August 29th
This was my first full day through New Jersey. I can't say I had high expectations for this state as far as scenery goes, but it proved me wrong right off the bat. From Wawayanda shelter, I did 17 miles to Unionville, NY. As I recall, that day was super hot and humid. I had a few good climbs that day, up Wawayanda Mtn and Pochuck Mtn. Pochuck had some very nice views of the hills through that part of Jersey, and was actually a pretty tough climb (though the "mountain" is under 1000 feet) when you factored in how hot it was. Also during that day, I hiked what is called the "easiest mile" of the A.T.. This easiest mile is basically a boardwalk across a wetland. Unfortunately there is no tree cover so I was dying as I walked across the swamp. At least I got to see some turtles swimming through the muck. Later that day I crossed another wetland area right before Unionville where I got to see some cranes and other birds. I spent that night at what is dubbed the "Mayor's House" or the Outhouse in Unionville, NY. The guy that runs this hostel was the former mayor of the town and has been taking in hikers for a few years. The stay there was great and the guys that run it were very interesting and hilarious to hang out with.
Aug. 30th
Well the 30th was my birthday so I figured I'd take it easy for a day. I met up with Connor (trail name Flora) who had to get off trail for a 100 miles or so near NY. Along with another hiker Cloud, we did 7 miles and got a ride back at the end of the day to the Mayor's house. That day I saw my first wild black bear. It ran away as they usually do. It wasn't that exciting, but I was happy I finally saw one after 900 or so miles.
Aug. 31st
The 31st was another sweltering day that took the energy right out of us. Since it was Connor's first full day back since New York, we took it pretty easy and did 14 miles that day. She experienced the same heat exhaustion that I was feeling through most of New York. There was some pretty decent climbs that day, and we got to see a monument on one of the hills that looked like the Washington Monument and was dedicated to the troops. It looked pretty out of place in the middle of the woods though. Flora, Cloud, and I stayed at Gren Anderson shelter that night. Water at the shelter was basically a puddle, but luckily I don't have giardia yet.
Sept. 1
From Gren Anderson shelter we did a 21 mile day to the Mohican Outdoor Center. We got some great views of New Jersey that day, got to see a couple more fire towers, and I believe that was the day we saw a really cool pavilion on top of one of the mountains. There were amazing views from there to the valleys below. As I mentioned earlier, I stayed at Mohican Outdoor. This is a camping center owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club. They usually charge people for camping but A.T. thru hikers can stay there for free. We caught up with Matt and Annie, two thru hikers I originally met at the Franciscan shelter. They still don't have trail names and Cloud, Flora and I have been trying to think up something for them. I still got nothin.
Sept. 2
We crossed the New Jersey/Pennsylvania line at the Delaware River Bridge. It was another highway bridge that I had to cross with semis blowing buy in the other direction at 65 mph. Thats always fun over a bridge because the bridge shakes, and then the wind from the semi almost knocks you over. Before crossing into PA, we went by Sunfish Pond, which was pretty prestine. Unfortunately, alot of the forest around it was burnt to the ground. We only decided to do 10 miles that day and stayed at Church of the Mountain, a Presbyterian Church, that has a hostel for hikers.
Sept. 3
We pulled 20 miles on the 3rd, starting with a pretty steep climb to the top of Mt. Minsi. That day was my most frustrating day since New Hampshire because it was my first experience on the Pennsylvania rocks (dubbed Rocksylvania). My trailrunners are pretty worn down at this point, so combined with that and the rocks and I felt miserable at the end of the day.
Sept. 4
On the 4th, we did about 17 miles. Though the trail was still pretty rocky, I took some Ibuprofen that day for the first time since New Hampshire so I felt a bit better. We dropped down into a gap at Palmerton that day. Palmerton is a current EPA Superfund site from its former zinc smelting facilities. The zinc mining apparently denuded alot of the mountains around the valley. Though this happened, the denuded mountains allowed for some great views for a few miles of walking of the valley below and the ridges beyond that. The hike down into Palmerton was one of the steepest downhills we had done since New Hampshire, so it was pretty fun given that we had been hiking along a flat Pennsylvania ridge all day. We stayed at George Outerbridge shelter that night.
Sept. 5
The 5th was my longest day on the trail so far. 24 miles. I ran the first 7 miles of the day in an hour and a half, and the trail for the rest of the day was pretty good, so I had 17 miles done that day by 2:15 pm. Needless to say I took a long break after doing 17 miles in 6 hours and took my time on the last 7 miles that day. I stayed at the Eckville shelter that night, which was a nice enclosed shed like thing with bunks. We got some trail magic there of fresh fruit. The Eckville Shelter also has a solar powered shower, but unfortunately when I got there the solar panels were not warming the water. I took a cold shower anyway. That night was freezing, in the 40's, and even though the shelter was enclosed I was still cold.
Sept. 6
We had a solid climb from Eckville to the Pinnacle. This outlook was a bit off trail and was supposed to be pretty good, but I didn't want to go over. There were a ton of day hikers out since it was Labor Day, but I got a great view of the Pennsylvania countryside from Pulpit rock. After Pulpit rock, I went the wrong way on the trail and walked upon a star observatory. They had a bunch of the telescope stations set up right in the middle of the woods. There was a few people there, and one asked if I was a thru hiker. I said yes, and he made me a Mountain House for lunch. I played some guitar and sampled some Scotch with this guy. It was a pretty good break in the middle of the day. That night I stayed in Port Clinton, PA at the pavilion in town. As I was walking into town, some guys drinking on their porch offered me some beers, so I had a fun night hanging out with some of the locals there that night.
Sept. 7
Today I did about 14 miles out of Port Clinton. I needed to get those miles done by 345 as I was meeting my Uncle at P.A. 183. It was a struggle as the rocks were destroying my shoes and ankles. When I got to the road, we went to a buffet in Amish Country and I ate everything I could get my hands on. I was in pain by the time I left the place. Unfortunately, it is 12:30 in the morning and I am already hungry. Alas, the life of a starving thru hiker. Tomorrow should be a pretty easy 13 mile day, and will put me right at the 1000 mile mark for my hike. Less than 100 miles to the halfway point.
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