We are currently visiting with family, job hunting, and organizing thousands of pictures from our AT hike. We've also been thinking about the various states and sections of the trail. Here are some trail superlatives from our '07 thru-hike. These findings are specific to our AT experience. Other hikers may have different data based on their hikes. This information is not at all scientific. It simply explains some of our experiences on the trail.
States with the smoothest trail: Georgia (least rooty) and Virginia (least hilly)
State with the best deli sandwiches: New Jersey
States with the clearest water: Connecticut and Maine
State where we saw the most black bears: Virginia (We saw nine.)
State where we saw the most deer: Virginia (We saw too many to count.)
State where we saw the most timber rattlesnakes: Pennsylvania (We saw eight. We also saw rattlers in Virginia and New York.)
State with the best biscuits: Tennessee (At Miss Janet's)
States where we ate the most blueberries right on the trail: Pennsylvania and Maine
States where we ate the most blackberries right on the trail: Pennsylvania
State where we heard the most country music played at campsites or in restaurants: Vermont
State where the trail was most rocky: Pennsylvania
State where we experienced the most heat: Connecticut (This is where we were during a big heat wave that was all up and down the East Coast.)
State where it snowed the most: North Carolina
State where we hiked on the most ski slopes: Vermont
States with the best ice cream: Vermont (Ben & Jerry's) and Maine (Gifford's: a local piece of heaven!)
State where we saw the most Nascar racing stickers: Pennsylvania
State where we saw the biggest spider: Maryland
State with the most aggressive squirrels Maine (Red squirrels dropped pine cones on our tent and stole food out of people's backpacks. They also talk a lot and often don't use a nice tone.)
State with the most mud: Vermont (Sometimes the mud came up to our knees.)
States with the most rain: All the New England states
State where we were hailed on the most times: Maine
State where we saw the scariest lightening: New Jersey
Biggest burgers on the trail: Port Clinton Inn, PA, and White House Landing, ME
Biggest ice cream challenge on the trail: Summit Sundae Challenge at Appalachian Trail Cafe in Millenocket, ME. (Pennsylvania's Half Gallon Challenge at the halfway point is also serious.)
Most memorable climbs: Springer Mountain, GA (our first climb)
Clingman's Dome, TN (highest point on the AT, and we almost
blew off into the foggy, icy abyss)
Max Patch, NC (white out conditions)
Roan Mountain, TN (lots of pine trees, rhodos, and our climb right before we met up with family and friends for the first time on the trail.)
Out of Lehigh Gap towards Blue Mountain, PA (Steep, rocky, and barren on top from the Palmerton zinc factory pollution)
Killington, VT (gondola and ski lodge with cafe)
Moosilauke, NH (our first climb in The Whites)
Up to Franconia Ridge, NH (where the Whites got serious)
Mount Washington, NH (weather risks, tourism, and great people)
Mount Madison, NH (It took us forever, especially on the way
down.
Bigelow, ME (We were climbing in MAINE. And we couldn't
see a thing in the fog and rain!)
Katahdin, ME (One of the best moments of our lives.)
And some actual scientific data:
State with the largest tree: New York (The Dover Oak has a girth of 20 feet, 4 inches and is over 300 years old.)
State with highest AT mileage: Virginia
State with the least AT mileage: West Virginia
This post is dedicated to Bob G. since we don't blog often enough for his taste. :)
(Photo: Public Library in Gorham, New Hampshire)
(Photo: Public Library in Gorham, New Hampshire)
