Matt Willen - Best Hikes of the Appalachian Trail: Mid-Atlantic

Best Hikes of the Appalachian Trail: Mid-Atlantic

Copyright 2017 by Matt Willen

All rights reserved

Copublished by Menasha Ridge Press and Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Printed in the United States of America

First edition, first printing

Cover design by Scott McGrew

Text design by Annie Long

Cartography and elevation profiles by Scott McGrew

Cover and interior photographs by Matt Willen unless otherwise noted

Cover photos, clockwise from top:

Frontispiece: The edge of Annapolis Rock with Greenbrier State Park in the background (See .)

Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

MENASHA RIDGE PRESS

An imprint of AdventureKEEN

2204 First Ave. S., Suite 102

Birmingham, AL 35233

APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY

799 Washington St.

Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

appalachiantrail.org

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DISCLAIMER

This book is meant only as a guide to select routes along the Appalachian Trail. This book does not guarantee hiker safety in any wayyou hike at your own risk. Neither Menasha Ridge Press nor Matt Willen is liable for property loss or damage, personal injury, or death that result in any way from accessing or hiking the trails described in the following pages. Please be especially cautious when walking in potentially hazardous terrains with, for example, steep inclines or drop-offs. Do not attempt to explore terrain that may be beyond your abilities. Please read carefully the introduction to this book as well as further safety information from other sources. Familiarize yourself with current weather reports and maps of the area you plan to visit (in addition to the maps provided in this guidebook). Be cognizant of park regulations and always follow them. Do not take chances.

This book is dedicated with much love and gratitude to my sons, Jackson and Ian, for helping me find The Way.

I AM INDEBTED TO MANY PEOPLE for their assistance in completing this project. I want to thank my good friend Jackson Galloway for his company and amusing commentary on many of the hikes in New York. The folks at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and at the state parks and state forests that I visited provided me with much information that proved essential to what I have learned about the Appalachian Trail and the public lands that it passes through. I spoke with scores of thru- and day hikers along the trail, whom I probed with many questions and from whom I gained tons of information about where to go and what to avoid; thank you all.

I drew extensively on Underfoot: A Geologic Guide to the Appalachian Trail by V. Collins Chew (Appalachian Trail Conservancy, 2010) to help me understand the geology of the trail. I am very grateful for the availability of that resource.

Over the past year, I have worked with a bunch of great people at Menasha Ridge Press, and without their effort and dedication neither this book nor the others I have done would have been possible. They are Molly Merkle, Tim Jackson, Ritchey Halphen, Scott McGrew, Tanya Sylvan, Amber Kaye Henderson, and a host of others who have helped in large and small ways. Thank you very much.

SINCE MOVING TO CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA IN 2001, Ive done a lot of hiking along the Appalachian Trail corridor, and I have given loads of presentations on hiking at state parks, at public libraries, and to hiking clubs. Throughout this experience, Ive encountered so many people who have expressed interest in the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). There are those who say, Id love to hike the whole trail someday. More often, though, I meet people who either dont have the desire to do the whole thing or just dont have the time to do so. Yet the A.T. holds an allure for them and for many others; it has a legendary status in American trail lore. Many people want to get some idea of what this whole Appalachian Trail thing is all about, and to get some sense of how it reflects our national heritage. This book is intended to help readers find out.

SOME TINY FALL WILDFLOWERS ALONG THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL NEAR PA 850 (See .)

While the A.T. provides people with an opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy nature, perhaps the aspect of hiking the trail that stands out most to me is the experience of community associated with hiking it. Indeed, on some sections of trail that are easily accessible to metropolitan areas, youll be walking among a steady stream of people, especially on weekends and holidays. Surprisingly, though, these are the sections where I intermingled least with peoplemost are traveling with friends and family with whom they interact. When I think of the sense of community that comes with hiking the trail, I think of those long stretches of trail where I would come across another lone hiker. Invariably, wed stop, share stories, a snack or a cup of tea, smiles, and goodwill. One day while hiking up Wawayanda Mountain in New Jersey, I was feeling worn out from hiking every day and sleeping in my car at night. And then I met the nicest woman on the trail, who was running up and down the mountain. We stopped to talk for a few minutes. She told me that she came out almost every day for the past year. I can do it in half the time that it took me a year ago, she said excitedly. And she made sure that I knew where to go to get the view: You dont want to go all the way to the top, now. Theres a trail that leads out to the left. But you look like you know what youre doing. Then she set off for the parking lot. I felt so good after that few minutes of conversation that I started up with new lift in my stride. That kind of experience happens a lot on the trail. And it is the kind of experience that makes you feel that, even in your own solitude, youre participating in something bigger than yourself, and that, like you, there are others who go to the woods in search of things that other settings dont provide.

Matt Willen

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