Onward into New Jersey

Pennsylvania is finally over along with its brutal rocky trail. It was funny to read all the shelter trail registers and see how everyone was cursing the trail in this state. The rocks didn't get terribly bad until the last 20 miles or so, but those last 20 miles took a toll on my feet.
Today I am in Delaware Water Gap, PA, and I am taking "zero" day. I haven't had a day off in 33 days, so some rest was need. I am staying in a donations hostel within a church. It really neat with the whole bottom floor committed to thru-hikers. There is a living room, bunkroom, and showers. We arrived around 4:30pm and were pleased to hear about a dinner put on by the church for hikers! I finally had some good luck in hitting one of the famous "hiker-feeds". I ate an insane amount of food, and they forced us to load up plates to go in case we were hungry later. What a blessing those people were to do that for us. We had fun eating and talking to the members about the trail experience so far.

The past week I have been hiking with Mojo, a Boston College grad who is taking a break from a few years in the financial sector (his blog is featured on the right side). We have covered some ground since meeting each other, and I was glad to have his company throughout Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, we have to split ways as his girlfriend is coming to meet him to hike, and I must bump up my miles to make it to NYC by Friday, August 5th. I love meeting people who are good hiking partners, but there is always the unfortunate part of telling them goodbye...

Delaware Water Gap is on the border of New Jersey, and I am excited about new state. These new states will start to appear more frequently as I head north through New England. I am excited about new territory, new scenery, and seeing friendly faces (Jess, Luke, and Gary in New York City!).

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks:

Two bear cubs in the tree. The mom wasn't too happy...

Mojo and I climbing out of the Lehigh Gap from Palmerton, PA

Half Way There!

Crossing the Potomac River coming out of Harper's Ferry

One of the many rock mazes in Pennsylvania

I loaded up on blackberries and wine raspberries.

Over Half Way Through PA

I have pushed on over the rocky Pennsylvania ridgelines to Hamburg, PA. The heat has been bad, so I am very thankful for any AC I can get. The hike out of Duncannon was unbelievably hot. I was POURING sweat and drank liter after liter of water. I've listened to my iPod quite a bit the fast few days because it helps the hard miles pass. Pennsylvania doesn't really have the greatest of views, so endless trees can get old.

At one point I was hiking down off a ridge and came to an ice cold stream. I could feel its coolness before I even saw it. I pulled of my pack and sat down next to it. A day hiker came around the corner and we started to chat. He was parked right there and offered me a beer. We sat by the stream drinking a brew and talked for a good while. He does lots of hiking in New Hampshire, so we had lots to talk about. Also, now I love Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale. It was great to sit and relax with a kind stranger.

I am now in Hamburg, PA sitting in a McDonalds with another hiker named Mojo, a younger guy like me from New Jersey. We strolled around Walmart for a couple hours (a thru-hiker's second favorite past time), and now we are watching the sheets of rain fall outside. We know we have to eventually leave, but the AC, free wifi, and comfortable chairs are keeping us here. A taste of civilization is always nice.

The next few days will be great because I'm hitting a few towns in a row: Palmerton, PA on Wednesday, and Delaware Water Gap, PA on Friday. They both have free hostels or churches which is wonderful. Pennsylvania has probably been the toughest state so far. In combination with the heat and the constant woods, it's more of a mental challenge. Though Virginia took a while, it was beautiful. I'll be glad to make it to New Jersey by this weekend. Then I'll be in NYC next weekend for a couple of much needed zeros.

Here is another mail drop location. It's Luke and Jess's place in NYC. FedEx, UPS, or USPS will work.

Jeff McKnight
200 W. 70th Street, #9b
New York, NY 10023

I'm planning on arriving the 5th of August.

Mobile readers, I changed the settings so it might be easier to read now...
Oh, the rain stopped...now is my chance to hitch back to the trail. Cheers!

Harper's Ferry...and so many other things.

I haven't been able to post in a while and so much has happened.

I made it through the Shenandoah National Park in 3.5 days doing 28, 32 and 26 miles in that park as full days. The terrain was flat (ish) and allowed for big miles. Unfortunately, I was kind of in between two "bubbles" of hikers and never really saw many thru-hikers in there. I did see, however, 11 more bears in the park, making my total trip count 17! One mother with two cubs was a little aggressive (to say the least) and actually charged a weekend backpacker who tried to go around her (idiot). He said he knew what he was doing, but I doubted that when the mother bear charged 10 feet toward him and he fell on his face trying to get away. I wanted to laugh but thought that might not be appropriate. She eventually wandered off, but her cubs starred at us from their perch above us in the tree as we passed. And yes, he was okay...

I made it to Harper's Ferry, WVA, traditionally and "mentally" the half way point. It is actually about 75 miles south of the half way point, but it felt good to make it there. The town is home to the ATC headquarters and is very historic...thus making it a tourist hotspot. A few days later, I hit the actual half way point (1090.5 miles). There was a really neat sign residing on the trail, EXACTLY the same distance from Springer Mtn, GA and Katahdin in Maine. When making it to the half way point, a thru-hiker can choose to participate in the "half-gallon challenge". This is eating an entire half gallon of ice cream at the Pine Grove State Park General Store. Of course, I had to try it. Unfortunately, the only flavors left were Cherry Jubilee, Banana Split, and Peanut Butter Twist...all bad. In fact, every flavor is bad for that kind of a challenge. I chose Banana Split...at least to get a fruit serving for the day. I (unfortunately) finish the whole thing in 52 minutes. The first half..delicious. The last half...horrible. I hit a wall with the last 10 bites, but I forced them in. That was the first...and last half gallon of ice cream I will eat.

