Pennsylvania

Pa. woman shares insights on her 98-day hike across the Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Published

3 months ago

August 15, 2024

Pa. woman shares insights on her 98-day hike across the Appalachian National Scenic Trail

A Pennsylvania woman had her two daughters drive her to Georgia and let her off on a trail. She willingly solo-hiked all the way back to the Keystone State, and then kept on going north into Maine.

It was part of a Somerset County woman’s quest to hike all 2,197 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail this summer.

Georgetta Frederick, 43, of Conemaugh Township, made the journey across 14 states in 98 days.

She finished her adventure Aug. 6. It was a trip several years in the making.

“In 2017 is when I discovered backpacking. There’s a trail here called the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, it’s kind of local. I got to do that with my youngest daughter and a friend, and we did it in five days. And the first time on that trip, I found my thing,” she said.

“I went back a couple of weeks later and did it by myself in three days ― it’s 70 miles,” she said. At that time she didn’t realize that most hikers don’t go on consecutive 23-mile days.

Becoming passionate about hiking, Frederick soon found out about the Appalachian Trail and decided that would be her next goal. “I’m a single parent, so I had to wait until my youngest daughter turned old enough for me to leave,” she said. “That’s why I did it this year.” Her daughters are Carla, 23, and Kaylee, 19.

Over the past five or six years she started planning and saving for this more than three-month adventure. In January, her official planning for the massive hike began. “I started planning logistics, food all that kind of stuff,” she said.

“I’m a very active person,” she said. Frederick is a self-employed house cleaner, she goes to a gym at least five days a week and does a variety of exercises at home.

How the Appalachian Trail hike began

Frederick backpacks with friends as much as possible but other times goes by herself. She took on the AT as a solo adventure because she wanted to travel at her own pace.

She explained that two hikers might not always want to go the same distance each day or would want to stay at camp for different amounts of time.

She started out May 1 at the trailhead in Georgia. “My daughters drove me down. It was so hard,” she said about saying goodbye to them. “They saw me off on the approach trail. It was hard to say, ‘See you later.’ I’ve never been away from them that long. But they were so excited and supportive, wanting me to go do my dream, which is super cool.”

She planned out her trip and had target distances for each day that averaged 23 miles. “I’m glad I had a plan, but it changes,” she said.

“I didn’t plan any recovery days, but I did take two recovery days. They are called zero days on the trail, which means you don’t hike any.” She took those days where she could find a place to sleep, take a shower and refuel at a restaurant where she could eat a lot. “That was a big thing, being able to consume the amount of calories you need when you’re operating at a calorie deficit like every day.”

Even though she trained and was in good physical condition, she still lost 12 pounds over the trip. “I thought it might have been more, but it wasn’t, so that is good,” she said.

She encountered steep terrain and the weather didn’t always cooperate. “In the first week, the first two days were beautiful, the next five days it rained,” she said. With this being a several-month trek, she wasn’t used to not being able to get home and regroup.

“Anytime I’ve had to deal with rain, it’s never been a super big issue because you know you’re going to get off the trail and go home and dry your feet out and you have different shoes. If your gear gets wet, so what, you can dry it. This was different,” she said.

At the end of the first week, her tent was wet from the rain and condensation and she started getting concerned about her down-filled sleeping bag. Fortunately, she was able to get off the trail for a day to dry out.

She finished faster than most people who take on this quest. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy reports most hikers need five months or more to go end to end. The challenge is something more than 20,000 people have accomplished, with some hikers breaking up the distance over several years.

“If I did something like this again, I probably would incorporate a little bit more rest days. Because every time I did take a rest day, my performance improved after that. You don’t realize how tired you’re getting,” she recalled.

Looking back on her journey, Frederick said, “I thoroughly enjoyed almost all of it. There were definitely times that were very hard, mentally hard,”

Even though she met people on the trail, she said she had some lonely times.

“I enjoy spending time with people a lot, every day,” she said about missing people in her hometown.

She saw turkeys, three bears, “a whole bunch” of snakes including one rattlesnake, and a beaver that wasn’t happy she was there. “I never saw a beaver before in my life and I was going into an area that was boggy … and I hear this hissing,” she said.

She soon saw that it was a beaver standing on a wooden plank and she backed up, tripped and fell down. “I got up and went around it,” she said about the beaver being angry, but not aggressive toward her.

Thinking back about the 14-state trek, Frederick said the views in New Hampshire were phenomenal. “New Hampshire was probably my favorite aside from Mount Katahdin, the very end. Because you just come out of the trees and you’re on this ridge-top for miles. You can see forever. You can see where you’re going, you can see where you’ve been. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was just wonderful,” she said.

