Rock N’ Roll High School 

There were many, many choices for this one, obviously! Here’s some of the possible intro songs that jumped out from my musical mind.

Long Live Rock by The Who 

Let There Be Rock by The Drive by Truckers

Rockaria by Electric Light Orchestra 

Rockin Stroll by The Lemonheads 

Rock and Roll Suicide by David Bowie

The Rock by Deer Tick

I think you get where this is going! I’m going with the Ramones and Rock N’ Roll High School however as I think they say the word ‘rock’ in one song more than any other! And the video for the song is such a blast from the past! And there certainly are a lot of rocks in Pennsylvania. 

Here is where my Pennsylvania trek started – on a highway bridge over the Delaware River. 

Based on how this is starting, you might be surprised that I liked and enjoyed Pennsylvania. It was an interesting state, an interesting stretch of trail, an interesting look at small-town, rural, central, and eastern Pennsylvania, and an interesting 230 miles of this journey. Yes, the rocks were an issue at times – many times, but not all times. I spent 13 days hiking in Pennsylvania and here’s a look back! 

And, here is a visual of the AT in Pennsylvania. The trail basically follows the Kittatinny Ridge in an arc across much of eastern PA and avoids the major cities of the state.

Let’s Start with the Rocks 

Everyone talks about the rocks in PA. But it was hard to get a consensus or clear understanding of what the rocks are really like before I started. I get it and that everyone’s perspective and perception varies. So as hikers talk and write about the rocks of PA you get so many versions – they’re terrible, they’re not that bad, they last throughout the entire state, there’s only a couple of days of rocks, etc. Having now completed the state, here’s my take on the rocks – from a SOBO perspective. 

Some of the worst rocks actually started in New Jersey going around Sunfish Pond right before you cross into Pennsylvania. It was almost like a warm-up for the main event! Once you crossed the Delaware River and entered PA, the first 10 or so miles south of Delaware Water Gap weren’t so bad. There were some rock scrambles but lots of decent, rock-free trail. 

After that, and until south of Duncannon, so about 140 miles, the rocks were an issue to contend with, daily, and most of the day. A typical pattern is that there would be a stretch of trail for a few miles without rocks and then a few miles of walking, jumping, and navigating across rocks and this would repeat throughout the day. Sometimes the rock fields consisted of smallish rocks, like the size of baseballs, softballs, and basketballs – though typically jagged and sharp. Sometimes the rock fields consisted of much larger rocks and boulders strewn randomly as far as you could see. Often the rocks were covered in moss and lichen making them slippery – particularly when wet. 

Mostly to me the rocks, and particularly the longer rock fields, became an annoyance. You’ve got to do the miles, the rocks and the trail are one and the same, oh well, hike on! In addition to the annoyance factor, the rocks slow you down. It takes time to navigate safe landings and jumpings rather than just powering down the trail. Lastly, the physical impact of hard and constant rock landings gets to your feet, ankles, and knees. I came out of Pennsylvania with a sore right knee – something that has not happened before and does not appear to be going away any time soon if at all! 

Anyways, and I’m almost done whining, the rocks never really ended. After Duncannon they became less frequent and at times the trail even went along farms and pastures devoid of any rocks. Turn a corner or climb a ridge however, and they’re back! Just not as constant and for as long stretches as was typical north of the Susquehanna River. On top of this, some of the largest rock formations and cliffs I found to be in the southern part of the state. And, now that I have done about half of Maryland, I can add that rock fields continue along the AT in that state as well! 

Here are some pictures of the many fine rocks of Pennsylvania! 

The Rest of the Story 

So, let’s talk about the positives of Pennsylvania. I enjoyed several small trail towns that the AT went through or near. The AT actually goes right through the towns of Delaware Water Gap, Port Clinton, Boiling Springs, and Duncannon. While no one wants to do lots of road walking on what is supposed to be a back-country trail, I enjoy periodic diversions of walking through a town or doing a road walk to cross a highway or river. The AT also passes near to quite a few other towns, some of which were hitches, shuttles, or short walks from the trail. Wind Gap, Danielsville, Palmerton, and Carlisle were towns that provided me just in time trail foods, snacks, drinks, resupplies, and places to sleep that did not include a sleeping bag! 