I am now in Duncannon, PA. I have finished up the state of Virginia, W. VA, and Maryland. Pennsylvania is known for its rocky trail, and I can already see why. The terrain is fairly flat though. The heat has really kicked in the past few days. Today the high is 105F, and the LOW...80F. That makes for some pretty miserable hiking, especially crossing those scorching Pennsylvania corn fields. It's only temporary though and still really pretty.

I am shooting for NYC August the 5th. That is averaging 20 milers to get there, but after hiking 1,138 miles, it's pretty doable. I will be staying with Luke and Jess Wilkins in the city, and I am very excited about it. The concrete jungle is obviously quite different from the AT, but a change of scenery is always good. I'll try to post more often, but these small Pennsylvania towns aren't bursting with technology. Until next time!...

Waynesboro, VA

I have arrived in Waynesboro, VA after a long haul from Pearisburg. I have been pushing some pretty long days to get here. If you look at a topographic map of Virginia, you can see ridge after ridge going across the state. That is exactly what I have been hiking through. There were three or four days ascending and descending ridgelines...no water up top and farmland in the valleys. It is really pretty though. One of the places I hit while crossing this terrain is McAfee Knob, an iconic high point of the AT. It is an incredible view from these flat cliffs far off into the distance, and 100 pictures still wouldn't do it justice (even though I took lots).

I have hiked with a few others since getting back on the trail but still haven't caught the group I was with before. I know they are only a couple days ahead though. I will hopefully catch them and hike for a few days and eventually move on. Every shelter on the AT has a "trail log" you can write in, so I am able to see the notes of many ahead of me. They are fun to read and sometimes hysterical.

Since hitting the trail again I have seen 5 more bears. At one point, I was climbing a high peak, came up to a flat spot, and a huge black bear was in front of me walking the trail north. I made some noise and he trampled off around the turn. I came around the curve, and there he was again. I picked up a few rocks and yelled, but he kept moving up the trail. For the next 45 minutes I followed him up the mountain. He was even hiking the sharp curves of the trail. Finally I heard him move off up ahead. It was intense but funny to see such a big animal hiking the trail.

Tonight in town I'm in a Super 8 hotel with 5 others in a room: "fish hook", "meatloaf", "super bubba", and a young couple "whittler" and "scout" with their dog olive. The room is crammed with gear and people, but no one cares. I had Cracker Barrel for dinner and a resupply at Wal-Mart. I think I could walk through Wal-Mart for hours and not get bored...

Leaving Waynesboro means the start of Shenandoah National Park, a one hundred mile section of beautiful mountains and very tame wildlife (so I've heard). I'm looking forward to it. I should be out of VA in a week or so. Though it's pretty, I am ready for a new state.

If you interested in mailing something, here are two addresses I will be stopping by.

Jeff McKnight
C/O General Delivery
Rouzerville, PA 17250

Please Hold For AT Hiker
ETA July 18, 2011

-It is a post office, so FedEx and UPS cannot be delivered there...

Another is:

Jeff McKnight
7 North Market Street
Duncannon, PA 17020

Please Hold For AT Hiker
ETA July 22, 2011

See you on the other side of the Shenies!

Back to the Trail

Written on June 27th, 2011

My time off the trail has finally ended, and it has been a whirlwind
of emotion as I return to the woods. Liz and Corbin's wedding was an
absolute blast. I was so excited for them, and I was excited to see so
many friends who I haven't seen in months. Though Julie was in the
wedding party as a bridesmaid, Liz's kindness allowed Julie and I to
spend some good quality time together. The majority of my time at home
was probably spent on my front porch with friends and family. I love
the home my parents have created for us to come home to. The fridge
was stocked with fruit, milk, orange juice, and many other things I
had craved. I also had time to work on my dental applications but
didn't get them completely done. Fortunately it is almost an entirely
online process, so I will just take an afternoon off soon and finish
them up in a random town.

Coming back to the wilderness has hit me with strange emotions. It was
hard to say goodbye to Julie because this will be our longest time
apart. I won't be able to see her until I return from Maine. It was
sad and difficult to part from her, especially after an amazing week
together. I have no idea how my sister said goodbye to her boyfriend
when he left for Afghanistan for 6 months. It's just so hard to do.

I'm picking up right where I left off in Pearisburg, VA. Since I left
off at mile 627, that means I have 1554 miles to go. I have set a goal
to finish around mid-September, probably around the 15th. With a few
"zero" days built in, that put me at a daily average of around 20.5.
Based on my ability so far, I think it an attainable goal. I want to
slow down in New Hampshire when my dad comes to meet me in the White
Mountains, and I am spending some time in New York City with friends.

Here are some random photos of the trail:

Julie and I having dinner in the trail...we couldn't find a flat spot!

Blackberries under the power lines

Panorama of McAfee Knob

Keffer Oak: Largest in the South on the AT

I am currently in Waynesboro, VA and will have another blog post of the past 11 days by tomorrow (7/08) Pearisburg to Waynesboro! VA is almost done...