I started my AT New Jersey section yesterday. The start is a relatively gentle climb up to the Kittatiny Ridge. This wasn’t a “gentle climb” a year ago when I began hiking. I must have stopped to catch my breath 10 times.  Yesterday, I stopped once. Progress.   The trees in the gorge created by […]

There it is. The Top Rock. Maybe 75 yards up ahead. I stopped here.  It’s a big pile of car, to small house sized, stones! I had completely forgotten how cool it was up here. I thought the rocks were just big in my memory as a child. I hadn’t taken this short hike for […]

That’s me, my arm, and my friend John. I still can’t hold my 6sPlus and take a selfie. Is there a trick to this? I don’t want a stick. Help! Now, to the point. What am I thinking? I will NEVER finish the Appalachian Trail in 5 years.  First of all, just the logistics is […]

It’s 20 degrees in Harper’s Ferry and 20 degrees in my hometown of LANSDALE, PA. Tonight the predicted low is 16 here and 15 there.  A few hours North, in one of my hangouts, New Paltz, New York, it’s also 20 but will dip to 7 overnight.  That 8 degree difference in sleeping temperature where […]

I CAN’T BELIEVE I WENT UP THAT SECTION AGAIN! But I did and it was way less scary. That’s a very good thing. I was getting apprehensive about my ability to complete sections that are years ahead of me. Not so good at staying in the present sometimes.  We had to be vigilant. There were […]

Bear passing through!  Shortly before we reached this spot on the Trail, a big black furry creature passed by! How cool. Seeing the prints is way less scary than the actual animal. Still exciting though. I’ve seen many bears over the years, but never prints!  My friend John and I ambled across the easy 8 […]

As of November 2010, there were 95 Superfund sites designated to receive funding for the clean-up of hazardous waste. Somewhere up there at the top of the north side of the Gap, is one of those sites. In order to see that site, without a helicopter, you have to climb up the Appalachian Trail through […]

In 1968 I graduated from Central Bucks HS with these guys. 48 years later, here we are at Bake Oven Knob on the Appalachian Trail.  There was very little quiet time today. We shared stories from our pasts and our present lives. Funny stories. Sad stories. Insightful stories. Every time we get together we do […]

Under the bridge coming into Harper’s Ferry, you will find this. Pretty amazing that the graffiti artists have done their work all over this wall and left this signpost alone. This post will have nothing more to do with this photo. I just like starting with some color. A year ago, I didn’t have a […]

This is one of those AT standards. Down at the Mason-Dixon Line. What do you see? Some happy guy, looking like he’s about to embark on an adventure, right? Me, I see myself with a roll over my tightened waist belt and shorts stuck up my crotch. Yes. That is what I see. I’m glad […]