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tuswm
11-19-2010, 20:07
I have 4 days coming up to do PA with some friends, where would you go and why? I have been south of boiling springs and I thought there were some nice shelters in that area. how is the rest of PA?

Cookerhiker
11-19-2010, 21:56
Resuming at Boiling Springs, you could hike 42 miles to Rt. 325, Clark's Valley Rd. This means you begin hiking through the Cumberland Valley - flat, easy, farmland-becoming-suburban sprawl - then ascend ridgeline, make your way to Duncannon (& The Doyle), cross the Susquehanna, hike up the ridgeline where you catch views of the river from both sides of the Trail at once owing to the twisting nature of the river, cross Rt. 225 on a new bridge, and hike down gradually to Rt. 325.

You've heard of the fabled PA rocks. The stretch I've described has a few rocky areas but nothing like what begins north of Swatara Gap. Personally I'd avoid those rocky areas this time of year because the leaf cover IMO makes them even more difficult to navigate.

One advantage of this suggestion is since Duncannon is about half-way, perhaps Trail Angel Mary can shuttle you, that is if you haven't got your transportation lined up.

And one last tip - re Peters Mountain Shelter, keep in mind that (1) winds blow directly into the shelter affording you little relief and (2) the water source is down a steep hill.

fiddlehead
11-19-2010, 22:36
My favorite section in PA is Rausch Gap.
From Swatara State park to the DeHart Dam
I think it's about 25 miles???
It's the wildest section anyway and only one climb.
Have fun.

Kerosene
11-19-2010, 22:38
how is the rest of PA?Rocky, or at least rockier than south of Boiling Springs.

My first pick would be the southernmost 40 miles of PA (Pine Grove Furnace to PenMar). My second pick would probably be the northernmost 40 miles of PA (Lehigh Gap to Delaware Water Gap), which is substantially rockier but the Gaps make it interesting and view-worthy.

Of course, it's been 30+ years since I've hiked these sections, so I'm sure that the rocks are not nearly as pointy as they were back then. :rolleyes:

innermountain
11-20-2010, 01:55
I'm with Fiddlehead - Rausch Gap is awesome! Really beautiful country with some great streams and rivers, cool bridges, and pretty good shelters. Have fun!

ki0eh
11-20-2010, 08:10
I'm with Fiddlehead - Rausch Gap is awesome! Really beautiful country with some great streams and rivers, cool bridges, and pretty good shelters. Have fun!

And the area is much more interesting if you get off the AT just a little bit (http://home.comcast.net/~StAnthonyWilderness/anthony.htm) from time to time too - carry a 2004 or later edition KTA A.T. map.

Del Q
11-20-2010, 09:42
Bake Oven Knob South
Blue Mountain Summit off 309 - owner Ken, bar, restaurant, rooms
Knife Edge
Pinnacle
Etc

Cookerhiker
11-20-2010, 10:33
....a typical WhiteBlaze response. If you combine all the answers, amazingly in less than 10 replies, you've got almost the entire state covered!

So I guess you can't go wrong no matter what you choose.

Goridewithme
11-20-2010, 11:03
I would start at 183 and go south, or if you want a real work out go north!

Wise Old Owl
11-20-2010, 13:20
And the area is much more interesting if you get off the AT just a little bit (http://home.comcast.net/~StAnthonyWilderness/anthony.htm) from time to time too - carry a 2004 or later edition KTA A.T. map.

Is there a map of trails?

emerald
11-20-2010, 14:30
No, it's a wilderness and we like it that way!:p If Pete would stop calling it to the attention of cyberhikers, local hikers, clubs and hunters might stand a better chance of enjoying it.

Instead of keeping it to himself, he posts about it causing people from away to lust after new trails and maps so as to make it more accessible to them. Have we not yet learned that when we invite the masses they bring with them all those things that threaten our most cherished possessions with ruination?

Back to household chores. If I spend my day posting here, I will later regret not making additional headway on my rereading of Wilderness and the American Mind and I'll be damned if I'll miss karaoke too.

10-K
11-21-2010, 14:42
....a typical WhiteBlaze response. If you combine all the answers, amazingly in less than 10 replies, you've got almost the entire state covered!.

You gotta love it though.

This is not the place to come looking for a definitive answer.

english
11-21-2010, 14:57
I'll be heading out to PA in Jan. Starting from MD 491 (Raven Rocks Shelter) in MD & finishing at Birch Run Shelter in Pa. I'm expecting to cover 11 - 12 miles a day as I've heard various stories of "Rocksylvania". Is this section part of that or is it fairly easy going & I should be able to put more miles down?

Cookerhiker
11-21-2010, 16:33
It's been a while for me but I recall 1 or 2 brief rocky stretches in Northern MD, nothing in that part of PA. The fabled PA rocks are almost exclusively east of the Susquehanna River, mostly beyond Swatara Gap. Assuming you're in reasonable shape, you should have little trouble making 11-12 mpd - just don't sleep in too late since it's getting darker earlier now.

ki0eh
11-21-2010, 20:19
Is there a map of trails?

Yes.


No, it's a wilderness and we like it that way!:p


Hey, it's not like I put it on TV...

bronconite
11-22-2010, 12:07
I'll be heading out to PA in Jan. Starting from MD 491 (Raven Rocks Shelter) in MD & finishing at Birch Run Shelter in Pa. I'm expecting to cover 11 - 12 miles a day as I've heard various stories of "Rocksylvania". Is this section part of that or is it fairly easy going & I should be able to put more miles down?

