View Full Version : itinerary planning - Penn rocks - location of
grant-cuz
01-01-2004, 14:36
Readers,
I am working on my daily itinerary for my thru hike. My question is: Where is the approximate span of Pennsylvania rocks that are so widely dreaded? I don't suppose that they cover the entire state of Pennsylvania. I'm looking for an answer such as they start around "X" shelter and end near "Y" shelter - a distance of approximately "Z" milles.
Thanks for any info that you can provide.
Grant
Readers,
I am working on my daily itinerary for my thru hike. My question is: Where is the approximate span of Pennsylvania rocks that are so widely dreaded? I don't suppose that they cover the entire state of Pennsylvania. I'm looking for an answer such as they start around "X" shelter and end near "Y" shelter - a distance of approximately "Z" milles.
The northern half of Pa. is the rockiest. The real serious rocks start north of Port Clinton and extend into NJ. You have some bad stretches before that, but intermittent.
Rocky stretch is between Cumberland Valley (Scott Farm) to Sunfish Pond as you leave the Water Gap.
Then of course, there is New Hampshire and Maine with the 4 R's.
Moose2001
01-01-2004, 22:11
Grant - my suggestion is you take that daily itinerary and throw it in the garbage. That's just about what it's worth. You'll most likely be behind any daily itinerary you build within the first week. All it will do is cause you stress trying to live up to something you built without knowing the terrain, the weather, your body, or how many miles you can do a day.
I'll both agree and disagree with Moose's post.
I think that everyone should make up a "baseline" itinerary. Family and friends should know roughly where you plan to be when. It helps with planning resupply, mail drops, and such.
So, before distributing, do sanity checks. Have you allowed for zero days? How does it check with the overall averages (5 1/2 months average)? Have you slowed your pace in New Hampshire and Maine?
However, it's very important that everyone understand that a baseline itinerary has preliminary only. It has limitations, because you of all the variables in the real world of backpacking. Use it with great flexibility. Understand that it's OK to be behind schedule, (or ahead of schedule).
I think I seldom stayed at the shelters I planned to. However, I did resupplied when I planned to, and as I went along, I did more than I planned to, and others knew that I was gaining on my schedule. No pressure, just hiking my way.
Blue Jay
01-02-2004, 10:48
I hate to tell you this, but someone has to if you are trying to make an "itinerary". The rocks do not stop until The Big K. The good news is that they are nowhere near as bad a most make them out to be.
Moon Monster
01-02-2004, 23:53
It would be impossible to know before you start on your hike how any stretch of trail will impact your pace on any given day. I agree that making a daily itinerary will be a total waste of your time right now--even if you do maildrops.
Re: the PA rocks, I kept waiting and waiting to see the notorious rocks and I guess I finally saw them on the last ridgeline going north, from Palmerton to Delaware Water Gap. I tried hard to beleive that stretch was something to talk about, but I didn't really find it so. I had one of my fastest days that day and it was even pouring rain.
magic_game03
01-03-2004, 00:34
Penn = 230 miles
Penn-Mar line northbound is fine. you start to wonder about the fabled boot grave yards that everyone talks about. then about 60 miles in, just pass boiling springs, you hit the rocks. your next 170 miles is a dog, where all the shelters are on top of the mountains, with the water sources at the bottoms. though, many thru-hikers actually make better time in the rocks for quite a few reasons;
a: thru-hikers are in shape by the time they hit PA.
b: PA is a poor source for great views.
c: rock hopping forces you to move.
d: all the crazies hang out in Pa, like Crazyhorse, force you to move.
e: bake oven is a scary white trash hang out, forces you to move.
f: lehigh is even more scary, i felt like i was going to catch cancer just walking thru there, makes you move faster.
then you hit New Jersey( Delware water gap) and think to yourself it's going to get worse. Supprise, JERSEY ROCKS! NY u SUK, you and your damm "agony grind," and ... ok i'm getting off track.....
anyway, just be ready when you get north of boiling springs, all the way to the border of NJ.
magic
I tended to agree with those who thought that the Rocks were talked up a bit. I didn';t think they were bad at all. But a section hiker just starting out may think very differently. Most thru-hikers are ready for almost anything after 1100 miles.
The worst section of heinous rocks is a small one that starts about 3-4 miles south of Wind Gap and goes on for about 8-10 miles, ending a few miles north of Wind Gap. The last of the bad rocks end at Wolf Rocks. The Trail flattens out for the remaining 10 miles to the water gap.
Section i remeber rocks in:
some rocks on the ridge coming into Port Clinton (south).
up on the ridge north of Port Clinton near the Pinnacle
5 miles before the Allentown shelter to the shelter.
couple miles near Bake Oven Knob
The climb out of Lehigh Gap (going north) up to the ridge. There is a short but steep rock filled ascent out of Little Gap. Some rocks up on this ridge but nothing really bad until Wind Gap.
The rocks do continue into jersey and much of the trail in jersey is rock filled too.
Good luck and have fun. They're not that bad. Keep a positive outlook and try to have fun. Count the rocks or sing or atleast have some company with you!
and i forgot
about 3 miles south of Duncannon there is a steep short rocky descent
also a short mile long section of boulders south of Alec Kennedy shelter just passed whiskey spring road. Also a short rocky section near the trail to rocky mountain shelters
I always assumed that the reason why the PA got the bad rap was that northbounders haven't had much to complain about recently.
When hikers hear other hikers talk about Rocksylvania, I think they tend to assume the whole state is the same. It's not.
Going north, from the Mason-Dixon line to just south of Duncannon, I don't think there's anything over about 0.2-mi. in length that you could legitimately "complain" about. Much of it is quite easy, and has less rocks than parts of Shenandoah National Park. Elevation change in PA is not an issue more than a handful of places.
From Duncannon to Port Clinton, it gets a little tougher. And Port Clinton to DWG (actually, High Point NJ) are where the rocks drive some folks nuts.
When you get north of Glencliff, NH you're gonna remininsce about Rocksylvania fondly.
Grant,
Classically, Eckville to about 10 miles before Delaware Water Gap. Actually the entire section N of Port Clinton to DWG is pretty rocky. A year ago I hiked this latter section in 5d, a little faster than I had intended because of water problems in the Superfund Site section past Lehigh Gap ( an interesting phenomenon). My reward was a torn knee cartilage. Suggest that you take your time unless you are already in thru-hiker condition, in which case you may be your own best adviser. The country isn't rugged, but hopping gets wearisome.
Walt
Readers,
My question is: Where is the approximate span of Pennsylvania rocks that are so widely dreaded?
Grant