Rocksyvania!
- Sherry
- May 2, 2019
- 3 min read
After taking a "zero" (hiker lingo for not walking any miles for the day), we returned to the trail walking passed the Mason Dixon Line for a "nero" (hiker lingo for walking very few miles for the day--though my idea of a nero is significantly shorter than that of the average hiker). Lily was excited to be back on the trail, but after walking 5 miles in the rain, she was ready to sack out in the tent. After this slow start, we put in some pretty big days (well, they were big for me), the longest one at 13.8 miles and totaling 60.8 miles for the week, tipping us over the 100-mile mark for our journey! This may not be “official” AT miles, but if I have to travel a half-mile off trail over steep terrain to make it to a campsite or water source, I am counting it as miles I have hiked.
Not to complain (okay, it is complaining, but you only have to read about it—or not, skip to the next paragraph, while Jim gets to hear about it every day), but this trail is kicking my bum! We have hiked, set up and taken down out tent in the rain. Last week I never pulled out my puffy coat, so I left it behind this week—naturally, a cold spell blew through with near freezing temperatures, so I was cold. The trail is way more rigorous than I anticipated. I don’t know what I was thinking; is it possible I’m not as tough as I thought I was?! And if I meet one more local hiker that tells me how this section is the easiest of the whole trail, I may not be responsible for my reaction! At the end of the day, my best friend is Ibuprofen to ease the aches and pains and help me sleep.
Lets talk rocks. Pennsylvania is unaffectionately called Rocksylvania by through-hikers. As there are rocks everywhere and are just a part of hiking in the woods, I didn’t really understand this nickname…until this week. The rocks here could never be described as stepping-stones. Picture diamonds and cones and knife blades of all sizes pointed side up lining the trail. I often spot a piece of earth large enough to place a foot between these rocks only to be thwarted by another small sharp rock hiding under the leaves. Through-hikers joke that Pennsylvania sharpens its rocks each year for us—the sore, bruised soles of my feet can attest to this fact!
As we travel further north, we pass fewer hikers on the trail. At the end of the day however, we continue to meet other hikers at the shelters—since we tent, I haven’t taken a picture of what the shelters are like, but I’ll try to remember for next time. Speaking of shelters, big thanks to Jim “The Innkeeper” who has been the caretaker of the Quarry Gap Shelter for over 40 years. It is the Taj Mahal of shelters—beautiful and clean with nice level tent pads.
The trail does a good job winding through the varied and beautiful terrain of Pennsylvania.
Some wildlife sightings--not quick enough to get the small herd of white tail deer family that crossed our path, so you will have to imagine it.
Trail motivation: sometimes its the small things in life that keep you moving towards your destination.
Congratulations to Tai, Cheetah, and Kegger, through-hikers we met at Alec Kennedy Shelter who started in Georgia. These hikers who are already past the halfway point in the trail are amazing monsters that put in long days and take very few days off. We also met Marvel and Meru, a couple that look to be around our age who have completed 260 miles so far—you are an inspiration to me. And to Papercut, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Kansas, we enjoyed ending our days with you and hope to see you again on the trail.
Papercut with Sidewinder at the end of the day.
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