Hiking Year in Review

I just took a look at my hiking year in review from one year ago, and I'm struck by how similar this year was to last. I simply didn't do a lot of hiking. There weren't any impromptu "take a day off and go" days, and no "get up at dawn on a Sunday and drive to a day-hike" days. I didn't do a fall day at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary either last year or this. That's not a problem, it's just a change from years past when I did that fairly frequently.

There are a number of reasons, some motivational, some logistical. I enjoy hiking and the outdoors as much as ever.

There were two main highlights this year:

• Our boys' West Virginia weekend. Since we couldn't do a big trip this year, we did long weekend at Seneca Rocks and the Dolly Sods wilderness area. We left on a Friday night and got back late Monday - so we had 2 1/2 days away for the price of one vacation day. The hiking, the scenery, and the camaraderie were fantastic.
• The overnight trip in April with Eric and John to Ricketts Glen State Park. The Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen has been on our lists for years, and it was great to finally hike it. It has a reputation as a "bucket list" hike, and it lived up to its reputation. The Sunday drive up to the area with Eric was also a lot of fun - we meandered around the countryside in search of geocaches and pretty scenery.

Our intention for 2015 is for more trips like the West Virginia weekend. A few of us have life commitments that will make a big trip impossible again - but the three- or four-day weekends are very possible. There are countless great hikes in a 3-5 hour driving range, and we just have to get some weekends on our calendars. If we don't, the calendar will fill up, and it won't happen.

We need to make it happen. That's my resolution for the New Year.

Marsh Creek S.P., 12/27/14

John told me about hiking plans he and a few buddies had for the Saturday after Christmas - a day trip to one of my favorite place, Harper's Ferry, WV. That's a long day trip, with 3+ hours of driving each way, but there's so much great hiking and scenery there. I was enthusiastically in.

Unfortunately, I felt very unwell Friday night, had a terrible night's sleep, and was unable to answer the bell on Saturday morning. Very disappointing. But I slept all morning and felt a good bit better by noon. It was a beautiful warm sunny day, so I looked for a nearby place to get outside - and settled on Marsh Creek State Park.

I parked at the west-side boat launch, and took the trail that follows the lake, crosses the dam, and continues on the east side. The trail was a muddy quagmire in many spots, but it felt great to be outside and on a trail.

Total distance: 5.50 miles
Elapsed time: 1:42

Inside the Tracker's Pack

Interesting article: Inside the Tracker's Pack

There's no getting around it - this hasn't been a particularly good year for me hiking and getting outdoors. But I'll save my year-in-review post for the end of the year. And it's possible that with a few days off over the holidays, I'll finish the year with an actual hike.

Stay tuned.

Thru-hiking the A.T.

A friend of mine has a 20-something daughter who completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail this past fall. We recently had dinner with the friend and his wife, and I peppered him with questions about the daughter's hike.

Backing up a bit, the Appalachian Trail is a hiking trail that goes from Springer Mountain, GA to Mt. Katahdin, ME - more than 2,100 miles along the crest of the Appalachians. Thru-hiking the trail means completing it in one year, which normally means starting in Georgia in the early spring and finishing in Maine by middle October (Baxter State Park in ME, where Mt. Katahdin is located, is closed for the winter on the first heavy snowfall, which is usually in mid-October.)

The upshot of our dinner conversation was that his daughter and her friend did great and had a wonderful time. A local newspaper did a feature on them, here.

The A.T. runs through PA, and its closest point to me is above Reading at Port Clinton - a little more than an hour's drive. I've probably day-hiked the majority of the PA trail between the Susquehanna and the Delaware River, and John and I did a memorable two-day backpack from Delaware Water Gap to Wind Gap in 2009 as training for our Grand Canyon backpack. (I posted trip reports from Day 1, Overnight, and Day 2.)

I've been asked, and have also asked myself, if I'd ever want to thru-hike the A.T. I can't say it's a burning desire. First of all, it's unrealistic. I can't just take six months off and hit the trail. And every time I've seen and talked to thru-hikers, they tend to be either recent college grads (i.e., haven't started "real life" yet and have no responsibilities) or early retirees (50's or 60's and reached a point in life where the kids are grown and they actually can take some time off.)

But even if you disregard that, I'm still not sure I want to. Everything I've heard is that a thru-hike is more a mental endurance test than a physical test. When it's poured rain for a week straight, and everything you're carrying is soaking wet, how badly do you want to continue? So I can't say that's a goal of mine - though hiking buddy Ted has stated numerous times that I will be joining him on a thru-hike one day. So we'll see.

One thing I definitely intend to do is to do more section hiking on the A.T. It runs the length of Shenandoa National Park, and I've only done a few miles of that. And it runs through Maryland near its narrowest point - just 24 miles. That would be a fun 3-day backpack to complete the A.T. in one state. I'd also like to complete the trial between the Susquehanna and the Delaware. These seem like much more realistic goals.

Survival TV

I stumbled on this article about "survival TV" and Cody Lundin, and it's worth a read.

I have a weak spot for survival TV and have watched a bit over the years. My first exposure was Les Stroud and Survivorman, and I still prefer Les to anyone else. I was traveling and alone in a hotel room one night when I stumbled on a Survivorman marathon, and spent the rest of the evening entranced.

I got my whole family interested in Survivorman, and my girls particularly liked watching episodes with me. A DVD of a Survivorman season was usually one of my Christmas gifts in those years.

I've seen Cody Lundin on survival shows, and I like him and think he's the real deal. I also think his book is a must-read for anyone who spends time outdoors (reviewed by me, here.)

As survival shows got more popular, there had to be more "action", and became more wilderness stunts, and less survival (which is the point of the Cody Lundin article at the top.)

