View Full Version : Geology Trivia
Where's the 1st and last point on the A.T. from which a hiker can see New England?
Hint: New England does not mean mean one of the New England states, but rather rocks more closely related to New England's rocks than the surrounding area including those upon which hikers stand when they view "New England." The place I'm thinking of is not anywhere near where most might expect.
I'll post what I had in mind as the question's answer later.
Darwin again
02-17-2008, 16:21
My guess is that that place is right round about mile 1,070 north of Springer, the White Rocks formation that marks the end of the Blue Ridge Mountains proper.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-17-2008, 17:06
Blood mountain as the first?
I think the southern end of what geologists call the New England province in PA is the hills in Pennsylvania from Easton down to Reading and a bit beyond (sometimes called the "Reading Spur" or "Reading Prong"). Going north they extend into Connecticut. Where is the first place northbound on the AT that you can see those hills?
YeOldeBackpacker
02-17-2008, 17:19
Pinnicale/Pulpit rock area of Pa?
hopefulhiker
02-17-2008, 17:49
There is Granite in NC, but up in New Hamshire, you start to see slate....
Possibly at the northern end of the Martinsburg Shale Formation? Around Waywayanda State Park?
The question I posed referred to a point (singular) although I could have stated what I meant more clearly. I indicated 1st or last because someone hiking the A.T. would see "New England" for the 1st time or last time depending upon the direction of one's hiking.
I'm not claiming I have the only or right answer, but Elf is thinking what I was thinking. I remain open to other ideas.
I can see "New England" from my front porch. Were I to walk a few hundred yards, I could see Blue Mountain too in addition to Mt. Penn and Cushion Peak.
So who knows the southernmost point on the A.T. from which the Reading Prong can be seen? That would be the 1st place a NOBO and the last place a SOBO could see "New England."
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-17-2008, 19:34
Sorry SOG, I thought you were asking for he southern most and northern most points where the trail has the rocky character associated with the AT in New England. I withdraw the answer "Blood Mountain"
Pinnacle/Pulpit Rock area of Pa?
Your answer would be a good one had you thought my question meant something slightly different from what I'd intended. My question was not worded well.
The area to which you refer might be the northernmost point(s) from which hikers could get a good look at the more prominent rises of the Reading Prong, namely Mt. Penn, Cushion Peak and Eagle Peak.
Who can name the southernmost point(s) or any other points from which A.T. hikers can view the Reading Prong?
To see a map of the Reading Prong, click on Physiographic Provinces of Pennsylvania (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/map13/map13.aspx).
There could be somewhere farther south on the trail that has New England rock in sight, but I don't know much about geology. I only know about the Reading Prong because generations of my family lived and died within sight of it (and even on top of it).
I suspect the answer we're thinking about is somewhere between 501 and Port Clinton, but I've never been on the AT south of Windsor Furnace so I don't know for sure where.
I suspect the answer we're thinking about is somewhere between 501 and Port Clinton, but I've never been on the AT south of Windsor Furnace so I don't know for sure where.
The Reading Prong is visible from points on the A.T. south of PA 501.
I've distinctly picked out Mount Penn from the view at Flat Rock on the Tuscarora Trail in western Cumberland County.
However I then got in an argument with a fellow hiker on whether one could also see the Shenandoahs from that point. We both thought we could see something, but the other hiker thought it was the end of the Massanutten rather than the Shennies.
Personally, I would think one would be more likely to see 4000' summits than 2000' but hey, what do I know. :)
Since you said the A.T., I would think the overlook at the north end of the Cumberland Valley, about 1/3 mile south of Darlington Shelter might be a possibility - similarly situated but closer than Flat Rock. I haven't been there in sufficient visibility conditions to confirm, though.
Given ordinary summer visibility, it's possible to see Eagle Peak, Cushion Peak and Mt. Penn anywhere on Berks County's A.T. from tri-county corner (Berks-Lebanon-Schuylkill Counties) to at least Shikellamy Summit.
South Mountain will be seen on the horizon beyond Lebanon Valley when viewed from Kimmel Lookout unless visibility is poor. Someone with field glasses or sharp eyes is likely to be able to locate the Pagoda and William Penn Memorial Fire Tower (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=483168&postcount=24) on Mt. Penn from this point.
William Penn Shelter is near the point 1000 miles south of Katahdin. It would also be where someone might get his or her 1st good look at both The Green Diamond and New England.
It's a shame there isn't a vista there, but creating one would require clearing a large area since the slope isn't especially steep.