Roots

I've been trying to faithfully do a smaller hike every Saturday morning. The family usually sleeps in a little later on Saturdays so that gives me a chance to get up and get a nice sunrise hike in and still get home in time to enjoy breakfast and coffee with my wife and the kids. This past Saturday I had a show with my band so time was a little short. I had planned on doing the Delps trail for a conditioning workout but that's usually a 2 hour affair. Well, an hour and a half up and down but once I hit the AT I like to walk in a bit as long as I'm up there.

Anyway, I was short on time so I decided to head up to Little Gap and hike the North part of the AT. This is a trail I used to hike a lot when I was a teenager and in my early 20's. It was close, it was easy and it had great views. I haven't hike there regularly in a while though. I'm not sure why I haven't, I just have been hiking other places.

I started into the woods and hit the usual swampiness along the first quarter mile of trail before the boulders and climb begin. A few carefully chosen steps kept my feet mostly dry. I made my way up to the rocks and climbed up. I got up to the first lookout and felt a familiar awe as I looked north over the Aquashicola creek valley and into Palmerton. I sat up there by myself, enjoying the serenity and view for probably close to 15 minutes, when I saw a young couple come hiking up. The girl asked me "is this Weathering Knob?" Sadly, I wasn't sure - I told her I didn't know, but I didn't think it was. Of course when I got home I checked my AT book and sure enough it WAS Weathering Knob. Guess I don't know quite as much about the AT as I thought I did.

Anyway - it was nice to return to a familiar place from my youth. I walked in a bit further, and ended up coming down the switchback road they cut in to go up to the cell tower. Which I have to add, I do not like the re-routing of the trail west of the cell tower. I used to enjoy going around the top of the cell tower and back into the woods, but I suppose the tower decided they wanted pesky hikers off their land so the trail was re-routed.

All in all it was a beautiful day and a nice little hike to take me back to the place I first fell in love with the AT.

GPS Coords: 40.80597, -75.53476 (north trailhead)