I found a new show a few weeks ago, Fat Guys in the Woods, while recovering from an unsuccessful attempt to cut off my thumb. I got sucked in, watched a few episodes, and it wasn't bad. A survival guy takes three fat, out-of-shape guys who have no exposure to the outdoors out into the woods for a week and teaches them how to survive.

I liked it with some caveats. I think they were being given food off-camera. You can't convince me that obese couch potatoes who have eaten little or nothing for 3-4 days (which is what the episodes depicted) wouldn't be moaning *constantly* about how hungry they are. But they weren't.

I'll be happy to watch it - at least until Les Stroud comes out with some new Survivorman eipsodes.

Map of Visited States

I've written before about the number of states I've visited - which is always a subject of interest among my hiking buddies. I posted here in March '13, that I'd visited 42 of the lower 48 states. My current total is 44 - I've visited one additional state, and I realized that I had already visited one that I hadn't claimed:

* Maine. We spent a week here in September '13, hiking and camping.

* Wisconsin. I'd completely forgotten that I'd ever been there, but I definitely have. I did a bit of traveling in one of my first jobs out of college, and one of our clients was children's clothing maker Oshkosh B'Gosh, located in...drum roll please...Oshkosh, WI. I think I was watching a football game one afternoon when an Oshkosh B'Gosh commercial came on. The thought hit me like a thunderbolt - Oshkosh.... Wisconsin! I have Wisconsin!

I'm thinking of this today because I stumbled across a website that lets you chart your visited states on an interactive map. The site is here. My map is below. I've followed the recommended guidelines for colors, as follows:

* Green: lived there or spent extensive time.
* Blue: spent a good amount of time there - at least a week.
* Orange: spent at least one night there.
* Pink: passed through, did not spend a night.

GC: Five Years

I've noted before (probably many times) that dates tend to stick in my head. It's not a conscious effort - they just do. So I realized that this past week that it's been five years since our Grand Canyon backpack - three days and two nights, South Rim to the Colorado River and back on the Hermit Trail. As with many things, that five years seems simultaneously like a very short and a very long time.

Pack break, Hermit Trail

I re-read my trip reports, and was *so* happy (yet again) that I write these up. Re-reading them takes me back there in a way that just looking at pics or sitting back and reminiscing can't do. All the trip reports, on one page in reverse chronological order, is here. Individual posts are here:

• Day 1 (Hike)
• Day 1 (Camp)
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Final Thoughts

I can say without exaggeration that it was the coolest thing I've ever done. I can't even say what #2 is - just that it's a *long* way back.

I'm also thinking that I have a new goal: a return to Grand Canyon in 2015. It could potentially be done quickly and cheaply - cheap flight to Vegas, rental car or shuttle to Grand Canyon Village, camp there and hike for a a few days, then back home.

Is it possible? I say yes. But we'll see...stay tuned.

Three happy guys, ready for pizza and beer!

A Sassafras Rock

A quick postscript to my hike Saturday in the Sassafras NRMA. Darling Wife was doing laundry on Sunday night, and the dryer started making a loud banging sound. She evened out the load, started it again...and the loud banging continued. I went to take a look, and spotted the problem - there was a large rock loose in the dryer...and I knew where it came from.

On the Lloyd Creek part of my hike, when the trail came down to the beach, it was full of what my dad called "Maryland gravel" - sand mixed with small round pebbles that have been polished smooth by the sand. I saw a small white disc-shaped rock, liked the look of it, and put it in my pocket. And then forgot about it until I saw it bouncing around the dryer.

I told Darling Wife that I'd found the problem, explained about the stone, and showed it to her. She was touched that, at an age where some men have grown hopelessly cynical, I've retained my boyish sense of wonder.

At least that's my interpretation of what she was thinking. The actual conversation went something like this:

DW: A stone in the dryer? That you picked up on your hike?

Me: Yes.

DW: You saw a stone, picked it up, and put it in your pocket?

Me: Ummm, yes.

DW: (shaking her head) What are you, five years old?!?

Sassafras NRMA, 9/27/2014

With some time to myself and a beautiful day in the forecast, a hike was a definite. I thought about Hawk Mountain or The Pinnacle - but decided I'd take a vacation day sometime soon and go up there. I also had some things to do at the River, so I decided on a hike down there.

Sassafras River, looking toward Kentmore

I did some hiking and geocaching at the Sassafras NRMA near Turner's Creek a few years ago, and the views are so beautiful that I decided on a return visit. The trails are not long or extensive, but they're pretty, and they lead to river vistas and to the river's edge.

A PDF map of the reserve is here. From the parking lot, you walk up a sand/gravel path, at which point you come to a junction, and can go left, right, or straight ahead. I took the right-hand path first, and went along the edge of a soybean field, passed a hunter's camp (with two hunters in residence - perhaps I should have been wearing my fluorescent orange cap?), then the path became sandy as I neared the river.

Lloyd Creek overlook

At the river's edge was a sandy clearing near the entrance to Turner's Creek. It was protected by overhanging trees, and would probably be nearly invisible from the water. I was looking across at the far side of Ordinary Point, and could see the back side of the red barn on the Decker Farm.

I wound back around to the junction point, and took the left-hand fork, which I knew would take me near the entrance of Lloyd Creek. After going along another soybean field, I came out at a gorgeous clifftop vista of the lower Sassafras. From there, the trail descends until it comes at on a sandy beach at the river's edge, just up from the mouth of Lloyd Creek. Maybe on a warm day, wearing shorts and water sandals, you could walk to the sandbar at Lloyd Creek. I'd like to try it sometime.

Cliff top view of the upper Sassafras

I re-traced my steps again, and back at the junction point, I decided against the third fork. It was unseasonably warm, and I was thirsty and hadn't brought anything to drink. (Well, I had, but it was back at the car and not in a day-pack.) So I decided that I'd had a good hike, walked back to the car, and spent the rest of the day at the River. According to the GPS, I hiked 4.67 miles in 1 hour 28 minutes.