Early on her journey, she looked forward to seeing the Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia where there are wild ponies.

“I got there in the morning, it was rainy, it was cold it was foggy,” she said. “I did see a couple of ponies, but my experience there wasn’t great because of the weather. The weather really played a part in whether I could enjoy things or not. Because of the mileage that I was intending to do, I had to hike in all the weather, in all of it.”

She didn’t get any blisters on her feet, but she did break a bone. One day when she was trying to let her trail running shoes dry, she wore her camp sandals and accidentally kicked a rock and broke a toe. Fortunately, with the help of ibuprofen, she was able to continue her hike.

“I didn’t wear my sandals anymore,” she said.

What she learned about herself

At the end of her journey, she realized that, “I can do hard things. I knew that I could do hard things, but this was probably the hardest thing I ever tried to do. For the length of time and the mental aspect was much harder than I expected,” she said.

She also reflected on a saying: No person is an island.

“Really, that’s the biggest thing that I learned is that I know what my capacities are to some level. And that I don’t need help doing things, but help makes it so much better if friends are around,” she said. The people who supported her along the way were an important part of her journey. For example, her daughter, Carla, sent her boxes of things to resupply her food in different towns along the way.

“Know thyself was a thing I wanted to come out of this, understanding myself better, and I think I do,” she said. “I can do hard things if I persevere.”

Even on the bad days, she knew she would continue to the finish line. The only two ways she said she would have quit would have been if she would have been injured ― “Because that is a reality. That happens to people” ― or if she ran out of her allotted 100 days. She completed her challenge two days ahead of schedule.

Completing the Appalachian Trail

When she finally made it to the summit of Katahdin in Maine’s Baxter State Park, she said, “It was just amazing. I can’t believe I’m here. I’ve been chasing this for months. It was just the most perfect day.”

She was blessed with a clear day to enjoy the moment. She remembers not always being so fortunate on some hikes where the mountaintops were foggy. “It wasn’t. It was just a beautiful day,” she said. “You could see everywhere. It was just so amazing,” she said about the view.

Two of her friends, Chris and Payton Janovich, were with her on the final 10 days of her adventure. “They did not hike every day, but they were with me, they helped me,” she said about the father and daughter. They also drove back home.

If she tries it again, she plans to incorporate more time for rest and have a longer trip. “It would be more enjoyable at a less demanding pace,” she said.

What’s next?

Frederick is already thinking about conquering two other distance trails in the United States including the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail.

Frederick likes to introduce people to hiking. People can contact her through her Trail Mama Hikes Facebook page. She’s able to advise people on what they need and can guide them in the Laurel Highlands. “So they are not out there by themselves and know they have somebody who knows what they are doing, just helping with the full experience,” she said about enjoying the outdoors.

For those contemplating an outdoor adventure, Frederick offers this advice. “Don’t wait. If you want to do something, figure out how to do it as soon as you can. So many people put off things.”

She said there will always be reasons not to do something, but don’t let that stop you. “If I waited for two years to make sure I had enough money, who knows what’s going to happen in those two years? Will I be physically able to do it? I don’t want to end my life being regretful of the things I didn’t do,” she said.

“Make a way. Go do it.”

Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website’s homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania bill would incentivize purchase of near-zero-emission large trucks

Published

1 hour ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Pennsylvania bill would incentivize purchase of near-zero-emission large trucks

New legislation at the Pennsylvania statehouse is intended to incentivize purchases of near-zero-emission large trucks.

Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe, introduced a bill last week that would create a Near-Zero-Emission Truck Incentive Program.

The grant program would be administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The state Department of Environmental Protection would work in consultation with the highway department to reduce emission from large trucks.

Brown wrote in a memo to state senators that “the federal government took steps to tightly regulate heavy-duty truck emissions between model years 2007 and 2010 by requiring the standardization of selective catalytic reduction and diesel particulate filters.” She added that trucks sold in 2006 emit about 10 times the amount of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter as trucks sold today.

Brown told lawmakers that about 34% of trucks registered in Pennsylvania are pre-2010 model trucks.

“These trucks contribute the majority of emissions from the trucking industry in the state,” she wrote. “The proposed grant program will lead to the replacement of these trucks with newer, much cleaner trucks, resulting in lower emissions from the trucking industry and cleaner air for all.”

Additionally, she said the addition of multiple standard safety technologies by original equipment manufacturers in post-2010 model trucks will save lives in Pennsylvania.

