for the conditioned and seasoned hiker. Ever carefully watching my steps, treading as gently as possible, the tip of my shoe invariably gets caught on the tip of sharp rocks, to the tune of about six times an hour, causing me to momentarily lose my balance and hope to God I save myself from a painful fall. Trekking poles undoubtedly help with balance and stability, but when they are caught between two rocks and the hiker flying forward, holding on for dear life, I must question their purpose. I don't know that I can aptly describe how the bottoms of my feet feel after such a day, each rock jabbing through the soles of my shoes, feet already sore from the constant pounding. The impact of each step shoots up through my feet up into my ankle joints, which are already struggling to hold their own without this God-awful terrain. It doesn't matter the type of shoes, the sophistication of the orthodics, the health of the ankles, the strength of the legs, the power of the mind, the fortitude of the hiker - in PA your lower extremities are going to be screaming.Hiker frustration is evident just by looking at the trail, and what is becoming of it as we desparately try to find an escape route to avoid the worst of the rocks. The true white-blazed AT in all its rocky glory is now being bypassed by smaller trails on either side where the ground cover is not quite as eroded and therefore still offers a bit of soft duff cushioning over the rocks, which will soon be just as exposed as more and more hikers trample the new routes. This is definitely not the most low impact manner of hiking, tis better for the natural environment to stay on the original trail and not create more, but my feet take priority. Although PA is largely flat ridge walking, add steep terrain and the downhill descent into Port Clinton can be best described as "absolutely ridiculous," with me swearing that I was going to "quit this stupid trail." Compounding our hiker frustration, most of us are now used to hiking at a pace of about 3 miles an hour, but give us rocks to negotiate and our rate drops to a measly 2 miles an hour. I know, if I were in a hurry, I wouldn't be walking. But I still feel like I got places to be, Maine namely, and the rocks of PA are slowing me down, ripping my feet and spirit to shreds. It was really only the last 5 miles today which involved such self-imposed torture. But it's enough to make me say, "Yeah, my state sucks." The rest of PA is going to be pure hell.