Finishing a state always feels good, and as we leave Pennsylvania to continue our adventure in New Jersey, we’re closing a chapter on a couple of great weeks of hiking. Despite a record heat wave and some crazy storms, the 229 miles of trail in Pennsylvania treated us really well. We stayed at some of the best camp sites we’ve stayed at to date, we hiked our fastest daily mileage yet, and we were once again enchanted by the scenery around us.

Ants carrying away a large wasp

Trail graffiti

Storms from the safety of town

Trail Magic

Wasp attacking dragon fly

Cold water

Flora/Fauna

Us

The border

One last note on the rocks of Pennsylvania: a rating system

Pennsylvania somewhat unfairly has a bad reputation on the trail. Hikers often call it Rocksylvania due to its rocky terrain, but while there are rocks on the trail, there’s a fair amount of recency bias also at play here. Truth is, Pennsylvania was some of the fastest, levelest terrain we have hiked in but then the last forty or so miles of a 229 mile state have a lot rocks that require non-stop concentration and really tenderize the feet. That said, even in this last stretch, about a quarter of the mileage is so smooooth and fast.

So to provide a little more texture to the constant conversation on the Keystone State’s rockiness, Jess and I created a rocky trail rating system (remember, we have a lot of time out here…)

Category 1

Rock coverage: <25%

Percentage of mileage: 25%

Our speed: 2.6-3.2 mph

Commonly heard exclamation: “wow this is fast! I love this trail”

Category 2

Rock coverage: 25-50%

Percentage of mileage: 35%

Our speed: 2.2-2.6 mph

Commonly heard exclamation: “this isn’t that bad. Why do people complain so much about the rocks?!”

Category 3

Rock coverage: 50-75%

Percentage of mileage: 35%

Our speed: 2-2.2 mph

Commonly heard exclamation: “ouch, owww, ouch. not again!”

Category 4

Rock coverage: >75%

Percentage of mileage: 5%

Our speed: 1.5-2 mph

Commonly heard exclamation: “this is the best part of the the trail yet!” or “if I see another &!@$% rock, I’m going to cry” (depends on the person)