Mt. Misery, VFNP, 1/29/12

This past Sunday I was in the Valley Forge area again, and had time for a short hike, so I decided to do the Horseshoe Trail climb of Mt. Misery, looping back along the Valley Creek Trail. I've done this hike before, and it's a great little loop.

I parked at the Washington's Headquarters parking lot, which leaves a little walk to the trailhead, but I'm not aware of any place closer where you can (legally) park. The temps were in the high 30's, but the sun was out and it felt warmer than that, so I went out in a long-sleeve polypro hiking shirt with a flannel shirt on top of that, cargo pants, my hiking gloves (thanks again, Eric!), and a baseball cap. Most people I passed were dressed significantly heavier than I was, but it worked just fine and I was plenty warm.

I made my way through the soldiers' cabins, crossed Rt. 23, and got to the trailhead. The yellow-blazed Horseshoe Trail starts here and makes its way west for something like 75 miles, where it joins the Appalachian Trail east of the Susquehanna River. The trail climbs steadily, following a stream, and passes the ruins of an old stone building that apparently used to be a root beer factory.

Getting to the top of the hill, the trail forks - the Horseshoe Trail goes to the right, and a connector trail that descends the mountain and picks up the Valley Creek Trail at the covered bridge goes to the left. I went right and followed the yellow blazes until leaves the National Park and hits a road in a residential neighborhood. Then I turned around and took the connector trail.

If I'd had more time, I would have gone all the way to the covered bridge and then came back along the stream. But I needed to get home, and there's a trail that makes a shorter loop, so I took it. Interestingly, I saw that the cut-off trail is named the Wolfinger Trail. I wonder if it's named for the Charles Wolfinger I used to know - great guy, Quaker, Haverford College alum, and Pennsylvania Railroad man. We've lost touch, and I wonder if he's still alive?

The cutoff trail descends rapidly to the stream, where the Valley Creek Trail follows the slow meandering stream. This is very scenic and pleasant, but it's a walk, not a hike - it's a popular wide gravel trail with lots of walkers, joggers, and dog walkers. I got back to the Horseshoe Trail trailhead, made my way back through Washington's Headquarters and back to my car.

The GPS says I covered 4.08 miles in 1:13. On the map at right, I parked at the top, then made a counterclockwise loop.

This is a fun little hike that I've done a few times before, and that I would gladly do again if I was in the area and had time for a short hike.

The 25 (Essential) Books for the Well-Read Explorer

I'm not sure how (as I've never been a subscriber), but I'm on Outside Magazine's e-mail list. I just received an e-mail where they've published a list of the 25 (Essential) Books for the Well-Read Explorer. This piqued my curiosity, so I took a look.

In general, I was pleased that I had read and loved a number of their choices. I'll give some highlights and personal thoughts on a few of their selections.

25. "Old Glory", Jonathan Raban (1981). This book would be in the top 5 on my own list. I simply adore this story of an Englishman who decides to take a 16-foot boat down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to New Orleans. And yeah, with this book and Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi" on the short list of my favorite books, you can guess that I'd love the chance to see the Mississippi from a boat.

24. "A Walk in the Woods", Bill Bryson (1998). They can keep this one. Bryson can be funny, but his humor crosses too often into snarky for my taste.

19. "Young Men and Fire", Norman Maclean (1992). I didn't know McLean had another book besides for the classic "A River Runs Through It, and Other Stories ." This is now on my short list.

14. "Arctic Dreams", Barry Lopez (1986). Beautiful and loving description of an environment so foreign from what most of us know (or will ever see.)

9. "Coming into the Country", John McPhee (1976). A classic. I don't know how only one McPhee made this list. My own list would have a number of McPhee books.

5. "Desert Solitaire", Edward Abbey (1968). Now they've made me angry. Only #5? Really?!? This might be my very favorite book. I probably re-read it about once a year (drawing eye rolls from Darling Wife when she sees it on my night-stand), and I enjoy it more every time. It's beautiful, honest, funny, delicious writing. Can there really be four better?