If you're looking for a strenuous day-hike, this isn't the one. If you're looking for an interesting trail (in terms of technical difficulty or a new vista around every corner), this might not be the one. But if you're looking for river vistas, this is very highly recommended.

Photo album from the day is here.

Hiker Killed by Black Bear

Black bears are numerous in many places I hike. The first time I saw a bear in the wild was on the Appalachian Trail very near Hawk Mountain. I've seen another one near there, and I've also seen bears in the Shenandoah, and in the Great Smokies. Each sighting was memorable and thrilling - a genuine thrill to be sharing the woods with such big and beautiful creatures.

Darling Wife's reaction to talk of bears is alarm, and I assure her time and time again that black bears are timid and want no part of confrontation with humans. And that's my experience - I've been aware of the presence of a bear when I hear the noise of the bear running away from me. Of course you have to be smart with food and food smells - if you leave food out, you're likely to attract a bear who's following his nose.

Bottom line, I'm not afraid of black bears. I'm careful and respectful, but not afraid. Now out west, in grizzly country, is a completely different story. They can be extremely dangerous. But black bears are not grizzlies.

Then Darling Wife presented me with the story of a New Jersey hiker who was killed by a black bear. I thought there must be a mistake, but it's true. CNN story is here. Five friends went hiking, saw a bear, and scattered. When they re-formed later, one was missing, and was later found dead.

I'm wondering if he ran from the bear - which seems like the wrong thing to do in any wildlife encounter. First, you're never going to out-run or out-climb a bear. And second, running away will make you look like prey and will trigger a hunting instinct. Though bears are more foragers and scavengers than hunters.

This is sobering news. But it also doesn't change my attitude toward black bears, and won't change my hiking/camping behavior. They're not killers. Be smart, be respectful.

Lost in the Mokelumne Wilderness

I saw the following article today:

Alone In The Wilderness, A Lost Fisherman Fights For His Life

I'm always interested to read stories like this - the details of how they get into a bad situation, what they do, and how they get rescued. In this case, a fisherman went looking for grasshoppers as bait, wandered further and further from his camp, then realized he was lost and couldn't find his way back to his camp.

I'm not so cocky as to say I couldn't get lost. I'm sure I could - though I do think I have a pretty good sense of direction. (There was the time a number of years ago that I discovered I was hiking 180 degrees in the wrong direction - but that's a tale for another day. :-))

Stories like this always bring me back to a really good book that I reviewed a few years ago - 98.6 Degrees (The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive!) by Cody Lundin. My review is here. The book isn't about wilderness living, it's about how to survive a wilderness misadventure and keep yourself alive while you're waiting to be rescued. Highly recommended.

Which reminds me, I should review the survival kit I put together three years ago after reading that book.

The Last True Hermit?

Very interesting article I stumbled across today. Here's the intro:

For nearly thirty years, a phantom haunted the woods of Central Maine. Unseen and unknown, he lived in secret, creeping into homes in the dead of night and surviving on what he could steal. To the spooked locals, he became a legend - or maybe a myth. They wondered how he could possibly be real. Until one day last year, the hermit came out of the forest....

 And here's the full article.

WV Weekend: Wrap-up

Note: Brother Eric's recap is here. This post will likely echo many of his thoughts.

Overall

This was a fantastic weekend. We had two and a half days outdoors, the scenery was gorgeous, the weather was perfect, all the hikes were good, the campground and campsite were exceptional, and the camaraderie (as always) couldn't be beat. And most importantly for me right now, all of this cost me just one personal day from work.

The Hikes
All the hikes were good. Spruce Knob was notable for being the high point of WV, and now that we've checked it off, there's no reason to return. The Huckleberry Trail was good - not breath-taking - but a very nice ridgeline trail. The Dolly Sods *was* breath-taking, and I would gladly return there. There's a while network of trails over a very large area, and we haven't scratched the surface of what it was to offer. Seneca Rocks was a lovely little morning diversion.

The Campsite
As Eric and I both noted, our campsite was unparalleled. Yes, it was excessive to have a group campsite for the four of us, but the open space and solitude it gave us were very nice. The direct view of Seneca Rocks was just amazing. Our eyes were continually drawn there, and it looked subtly different in every light, and at different times of day. Obviously, it was more expensive than a normal campsite, but it as well worth it. I would definitely return to Seneca Shadows campground, and would insist on the same site.

My Gear
I can honestly say I need nothing. I love the gear I have, and there's nothing I'm lacking for hiking and camping. I don't even look at the ads I get from REI, Campmor and EMS. They have lovely stuff, but there's nothing that remotely tempts me. In hindsight, there was no reason for me not to bring two tents, so Eric and I could each have our own. Mine is big enough for both of us, but I sometimes worry that my tossing and turning keeps him awake.

I did forget to pack three items, which I'm noting here as reminder to myself for next time:

1. A pillow. I slept on two rolled-up t-shirts. I don't know how I didn't bring my beanbag travel pillow - but the t-shirts did the job.
2. A towel. This wasn't a surprise - I *always* forget to bring a towel, and end up drying myself with whatever I can manage. Somehow this just doesn't enter my thoughts when thinking through what I'll need.
3. A headlamp. These are *so* handy for a getting around a campsite after dark. I had one, but I seem to have lost it. I've been holding off buying another one, as I think it has to be in my house and I'll find it - but it's not turning up, so I'll have to get another one.

Rental Car
As Eric and I have both mentioned, we screwed up badly by trying to save a few dollars by renting an SUV instead of a minivan. Camping = minivan, period. Our error was thinking that only two nights camping meant we needed less space. We realize now that if we're camping for one night, that means we're bringing our camping gear, and there's the same amount of stuff whether it's for one night or two weeks. Everything worked out, but it's a lesson learned.

