Have a safe trip to Rocksylvania – The Trek

Pennsylvania is known as “The Key State,” but what they should call it is simply “The Stone State.” I have a lot of problems with the Pennsylvania chapter of AT and now they will find out.

Let’s start from the beginning; the southern half of the PA section of the AT isn’t bad at all. Gradually rolling hills, some farmers fields, wide trails, really not much different from the Maryland section of the trail. Overall, it’s a deceptively enjoyable introduction to a state derisively known as «Rocksylvania.»

And that’s exactly what it is: pure unadulterated deception. The path wants to lull you to sleep while it whispers lies in your ear: «this won’t be so bad» or «why does everyone hate PA so much» or «everything will be like this.»

Then you’re halfway across the state and BAM! You arrive in Duncannon, cross the Susquehanna River, pass an old sign for a pirate-themed strip club (odd reason for a landlocked state, right?) and the real PA hits you like a viper.

No more farmers’ fields. Just walk along the ridges. What’s wrong with this, you ask? You have a steep and steady climb, but that’s the price you pay for having a gentle hike on top of a ridge. Easy.

This is what I once thought too. Yes, there is a sharp rise at first but then there is no relief. None. When you reach the top of the ridge, you come across a trail that looks relatively easy on the map, but is actually filled with booby traps at every turn. You’re not really walking anymore, you’re just bumbling along.

For the next hundred kilometers you walk over rocks of unpredictable shapes and sizes, with sharp edges, jagged points, some that move under your weight, others that are half hidden between dirt and leaves and placed at irregular intervals that make a normal step impossible. No matter how hard you try to tiptoe through this quartzite minefield, you’ll inevitably slam your toes on these things, catch your heels in the exposed indentations, twist your ankles, and generally soften your metatarsals and phalanges into bone pulp.

Were other parts of the trail rocky? Sure. Were other parts of the journey difficult? Definitely. Climb hundreds of steps at Amicalola Falls? Yes, that was a challenge. Climbing 6,000 feet out of the NOC? Yes, that was difficult. The roller coaster in Virginia? Sure. All of these sections and a million smaller mountains and ridges presented some challenge. But I never felt like these things were out to get me. Pennsylvania rocks feel personal.

Climbing—yes, literally climbing—the near-vertical rocks coming out of the Lehigh Valley, and then rock-jumping over cracks in a knife-edge rock section feels different. It feels like the trail is actively trying to murder me.

Of course it wasn’t like that. I survived, if only out of sheer spite. The universally accepted worst section of the OT is behind me and I am stronger (at least mentally) to face this challenge with perseverance and determination. Like General George Washington, I can cross the Delaware River with my head held high, a little wiser and ready to take down any obstacle that appears on the horizon. But only after giving my feet in a little R&R.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.