Grant program

Her bill, SB1348, would require the state DOT and Department of Environmental Protection to apply for federal funds available for the purpose of reducing pollution.

The state would use the funds to create a grant program to incentivize the purchase of model year 2010 or newer trucks to be titled and registered in Pennsylvania, if accompanied by a trade-in of a pre-2010 diesel truck that is also titled and registered in the state.

“No other single technology transfer can affect Pennsylvania’s air quality and provide immediate health benefits as much as replacing pre-2010 trucks with post-2010 models,” Brown wrote.

The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association supports the bill.

Rebecca Oyler, PMTA president, said the federal excise tax acts as a disincentive to companies wishing to update their equipment to the latest technology.

“Providing an incentive program at the state level helps offset this impediment and avoids costly mandates that would cripple the trucking industry,” Oyler said in prepared remarks.

SB1348 is in the Senate Transportation Committee. LL

More Land Line coverage of news from Pennsylvania.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Passes Bitcoin Rights Bill, Proposes Strategic Reserve

Published

9 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Pennsylvania Passes Bitcoin Rights Bill, Proposes Strategic Reserve

Pennsylvania State Capitol, the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located in … [+] Harrisburg

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Pennsylvania is stepping into the digital future with bold legislation aimed at solidifying its role as a leader in the emerging digital asset economy. On October 23, 2024, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 2481—dubbed the “Bitcoin Rights” bill by Dennis Porter, co-founder of the Satoshi Action Fund—with a decisive 176–26 bipartisan vote. This legislation positions Pennsylvania among states at the forefront of digital asset regulation and underscores its commitment to fostering innovation in the sector while addressing critical issues like economic empowerment and financial inclusion.

House Bill 2481 enshrines the rights of individuals and businesses to self-custody digital assets, operate blockchain nodes, and conduct transactions without interference from restrictive municipal ordinances. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Cabell (R-Luzerne) and supported by bipartisan vote, the bill reflects a growing recognition across party lines of blockchain technology’s transformative potential.

The vote also revealed divisions within the Democratic Party, with all 26 opposing votes coming from Democratic representatives. Nevertheless, prominent members of the Democratic party, including Majority Leader Joanna McClinton (D-Phila/Delaware) and Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Phila), backed the measure highlighting its potential to stimulate economic growth and expand opportunities for underserved communities. Their support signals a broader acknowledgment of blockchain’s role in empowering marginalized groups through equitable access to financial tools.

Building On Momentum: Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act

Following the passage of HB 2481, Republican Representatives Mike Cabell and Aaron Kaufer introduced HB 2664 (the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act) on November 14, 2024. If enacted, this legislation would enable the state treasurer to allocate up to 10% of Pennsylvania’s General Fund, Rainy Day Fund, and State Investment Fund into bitcoin and crypto-based exchange-traded products (ETPs), as explained in the bill’s legislative memo. This could mean an investment of up to $970 million in bitcoin, leveraging its potential as both a hedge against inflation and a long-term growth asset, as reported by DeCrypt.

The Strategic Bitcoin Reserves Debate

The introduction of Pennsylvania’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act aligns with a broader conversation about government-held cryptocurrency reserves, echoing national debates sparked by Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis and the Trump administration’s proposal for a U.S. strategic bitcoin reserve. The state-level initiative reflects Pennsylvania’s proactive stance, but it has also reignited concerns about the potential risks of investing public funds in bitcoin.

Proponents Highlight Benefits

Proponents argue that bitcoin’s decentralized nature and fixed supply make it a strong hedge against inflation and an asset comparable to gold. As Satoshi Action Fund CEO Dennis Porter noted in a recent CryptoSlate article, “Bitcoin aligns incentives. When incentives align, we all win.” Advocates highlight Bitcoin’s significant appreciation over time and its growing acceptance among financial institutions as a store of value.

Supporters believe the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act could enhance fiscal stability by diversifying the state’s investments. The proposal mirrors broader efforts in states like Wyoming, where Lummis has championed bitcoin’s inclusion in national reserves, describing it as a safeguard against dollar devaluation and economic volatility.

Critics Raise Concerns

Despite its potential benefits, the concept of holding bitcoin in government reserves faces substantial criticism. Skeptics, including financial analysts and environmental advocates, point to the cryptocurrency’s extreme price volatility as a major risk. Bitcoin’s historical price swings—both surging and plummeting within short periods—raise questions about the stability of using it to back state or national funds.

