Date: 2013-07-02
From: Smith Gap Rd 

To: Delaware Water Gap
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light rain

Okay so here is the situation.I want to apologise again for the lack of journal entries. I wish to stress my mood is again good and all is well with both myself and IM.Just so anyone who wants to raise issues of purity knows I am stating here and now I will not be applying for any 2000 miler certificate at the end of my hike so any further references along those lines in my guest book will be deleted like the last ones.Before anyone doubts it, I am thoroughly enjoying this hike and seeing America on foot. I have met no end of wonderful people and seeing some of the best (and occasionally the worst) of this country. I thoroughly recommend the AT as a way of discovering America.There are in my mind two main ways of hiking the AT.You can hike it in sections; day walks, weekend hikes, week long hikes or longer.You can hike it as a continuous through hike in one year.The ATC does not differentiate between either of these methods when issuing it's "2000 miler" certificate.   It should.Those that hike it as a continuous hike fall into two main categories.There are those that follow every step of the trail and do not take any shortcuts along the way. These are known as "purists" and I have to admit that to do that is harder than what the others do. They should have some sort of recognition that acknowledges the harder hike they do.The remainder of thruhikers to some extent or another take shortcuts, easier paths, walk without packs, in the wrong direction in part or even canoe down the Shenandoah River instead of hike in the Shenandoah park.I firmly believe that there is nothing wrong with hiking in anyway you wish.Personally I consider that if you start at Springer Mountain and walk at least 2000 miles to get to Katahdin (or vice versa) you deserve some sort of recognition.However the experience you have is the main thing of importance. When Benton McKaye conceived the idea of the Appalachian Trail it was as a place for people jaded from life in the cities to rejuvenate and reconnect with nature. The idea of hiking it end to end was not part of the game plan when they built the AT.But the concept of a thruhike has grown since Earl Schaffer did the first one.New Zealand has recently completed a trail that goes the length of the country. Reviews I have read indicate that this trail is best treated as a series of shorter trails with urban bits connecting them. Many recommend you bus between the various bits. I believe when Earl did that first thruhike the same was true of the AT. Certainly there have always been those that said he roadwalked (yellow blazed) sections of it.The ATC has worked hard over the decades to keep the AT as a "wilderness walk".I can't help but think sometimes this has been to the detriment of the trail.Pennsylvania is a case in point. Pennsylvania doesn't seem to have an awful lot of good "wilderness". It is one of the areas most extensively urbanised and industrialised in the past so this is understandable. What hills it has are very rocky and with limited views or "wilderness" feel to it. I can't help but feel that making more of an effort to show what is "pretty" and relaxing about Pennsylvania such as the Pennsylvania Dutch heritage and some of their river based recreation would be better than routing the AT over the infamous rocks.But it seems that Pennsylvania's hiking community is as proud of their rocks as Australians are of all the deadly wildlife we have. They not only route us over the rocks they seem to take glee in making sure we experience the worst of them. Perhaps they like the fact that so many hikers get injured here. I don't. We have had some discussion as a group and while Invisible will continue to hike the entire AT, I have cut the last section to here and will probably cut some more of the next 30 odd mile. The final straw for me was the way that while walking over the rocks in the rain, watching my feet through water soaked and foggy glasses I would become almost concussed on branches hanging over the trail not trimmed away. Having blackberry and raspberry bushes hanging over the trail with poison ivy mixed in did not help.If they must insist on routing the trail over rocks, the lack of trail maintenance that enhances the danger and risk of injury is nothing short of criminal negligence. I am here to enjoy the trail, not injure myself. I will jump ahead for another 20 or more miles to avoid more rocks and I don't care if that is a disappointment to others - it isn't to me.I am unsure of just when and where I will rejoin as with the 4th of July tomorrow, I am trying to work out how to make this fit with seeing a good fireworks display. The next few days journal entries will reflect the mileages that IM does as he continues to hike until we rejoin further down the trail.