4. "The Snow Leopard", Peter Matthiessen (1978). This is a great book, and deserves to be prominent on the list, but not above "Desert Solitaire."

1. "Wind, Sand, and Stars", Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1939). This, like the rest of the top three, I've never heard of, but they'll be on my list.

Hiking Goals for '12

Looking out the window at the first snowfall of the new year, I won't be hiking this weekend - but I can think about the hikes I hope to do this year. I'll list them in order of most-likely to least-likely chance of actually happening this year - and I'll check back here next January to compare my hopes and goals with what I actually did.

• Adirondacks: the boys' Adirondacks '12 trip ("Revenge on Marcy") is on the calendar for June, and the arrangements are pretty much settled. The exact hikes are not, except for the return hike to the summit of Mt. Marcy. There are tons of other great hikes that we can do, and we'll get together soon to review the possibilities. This is exciting, and should be the hiking highlight of the year.
  Likelihood of happening: high.
  
  
• Florida Gulf Coast: Darling Wife and I are going to Clearwater, FL in two weeks for a weekend getaway, and I hope to be able to do a little hiking while there. I've only done a little preliminary research into specific trails, but there are trails very close by on Honeymoon Island State Park and Caladesi Island. This would be very different terrain than I'm used to, and I'm excited to see it.
  Likelihood of happening: high.
  
  
• New Jersey Pine Barrens: I really enjoyed our Pine Barrens hike over Christmas week, and I'd like to do more Pine Barres hiking. It's two hours away, so it's easily doable as a day-hike without an overnight. I'm pretty sure Eric and John want to do more hiking in the pines, so I'm sure we'll find the time for some Jersey outings.
  Likelihood of happening in 2012: high.
  
  
• Shenandoah National Park: Our trip to visit Hailey in Staunton, VA last fall was a wonderful weekend - I was able to do some fantastic hikes both Saturday and Sunday in the southern end of SNP, then meet up with the ladies at night for dinner and hanging out. There's no reason we shouldn't be able to do similar weekends this year.
  Likelihood of happening in 2012: high.
  
  
• Old Rag Mountain: this is a day-hike I'd really like to do. The guides, and trip reports I've seen all describe this as a "must do" - it's strenuous but rewarding, an 8.0 mile loop with 2,510 feet of elevation gain, and scenic vistas at the top. This is at the northern end of Shenandoah National Park, so it's an overnight trip (leave the night before and get a cheap motel room in the area, up early to do the hike, then home that night.)
  Likelihood of happening in 2012: medium high.
  
  
• Appalachian Trail sections: I've done a fairly good percentage of the Pennsylvania A.T. as day hikes (I should calculate the percentage I've done), and I'd love to do more. It's harder now, as the sections I haven't done are farther away, so there's more driving involved. It also makes sense to do these sections with two cars, so we can hike a full section, rather than doing an out-and-back.
  Likelihood of happening in 2012: medium.
  
  
• Maryland Appalachian Trail: The A.T. cuts across Maryland where it's only 26 miles wide. That's a 3-day/2-night backpacking trip, and I'd love to knock off a full state on the A.T. The problem is finding the time.
  Likelihood of happening in 2012: low.
  
  
• West Rim Trail, Pine Creek Gorge: this is a "bucket list" backpacking trip - a 3-day, 30.5 mile backpack in beautiful, wild, north-central Pennsylvania. Pine Creek Gorge is sometimes called the Grand Canyon of Pennsyalvania, and the scenery is said to be breathtaking. As always, the issue is finding the time for a multi-day trip.
  Likelihood of happening in 2012: low.

River Trail, VFNP, 1/15/12

This past Sunday, I had some work to do and some errands to run, but I also had time to squeeze in a short hike. As my work was very close to Valley Forge National Park, I decided to hike there. The River Trail, which follows the north bank of the Schuylkill River, seemed like a good candidate for a short and pretty hike.