Final Thoughts
Another fun and successful trip. It was a great time with great friends. And I think it sets a blueprint for the kinds of trips we can try to do fairly frequently (meaning more than just once a year.) Leaving Friday night after work, having all day Saturday, all day Sunday,and part of Monday for hiking and camping - getting home Monday night and only requiring one vacation day.

WV Weekend: Monday

Note: Brother Eric's trip report for the day is here. My trip report will likely be very similar, though briefer, as six weeks have now passed. But I enjoy writing it up, so here goes.

6:51am

I'm up, after a very poor night's sleep. No reason for it, just one of those nights when sleep doesn't come - even though I was very tired when I went to bed. I finally slept for a few hours close to dawn, and feel okay. As planned, Ted was up at dawn and left, as he has to be home and working by mid-day. It looks to be yet another gorgeous day.

7:42am
We're enjoying a nice lazy morning in camp. I know I've mentioned this already (probably multiple times), but we have the most beautiful campsite, and Seneca Rocks just continues to draw the eye. You just it there and look at it...and it's subtly different in every light, and at different times in the day. I'm taking lots of iPhone pics, that I know will all look pretty much the same. Eric is taking pics with his good camera, and I'm sure they'll be so much better.

Another breakfast of Pop-tarts and Jetboil coffee. I usually think to bring a better breakfast, but I forgot to this time.

The plan for today is to hike to the top of Seneca Rocks. There's a trial at the base that leads to the top - short (3.0 miles round trip, according to Eric's guide book) but steep (1,000 feet of vertical elevation gain). We're wondering how steep that will feel. My legs feel good after two fairly-strenuous hiking days, but I'm not really in the mood for a big climb, and I know at least Eric feels the same.

Campground checkout isn't until noon, so we'll do that hike, then come back here to shower, pack up, and hit the road for home.

8:05am
Trailhead. It's a perfect sunny warm day, and we're ready to go.

8:53am
We're at the top. The hike could hardly have been easier - the trail was wide, very well maintained, and designed with switchbacks so that it didn't feel like a big climb at all. It was a constant ascent, but never felt like a grueling climb. We're on a wooden deck that clings to the side of the rocks very near the top, and the view is spectacular (and straight down, dizzying.) We're stopping to rest, drink, and enjoy the views. We can see our campsite from here - though I didn't notice this deck from camp.

9:12am

Eric and John

We've taken a lot of pics, and now we're starting back down.

10:32am
We're back at camp, very happy with this morning's little expedition. The hike down was a piece of cake,and then we stopped into the Visitor's Center, which had some interesting exhibits and topo maps of the area. We could see Spruce Knob (our Saturday hike), the Dolly Sods (our Sunday hike), and our camp at Seneca Rocks. They also had a souvenir shop, and I picked up a Seneca Rocks sticker for my guitar case.

11:33am
We're showered and packed, the car is loaded, and we're heading for home.

5:15pm
Home sweet home. Uneventful drive. It was probably an hour into the drive when we finally got back into civilization (i.e., got cell phone and internet service back.) All of our phones started dinging with messages, e-mails, etc. It's nice to be completely offline.

This was a fantastic trip, and we did a *lot* in two and a half days.

Next: final thoughts.

WV Weekend: Sunday

Note: Brother Eric's trip reports for the day are here, here, and here. My trip report will likely be very similar, though briefer, as six weeks have now passed. But I enjoy writing it up, so here goes.

8:05am
I'm up after a very good night's sleep. We thought we'd be up and going early, as most of us (basically everyone except Eric, I think it's safe to say) are naturally early risers. I was stunned to hear voices and find out it was almost 8:00. That's not a problem - we'll have ample daylight for the hike we have planned - it's just unexpected.

9:25am
We're getting ready for our hike - eating breakfast (Pop-tarts and coffee, yum), making sandwiches and packing our daypacks, and dressing for our hike. Today's plan is a short drive (30-40 min) to the Dolly Sods Wilderness area, where we'll park and do about a 10-mile hike. While I haven't researched the area in depth, I voted strongly for a Dolly Sods hike when we were planning the trip and saw we'd be near. I just know it by reputation - I've heard many people talk online about what a fantastic place it is to hike.

It's a beautiful bright sunny day and I'm feeling good. This really is an amazing campsite. The view of Seneca Rocks dominates the scene - and it's subtly different in every light. My gaze is continually drawn to it.

10:35am

Trail-head, Bear Rocks Trail, Dolly Sods Wilderness. Getting here was more of an adventure then we'd anticipated. The directions in Eric's guide book were just plain wrong.We figured it out, but it cost us some extra driving. The last few miles were hard uphill on a horribly rutted dirt and gravel. I think we'll all need a visit to the chiropractor after being bounced around like that.

The guide book describes this trail as a "vistapalooza", with not too much strenuous up and down. Sounds good to me.

12:33pm
We've found a boulder field where we can stop for lunch. It's been a great hike so far - some rolling ups and downs, but nothing too extreme (as advertised.) Sometimes we've been walking through woods, but more often we've been walking through mountain meadows with long views across the wilderness area. I'm so used to our hikes being in the woods that I didn't sunscreen this morning - and I don't think anyone did. I didn't think of it then - but I'm thinking of it now, when I can't do anything about it. The sun is directly on us, and the day has been getting hotter. Oh well.

Here, as at home, there's been a lot of rain in the past week, and sections of the trail have been sloppy - muddy with the occasional big puddle.

As we were approaching the boulder field, a group of Boy Scouts were leaving. They're on a multi-day backpacking trip, and seem to be in good spirits.

