Date: 2018-03-19
From: Rt 309

To: Lehigh Gap
Miles today: 13.2

The hikers down south have encountered plenty of late season snow and ice in the highlands. But here in Pennsylvania I took the kids skiing Saturday at the local resort, which was trying to keep the slopes open for a final weekend. The man-made snow half-covered the slope, and gradually turned to slush as the day wore on. The daffodils are pushing up and the maples are budding. Surely spring has arrived.But not on the AT! I arrived at Lehigh Gap before dawn for a conditioning hike with full pack. My goal was route 309, a little over thirteen miles south. To save on shuttles I would hike back to the car. I've dayhiked this section before but not all at once. I started under clear skies in the high 20s and kept my puffy on awhile. The climb up to the George Outerbridge shelter (named for an early thruhiker) went quickly over the barren rocky zinc-contaminated Superfund site, followed by a couple miles of leafy uphill trail. There were a few inches of snow above 1300 feet but the trail was trodden down or melted for the most part.But what I'd forgotten is this section is probably the rockiest in all of Rocksylvania. It includes Bake Oven Knob, Bear Rocks, the Knife Edge, and plenty of anonymous stretches of metamorphic glacial deposits. Usually the rocks don't bother me - this is my backyard and I'm used to it. But snow-covered rocks add another dimension! You wouldn't think a hundred feet of elevation would make much difference but along the top of the ridge where the rockiest bits are the snow was significantly deeper. I followed the tracks of hardy hikers before me to find safer footing. I planted each foot with care, especially coming down where the trodden snow had turned to ice. Thankfully the diciest stretch along the Knife Edge was clear due to the southern sun. If nothing else I discovered my Lone Peaks are not too shabby in snow and ice.The last two leafy miles to 309 were a welcome break. Little traffic, and I crossed the road to symbolically connect this hike with the section I hiked in January from Eckville to 309. Yeah, I'm the guy that exits a shelter the same way I entered so I don't miss any trail. Then I immediately started back north. A couple miles back I had spotted a fire ring with a rock bench and a wonderful southern view that would make a perfect lunch spot.Anyone who says there are no views along the AT in Pennsylvania must not like rolling farmland. The quilt-like landscape had patches of brown fields edged by hedgerows and offset by darker sections of forest with a distant border of low blue hills. The ridge was silent the whole way, except for the distant traffic on the turnpike where it tunnels under the mountain. No wildlife or wild flowers made an appearance today.I passed several locals around Bake Oven Knob, and one backpacker near Ashfield Gap, most likely out for practice judging by her clean gear, though she showed no sign of slowing down to chat. As I negotiated the rocky ridges I knew there wouldn't be anyone along anytime soon if I got into trouble.I made it back to the car by 4:20 after averaging a very respectable 3 miles an hour considering the slow going on the rocks. But I was wiped, and short of breath from sucking in cold air all day. On the drive home I heard the forecast for a foot and a half of snow over the next two days. Happy spring!Weighed the fully-loaded pack yesterday sans food and water. It's crept up from 12-14 pounds last year to 17 now. I added back the stove and cookpot, some warmer camp clothes, and the EE quilt (only 24 oz, but heavier than my summer bag). I'm also carrying the "tea shirt", which Hopper gave me during my stay at the Cabin in Andover after I had lost my hiking shirt to the rocks on Baldpate. I promised I would pay the gift forward by passing it on to someone else who needed it, as she had been gifted it herself. The trail will decide if I have the opportunity.One housekeeping note: I'm changing this journal to a 2018 hike to make it easier for people to find. I don't know what trailjournals etiquette is, but it seems backward looking to think of this as a 2017 journal. Let's just say my fiscal year starts in June (gotta love accountant jokes!)