The day was cold (right around the freezing mark) and brightly sunny, with a light breeze. I got to the Betzwood Bridge parking area shortly after noon, and started on the trail around 12:15. The trail is multi-use (open to hikers, joggers, and mountain bikes), and is a wide packed-dirt trail. (PDF trail map is here.)

I was dressed for the cold - I had long-johns under my cargo pants, and on top I had a short-sleeve polypro shirt, a long-sleeve cotton t-shirt, and a flannel shirt. For outerwear, I had a medium-weight coat, my thick Roots Canada scarf, a baseball cap (I had a fleece cap in my pocket if I needed more than a baseball cap), and the wool gloves that Eric had given me the night before.

The trail isn't strenuous at all (and by my own definition is more walking than hiking), but it's very pretty. It's always in sight of the river, where ducks and geese are quite active. I went at a fairly aggressive pace, as my time was limited, and I also felt like stretching my legs. The sign at the trailhead said it was three miles to the Pawlings Road trailhead, and I had time to do the whole thing if I made decent time - so that was my intention.

At one point I noticed mountain bikers on the other (south) side of the river, very close to the water - closer than the train tracks. I didn't know there was a trail there (and maybe there isn't - maybe it's an unofficial path that the mountain bikers know) - but I'm intrigued and will investigate as soon as I can.

I noticed the many large logs in the water at the river's edge, and I smiled to myself at the memory of bringing my girls here on a sunny spring Saturday morning years ago, when there were turtles sunning themselves on every log. I'll have to ask them if they remember that day - they loved throwing stones in the water, and seeing real live "wild" turtles was magical to them.

I felt like I was dressed perfectly - my face was a little cold, but not so much to be a bother, and I didn't need the fleece cap.

I got to the Pawlings Road trailhead in about 50 minutes, which is faster than I expected. As I started back, I guess I was fully warmed up, and I was hot enough to start thinking about getting rid of layers. I unbuttoned my coat and loosened my scarf - then took off the scarf completely.

I spent a lot of the return trip looking at the trees - and resolving to myself (again) to learn to identify more trees. I know the most common trees - oaks, maples, birches - but I want to know more. There are a number of absolutely enormous white oaks along the trail - trees that three or four people couldn't reach around.

I got back to my car at the Betzwood trailhead, and my GPS said I had covered the 6.16 miles in 1:38, or an average speed of 3.8 mph. I had always heard (and used as a rule of thumb) that 3mph is average walking speed, and I'm surprised that I was well above that. I was walking purposefully, but not speed-walking.

It was a lovely hike on a cold bright afternoon, and I was energized and ready to continue my day. Maybe when spring comes, I'll bring my girls back here to look for turtles.

Wool Hiking Gloves

It's winter here in Pennsylvania, and that means cold, but it doesn't mean an end to hiking. I like cold-weather hiking, and as long as there's not snow or ice on the trail, I'm fine.

I've done two hikes since Christmas, both in cold, though not frigid, weather, and both times (through pure forgetfulness) forgot to bring gloves. Brother Eric, reading these trip reports (and perhaps taking pity on a hiker who can't remember to bring gloves on a cold-weather hike) saw a close-out sale on Eddie Bauer wool-blend outer layer gloves, and picked up one pair for himself and one for me. They're exactly what I would look for in gloves for hiking - lightweight and resistant to wind and water.

Thank you, Eric, for the thoughtful gift. I had the chance to use them this past Sunday (trip report to follow.)

Ridley Creek State Park, 1/8/12

I had time for a short hike today, and decided to stay close to home. Ridley Creek State Park is the closest real hiking to where I live, so it's my "go to" place when I only have an hour or two. There's a whole network of great trails (PDF map here), and you can combine them to make a near-infinite number of loops.

