Why PA has been the hardest state on the AT… It’s Not the Rocks

The debate can be endless about which state is the hardest one along the entire Appalachian Trail. Each state has its challenges and can be better or worse depending on the weather that comes with it. But personally, Pennsylvania has been the hardest state for me in the 3 months that I have spent on the trail.

How did it start?

The challenge for me with PA starts with the way that I started the state… injured. Leaving Virginia, I started to develop shin splints that have been sticking around for quite some time. (Yes, I know the answer is rest… no, I haven’t been resting as much as I should.) So starting out the state hobbling along with shin splints has not made it enjoyable for me. Even though I have been treating them with stretching, KT Tape, and Biofreeze, they continued to give me trouble all through the state. And of course, the numerous steps up and down from rocks did not make them any better. So I started the state off on the wrong foot and in pain, killing my morale from the beginning.

How does it get worse?

After starting out Pennsylvania injured and annoyed at myself for not healing, the state only got worse for me. I hiked nearly the entire state alone. (No, not actually alone, but alone all day and only occasionally camping with other hikers.) Even though I bounced from shelter to shelter, it felt like I was in the opposite of the bubble. I was constantly hiking alone during the day and arriving at empty shelters at night. And as a very social hiker, this took a toll on me… without anyone to talk to during the day, and hardly anyone to talk to at night, I felt like I was losing it.

PA was a mental battle

The rocks in Pennsylvania were far from the hardest part for me. Even when I did knifes edge after a rain storm, the mental battle that I had throughout the state was much more difficult. As I walked each day alone and in pain from my injuries, I almost always wanted to quit. I was searching for a reason that could justify me getting off trail (shin splints were not a good enough one). But a reason never came. I won the mental battle and stayed on trail.

I’ve heard from other hikers that the first half of the trail is physical and the second half is mental, and that is surely the case for me. As I enter the home stretch of the AT, the hiking is not giving me as much trouble anymore, now I have to fight the endless battle of getting up each morning and finding the desire to hike and not quit.