Additionally, critics highlight security vulnerabilities in holding digital assets. High-profile breaches of institutional-grade storage solutions have underscored the risks of cyberattacks, which could make bitcoin reserves a target for bad actors. Environmental concerns related to bitcoin mining’s energy consumption further fuel opposition to public investment in the asset.

These concerns underscore parallels between Pennsylvania’s debate and the national critique of the Trump administration’s rumored executive order to formalize a U.S. bitcoin reserve. Critics have questioned whether introducing bitcoin into government holdings would expose the economy to unnecessary risk and divert resources from more stable investments. The outcome of this legislation could set a precedent, not only for other states but also for shaping the broader discourse on digital assets in fiscal policy.

Bipartisan Innovation In Action

Pennsylvania’s recent actions stand out in a national landscape often marked by federal gridlock and partisan divides on crypto policy. The state’s forward-looking approach mirrors pioneering efforts in Wyoming, Texas, and Florida. The bipartisan support for HB 2481 and subsequent legislative proposals like the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act demonstrate the economic promise lawmakers on both sides of the aisle see in blockchain technology. By codifying the rights of digital asset holders and creating a framework for state-level investment in crypto, Pennsylvania is charting a path that other states can follow.

Why Pennsylvania’s Leadership Matters

Pennsylvania’s legislation arrives at a critical moment for the digital asset ecosystem. With the most pro-crypto presidency and Congress in U.S. history set to take office in 2025, states like Pennsylvania have a unique opportunity to shape national policy from the ground up. The Commonwealth’s decisive actions on HB 2481 and the proposed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act signal to businesses, investors, and policymakers that Pennsylvania is open for innovation.

HB 2481 is more than a regulatory milestone—it is a strategic move to attract fintech companies, blockchain developers, and digital asset investors. The Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry has expressed strong support, emphasizing that the state’s clear stance on digital assets provides the regulatory certainty businesses need to innovate responsibly.

Beyond its economic implications, the legislation reflects an understanding of blockchain’s potential to drive financial inclusion. Decentralized financial tools can reduce barriers for underbanked communities, empowering individuals and small businesses with access to innovative financial services. Pennsylvania’s proactive approach ensures that these benefits are accessible to all, positioning the state as a model for equitable digital asset adoption.

A New Blueprint For State-Led Innovation

The impact of Pennsylvania’s leadership extends far beyond its borders. In the absence of comprehensive federal regulation, states have emerged as laboratories for blockchain policy, testing innovative approaches to digital asset management. From Wyoming’s recognition of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to Florida’s integration of digital assets into its regulatory framework, state-led initiatives are shaping the future of the U.S. digital economy.

Pennsylvania’s efforts build on this momentum, offering a clear roadmap for other states. By fostering a crypto-friendly environment, the Commonwealth is not only boosting its own economic competitiveness but also contributing to a broader movement that could influence federal policy. As blockchain technology continues to redefine global finance, states that embrace innovation now will be well-positioned to lead in the years to come.

Stepping Into The Digital Future

Pennsylvania’s recent legislative efforts demonstrate a pragmatic approach to navigating the complexities of blockchain technology and digital assets. The passage of HB 2481 and the introduction of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act highlight the Commonwealth’s focus on creating a clear regulatory framework while fostering innovation and economic growth.

By addressing both opportunities and challenges in this rapidly evolving space, Pennsylvania offers a practical model for other states to consider. Its actions underscore the growing role of state governments in shaping the future of the digital economy and ensuring its benefits reach residents and businesses alike. As the legislative process continues, Pennsylvania’s leadership may serve as a valuable reference point for balancing innovation with inclusivity and economic resilience.

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Pennsylvania

Philly City Commissioners don’t expect recount to change Senate race results

Published

17 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Philly City Commissioners don’t expect recount to change Senate race results

Representatives from both the Casey and McCormick campaigns will be given the opportunity to observe the recount process.

While the votes were being counted, Commissioner Lisa Deeley said McCormick’s win could easily have been a loss if more Philadelphians who came to the polls actually cast a vote in the race.

“Just 0.24% separate Bob Casey and Dave McCormick to determine who will represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate for the next six years. That percentage translates to just 16,672 votes,” she said.

Deeley went on to say twice that number of voters didn’t care enough to go down the ballot to vote in the race for U.S. Senate.

“36,604 Philadelphia fans chose to under-vote the race. They just skipped over it and didn’t have their opinion counted,” she said.

Deeley could not give an explanation for why people came to vote for president, but chose not to vote in the Senate race.

“All of us in the political process, we need to do a better job to get the public to recognize the importance of the down ballot races so that we can have maximum voter participation from Philadelphia voters,” she said.

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