The A.T.

The Appalachian Trail is a lengthy trail that runs from Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia, a distance of 2175 miles. I would love to do the entire thing, but hiking portions of it is just as fun. One problem with the Pennsylvania section is the amount of glacial boulders. Most sections inside the borders of the state are strewn with boulder fields or just the frequent ankle-breakers in the middle of the trail. The following trail guide is a detailed description for the section between Lehigh Gap, near Palmerton, PA, and Balanced Rocks, northeast of Hamburg, PA. The sections were not done at the same time. I hiked from Lehigh Gap to Bake Oven Knob and back on a day hike, and hiked from the knob to Balanced Rocks and back on an overnight hike. I hope the guide is helpful.
From Lehigh Gap, the trail picks up on the west end of the Route-873 bridge, The trail starts of by climbing gently at first up the mountain. At the base, I was walking on dirt and loose rock. But as I got into the woods, the loose rock gave way to large glacial boulders. Some rocks were used to make a stairs to help make the trail easier, but the grade was getting steep. I went from about 400 feet of elevation to 1100 feet in only 7/10 of a mile. Here, the trails is met by a blue-blazed North Trail. I traveled on this trail on my way back from my day trip. The section that immediately branches off is very narrow, but comes out into a rocky clearing on the north side of the mountains.

I-476 from the North Trail

Some parts of the North Trail are incredibly narrow, with a steep slope on one side and a drop-off to the other. The trail meanders through tall grasses before it ascends up the mountain to rejoin the Appalachian Trail in about a mile and a half. Once atop the mountain, the Appalachian Trail stays pretty flat. I passed by one of the shelters and springs that are located along the trail.One thing that really made me happy was the amount of wild blueberries that grow along the trail. There are many campsites along the trail, where I would often stop to rest and eat. After about two and a half miles, the ridge passes over the I-476 tunnel, which I found pretty cool. Most of the trail does not get out of the trees but every now and then the pine trees gave way to tall grasses.
One of the landmarks of the trip I would say would be the power line at Lehigh Furnace Gap. I say that because I was walking in very dense woods when I popped out to this expansive clearing where to power lines cut over the ridge. I scrambled along the boulders for about fifty yards until I plunged back into the dense woods. One portion of the trail was a little weird because the trail was almost perfectly straight and lined with small trees. It looked like a never-ending pathway. One pain of this section is there is a part that feels like a drawn-out switchback that is just full of small rocks for miles. I swear I spent over 2 miles walking on rocks ranging from the size of bowling balls to the size of 50 gallon drums.

See, I told you it was rocky

The rocks were just absolute pains in the ass. However, I began my ascent to the top of Bake Oven Knob, which also is rocky but seems more like stairs. The knob has a 180 degree view to the south and to the north. It is just an excellent place to hang out for awhile. It is also easy to get to from car because there is a dirt road about a half mile to the west. That pretty much ended my day trip.

The View from Bake Oven Knob

My backpack trip took me through some pretty brutal terrain. After two miles of walking from the dirt lot by Bake Oven Knob, I reached an area known as Bear Rocks. To climb on top of the rocks, I had to scramble about 30 feet up wearing my 45 pound pack. But the view from on top of the rocks is 360 degrees. Continuing along the trail, I pass through some pretty narrow sections. One big challenge was Knife Edge. The trail follows the edge of a massive boulder for about 100 feet. The edge is very sharp, like it is a perfect triangle.

The "Edge"

It was very difficult to do with my heavy pack. The trail from there on out seems like a roller coaster, constantly going up and down. The trail is also incredibly rocky. I crossed over Route-309 where people would often wave or honk to the hikers on their way. There is a marker on this section that marks the meeting of Berks, Lehigh, and Schuylkill counties, hence Tri-county Corner.

The Marker at Tri-county Corner

Somewhere between there and Balanced Rocks, I set up my campsite. I walked to Balanced Rocks, which is just a rocky outcrop with a nice view. I returned to my camp exhausted.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail is a wonderful experience. You don’t have to walk the whole thing, but if it is near you, pick up a guide book and get out there.