1:05pm
Lunch is over and we're ready to hike again. When we arrived at the boulders, I took off my shoes, socks, and shirt and laid them out in the sun to dry. I tore into my first ham and cheese sandwich. Then, unbelievably, we heard the new message "ding" from someone's cell phone. We've been completely offline (no cell or internet service) since yesterday morning, and I've had my phone in airplane mode - that way I could still use it as a camera without burning battery as it tried in vain to look for service.

But amazing, here in the Dolly Sods, we suddenly have service. Eric speculates that we're now at the furthest section of our hike, near the boundary of the wilderness area. There must be a cell tower in range. Whatever the case, we all have cell service for the first time in a day and a half, and it's a comical (or somewhat absurd) sight to see everyone go for their phones, checking messages, e-mails, and Facebook. My priorities were, 1) make sure there were no emergency messages from home (there weren't), 2) read and respond to very sweet Father's Day notes from two very sweet girls, and 3) post a pic to FB for wife and girls.

3:12pm
We're now following a stream, and the trail has become a mucky mess - we're basically walking through a swamp. It's a low boggy area to begin with, and the week's rains have saturated the ground. We're trying to pick our way from rock to rock and dry spot to dry spot, but there's no way to avoid getting muddy and wet. It's very slow going. Every so often you hear a groan from someone who misjudged a step and sank up to their ankle in muck. I took a false step and sank up to my calf. As my foot kept sinking, I thought for a brief moment that the bog was going to swallow me whole. I've reached the point where I'm not even looking for dry spots to step any more. My feet can't get any wetter or any muddier, so I'm just slopping through the muck. Blech.

The sun has become very hot and intense. I'm wearing my baseball cap and have my bandana tied around my neck for sun protection. The guys' faces, ears, and necks are all bright red - and I'm undoubtedly the same. I'm low on water and Gatorade, as I've been trying to drink a lot and stay hydrated on such a hot and sunny day. There are only a few miles to go, so I'm fine - but I'll admit I'm at the point where I'm ready for the hike to end.

4:10pm
Back at the car, thank goodness. The day isn't blistering hot, but the sun is just unrelenting, and our hike was mostly out in the open. We're all sunburned and are currently re-hydrating. Eric's GPS says we hiked 11.3 miles, and it took about 5.5 hours.

6:35pm
Relaxing at camp. The drive back to camp was uneventful, and we had the car's AC blasting. There's a general store just outside the campground, and we stopped there for ice and a few supplies. When we got back we showered and changed into clean clothes, and kicked back with a beer. As we did yesterday, we're doing the makeshift iPhone speaker (putting it in a bowl - it works surprisingly well.) We're taking turns picking songs. I've been playing my guitar some.

Eric has prepared us a feast. He pre-made Cincinnati chili and brought it here frozen. He cooked it up, and we're now eating it with a salad and wine. This is unimagined luxury. All food tastes better at a campsite - and really good food like this? Just wow.

10:05pm
I'm hitting the sack. It's been a good and tiring day. The hike was a good one with gorgeous views. We're sunburned, but not horribly. My legs are a little sore, but nothing serious. I feel good.

We spent the rest of the evening sitting around the campfire, listening to music, and talking. There's nothing like being at a campsite with good friends. Nite nite.

WV Weekend: Saturday

Note: Brother Eric's trip reports for the day are here and here. My trip report will likely be very similar (if not near-identical.) But I enjoy writing it up, so here goes.

6:25am
I'm awake and slept well. Actually, I've been drifting in and out of sleep for the past hour or so, but now I'm ready to get up. Eric is also up, and we'll shower quickly and get ready to go.

8:40am
We're packed and on the road. Eric and I got ready quickly. John and Ted weren't ready as quickly, so Eric and I ran across the street for gas and ice (and also got a geocache.) The guys were ready when we got back, so we availed ourselves of the Comfort Inn's complimentary breakfast - eggs, sausage, bagel, and a yogurt for me.

It's a beautiful sunny perfect day, which is the forecast for the next few days - and fingers crossed that that's how it turns out. Driving configuration is the same as last night - Eric and I in the rented SUV, John and Ted following in Ted's car. Google Maps says it's a two hour drive to the campsite - but we're not stopping there first, we're driving another 40 minutes to Spruce Knob, where we'll hike.

11:28am

View from Spruce Knob

Arrived at Spruce Knob. This is the high point of West Virginia, which I think gives me four high points. Two were significant hikes (Mt. Marcy in NY and Harney Peak in SD), but the other two you basically drive to the top (Clingman's Dome in TN, and here - in both cases walking a short distance from the parking lot.) The drive here was very pretty - for most of the last hour, we followed a river through wooded and rocky country. We passed Seneca Rocks (near our campground), then climbed significantly. We lost cell phone and internet connectivity long before Seneca Rocks, and I don't think we'll get it back until Monday (on the drive home.)

The actual high point is a lookout tower a quarter mile away. We're making sandwiches now and getting ready to hike, after our morning's drive. We'll walk to the lookout tower, then come back here and hike a portion of the Huckleberry Trail. It's brightly sunny, cool, and breezy. Pretty much perfect hiking weather.

11:56am
The lookout tower gave us a spectacular vista of the surrounding country. Then we returned to the parking area, and it took us a few minutes to find the start of the Huckleberry Trail. Now we've found it and are starting our hike.

We'll be doing an out-and-back. We'd rather do a loop, but there were no convenient options. So we'll hike out until we decide to turn around, and then hike back. Eric's guidebook says the trail will basically follow the ridge line, so there should be good scenery. Off we go.

12:54pm
Lunch stop. It's a perfect day for hiking, and as we hoped, it's a beautiful ridge line trail. One humorous note - early in the hike, I bent over, and the seat of my pants ripped from stem to stern. They were old hiking pants, and I guess they'd just worn out (the size of my waistline hasn't changed. :-)) So I have more air conditioning than I'd planned.

