Northern Pennsylvania was the Truman show

Pennsylvania is a mullet

Headlining NOBO, the Pennsylvania chapter is a mullet: party in the front, business in the back. The southern half is a gentle trail with some rocks. The northern half is a Fred Flintstone rock quarry with some trails. Gone are the ostentatious shelters; Dark, rustic shelters are back in fashion. The Winston Furnace shelter was made of creosote logs with signs warning ominously: “24-hour video surveillance.” My philosophy with adventures has always been, “you buy the ticket, you take the ride.” Then Northern Pennsylvania became The Truman Show.

Ratings are going down

My LASH was going without problems. Too gently. No injuries. No illness. Running the mileage each day without incident. The showrunner was worried that the ratings were down. «All he does is eat, walk and murmur on the rocks. It’s boring to watch.» Something had to change.

Everything is going smoothly, right?

Cue the heat wave!

For 5 weeks, I walked in cool weather, often wearing multiple layers throughout the day. Then, for a few days, it was so hot that I thought about going hiking in my sports bra. I abstained, there is no need to scare young people. A heat wave had arrived in Pennsylvania. Temperatures were around 90 degrees, with a heat index of 95. Having spent most of my life in the south, I was accustomed to this weather, but living in this heat 24/7 will expose even the most hardy hikers. I reduced my mileage to 15-16 miles the next few days and took frequent breaks. Every time I found water, I wet my handkerchief and cleaned myself. I dipped my head in streams. I languished in shady places. I stared into space, reflecting on my life choices. By the end of the day, my clothes were crispy and covered in salt stains. My shorts could have pulled up on their own. At night I would lie on top of my quilt, wishing for a cool breeze to come to me. Hopefully this drop in events will keep viewers interested!

I was wondering why people hike the AT more than once during this break.

Cue the angst for Knife’s Edge!

Some hikers had warned me about Knife’s Edge in Pennsylvania. It is a ridge of rocks with steep descents on both sides. Navigating terrain with steep slopes is not my strong point; sometimes I have vertigo, most of the time I simply suppress deep panic. The night before I read the comments on FarOut. Some hikers described Knife’s Edge as sketchy and scary. Others said it was fun. As expected, SOBO hikers ridiculed him for having a name. I read that it can be especially unpleasant when it’s raining and with a full backpack. I had just resupplied and rain was coming. Eager to get out of the rain, I left Lookout Lodge early the next morning and walked as fast as I could to Knife’s Edge. I skipped breakfast, too nervous to eat. When I climbed the ridge, I found the challenge very fun. I enjoy the twists and turns where you have to choose your path and find the best route. It wasn’t scary! The rain started 15 minutes after I came down. I had run to this place – all that worry in vain!

The edge of the knife

Cue abject terror!

With Knife’s Edge behind me, I relaxed and began to enjoy the day. (As much as you can enjoy walking on 75,000 jagged rocks in the rain for nine hours.) It was drizzling, but I was optimistic and making good progress. The spectators became bored again; The show needed some drama. Up ahead was a steep climb from Lehigh Gap. Don’t worry (!), I told myself. Reader, there were concerns. This climb covers almost 1000 feet in one mile. What started as a steep, predictable hike turned into a rock-to-rock climb up the mountain. Then it got so steep that I had to put my poles on the top ledges and climb up. Finally, I entered a steeply angled portion of exposed rock slab that had very narrow ledges to climb on. I put away my poles because it was now a “3 or 4 points of contact” climbing situation instead of a hike. The rock face was very slippery from the rain and having 26 pounds on my back added to the difficulty. If I slipped, the weight of my backpack would throw me down the rock face until another rock broke my fall. I focused on every point of support and support, and prayed. One of my daughters is a climber. She would consider Lehigh a super fun time; I considered it quite the opposite. The scary part was probably only 200 meters long, but it felt endless. Somehow I made it to the top. If there had been a bar at the top, I would have ordered a drink. If someone had offered me a cigarette, I would have reached for my Bic. I don’t remember the last time I was so nervous.

Why are there no signs of inclement weather?

No one had mentioned this climb to me and it had not been talked about the night before at the hostel. I opened FarOut to see if there were comments; It took me a minute to find them. Many comments mentioned the danger of doing this in the rain and recommended taking the winter bypass route in wet conditions. I was (and still am) in disbelief that there isn’t a sign at the base of the climb suggesting the detour during inclement weather. Pennsylvania, you had signs on the road telling me to wear bright orange during hunting season, but no sign telling me there was a safer detour in case of rain? I’m still shaking my head.

Minutes before we get to the scary thing

Cue forced march!

After the rain, the heat wave was defeated. How about a 40° turn in the opposite direction? The forecast called for a full day of rain with a high of 50° on Saturday. I didn’t have the equipment for a long hike in cold rain. I decided to make Friday a long day so I could get to the shelter closest to the town of Del Water Gap. This way, on Saturday morning I would take a short 6 mile walk into town. It meant Friday would be at least 25 miles, but the elevation seemed easy and I figured it couldn’t be that bad. I walked on Friday with Roadie as he had the same destination in mind. Or rather, I climbed furiously after him. Roadie is very tall and lanky and walks fast. I felt like a corgi trying to keep up with a greyhound. What followed was the most rocks I have ever seen in my life. Of 40 kilometers, I would estimate that only 10% was not full of rocks. If Dr. Seuss had been a hiker, he would have written «Oh, the rocks you’ll know!» 40 kilometers of walking on a good day is difficult. 40 kilometers of walking over ankle-twisting rocks is a forced march.

Ramen, of course.

Northern Pennsylvania, you win

There are sections of the trail that will fade from my memory as time goes by, but my experience at the Truman Show in northern Pennsylvania will forever be etched in my memory. I fought the rocks and the rocks won.

I have 20 more photos of these things.

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