More hiking in Pennsylvania – Support for Trump in Pennsylvania – Evening statistics
I did not quite complete my project of traversing all of the Appalachian Trail that goes through Pennsylvania, for reasons that will become apparent, but I am close to realizing it now. Currently I have 5.5 miles left to cover, or an 11-mile there-and-back hike. So it appears that my goal of completing this section of the AT by the end of the year is feasible.
The hikes were as follows:
10/31, Rte. 309 to Dan’s Spring and back, 15 miles, 1600 feet. There were not many views along this hike. The best one was at Balanced Rock, but it was limited in comparison with the Pulpit and the Pinnacle. Most of the trail was straightforward enough, but it had two long sections consisting of boulder fields. The sky was overcast, although there were occasional glimmers of sunshine. Although the peak foliage is gone now, the trees still have many colored leaves, mainly yellows from beech and hickory. The skies cleared later on at night, when I was able to view the so-called “blue moon,” which indeed was unusually bright but did not have any bluish tints that I could discern.
11/1, Rte. 309 to Ashfield Rd. and back, 16.5 miles 1000 feet. The section between Rte. 309 and Lehigh Gap is considered the most scenic part of the AT in Pennsylvania, and I could readily understand why. There seemed to be photo opportunities every mile or so. None of the views were as extensive as the one at the Pinnacle, but the cumulative effect is impressive. Nonetheless, this hike was an exasperating one in many ways. To begin with, it contained no fewer than five groups of boulder fields, all of them extensive and two of them (at Bake Oven Knob and Knife Edge) potentially hazardous. Then, too, I was unlucky in my weather. Originally I had contemplated going all the way to Lehigh Gap, which would have added 11 miles to the total, but by the time I was approaching Ashfield it was obvious that such a plan was not feasible; the boulder fields delayed me so much that I would not have reached the car until well after nightfall. As I turned back from Ashfield Rd., another argument for shortening the hike became apparent: it began to rain. It had been overcast all day, but rain had not been in the forecast when I last checked it. Nonetheless, predicted or not, it was falling and I had to take care in backtracking, especially over the boulder fields in particular and Oven Knob and Knife Edge in particular. Knife Edge must be admitted to possess an extremely appropriate name: it is a rocky ledge that at one point has abrupt drop-offs on either end, so that anyone going over it must adhere to a route that is only a few feet in breadth. I probably would have enjoyed the hike more if the weather had been a bit more favorable. As it was, the rain came down steadily during nearly the entirety of my return, although it tapered off by the time I reached the last mile. When I drove back to the hotel, I immediately took a long, hot bath, and afterwards reveled in the satisfaction of wearing clean, dry clothes.
On this hike my cell phone was particularly troublesome. Apps kept turning on of their own accord with annoying frequency, including my camera app. I had to delete 17 photos of the interior of my pocket. I do not know why it is so difficult for cell phone manufacturers to realize that many people carry cell phones in their pockets and that it is desirable to make cell phone apps less responsive to the friction that occurs when its owner is walking.
11/2, Hawk Mountain Rd., there-and-backs to Balanced Rock and to the Furnace Creek trailhead, 16 miles, 2000 feet. Even though it had only one view to speak of (at Dan’s Pulpit), this was the most enjoyable of the three hikes. I had intended to go from Hawk Mountain Rd. only as far as Dan’s Spring, but I overshot it: the sign for the spring is placed on a tree at a 90-angle with anyone who passes by and it is so high up that it is easy to overlook. I probably added a mile in each direction on that account. It was a true autumnal day, sunny but brisk, somewhat breezy but not so as to become uncomfortable. I started early and for the first half-hour I walked through a light snow shower, which was delightful. The temperature was well above freezing, so that the snowflakes melted directly upon touching the ground, but they were beautiful as the alighted from the skies. Also, the hike began with a straightforward climb to the top of Hawk Mountain, a welcome contrast to all of those boulder fields I had been enduring over the past two days. The second part of the hike also involved a long but not especially steep ascent, the greater part of which took place on a fire road.
On the way back I met a man who helps to maintain the trail and we chatted briefly. I mentioned that I had been pursuing the completion of the Pennsylvania section of the AT for some time on my own. I had assumed that shuttles were no longer available on account of the COVID virus, but he assured that that is not the case. That is encouraging news; for future projects of this nature I will investigate using shuttle services in order to complete the hike in one direction only. I probably will do a there-and-back on the last remaining segment, however; it is only 5.5 miles and there is an alternate trail at the beginning of Lehigh Gap that loops with the AT and is said to be more scenic. I would like to do the complete loop if I can. It would mean a long day – nearly four hours of driving each way, and something over three hours for the hike itself. Alternatively I could stay somewhere nearby overnight for a day.
Having less than an hour to drive to the parking areas is certainly a great advantage. I was able to arrive at the parking areas early and have as many hours of daylight at my disposal as possible, so that I did not feel pressed for time. Also, it was a relief not to have to drive very far after the hike was completed. The hotel at which I stayed was in Bethlehem, and it was quite serviceable, with clean, spacious rooms. Curiously, it did not serve breakfast but it provided daily maid service – just the opposite approach of that of the inn at Jim Thorpe.
I was somewhat disconcerted to see so many signs in support of Trump, including several billboards. The Allentown/Bethlehem area may be in Pennsylvania but, after all, it is not rural. I happened to speak on the phone on the night of the 31st with JN, a friend who has been a life-long Democrat, and he took me by surprise by expressing reservations about Biden (his cognitive abilities in particular) and a reluctant admiration for Trump’s energy. JN’s point of view is closer than mine to that of worker without a college education, and as I spoke with him I began to understand somewhat better why Trump appeals to some. But this topic requires so much expansion that I must reserve it for another day – perhaps for tomorrow, since it seems appropriate for Election Day.
In the meantime, however, let’s not forget about the COVID statistics. The virus has been no means taken a holiday.
10/31 – # of cases worldwide 46,367,473; # of deaths worldwide: 1,199,727; # of cases U.S.: 9,402,590; # of deaths; U.S.: 236,072.
11/1 – # of cases worldwide 46,804,423; # of deaths worldwide: 1,205,044; # of cases U.S.: 9,473,720; # of deaths; U.S.: 236,471.
11/2 – # of cases worldwide 47,311,505; # of deaths worldwide: 1,210,990; # of cases; U.S: 9,567,007; # of deaths U.S.: 236,981.