Lehigh Gap, PA June 30,2007

It's been some time since we've been able to update the blog, as internet access have been somewhat difficult to find. We got into Duncannon on a Sunday, and could only have access to the hotel's computer, for which they charged a nominal fee of $2 for 30 minutes, so needless to say we didn't try to update there. We've now made it to within 13 miles of Lehigh Gap, and it's only 50 miles to the New Jersey border, and two weeks or less of walking til we're home in New England. Currently we are resting two days with friends in Lancaster, Pa. while I get over some kind of viral thing, and regroup for the next part of the journey. Kathy (no trail name), has been making a southern tour visiting friends from her childhood in N. J. and arranged a rendezvous with us on the trail. She brought us to Lancaster where Tim and Kathy Boley, recently relocated from the Bangor area, have graciously hosted us, showing us the highlights of Lancaster Co, and Amish Country. We've taken advantage of being in a home to wash down the backpacks and reconfigure our equipment. With the heat and humidity during the last couple of weeks, both the packs and ouselves were a little ripe. A bath with Mr. Clean and a little bleach and things are good as new (for the packs, not us!) It turns out that Dewey was not sized correctly when he was sold his Osprey pack, and as he lost weight, the pack became more and more uncomfortable. Although we bought the pack at EMS in Boston, the EMS store here would not trade out unless we could show them the the receipt. However they did give us a 20% discount on a new pack, and Dewey figures he can sell the old one on Ebay. So now we have both switched packs on this trip; no wonder the outfitters along the trail seem to do so well.
Pennsylvania has proven to be every bit the challenge that we expected it to be. Apparently the statistics indicate that of the people indicating intentions to complete a thru-hike who reach Harper's Ferry, about 50% are successful in doing so. We also learned that many of the people dropping out this year have done so in Pennsylvania.
The initial half of PA was quite a pleasant surprise. The trail runs through several state parks with beautiful forests and ridges. We stayed in a nice hostel in Pine Furnace Park, set up in a historic building built in the early 1800's rumored to have housed Martha and George Washington for a night. We learned on arriving there however that the house was built 15 to 20 years after George's death. We stayed overnight in Boiling Springs, and took advantage of the local pool with water slides for a great cool down and clean-up. Although there's no place to stay in Hot Springs, one of the two B+B's in town opens it's back yard to hikers who want to tent. There were at least eight tents there the night we stayed. The weather to this point was great with low humidity, excellent for hiking, while we hiked twenty five miles or so across flat farmlands and fields to the Duncannon area.
We arrived as expected in Duncannon, and spent one night at the lovely Doyle Hotel (another story!) The hiking from that point on can only be described as tortuous. The mountains are long flat ridges about 1500 ft high. The amount of climbing is actually minimal, so you would think the hiking would be easy; not so unfortunately. The weather turned much more humid and hot, actually breaking previous records for this part of Pennsylvania. It is amazing how much heat alone can sap your strength. Things (like backpacks) just never seem to dry. You feel damp while trying to sleep at night. No matter how many times you rinse your clothing in the stream, you can't quite shake the eau de mildew that seems to overtake everything.
The second recent challenge has been the Pennsylvania rocks. As we have discovered, many trail legends of what lies ahead have proven to be nothing, or less of a big deal than as billed... up to now. The rocks are every bit as hard as we've heard. These rocks can go on for half a mile at a time, are 8 to 12 inches in size, and usually roll when you step on them, posing significant threat of ankle injury. While rolling on the rocks, you have to also be wary of Timber Rattle Snakes, which are quite common in the area. We came across a warren of seven such snakes the other day sunning on the rocks in the middle of the trail (see attached picture update. If you hear a rattle, while rolling on a rock, you know you might be in trouble. (Note to self; but don't worry, 30% of bites do not inject venom, and there hasn't been a fatal snake bite in PA in over 25 years!) The frequency and length of exposure to this kind of terrain is increasing the farther north we go , and is supposed to become the most challenging beyond Lehigh Gap. The rocks apparently continue for a day and a half in N. J., then finally disappear.
Our third and final challenge in this state has been the lack of interesting topographical features. Most of the time we are walking in the woods, with little view, on largely flat terrain. Of all the states to this point on the AT, Pennsylvania has proven to be the most difficult challenge to hurdle.
Luckily, the weather has cleared and the humidity is gone. The next several days look great. Once we leave Pa., we will rack up the states quickly. We have only 77 miles in N.J., and 90 miles in N.Y. before we are back in New England. It's interesting to note that a little over one quarter of the entire trail length runs through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Katahdin is almost on the horizon. More to come!