Trip #60 - The Pursuit of Rocks: A Completion of Pennsylvania

[Gambit McCrae]

With the 2018 hiking season coming to a close I have now finished my 5th year of completing the AT. 2018 was a year to finish Mass, walk thru the mud of Vermont and the rocks of Pennsylvania. The mud in Vermont was of no concern to me due to the time of year I was going(September) and it proved to be a moot point as there was very little mud.
The rocks of Pennsylvania are not seasonal. You hear about them from everyone that has the accolade of finishing the state. They talk about them as if they are devastating. And I have often heard and read of people suggesting to alter their trip plans to account for these said horrendous rocks! "They will slow you down!!!!" - "Where boots go to DIE!!!!!" I guess the trail has once again proved to be a big game of telephone. Yep, there were rocks in Pennsylvania. Did they slow me down, destroy my shoes, or even give me 1 single blister? Nope. They were just rocks. Manageable rocks that I stepped on or around just like the rest of the trail. Yes, they were a little annoying at times. But so were the mud spots in Vermont, and the designated camping in CT and Mass. Here is my trip report FWIW
Back in July 4th time frame I was going to head up and knock out PA (115 miles from Little Gap sobo to Duncannon) The trip got canceled. 100 degree days, gobs of rattlers lying on top of one another, and no hiking buddy all detoured the trip. "I'll go in October". I called up my buddy Jared down in Chattanooga, TN. I explained what he would be getting himself into if he joined and after a full explanation of "There's lots of rocks, lots of them" - "This is my last gap in the trail south of Hanover, NH which means I HAVE to finish, one way or another, I have to finish." I told him to think about it for a few days and to let me know. A few days later he called and said he was in. Plane tickets were bought, and let the day dreaming begin.
Fast forward to October 19th at 6pm in Chattanooga, TN Airport. Jared chose to check his pack as i still had mine on my back. Trekking poles in my hand.
Jared: "Al are they going to let you take those poles on the plane??"
Al:"Oh yea man I have carried them on over 12 flights now."
TSA Guy: "Sir, there is no freaking way you're carrying those poky things on the airplane, get rid of them."
So we run back down to the baggage check-in: Jared's bag is already loaded on the plane - anxiety setting in...
Baggage lady: "Sir I know the importance of these sticks and we will get that bag back here to put these in for you."
{Trekking pole fiasco resolved}


Once landed in Allentown, PA at 11:40pm our scheduled Uber was not accepted. So luckily 1 single Uber driver was looking for a last ride of the night, picked us up and headed for Little Gap, PA. He was middle eastern and was completely taken aback by what we were doing. I explained to him that the Blue Mountain Drive in had a package stashed for me in the pavilion behind the diner. He stopped at the diner and it began to rain. Wouldn't be a AT trip if it didn't start in the rain right? I got the package and ran back to the car and 1.5 miles later we were on the AT. With the rain coming down at 12am, the driver laughed as he shook his head..."You guys are nuts man". I smiled, tucked my head and started down the trail...After 5 minutes of walking up out of Little Gap I saw a huge porcupine making his own way down the trail and we walked together for a few minutes before he wondered off. We soon found a tent spot and setup for the night...the trip had officially been kicked off without a hitch. So many possible snags but everything came together as it had on paper.
Day 1-Little Gap, PA
Friday Night
Daily Miles: 0.6
Total Miles: 0.6
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Day 1- Campsite MM 15
Saturday
Daily Miles: 14.4
Total Miles: 15.0
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Day 2- Stealth site MM 32.4
Sunday
Daily Miles: 17.5
Total Miles: 32.5
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Day 3- Port Clinton
Monday
Daily Miles: 12.1
Total Miles: 44.6
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Day 4- Campsite MM 61.4
Tuesday
Daily Miles: 16.8
Total Miles: 61.4
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Day 5- Campsite MM 79.6
Wednesday
Daily Miles: 18.1
Total Miles: 79.6
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Day 6- Campsite MM 99.5
Thursday
Daily Miles: 19.7
Total Miles: 99.4
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Day 7- Vicki and Pat- The Doyle in Duncannon, PA
Friday
Daily Miles: 16.6
Total Miles: 116.0
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We spent the entire trip away from the shelters. Tented at dry sites up on the ridges every night. This was some of my favorite most relaxing sleep I have gotten while hiking. I would strongly encourage others to try it as well.
Gear: It was cold. Colder and windier than I had expected. I brought my 15* bag but summer pad and I did some shivering. We got very little rain but some sleet the first 2 days. I should have brought my insulated pad and my 5* wm bag ( I am a cold sleeper).
I wore my Altra 3.5's and didn't experience a single blister or hot spot. Wore medium weight Smartwool PhD socks and didn't change them out all week. The duplex and Arc blast did great.
Forgot chapstick and didn't get any until Port Clinton, my lips were dried, busted and bleeding. They healed quickly with Burts bees.
For some reason I thought my short sleeve hiking button down shirt was a swell idea. The feeling of my trash bag texture rain jacket on my arms erked me to no end. But I made that bed and so i forced myself to sleep in it for 115 miles. Maybe the next cold weather hike I will remember to pack an appropriate hiking shirt.

Terrain: I saw the trip elevation as flat as a table top, with 3 ridge walks. The first from Palmerton to Eckville shelter. The second from port Clinton to Peter Mountain Road and the third from Peter Mountain Road to Duncannon.
The Rocks: They are as big or little of a deal as you make them. There WERE some areas where you do say "Are we serious here??" But I would just accept them, take my time and then boom before I knew it I was back on some good walkin' ground with no noticeable difference in trail at all. There were MANY very nice smooth stretches of trail specifically in Ridge walk #2 that were very enjoyable, almost monotonous though. Good book on tape walkin'.
The area south of Rausch Gap was flooded for several hundred yards. That was not so fun but didn't last long. Crocs came in real handy.
The Doyle: This was my second stay at the Doyle and there's not much to say. I feel bad for Pat and Vicki. They have this old building that is borderline condemnable that is acting as a ball and chain. They want to retire, yet they can't get out from under the burden of this property. No one wants to buy it, it doesn't create enough profit to renovate, and so there they sit. Day after day. On a positive note the food was good and as an avid pool player here in Tennessee I got to shoot a game with Pat who comes from a long term of shooting pool himself.

I enjoyed the endearment of this trip, but am mostly just glad it's finished. No more gaps!!! The trail is finished solid all the way to Hanover, NH and that is a great feeling.

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