1-St Anthony’s Wilderness. I read the description and
said ‘these people must be desperate’. Give it time. Once
you climb out of the industrial hell that is the Susquehanna
River, St Anthony’s will work its woodland magic on you.
2-Delaware Water Gap. Anticipation is building at this
point to get to the last town in PA so it’s not like there isn’t
any excitement already. The last stretch north of Wolf Rocks
has intermittent views as you get closer and closer to the
Delaware River and dramatic Mt Tammany.
3-Michaux State Forest. Not as remote as St Anthony’s
and tends to be broken up more by the need to get
groceries than by the section itself. Mostly, this is a nice
introduction to the Pennsylvania woods.
4-The Knife Edge (Bake Oven Knob). No, it won’t
challenge Katahdin’s Knife Edge any time soon and I was
blessed with the additional challenge of doing it in the
rain. And maybe that’s why I liked it. When you have
to work harder for something, you appreciate it more.
5-The People. I admit it. I’m biased. I’m not from PA
but one of my best friends was so Pennsylvanians have
always had a special place in my heart. Still, the many
acts of kindness from complete strangers who had no
connection to the trail whatsoever was above and beyond
that of any other state on my thru-hike.