Rocksylvania

Current Location: Wind Gap, PA

Miles Hiked: 1281.4

Miles to go: 917.0

Percent of trail completed: 58%

229 miles of the AT pass through Pennsylvania, including the official halfway point of the trail.

What was it like hiking in Pennsylvania? Here are the highlights.

• Razor sharp rocks
• Ankle twisting terrain
• Rattlesnakes
• Ticks
• Poison ivy
• Hardly any water
• Graffiti all over the trail
• Road noise
• Daily thunderstorms
• Heavy smoke from Canadian wildfires

In short, it sucked.

The Rocks

The trail in Pennsylvania is infamous for being exceptionally rocky, hence the nickname Rocksylvania. Imagine stepping on legos for 12 hours straight. This was especially tough on my plantar fasciitis and made every day a slow grind.

Alone Again

As I struggled through the challenging terrain, I got behind my tramily. My body was hurting and I just couldn’t keep up with the 20-25 miles per day pace anymore. I had to make the tough decision to officially slow down, definitely through Pennsylvania and probably for the rest of the trail.

It’s humbling being the slowest in a group. I was frustrated by my pace every day, most days being the first to leave in the morning and the last to arrive to camp in the evening. The majority of the group got stronger and faster as the weeks progressed, but I seemed to plateau and it became harder and harder to keep up.

I probably should have made the decision even sooner, but I hiked 1000 miles with these people! It’s tough to go my own way after all that time. The trail has a mysterious way of reuniting people though; I’m sure I will see at least some of them at some point. I also know that I will meet many more awesome hikers.

Though I will miss hiking with the tramily, doing slightly shorter days will give me more time to relax and to stop and smell the roses. I can do a 22 mile day and be stressed out all day about my pace, or I can do an 18 mile day and have time to take breaks, pick some berries, enjoy a leisurely lunch, and soak my feet in a creek. The latter sounds much more appealing right now.

The thing is, I have plenty of time. The only deadline is to make it to Katahdin before they close it in early to mid October, but even at a slower pace I will get there with time to spare.

As I was coming to terms with my decision, I was doing some mental math while hiking. If I did a mere 10 miles a day, I’d still finish by mid September. Not that I’ll be going THAT slow but it really opened my eyes to how much I can relax. I’m mini-retired after all! I should be enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime experience as much as possible.

One thought I have is to summit Katahdin on August 24th, my 36th birthday! 94.5 miles a week would get me there – a very doable pace. Realistically it’d be tough to time that perfectly, but it’s a nice target to have.

Looking Ahead

Just one more day of this godforsaken state. Tomorrow I cross the Delaware River and enter New Jersey!

The past week has been my toughest both physically and mentally since starting the trail in March. Everything aches and I’m bummed about leaving my friends. But I’m grateful for the experience while it lasted and excited to see what this next chapter of my adventure will bring!