I'll try to answer from a local hiker perspective. I'll preface it by saying I'm probably in the top 10 percent of the physically UNfit on this site. I, for the life of me, can not understand all of the crybabying over the rocks in Pennsylvania. I do much of my hiking in what seems to be considered here the worst part of the state, and I enjoy it. Sure there's sections of rocks. If I wanted a walk in the park.....well......I'd take a walk in the park, not the mountain.;)

DavidNH
11-22-2010, 12:42
If it were me, I'd hike the last mile OUT of PA and do the rest of the 40-50 miles in NJ where the trail is better and nicer.

David

english
11-22-2010, 13:16
Bronconite, the MD section from Annapolis Rocks to Raven Rocks was rockier than I thought and it blow my projected mph outta the water. I'm just trying to project the mph for that section. Thanks Bronconite

emerald
11-22-2010, 14:15
If it were me, I'd hike the last mile OUT of PA and do the rest of the 40-50 miles in NJ where the trail is better and nicer.

David

Fortunately, only you are you, David. Not only did you not answer the question posed, you provided little, if any, useful information about New Jersey that would permit a reader to make an informed comparison.

If you insist upon posting derogatory comments about Pennsylvania, at least contribute some useful information. Since only you can know what better and nicer mean in this context, why not explain yourself?

bronconite
11-22-2010, 15:47
Bronconite, the MD section from Annapolis Rocks to Raven Rocks was rockier than I thought and it blow my projected mph outta the water. I'm just trying to project the mph for that section. Thanks Bronconite

You know, after rereading your question and my response I realize I didn't answer your question and may have come off as being hostile toward you. That was not my intention. I think after reading thru the thread I had your's and the OP's question combined in my mind. Add that to my frustration(probably not the right word) over the whining I constantly see here over rocks (the building blocks of mountains) and that's what got posted. I'm not familiar with the section you asked about, sorry.

To answer the OPs question. I'd start at 501 and go North. Multiple views, the power dam, Berks County High Point, the Pinnacle and Pulpit Rock, Port Clinton Hotel Burger and Fries.............and PA rocks.:D

Cookerhiker
11-22-2010, 19:06
My theory - and I've said this many times before on other threads - is that there are far rockier places than PA - New Hampshire and parts of Maine come to mind. But in New Hampshire, your focus (and likely the subject of your pain and bitching) are the attendant 2,000'-3,000' steep ascents & descents; rocky footing is an afterthought.

OTOH outside of exceptions like Lehigh Gap and the descent into Port Clinton which are few and far-between, PA is largely ridge walking with little elevation gain. Hikers who look at the ridge and the maps' elevation profile figure they can stride along at 3-4 mph but find that the rocks prevent this unless you're very nimble footed. Think especially of thruhikers: by PA, they're in top shape and regularly grind out 20+ mile days but no matter how aerobically fit they are, how adroit are they around those rocks?

And I imagine this time of year, said rocks are covered with recently-fallen leaves which likely slows you down even more unless you don't mind a few bloody falls.

Even PA-type rockfields aren't limited to PA. In Southwest Virginia, the Trail goes through a 3-mile constant rockfield north from Bailey Gap to Shelter to Salt Sulphur Rd. - much longer than any single rockfield in PA. And I also recall a stretch of little pointed rocks on an otherwise easy section in Maine (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=117001) (yes, there are some easy sections in Maine:)).

ki0eh
11-23-2010, 11:37
I think in addition many consider PA hiking (in the heat of summer with little water for a typical A.T. thru) insufficiently rewarding for the rock stumbling.

hal0ofwint3r
11-23-2010, 12:04
rausch gap is nice. try somewhere around boiling springs to swatara gap. but it's your trip, your choice, so either way have fun! and the temps are slightly warmer than usual. perfect time to go.

hal0ofwint3r
11-23-2010, 12:05
and like how everybody else is talking about the rocks, try to not think about them and enjoy your time out there!

tuswm
11-24-2010, 03:19
we ended up doing boiling spring to 325, thanks

Cookerhiker
11-24-2010, 07:48
we ended up doing boiling spring to 325, thanks

You're quite welcome!

Kerosene
11-24-2010, 07:51
we ended up doing boiling spring to 325, thanksI thought you had already done the section immediately south of Boiling Springs? I still fondly recall Whiskey Spring, which I still remember, 30 years later, as one of the best springs I've ever drank from.

emerald
11-24-2010, 14:24
I think in addition many consider PA hiking (in the heat of summer with little water for a typical A.T. thru) insufficiently rewarding for the rock stumbling.

Many who fail to find Pennsylvania rewarding need an attitude adjustment or to learn to take a closer look at what's right in their face. They might also take a break and consider exploring some of our cultural offerings.

fiddlehead
11-24-2010, 14:33
Many who fail to find Pennsylvania rewarding need an attitude adjustment or to learn to take a closer look at what's right in their face. They might also take a break and consider exploring some of our cultural offerings.

Oh C'mon.
Anyone could say the same about anywhere.
How many people don't like New Mexico? China? or even our neighbor Mexico for that matter.

I grew up on PA rocks and learned to like them.
But many do not.
let it go.

Be happy that you like where you live. (How'd you like to be from Jersey? or Texas?)

emerald
11-24-2010, 15:50
Anyone could say the same about anywhere.


What has been explained many times before is rocks are not unique to Pennsylvania despite the persistent association created by hikers who seem to be able to focus upon little else. Rocks loom larger in the minds of these hikers with focal disorders than on the Pennsylvania landscape. Entirely too much is made of them.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=37619 (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=37619)

Be sure to scroll down and note the comment at the bottom.