Sunday, October 13, 2019

Delps Trail to Little Gap; Fox Gap to Delaware Water Gap (Finishing PA)


October 5, 2019
Delps Trail to Little Gap (4.6 Miles)
Fox Gap to Delaware Water Gap (7 Miles)
Tom, Shannon, Wyatt and Mike

Two sections of the trail remained before we could accept congratulations on finishing the Pennsylvania portion of the famous Appalachian Trail.  While Pennsylvania is only 230 miles of the nearly 2200 mile A.T., it’s still a solid 10 percent.  A very rocky 10 percent.

Following recent custom, Tom, Shannon and Wyatt picked me up late on Friday and we drove the 1.5 hours towards Allentown to a local hotel for the overnight.  We were sorry to not have Mona along on this trip—so Shannon graciously offered to drop-off/pick-up for our first leg of the dual section day.

We began at the PA Game Commission parking area called Delps Trail---which is .72 miles from the trail.  I should note here that if you have a car, expect that it will bottom-out a few times on the unpaved dirt road that leads to the parking lot.  Better to take a four-wheel drive vehicle if possible. 

That aside, another thing to mention: when you start hiking towards the trail, it’s .72 miles straight uphill.  We started around 9 a.m., and it surely gets the blood flowing.  The downside is you don’t get any credit for having walked three quarters of a mile up the side of the mountain. It’s part of those “extra miles” you walk to satisfy the actual mileage requirements.  Wyatt made it to the top without any hesitation, and was waiting when Tom and I arrived.  We took a left and headed 4.6 miles to Little Gap. 

Blue Mountain has been our home for much of our walk through northeastern Pennsylvania.  When you’re trekking along, know that you will spend most of your time looking down for the next rock obstacle to avoid or tree branch to step over.  Aside from that,  you’ll also notice how quiet it is on the ridgetop.  Yes, there are the occasional sounds of civilization that make their way up the mountain, but it’s generally peaceful.  And, on this particular section of the hike—we did not encounter a single human being.  That may have been a first for us.

While we usually enjoy the silence of nature, Tom and I found time to discuss politics and political figures, friends, and mentors, and whatever else came to mind.  Tom’s accumulated stories from a life in public service vary from teachable moments to humorous vignettes, and the ones that he has shared along our journey are worthy of being assembled into their own singular collection.   Perhaps that will happen someday. 

Now, a cautionary tale for those who walk and talk:  we each stumbled a little bit (actually more than a little) because we were conversing and not paying needed attention to the rocks below our feet.  So, be careful out there!

When we finished the downhill, Shannon was waiting for us at Little Gap and we leap-frogged over to Fox Gap, which is about 35 minutes by car.

The weather could not have been more ideal as we hiked the last seven miles of the AT in Pennsylvania.  The air was clear and crisp, but not chilly, the leaves were beginning to turn, and the ferns in the woodlands were still in good form despite Fall being in the air. 

From Fox Gap to the Delaware Water Gap, the trail sits mostly at 1500 feet, and the first five miles provide numerous chances to see the farms in the valley below.  I enjoyed my lunch—a Wawa hoagie—at one of the powerline vistas, and the sun was shining on Tom, Wyatt and Shannon as they enjoyed trail mix.  At the powerline too were some overnight hikers.  We thought it was too late for them to be thru-hikers, unless they leapfrogged and were ending at the half-way point.

That said, this section of the trail was pretty busy and we passed dozens of day hikers---and enjoyed conversation with some who were heading the same way.  We also passed two gentlemen you might not consider hikers at all.  In full suits, with dress shoes, they were quickly climbing up the mountain as we were making our way down the rough terrain towards the Delaware River.  What explanation there would be for this---we were not sure---but we speculated wildly to pass the time.  


After passing Eureka Creek and Lake Lenape, we continued past the parking area and into the town of Delaware Water Gap.  It is inviting and wanted for a visit—but we were tired and sore.  The rocks on the way down were challenging—but it was the cumulative 1000 foot decline over two-miles that caught up with us---or more specifically with our ankles.

It was our 25th section hike that came to a close as we approached the Delaware River.   Seven years, seven months and one day after we started at the Mason-Dixon Line, our journey in Pennsylvania was over. We stopped at the bridge and took a photo, and we made a celebratory video for social media.  Uber would take us back to our car, and from there---we would go back to Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and to our lives.  We didn’t go into the Garden State---New Jersey would have to wait its turn.  For now, we were satisfied with the milestone that was achieved.  We had taken our 460,000 steps through PA.