1:35pm
Lunch is over and we're ready to hike. I brought one sandwich with me, and I'm wishing I'd had a second. But I have trail mix and am good. We sat in a meadow just off the trail with a nice vista overlooking the surrounding forests and ridge lines.

2:07pm
We've decided to turn around. The trail started descending off the ridge line, and any elevation lost from this point will have to be regained. We've done just short of 5 miles, so that will make it about a 10 mile day. I feel good and my legs feel good.

3:44pm

Campsite, Seneca Shadows campground

Back at the trailhead. That was a great hike. It's still a beautiful day. We're changing out of sweaty clothes, drinking water and Gatorade, and getting ready for the drive back to our campground.

5:25pm
We've checked in at the Seneca Shadows campground, found our site, and set up camp. We burst out laughing when we saw our site - it's a group campsite, meant for a boy scout troupe or a family reunion. We have 3 tents and 4 people, but the site could easily accommodate 15 tents and 50 people. But once the jokes died down, we realize it's a fantastic spot. We have a direct view of Seneca Rocks itself, and it's a truly gorgeous vista. We're isolated, we're near the bathhouse - it's great. We thought it seemed pricey for a campsite - now we know why.

John and Ted each have solo tents, and Eric and I are bunking together in my big tent (well, big enough for the two of us and our air mattresses.)

7:05pm

Seneca Rocks from our campsite

We've been sitting around talking, and just watching Seneca Rocks. It looks different as the sun gets lower in the sky and the light hits it from different angles. I played my travel guitar for a while, and I'm so glad to be able to bring it on these trips. I'd be happy to go off alone and play without bothering anyone, but the guys seem to like hearing it. Eric is starting dinner, and Little Feat is playing on the iPod. Life is good.

9:05pm
Eric cooked steaks, which were delicious. It's hard to believe we could be out here eating so well. Not to mention wine, which is hitting the spot. There's still a little bit of daylight left. We have a blazing campfire going, and we're sitting by the fire, talking and listening to music.

10:15pm
I'm beat, and we're all hitting the sack. Nite nite.

WV Weekend: Friday

Note: Brother Eric's trip report is here. My trip report will likely be very similar (if not near-identical.) But I enjoy writing it up, so here goes.

7:35pm
Ted arrived at my house shortly after 7:00, and Eric rolled in soon after that. I finished most of my packing this afternoon, having a small duffel of clothes and toiletries, and a large duffel of my tent (that Eric and I will share), sleeping bag, air mattress, and various camp supplies. I also have two fold-up camp chairs (Ted needs one), a large cooler, and my travel guitar (which I'd like to bring, but obviously isn't a necessity and can be left out if there isn't room.)

John is attending a wedding, and has promised us that he'll arrive here by 9pm.

The original plan was for us all to pile into the rented SUV with our gear and go. That changed today when Ted had work issues, where he had to be home for a phone call on Monday. After a flurry of texts and IM's, we decided that he would drive separately as far as Winchester, VA - then we'd all take the SUV into WV tomorrow, returning him to his car early Monday. The rest of us would then do a day-hike on Monday around Winchester or Harper's Ferry before heading home.

8:03pm
We laid out all the gear in the driveway, and it immediately became painfully obvious that we had no chance of fitting everything in the SUV. We realize the flaw in our thinking. The next size rental car above our "standard SUV" is a minivan - *tons* of space, but also significantly more expensive. We figured that since we were only camping for two nights, that an SUV would be fine. The flaw is that whether you're camping for one night or 10, there's a base amount of stuff you need - and it's a significant amount.

As Ted was already driving as far as Winchester, he's now driving the whole way. This is unfortunate - the camaraderie, discussions, and musical choices on the drives are part of the fun. But there's no way to do this in one car. On the bright side, taking a second car means that we now have plenty of room - so my travel guitar is coming.

8:45pm
We're on the road. John arrived around 8:15, way earlier than expected. He changed out of his nice clothes, we finished loading, and off we go. I'm riding with Eric, and John is riding with Ted. It's a very nice and relieved feeling to actually be on the road after the last-minute changes and uncertainty.

11:48pm
Arrival, Comfort Inn, Winchester, VA. Smooth sailing and an easy drive on the PA Turnpike and I-81. Satellite radio is nice. Not nice enough that I'm willing to pay for it, but nice enough that I enjoy it when in a rental car. We've reserved two rooms - again, Eric and I, John and Ted.

12:30-ish
We watched the L.A. Kings win the Stanley Cup in overtime, and now it's lights out. We're planning to be up at 6:30 or 7:00. Nite nite.

WV Weekend Plans

This year's plan of small trips, rather than one big trip, continues this weekend with a trip to West Virginia. Things have been so busy here with in-laws visits and major life events that I haven't been nearly as involved in the planning as I usually am. But that's okay, the guys excel at this, and I know they'll come up with something good.

Here's what I do know. We'll gather at my house this evening - Eric and Ted in the early evening. John dropped his gear here last night, so we'll pack the rented SUV, talk over plans for hikes, and wait for John - who is attending a wedding tonight, but has promised us that he'll be here by 9pm.

When he gets here, we'll hit the road and drive to the vicinity of Winchester, VA, where we have a motel reservation. That's about a 3 hour drive, and hopefully gets us there and in bed not too long after midnight.

Saturday morning, we'll have about a two-hour drive to Seneca Shadows campground, which is where we'll be until Monday, when we'll drive home.

Normally, I would have researched the hikes in that area - but I haven't had a chance to do any of that. I'm sure there are good ones - Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob are very close. I know Eric has researched, and I'd be shocked if John and Ted haven't too. If today is a light day at work, I'll do some Googling. If there's no time for that, I'll pick their brains tonight.