Love them or hate them, Pennsylvania also was home to lots of snakes! 

There were lots of other things I enjoyed about my walk through Pennsylvania. I liked seeing the leaves starting to change and the beginning of rhododendron forests. I liked the unique feeling of the empty trail. I liked that although it was very dry throughout the state, between some streams that still had water, parks, hostels, and roadside water caches, there was always somewhere to get water. And, because water is always an issue on the AT in Pennsylvania, there often were good signs and messaging about where and how to get water. While there wasn’t much trail magic this time of year due to the small number of thru-hikers, businesses along the trail seemed to be making up for some of this by welcoming and treating hikers well.  

In areas where water was particularly an issue, maintaining clubs would post helpful signs to advise hikers. 

Sometimes the signs were funny – look carefully at the sign for the spring.

The many hostels in PA were another good part of the AT story for me. I stayed in several that I enjoyed. The Church of the Mountain, The Lookout, Stay at Swatara, and Kind of Outdoorsy hostels were welcoming places. Each was different and had its own ups and downs. There also were some conveniently located hotels and AirBnb and B&B rooms that got me off trail and in a bed for a break. The shelters weren’t always at convenient distances from each other but they were generally in good shape and some very creatively cared for and decorated. 

These were the first rhododendron tunnels I saw along the AT. They start in Pennsylvania and are common throughout the rest of the trail going south. 

The trail was well maintained through most of the state. Because the AT is so long in Pennsylvania, different sections are maintained by different local clubs. It was interesting to see how some clubs went a bit further than others to maintain the trail, decorate shelters, and design privies as if they were in competition with each other. You could tell that some clubs had actually taken on the rocks in their sections and created flatish trail beds out of dirt and gravel over long sections of rock fields to make the walking easier. Another interesting thing about trail maintainers, two sections of the AT in Pennsylvania were maintained by AT clubs from Maryland – The Maryland Mountain Club and The Cumberland Valley Club.  

Another interesting thing about Pennsylvania, you could tell you were moving across geographic and geologic regions as the red clay soils of the South started to replace the darker soils of the North. 

There also were farm fields and pastures along the trail in the southern part of the state. No rocks here!

One new feature of the trail in Pennsylvania were frequent trailside tent sites. Other states had some too, and these were typically ‘stealth’ sites that hikers share information about with each other. But in Pennsylvania there were lots of them, often you would pass two or three a day. And, these were often ‘official’ tent sites that were listed in guides and FarOut. Most had fire pits and many had chairs and benches made of logs and rocks. Some were quite elaborate and large and able to hold many tents. My sense is that some of these were built by local hunters as much of the AT in Pennsylvania is on state game lands. 

This is one of the many trailside tent sites along the AT in Pennsylvania. 

The trail also went through old coal mining areas. There were times when there was what appeared to be coal mixed in with the rocks on the trail.There were some abandoned mines in the area. And the trail goes by some old mining towns where you can discern foundations and see some remains of earlier life. There also were quite a few side trails along the AT showing that despite the rocks of Pennsylvania, locals still like to get out in the woods and hike! 

This is one of several signs marking the location of long-abandoned villages and coal communities along the trail. 

As I wrote when I first entered the state, Pennsylvania was a new state for me. Although we had scouted several areas of the AT last winter and spring, I had never hiked the AT in this state. So to me, just being in new and uncharted territory made it exciting and fun. Also, because there are 230 miles of the AT in the state, it was a big accomplishment to complete! I’m not sure that I want to come back real soon to hike the AT in Pennsylvania and enjoy its bounty of rocks, but I am happy I did and will add this chapter to the great adventure that has been this AT thru-hike! 

Onto Maryland and points south!