5/25/15 Delaware Water Gap, PA (Church of the Mountain Hostel)

     So yesterday didn't go as planned (as you can probably guess from the heading). Yesterday was supposed to be a 12 mile day to just outside of Palmerton, PA. However, the rocks were so unbearable that we were averaging like, .8 mph. We managed 6 miles or so in 7 hours. So I don't have trail legs quite yet but I can still do 13 some odd miles easy. Up, down, stairs, switchbacks, all doable at this point. Rocks? No, not when you have to watch where you step every step. Guaranteed there was less than .1 mile of flat, no rocks the entire day. Now imagine that's the 4th day in a row doing that and continuing for the next week. Yeah, that's how bad PA really is.

     So me and a guy I was hiking with (Rope) were sick of it. We both decided to try and call a Trail Angel to hopefully drive us into town. Not 30 seconds after we put our packs down, a car comes up to the parking lot. as the guy gets out I realized, "Holy shit, I know that guy!" It was a guy I met that I crossed paths with last year by the name of Soul Flute. The three of us get to talking and he's like, "yeah, I'm taking a guy up to Delaware Water Gap if you guys need a ride into town or something." Rope and I just look at each other, "Well, if you have room we are so ready to be in DWG." So an hour later, here we are at the end of PA.

     Thank God I'm done with this shitty state.

-Sam

(a stamp in from DWG)

5/24/15

5/24/15 Blue Mtn. B&B

     It was only 11 miles yesterday but at least 5 or 6 of those were jumping from rock to rock. Literally did not touch the ground during that time. Usually it sounds alright since it's something different that the norm, but add an extra 30-40 lbs and it's killer. Your feet will definitely hate you. 12 more miles hopefully to the shelter right before Palmerton, PA for a quick resupply tomorrow. I want to be done with the rocks already...

-Sam

5/23/15

5/23/15 Blue Mtn. B&B

     I'm not staying at the B&B, just tenting outside it. The restaurant here was fantastic. A couple whiskey sours definitely helped.

-Sam

5/22/15

5/22/15 Windsor Furnace

     Holy shit do I have bad allergies. And that's an understatement. I can't walk more than 10 ft without needing to blow my nose. Not kidding, I've gone through 2 mini packets of tissues and about half a roll of TP. Everything is terrible and I've only gone about 5 miles...

-Sam

5/22/15    Eckville Shelter

     It's not so much a shelter as a shed in someone's backyard. 15 miles N of Port Clinton. I'm still sneezing a crap ton. Everything is terrible.

-Sam

5/21/15 Port Clinton, PA

5/21/15 Port Clinton, PA

     Normally, most towns the AT passes through are pretty nice. They may be run down a bit but that certainly doesn't detract anything from how gorgeous it is. Whatever dilapidated state the town might be in, the people usually make up for it (if that makes sense). You'll never find nicer people who genuinely want to hear about that time you hiked 20 miles, fell down the mountain, and came face to face with a bear. (Even though anyone might want to hear about that). They'd want to know your trail name and how you came up with it as well as where you're from and how you got here and blah blah blah, etc etc.

     Except for one or two people, it isn't the case here in Port Clinton. Most people will straight up ignore you unless you've got money. That seems like a normal American town then, but it's not typical of a trail town. They don't really pander to the hiking crowd, which, unless this is a vacation spot for some unfathomable reason, doesn't seem like a good idea. Unless it's the fact that maybe they realize that, well, where else you gonna go? Since there really is nowhere else easily accessible on foot. And since hitchhiking is illegal in PA, it's hard to get anywhere. Anyone else coming through here should just pick up a mail drop and leave before they receive any dirty looks from the locals. Besides, nothing seems to be open before noon...

-Sam

     PS: Hands down best place is the barber shop across from the post office. One of the nicest guys I met. Definitely worth stopping only in there before heading out!

5/20/15

5/20/15     Eagle Nest Shelter

 15.5 miles over rocks today. My mind may have been ready, but my body wasn't/isn't, whatever. At least one blister and another hotspot I need to let up and not do 15 mile days yet. I have enough extra food that I can stay in a pavilion in Port Clinton. Either that or split a hotel room with another hiker. Also I was too quick to judge PA. Before I was saying how there weren't many rocks since 18 miles or so or through farmlands. Well the last two days straight I've been jumping from rock to rock; most of them slippery wet. PA lives up to 'the ankle breaker' state. 

