Day 101 - Pennsylvania!

Woke up to a beautiful morning in time to catch the sunrise (I've got to do this more often!). Recovered my food bag from hanging it the night before, and spent about an hour chatting with my camp mates, lovely people, before setting out.

Beautiful morning turned into a beautiful day. As I was hiking along a ridgeline I came across a large group of bird watchers - they were very excited and were having a count down to the end of the hour. When the hour was up they were semi-celebrating saying "35 in one hour!!", evidently some kind of record. Scenery was great up there.

Crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania!!! And stayed the night in Stroudsburg. Bit of a dodgy area but that's comes with staying at the cheap hotels. One thing Penny (that's what I'm calling Pennsylvania) has that the previous states didn't is poker machines. They are everywhere. In the hotel, at the convenience store, at the laundromat, etc. Feels a bit tacky.

The hotel was managed by. Brit that had been in the states for 19 years. He immediately recognised my accent.

Took the time to buy some new socks - my old ones had lasted 2 whole months of hard use almost every day, so definitely can recommend the Darn Tough brand.

Also tossed my poncho for weight and replaced it with a waterproof pack cover. I've discovered you can't stay dry while hiking, it's better to just grin and bear being drenched and dry out later. Humidity from your body will soak your clothes over time if you're in waterproof clothing. Just keeping your gear dry is the important thing. So my pack is now marginally lighter which is great - I'll keep making adjustments to get it down even further.Read more