HEY everyone! I am back from my MEGA HIKE! 230 miles! I hiked from Maryland through Pennsylvania and stepped into New Jersey on the Appalachian trail!
IT WAS AWESOOOOOME
VERY hard though! It turns out PA is one of the HARDEST states on the whole thing! Why? Because of the ROCKS! When you picture a trail you probably picture say, a thin dirt path going through the woods, but the Appalachian Trail in PA is just ROCKS, rocks the size of your head, pointy jagged rocks, for miles and miiiiles! My poor feet were all one big blister and I pretty much just bruised my heels through my boots, we did around 15 miles a day and after the first 10 you just wanted to STOP sometimes. ALSO sometimes the trail is just a big pile of boulders with blazes on it that you have to climb over! But that’s more fun at least!
Things I liked!
The veiws! Big rolling hills and farms and little towns.
Challenging myself! I really wasn’t sure I could do it!
Seeing tons of Chipmunks! They were SO cute but, not that smart, they would just sit there when you came up close to them, they would scream CHIIPCHIIPCHIIIP then just run three feet and sit really still.
Seeing OTHER animals, Dennis and Stan saw a BEAR well 2 bears! They each saw one but the bears are scaredy cats (scaredy bears?) and bolted as soon as they saw them. I almost stepped on a RATTLESNAKE! I was going along singing one of the songs from the Jetsons film (dont judge me its a good movie) and I put out my foot and hear “KshshhKshhKshhKshshhKshhKshh” and I go “Whaaaaaa?” and Lift my foot and then JUMP BACK! Five foot rattle snake pissed off at me! and he refused to move! He just pulled back an inch and was like “You know what? YOU MOVE” So we had to circumnavigate around him. Also saw black snakes, and what I am fairly certain was a rabid Woodchuck, and a ton of deer (including a mom and baby! aww)
Things i did NOT like!
MOSQUITOS My legs are COVERED in mosquito bites, I was wearing pants but they would just bite me through my clothes, they did NOT care, I was wearing DEET but they didnt give a flying toot, just BITE BITE arms legs torso neck.
TICKS ‘Nuff said
GNATS they just GO IN YOUR EYES and mouth and nose and ears! I swear they were trying to take over my body just by flooding me and then I would be some sort of horrible gnat person.
Being dirty all the time, I got to get showers when we’d pass by towns, but otherwise I was constantly covered in sweat dirt salt bug guts everything, and I was never DRY you just are constantly damp! For some reason the dampness bothered me after a while.
Speaking of dirty, PRIVIES ARE GROSS, Privies are just outhouses made of wood they have near the camp shelters, but their is no way to empty them they are just supposed to biodegrade. But man I guess sometimes people used them A LOT because when I went in some of them were FULL UP *puke* Also WASPS like to live in them! AAAAH
Also I hurt my knee pretty badly at one point, I thought I was going to have to quit at mile 110 and my family was super sweet and was going to come rescue me but I was better enough the next day to keep going, but MAN my knee was all swollen!!
It never rained on us and that was nice! But it also meant PA was having a drought and all the springs and water sources kept drying up! So we had to carry a lot of water on us at all times, one day we ran out before we found another source! But we were fine.
THINGS I LOVED
Meeting all the hilarious and awesome and sweet Through Hikers (Hey Darwin! DC! BabyRuth! you guys are THE BEST) People doing the entire hike were just SO impressive and so friendly, I miss them already! When you were feeling crappy they could always make you smile.
Climbing out of Lehigh gap! 1000 foot climb on bare rocks out of town as the sun was setting I had to grab and scramble and pull myself up the incline was so steep, you couldnt just use your feet, then turning around and seeing the valley below you the little town all tiny and sparkly like a little fairy kingdom, camping with the stars out above you. Just the best!
Other good veiws were just awesome! on Knifes edge you the ridge came to a sharp point you had to sort of straddle and you could see WAAAY out on both sides, I was more scared on that one though because it was slippery. Bake Oven Knob and The veiw near the 501 shelter were pretty awesome too!
GETTING FOOD IN EVERY TOWN. Food just becomes AMAZING after a day of hiking 15+ miles. It just tastes like heaven.
If you ever are in Palmerton PA get Pie at Burts Steak house, its actually this awesome little diner, with the best pie in the WORLD. JUST GO. GO NOW.
My legs are JACKED I didnt even know they COULD build muscle but even I’m impressed with me!
Probably the very best thing was being with my friends though, they were encouraging and just very kind. I feel a lot closer to them now it was a great experiance and I’m glad I did it. I’m still not what you would call an out-doorsy person and I definitly missed civilization, but I’m REALLY happy I went!
<3!!!!!!!!!!
Current Mood: 
relieved
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