-Sam 

5/19/15

5/19/15      501 Shelter

 So I had planned to start writing about the last week which my dad and I slackpacked. But to be honest not that much exciting stuff happened. All in all I went over 80 miles that week, most of which seemed uphill. Also most of those miles I did without seeing anyone or anything. I think I may have seen a deer once but whatever it was bounded away rather quick. Most of the interesting stuff I took pictures of and posted to Facebook. However today was a little nuts. First day with a full pack was challenging as it always will be. Had to play 'the floor is lava' to avoid breaking my ankles on rocks; but the steps with which to avoid the lava were wet slippery rocks that would also break your ankles. A couple miles of that we're super fun... This shelter is like partnership shelter where you can order pizza basically straight to it so that made up for rocks... 

Here we go again... 

 -Sam 

P.S. Happy end of Palindrome Week!

Gear List

CLOTHING


Synthetic short-sleeve t-shirt (black)

Synthetic long-sleeve shirt (orange)

Midweight fleece (black)

Rain Coat (scrunched into mesh bag)

Zip-off Pants (green w/ boyscout buckle) 

Beanie (black NYC)

Mittens / Gloves (tan)

Sunglasses (yellow) [in black pouch on side of pack]

Town Clothes (green Tshirt orange/black boardshorts) [scrunched into ziplock]

Crocs (blue w/ carabiner clips)


GEAR


pack (duh)

Jungle sleeping bag (black)

Sleeping bag liner (yellow/gray stuff sack)

sleeping pad (blue)

Camp pillow (green)

tent (brown/tan bag)

Trekking poles (pacemaker)

Headlamp (black)

Water bladder (blue)

Nalgene (blue) [small mouthed]

waterbottle (white/gray)

stove / pot /  lighter (Jetboil)

food bag (red)

Spork (maybe red? dont remember color)

collapsable cup (grey)

Water purifier (black/blue) [small straw looking device: Sawyer Squeeze]

Water bag (blue) [should say sawyer squeeze or something on side]

Single-blade knife (black/white handle)

Small first aid kit (red bag)

Map and compass (Clear compass / AT map book)

hand sanitizer 

Small notebook and pen (black pen/ yellow moutached book)

Appalachian Trail 'Thru-Hike': Take 2

     Is it weird that its been an entire year since any update has been made? Soon after that last post I left the trail, but I never really updated it saying I was leaving. I kinda just left it hanging. At any rate I had to leave last year as I ended up nearly cracking some ribs and never fully recovering. Everyone thinks they can push through it, but going up mountains and breathing hard with an extra 40 lbs on your back can get pretty taxing to say the least. When your chest hurts after every breath its time to call it quits. Sometimes you have the listen to the little voice in your head saying it's a bad idea, I guess. however I believe I have recovered enough to now finish the trail. 

     Quite a few people have wondered 'but MagicMan, didnt you hike enough last year? I mean, you DID hike over 1000 miles...' 

  To which I would respond "Yes, I did hike over a thousand miles, but that's not the whole thing." I know my initial goal was to hike the Trail in its entirety in one go. However I can also totally accept hiking the whole thing over a period of time instead. Sure my status (im my eyes) is slightly less since I've been reduced to a section hiker, but I still want to be able to say "Yeah i Hiked the AT... what part? oh you know... all of it." Besides, I already started it, I have to finish it now. Even if i didn't necessarily want to, it's out of principle at this point. I have so many projects and goals and various other things that I've only half completed. Granted finishing any number of those would be easier than hiking the northern half the AT, But if I can finish this, that I can sure as hell finish anything else.

Hobey-ho, here we go again

-Sam

P.S. My 'normal' journals will resume mid May as I start backpacking 5/18/2015

P.P.S. (6/11/15 - Kent CT) Since writing what was said above I have completely changed my view of things, courtesy of other hikers. My status has is way higher than the average 'true thru-hiker'. As a 'true' thru-hiker you get your trail legs once and spend 4 - 6 months out here. If you do in sections, you need to regain your trail legs for EACH section you start. Since quite a few people don't do bigger than one mother sections, you're barely getting your trail legs back. Then as you can push big miles you have to go back to 'the other real world'. Hence why I think i'm actually better than those guys from GA -> ME. Also I am still doing a thru-hike, just not a 'true' thru-hike. That's the only difference. No matter how many sections, if you walk from GA to ME that's a thru-hike no matter how you complete it.