View Full Version : here i go again...
need to clear my mind, so i'm going hiking 4-5wks, taking train to nyc on friday to catch the train to the trail on sat then going sobo. kinda playing it by ear, any advice/something i should know about this area before i go (don't know much about the trail above va). i'll try to put updates up as i go, but i'm also trying to stay out of towns. should there still be a decent no. of sobos in the area, or will i be behind them? any word on water sources through ny and nj? i'm thinking given that i'm a slow hiker, i'll end up somewhere in pa.
Happy Trails!
Gaiter/Hanna
Jester2000
09-20-2007, 00:05
Gaiter -- was just out on the trail in PA last weekend and the place was positively littered with Southbounders, so I think you'll be behind most of them.
Started to think that the whole Southbounder "solitude and loneliness" thing is a bunch of hooey.
lol sobo is becoming to popular, soon it'll be nobo for solitude and loneliness
Appalachian Tater
09-20-2007, 00:53
You can take the train to Pawling or Appalachian Trail Station ($12 -$15) or a bus to Delaware Water Gap ($30) easily. There are other places to which you can take a bus, like Bear Mountain. If you take the train to Appalachian Trail Station, make sure you tell the conductor that you're getting off there or it might not stop.
LIhikers
09-20-2007, 07:47
You'll go through NY's Harriman State Park where water is kind of low right now. Fill up when you can.
like i said, playing it by ear, my train ticket is for tues, arriving in nyc that afternoon, and then i'll take the bus to delaware water gap and head south!!! i'm soo excited, its sucks that i'm having to push this date back further and further, but now i've got everything confirmed, i'm soooo excited!!!!! so whats the h2o like in pa?
Started to think that the whole Southbounder "solitude and loneliness" thing is a bunch of hooey.
Not for this SOBO. I started in eastern PA on August 11, so I was ahead of "the wave." When I stayed in shelters or hostels, I was alone, more often than not. In fact, the "fullest" shelter I stayed at was Sarver Hollow, the very last night of my hike (Sept. 18.) I had the Ironmasters bunkroom to myself. I did meet a couple of SOBO thrus in Shenandoah. They're probably near Pearisburg about now. There's a handful of SOBOs ahead of them.
Here's a link to an earlier WhiteBlaze post (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=408088&postcount=35) contributed by me in response to a question you asked.
Consider wearing blaze orange. It's not required by Pennsylvania until November 15, but it's a good idea anyway. Small game and early archery deer seasons will be open when you arrive.
By the time you reach Pennsylvania no open fires will be permitted on at least state forests. Please respect this rule. It was created by those who have years of experience in dealing with wildfires, their suppression and their prevention.
Unless you have a good map or or are knowledgeable about the Pennsylvania A.T., it might be difficult to know for certain where you are and what rules apply. It would best best to refrain from building fires anywhere.
Not long ago, a fire got away from someone at Eagle's Nest Shelter. I come across unattended fires that have not been properly extinguished almost every time I go for a hike. It's a wonder more fires don't get away from campers given how, when and where campfires along the A.T. near me are constructed.
The applicable Pennsylvania code follows. I've highlighted the most important points. Please note the consequences that may result if you do not exercise proper care with fire.
§ 21.62. Open fires.
(a) Subject to the prohibition in subsection (b), small campfires are permitted only where adequate precautions are taken to prevent the spread of fire into the forest. All other fires are prohibited. Campfires shall be attended at all times.
(b) Open fires are prohibited when the forest-fire danger is determined by the District Forester to be High, Very High or Extreme and from March 1 through May 25 and from October 1 through December 1 without authorization from the District Forester or a designee. This prohibition does not apply to small self-contained camp stoves when used in a safe manner.
(c) A person causing a wildfire, in addition to possible criminal penalty, is liable for all damages, costs of extinction and fines.
Lone Wolf
09-21-2007, 17:55
small stealth fires off the beaten path are the way to go
just to double check: open fires doesn't apply to alky stoves, right?
If you get as far as The Green Diamond, I hope you will stay at Eckville and 501 Shelters. BMECC's caretakers at those facilities will be available to assist you with any questions you may have and do everything they can to make your visit here an enjoyable experience.
If I don't see you on the A.T., :welcome and happy hiking!
just to double check: open fires doesn't apply to alky stoves, right?
I believe you are correct. A good place to cook might be in an existing fire ring or another area already clear of combustibles. A large flat rock might be a good location too.
NICKTHEGREEK
09-21-2007, 18:20
By the time you reach Pennsylvania no open fires will be permitted on at least state forests. Please respect this rule. It was created by those who have years of experience in dealing with wildfires, their suppression and their prevention.
Unless you have a good map or or are knowledgeable about the Pennsylvania A.T., it might be difficult to know for certain where you are and what rules apply. It would best best to refrain from building fires anywhere.
Not long ago, a fire got away from someone at Eagle's Nest Shelter. I come across unattended fires that have not been properly extinguished almost every time I go for a hike. It's a wonder more fires don't get away from campers given how, when and where campfires along the A.T. near me are constructed.
The applicable Pennsylvania code follows. I've highlighted the most important points. Please note the consequences that may result if you do not exercise proper care with fire.
§ 21.62. Open fires.
(a) Subject to the prohibition in subsection (b), small campfires are permitted only where adequate precautions are taken to prevent the spread of fire into the forest. All other fires are prohibited. Campfires shall be attended at all times.
(b) Open fires are prohibited when the forest-fire danger is determined by the District Forester to be High, Very High or Extreme and from March 1 through May 25 and from October 1 through December 1 without authorization from the District Forester or a designee. This prohibition does not apply to small self-contained camp stoves when used in a safe manner.
(c) A person causing a wildfire, in addition to possible criminal penalty, is liable for all damages, costs of extinction and fines.
Only a sociopath would advise small stealth are the way to go after reading the foregoing
small stealth fires off the beaten path are the way to go
Wolf, it's not a game about not getting caught, it's about not starting a wildfire!:rolleyes: I guess you think you know more about when it's safe to kindle a fire in Pennsylvania than these folks (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/ffp/index.aspx). Sometimes, Wolf, I wonder if you spent last night howling at the moon until sunup.:D
Sometime within the next few days, I want to start a thread on the topic of campfires along the A.T. if there isn't a good one already. If someone knows of a WhiteBlaze thread worth reading on that subject or ATC has a page, please link it here or start a new thread and link it.
Lone Wolf
09-21-2007, 19:52
Only a sociopath would advise small stealth are the way to go after reading the foregoing
forego this. :banana
hopefulhiker
09-21-2007, 20:02
I think water might be a problem .. but Good Luck!
girls girls your both pretty
I just read again the page here (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/ffp/cause.aspx) and couldn't help but notice how much the costs associated with fire fighting in Pennsylvania vary from year to year. I know there are many factors that contribute to that variation some of which Pennsylvania officials could not and cannot influence, but I felt nevertheless compelled to wonder what might have been done or might be done with some of those funds had they been or were they available for something else!:(