As always, I'll post a full trip report when I return.

Ricketts Glen S.P., 4/28/2014

Hiking report in diary format.

6:45am
Rise and shine, Comfort Inn, Mifflinville, PA. Eric, John, and I arrived here last night in preparation for what we expect to be an excellent day hike today - the Falls Trail in Ricketts Glen State Park. This has been on all of our lists for a while, and we're excited to finally be here. Eric's Falcon Guide starts its description of this trail as follows:

Here's the bottom line: Ricketts Glen is the best hike in Pennsylvania. It may also be one of the top hikes in the East.

I slept a little restlessly, but well enough. I've been awake and laying here since around 6:00, and we're all now up. The forecast for today is sunny with a high of 64, which sounds about perfect. It looks like a bright sunny day out the window.

8:20am
We've had breakfast (standard hotel fare of eggs, sausage, bagels, juice, coffee), packed, checked out, and we're ready to hit the road. It's a 40-minute drive to the park and the trailhead. The day is bright and sunny, but still quite cool.

9:14am
Arrived at the trailhead parking lot and getting ready to hike. It's still cool, so we're all starting with an outer layer that we expect to shed pretty quickly. Surprisingly, we're the only car in the lot. I would have thought that a late-April Monday with a perfect weather forecast would get more people out. But we're not complaining.

9:25am
Starting our hike. The guidebook says it's a 7.1 mile hike, shaped like a lollipop. You can do the loop in either direction, and the guidebook recommends counterclockwise, so that's what we'll do. The hike has about 1,000 feet of vertical elevation gain - which isn't that much over 3.5 miles, but if it's all in one section, that could be strenuous. The highlight, of course, is the waterfalls - 21 named waterfalls, many in the 30-40 feet high range, with the tallest being 94 feet. We're not really worried about mileage or vertical gain, because we know there will be frequent stops to look at the waterfalls. As Eric phrased it, this is almost sightseeing rather than hiking.

10:24am
We're at Waters Meet, where the two streams coming down the mountain join together into one stream (Kitchen Creek). The trail started out flat, following the stream. Then we came upon three waterfalls, each very pretty and very impressive. The day is starting to warm up, and we've shed our outer layers. It's just about perfect hiking weather - bright sun, blue sky, not too warm with a gentle breeze.

One amusing note: very early in the hike, I squatted down to tie a shoelace, and heard a big rip. Yes, I split the seam of my pants from stem to stern. So I'll have plenty of ventilation today....

10:45am

John, who was in the lead, stopped and said, "There's something you don't see every day." It took me a second to see what he was referring to - and then I realized there was a porcupine just off the trail, so close that John could have reached out and touched him. He couldn't have been less fazed by us - he just shuffled slowly along, going about his business. Seeing him was very cool - I've seen roadkill porcupines, but never a live one, and certainly not from a distance of 4 feet.

11:19am
We're at the bridge at the top of the left side of the loop, after ascending Glen Leigh. The waterfalls were one after the other, and they were all spectacular. I'm out of superlatives...amazing, spectacular, beautiful, gorgeous. We're taking plenty of pictures at each falls, though I'm sure they won't do them justice. From here, we'll take the Highland Trail across the top of the ridge, where it will meet Ganoga Glen and descend that stream.

The trail, as mentioned in the guidebooks, is very well maintained. There are rock steps in a number of places. The books are also full of safety warnings, and it's easy to see why - the trail goes very close to the falls as it climbs the gorge, and there are spots where it's potentially treacherous, especially if it's wet/slippery.

11:59am
We've finished the Highland Trail and will now descend the Falls Trail through Ganoga Glen.

12:32pm
We've stopped for lunch at the base of Ganoga Falls, the highest falls in the park, at 94 feet. The trail comes down right past the top of the falls, and the view from there is dizzying. We declared a lunch break when we got to the base - PB&J sandwiches for all of us. Again, I'm out of superlatives - it's just spectacular. It's continuing to be a perfect sunny day.

12:44pm
We're finishing our lunch break and getting ready to continue hiking.

1:12pm
We're back at Waters Meet, having completed the loop. The falls coming down were literally one after the other. You almost became jaded after having seen so many. ("Okay, yeah, that's another nice one.") I feel like if one or two of these falls was in its own park, you'd travel to hike and see it. But here, it's just one of 21.

2:19pm
We're back at the parking lot, having completed the hike, and we're all very happy. John described the day as a home run, and I completely agree - this was an incredible trail, and the weather and conditions couldn't have been better. Also, it's been a wet spring, so there's plenty of water in the streams and coming over the falls - apparently the falls can be a trickle during a dry August. I'll admit that my feet were a little sore for the couple of miles - I'm just not used to doing this kind of mileage yet this spring (and also after an intensive aikido weekend), but that didn't subtract anything. The day was perfect in every way.

Postscript
I hesitate to compare trails or hikes...but this is absolutely among the very best. I can't believe it took me so long to get here - but I will definitely be back. I want to see this trail in different conditions, different weather, different seasons. John says the trail is closed for the winter, and this year didn't open until April - which makes sense, ice on the trail would make it dangerous.

We did this as an overnighter, but it could also be done in one day - it's probably 2:30-2:45 from my house to the trailhead. Giving 5 hours for the hike, that's an 11-hour day - a long day, but doable.

I will *definitely* be back.


Note: Brother Eric's take on the trip is here and here.

Mt. Joy, VFNP, 3/15/14

Baron von Steuben

The winter of my hiking discontent is finally showing signs of coming to an end. Yes, another snowstorm is forecast for tomorrow night, but the snow is almost entirely off the ground, and there have even been a few warm days.

