This is the third post in my Appalachian Trail series, covering New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. This section is about 431 miles total, covering some of the hottest and rockiest miles, as well as some of my favorite non-hiking moments.
Here is a map of the section. The red markers represent the state lines, the green marker is Bear Mountain, the orange marker is the Lemon Squeezer trailhead, and the brown marker is a trailhead off route 519 in New Jersey. These markers may seem random and that’s because they are. The blue marker is Delaware Water Gap, the purple marker is Becky’s Drive-In, the black marker is Thunderhead Lodge, the yellow marker is Pine Grove Furnace General Store, and the pink marker is the Annapolis Rock/Black Rock trailhead.
New York
The New York section of the Appalachian Trail gets a lot of hate, but I really enjoyed it. It was the hottest state, reaching high 80s at times in September, but this was very manageable. On one particularly hot day I took a break at a gardening store and the owners kept feeding me popsicles. Later that day I was surprised to cross railroad tracks that headed to New York City!
Crossed the Hudson River and finally found a welcome to New York sign!
I saw a bear loose in the city! Just kidding, the trail goes through a zoo. As far as I’m aware, there’s no way around. You must walk through the entire zoo. Bear Mountain was extremely crowded, which I quickly found out was because of its close proximity to New York City! I was not expecting to see the skyline!
My Uncle and cousins from New Jersey picked me at the Lemon Squeezer trailhead and they took me out to lunch! Before this, I majorly struggled to climb over a boulder with my pack on the Lemon Squeezer trail. A bodybuilder woman saw me struggle and told me to stand on her back while she climbed the boulder. This somehow worked!
New Jersey
I passed a large sign for apple cider donuts and I couldn’t resist.
The New Jersey section must go through prime bird land because I saw approximately 50 birders a day. I was able to identify a “crow”. Emilia and friends picked me up at a trailhead off of route 519 and we got dinner! She also brought me new sneakers.
I impulsively bought this huge bag of Hot Tamales and was mocked by the “great for sharing” note on the front as I slowly ate the whole thing.
It’s cool when you can’t tell where the water ends and the sky begins.
Pennsylvania
The bridge into Delaware Water Gap is extremely shaky. I was very happy to get off that bridge and find a hot dog and apple pie special at a local bakery. I was also sure to not open the cabinet with haunted objects although I was tempted.
In Delaware Water Gap I met two girls my age, “Cinderella” and “Slip ‘n Slide”. Slip ‘n Slide and I ended up hiking the rest of the trail together! Cinderella finished her hike in Harper’s Ferry, but she met us in Georgia at the end.
One of my favorite nights was spent at Becky’s Drive-In. I called ahead and asked if they allowed camping and they said, “well, I guess that’s fine!” I watched “The Wild Robot” and “Twisters” and was brought popcorn and a funnel cake to my tent in exchange for a picture for their Facebook.
Pennsylvania is extremely rocky. When it rains, these rocks become incredibly slippery, and it takes twice as long to get anywhere. After a long day of walking over slippery rocks, my grandparents picked me up and took me to the Thunderhead Lodge for dinner!
Empty town…no cars or people to be seen…very mysterious…
As hunting season began, we had to wear orange vests through the remainder of Pennsylvania.
Beautiful views of the Susquehanna River and Shermans Creek.
Walking through farmland was one of my favorite parts of the Appalachian Trail. There were lots of goats and an Amish child followed me down the trail at one point.
Made it to the halfway point! To celebrate, I attempted the half gallon challenge at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. I successfully ate a half gallon of ice cream and got my picture on the wall. This unfortunately made me feel quite ill.
Tree tunnel to the Upside Down.
Maryland
Slip ‘n Slide was testing her balance on the edge of the cliff, which was a questionable decision for someone nicknamed “Slip ‘n Slide”. She lived. It was cool to be in an area I recognized.
Hot chocolate at the Dixie Diner in Smithsburg!
Emilia picked me up from the Annapolis Rock/Black Rock trailhead and surprised me with cheese! The Northern Lights made an appearance that night oddly enough.
Beautiful sunset at Weverton Cliffs while I waited for my dad to pick me up. I said goodbye to Cinderella, but not for long. I convinced her to move to Montana for the summer and we work together now!
Brief trip home to go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival! Then back to the trail and into West Virginia.
This section was relatively flat and relaxing, besides the rocks in Pennsylvania. The visits from family and friends, as well as strangers feeding me popsicles and funnel cake made this section very enjoyable!
- Bears seen in the wild: 0
- Bears seen in a zoo: 1
- Half gallons of ice cream consumed: 1
- Drive-in movies watched: 2
- Renaissance festivals attended: 1
“No road is long with good company”.
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