I got to parking lot #16 around 11:15am. The day was sunny and cool, with a little breeze, and I was dressed in a long-sleeve polypro base layer, a button-down flannel shirt, and a puffy vest. That seemed like it would be plenty. I realized that I forgot (as I did 10 days ago in the Pine Barrens) a pair of lightweight gloves. They weren't necessary, but it seemed like they would be nice to have. Oh well.

I started on the white trail, and decided to try to make as big a loop as possible. I wasn't trying to make time or cover miles, but my legs felt good and I felt like going at a good pace - so I did. I quickly forgot about the gloves, and am just as glad I didn't have them. And I unbuttoned both the vest and the top buttons of my flannel shirt, as the bright sun probably brought the temperature up into the mid 40's.

The warming day also made the trail into a mucky mess in low-lying places, but I just walked through it. I did note with amusement a couple of skid marks that had to be two feet long. The thought of someone planting a foot and skidding for that distance is a sight I wish I had seen (and yes, if I ever do that, I hope someone has a camera handy, and I can provide YouTube amusement for everyone. :-))

Hiking south-to-north, I did a counterclockwise loop along a pretty stretch of the Ridley Creek to parking lot #9, then completed that sub-loop and re-traced my steps, following the blue trail, and then taking the white again. There was a lot of bird activity along the creek bottoms, and I also paid special attention to some of the trees today. I wish I could identify trees better, but there are some I do know.

Birch trees are easy to identify (with their smooth bark that's so prone to people carving their names in), and RCSP as many enormous beautiful specimens - it also seems like they follow the creek. Other section have oaks predominating, and the park has a few clusters of very big pine trees packed closely together.

I then came east and made another sub-loop out of the yellow trail and a short section of the multi-purpose paved trail (sharing the road with hikers and bikers for a few tenths of a mile.) Then it was back toward the car, skirting the boundraies of Tyler Aboretum on the white trail.

When I got back to the car, my GPS app said I had covered 5.43 miles in 1:36. That's a fast pace - so fast that I'm not sure if the GPS is right. But the track it produced does show the route I took (the blue dot on the left-side of the map is where I parked.)

One last highlight happened on the drive out of the park. I was driving through a tunnel of trees, when I saw a very large raptor perched on a branch high up in a atree at the side of the road. He was black and white, and bigger than the red-tail hawks that are fairly common. Doing a little Internet research, I think he was a peregrine falcon. He didn't move as I drove past, and if I had thought faster, I would have tried to stop and take a pic.

Overall, a very nice short hike and a perfect way to stretch the legs.

Pine Barrens Hike, 12/28/11

Having all of Christmas week off from work, I talked with Eric and John about taking a day and doing a fairly ambitious day hike. The weather forecast looked good for Wednesday, so we set the date, and settled on a New Jersey Pine Barrens loop that we'd been talking about for a while - an 11.5 mile loop on the Mullica River and Batona trails. My trip report, in diary format, follows:

10:52am
We're at the trailhead at Batsto Historic Village. There are four of us: me, Eric, John, and John's friend Tim. We're all in good spirits and ready to get out on the trail. We met in Springfield at 9:15 and had an easy ride across the Walt Whitman bridge into Jersey. There was one hitch - a bridge on Rt. 542 was out, and the detour signs weren't great, but there were enough smartphones in the car to help us find our way to Batsto. Much of the last bit of driving was through farm fields of berries that we finally saw a sign identifying them as raspberries.

The day is sunny, cool, and clear, with a little breeze. We're chilly in the parking lot getting ready, but I know I'll be plenty warm as soon as we start moving, as I generate a crazy amount of body heat. I'm wearing a short-sleeve polypro hiking shirt, a long-sleeve polypro shirt over that, and a hiking jacket I recently got off eBay, and am happy to be wearing for the first time. It's a yellow and black North Face Gore-tex jacket with a hood, and I think I'll be able to use it as a wind jacket, a rain jacket, or as the outer layer on a cold-weather hike like today. I have a fleece hat in my pack, which I don't think I'll need, but no gloves, which is a silly oversight.

