This past weekend, I decided — or, it’s more like I was convinced — to hike 10 miles of the Pennsylvanian section of the Appalachian Trail. My dad had made it a project to complete the entire Pennsylvania section by doing a series of 24 consecutive day hikes. This was hike No. 15 and, in my opinion, the best one.

I am not an avid hiker, so I will admit standing at the beginning with 10 miles to go definitely didn’t make my stomach feel good. Yet as soon as we stepped into the forest, that all washed away. We hiked across the top of Peters Mountain for a few miles, stopping in awe at the amazing overlooks to both our right and left. The trail brought us to abandoned campsites and shelters for through-hikers; one even had a notebook for everyone that came through to enter their names.

It was honestly like no other hike I’ve done. For the last few miles, the trail left the woods and we found ourselves crossing Clark’s Ferry Bridge, the same bridge that my dad and I drive across every time we drive back and forth to Penn State.

Once past the bridge, we found ourselves in the quaint little town of Duncannon. This hike, unlike most, goes directly through the center of the town. The town is known for its warm hospitality towards hikers and offers many places to stay and eat, like the famous Doyle Hotel. My dad and I, along with the other hikers in our group, took the opportunity to take refuge in the small hotel and enjoyed a nice meal after a long day of hiking.

I find it hard to convince myself to start activities such as this hike, that is, until I am actually there. I forget how good it feels to be surrounded by nature and fresh air, to smell the trees, to be able to see a whole new world I would have never seen before. It is nice to reconnect to nature through the simple act of walking in it. I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world.

— Zoey Joseph, intern