I was in the Valley Forge vicinity early this morning, and decided to stop by the park on my way home. The early morning was gray and cool, but by mid-morning it looked to be clearing. I parked at the lot on Rt. 23 with the Baron von Steuben monument overlooking the parade ground, and started down a horse path. As I walked, the day got nicer and nicer - the clouds disappeared, and it was warm sunshine and blue skies. So I kept walking.

I picked up a hiking trail that skirts Mt. Joy and continued in a clockwise direction. The trail looks down, precipitously at a few point, on Valley Creek, with the wooded side of Mt. Misery on the other side. It felt so nice to be out on a trail and outside in the sun, that I kept going. I knew the trail would eventually descend to the intersection of Rt. 23 and Valley Creek Rd., and I went the whole way.

It occurred to me that I should keep a track of my hike, so I started the track at the halfway point and retraced my steps back to the car. Multiplying by two, here are the stats:

Total miles: 4.75
Estimated time: 1:25

Here is the GPS track. I parked at the upper right and hiked in a clockwise direction.

Pine Barrens Hike, 1/1/14

Carranza Memorial to Apple Pie Hill

(Before starting today's trip report, it occurred to me after I posted yesterday's "year in review" that there's another reason I got out for fewer hikes last year - my access to my own car is severely limited. With young adults here working, I can't just take my car and go for the day - it has to be carefully coordinated, and often just doesn't work. That's how it has to be for now. Anyway, on to today.)

Introduction
A few of us had talked about the possibility of a hike over Christmas week, and New Year's Day turned out to be the day. I love the idea of starting the new year with a good hike. John suggested a Pine Barrens hike, and that sounded great to me. I've been interested in the Pine Barrens ever since reading John McPhee's classic book, and I've done a couple of good hikes there - the most recent one being over Christmas week two years ago. My trip report follows.

7:58am
I'm in the parking lot of the Broomall Wawa with a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. John should be here shortly, and we'll drive to Tim's house together. The temp is around the freezing mark and won't get much warmer, but it's supposed to be sunny and clear - so that's good hiking weather. John has a hiked picked out that's about 8 miles, so that's approximately 3 hours of hiking - not too long to actually be outside. (i.e., we won't be out in the cold all day.)

10:24am

We're starting our hike from the Carranza Memorial, near Tabernacle, NJ, in the Wharton State Forest. We picked up Tim and Joe with no problem, and had an easy ride over the Walt Whitman into Jersey. The Carranza Memorial is an interesting landmark. Emilio Carranza was an early aviator, called the Mexican Lindbergh, and he crashed and was killed near here in 1928.

Our hike plan is very simple - we'll follow the pink-blazed Batona Trail northeast for about 4 miles to Apple Pie Hill - the high point of the Pine Barrens (this hike exactly.) Of course, that's not saying much, as the whole pineland region is flat as a table. The top of the hill is 209 feet above sea level.

It's still cold, but there's no wind to speak of. I'm starting out in hiking pants (with no long-johns underneath - possibly something I'll regret), and layers on top - a long-sleeve polypro base layer, a light flannel shirt, a fleece vest, and my Gore-tex rain jacket as a windbreaker. I'll probably shed at least one layer when I start to move. I'm wearing light gloves and a baseball cap (I have a wool toque in my pack, but I don't think I'll need it.)

Tim and Joe took a few group pics at the Memorial (hopefully I'll get copies of any good ones). Away we go.

11:25am
We just stopped for a pee break (I love being a guy), and I looked at my phone GPS and noted we've been out for one hour and have gone 2.5 miles. It's a very pleasant day for a hike. The trail through the pines is very pretty, and the sky is bright blue above the trees. The trail was not too well-defined in a few places when we first started out, but there were always pink blazes to keep us right - and then the trail was much better defined once we got into the woods. The trail has passed close by cedar swamps in a couple of places, and there's a thin layer of ice on the water. John has led the way for most of our hike, and I've brought up the rear. My legs feel great, and it feels so good to be outside and moving. I haven't removed any layers, but I have unzipped both my jacket and my vest and taken my gloves off.

12:03pm

Apple Pie Hill. As expected, this is a mighty small hill - but it is the highest point around. My GPS says we covered 4.19 miles. There's a 60' tall fire tower here which you can climb - and which John is currently ascending. Even from the ground you can see a *long* way, and it's pines as far as the eye can see.

12:31pm
That was a nice break. John and Joe went to the top of the tower immediately. I knew I wasn't going to the top, but I went partway up. Tim said he was going partway, but ended up going all the way up. I'm sure the view was great, but those kinds of heights aren't my thing. The view was fine from halfway up (or maybe a little less. :-)) I then came back down and had my PB&J and a Gatorade. Now that I've stopped moving, I'm cold again, and have zipped everything back up.

Judging from the pumpkin carcasses, someone's had a good time tossing them off the tower.

We're packed up and ready to go. We'll re-trace our steps back to the car.

2:07pm

We're back at the car. The return hike was uneventful. I led for most of the way back, and it seemed to me that the trail was better marked coming back than it was going out. Or maybe I was just paying better attention, as I was in the lead. My legs (specifically my hip joints) started to feel a little sore on the second half of the return trip - nothing serious, just my body reminding me that we haven't done many 8-mile days recently. I think we're all pleased with our hike.

Postscript
The day worked out perfectly. I really needed this. It felt *so* good to be outside and moving. I love the Pine Barrens and hope to do more hiking there. It's beautiful, and so very flat, with trails covered with pine needles. I'm pretty sure that in heaven all the hiking trails are covered in pine needles.

I was dressed appropriately and had no trouble. My legs were a little cold, but not uncomfortably so. A lightweight pair of long-johns might have helped...or might have made me too warm.

Tim mentioned that his New Year's resolution is to get out hiking one day per month. That sounds good to me.

Total Distance: 8.29 miles
Elapsed Time: 3:07 (hiking time, I paused the GPS while we were at the tower)