Our plan is to do the hike described here, but going counterclockwise. We'll pick up the pink-blazed Batona Trail, follow it north for 5-6 miles to Quaker Bridge, where we'll cross the bridge, pick up the yellow-blazed Mullica River Trail, which will bring us back here. Off we go.

12:08pm
We're taking a rest stop at a canoe put-in on the Batsto River. It took us a few minutes to find the Batona Trail, but once we found it, we've had no trouble following the pink blazes. It's been a very pleasant hike so far through scrubby pine woods. The day's getting a bit warmer, and I'm comfortable with my layers. The trail is as flat as can be, and the trail is sandy and often covered with pine needles (which is just dreamy under the feet, especially compared with the biting rocks of Pennsylvania.) We've been going at a good clip, though speed isn't the goal. This is the first time the trail has taken us to the riverside, and there's discussion of Pine Barrens canoeing/kayaking, which we'd all like to do. The water is dark brown cedar water, which looks murky, but apparently is very clean and healthy.

1:25pm
Quaker Bridge, and our turnaround point. The map and trail description showed a road, and we expected a paved road - but what we've found is an unpaved sand road. But sure enough, there's the bridge. We've covered 6.70 miles by my iPhone GPS app, which seems to indicate that this loop might be more than the 11.5 miles we were led to expect. But no matter, it's still a beautiful day, and the Batona Trail was lovely to hike. Now we'll pick up a green-blazed connector trail, then hit the yellow-blazed Mullica River Trail to bring us home.

2:57pm
We just passed a sign saying it's two miles to Batsto. I think we're all happy about that, as we've definitely slowed down. I'm getting a little sore through the hips - nothing serious, but I haven't hiked any "big mile" days in months. Where the Batona Trail was seldom in sight of the Batsto River, this trail is often in sight of the Mullica River (to our right.) It's a pretty little Pines river, just like the Batsto, with the dark cedar water. Where the Batona Trail was a real trail (where the four of us had to walk single-file), this is more a sandy fire road, and we can easily walk two abreast.

We had no problem finding and following the trails we're looking for, but I have to say that the decision to blaze the connector trail in green was not a well-thought-out one. The green paint was the same color as the pine needles, and also the same color as the lichen patches on many of the trees. We never had difficulty with navigation, but the green blazes were often hard to see.

3:48pm
Back at the trailhead, Batsto Historic Village. The last section of trail had us going along Batso Lake, which is created by a dam at the village. We stopped at one point to take pictures of the lake, and someone noticed that the clouds were reflected perfectly in the water, making for very pretty pictures.

We ended by going through Batsto village itself, across the dam, and back to the car. I think we were all happy to get in the warm car, sit back and relax for the ride home

Summary
This was a very pleasant hike. It's not strenuous at any point, but it's significant in length. According to the MotionX-GPS iPhone app, we covered 12.9 miles in 4:53. That's a bit more than the 11.5 miles in the hike description. But no complaints, I was thrilled to get out into the Pine Barrens and have a good hike with the guys. The Pines are not that far away, and I'd love to do more hiking here - hopefully soon.

As far as clothing/gear, there are a couple of things I would do differently (with perfect hindsight.) I would have had a pair of lightweight gloves, and I would have had a base layer under my very thin hiking pants. John says silk long-johns are perfect, and I'm sure he's right. My jacket was great, and looks like it will be a suitable replacement for its missing-in-action predecessor.

A New Hiking Blog

I've been writing about my hiking adventures for years on my general-purpose blog - trip planning, trip reports, gear reviews, etc. I've enjoyed it and will be continuing that - but here in a new venue. I've been debating with myself for a while whether it's better to have one blog where you write about a number of different interests, or whether a specific interest should have its own blog. At least for now, I've decided on the latter.

Welcome.