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Notes from the Field

 

November 21, 2009 - Ohiopyle State Park - We had a big group with lots of new hikers for our hike at Ohiopyle State Park.  Fifteen people joined us for our double loop hike to Baughman Rock and Meadow Run.  The day was unseasonably warm and didn’t rain, which, this year, is the best you can hope for.  We started the hike on the Baughman Trail with a short, steep uphill then a long climb to the ridge above the Yough.  Along the way, we saw blooming Witch Hazel trees with their delicate yellow flowers and we tried to identify other leafless trees just by their bark.  We were soon on Baughman Rock enjoying the view of Yough and The Flats 800 feet below.  We stopped for lunch at a small farm pond then headed down the Sugarloaf Trail high above Meadow Run, eventually returning to Ohiopyle just across from where the Dairy Queen used to be.  After a brief stop for a bathroom break, we began our second loop on the Meadow Run trails.  The trail begins at the Slides where Meadow Run sluices through cuts in the live rock.  In the summer, hundreds of people gather here to cool off and have some fun riding down these natural water slides.  The trail climbs steeply to the top of the ridge where at one point you can see the Yough in the distance and then drops again to meet Meadow Run at the Cascades where we stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the pounding water.  The next section of the trail along Meadow Run is beautiful and passes through green stands of rhododendron and hemlock with the creek roaring below.  Again we stopped for a few minutes at Flat Rock to enjoy the view and the sound of the water.  Too soon, we were back to the Slides and then Ohiopyle and the end of our hike.  Welcome to new hikers Patrick, Mark, Terri, Randall and Sean.  Welcome back to Carol, Anna, Tom, Dave, Dave, Dave, Jeff, Mike and Cathy.  I hope everyone had a good time. 

 

October 17, 2009 - Raccoon Creek State Park - Again we lucked out and didn’t get much rain on what was supposed to be a very dreary day for our hike at Raccoon Creek State Park.  We had a bit of drizzle but for the most part our seven hikers stayed dry during the ten mile hike.  The woods were pretty with bright colors that glowed in the damp air.  Along the way we saw a couple of deer, a few wildflowers and, of course, the famous Handle Tree.  There is a deep glen on the Forest Trail that I especially like which seems very remote and is pretty with large oaks and many sassafras trees.  We stopped at the park office to use the restrooms and have a snack, then briefly visited the mineral springs which was once a famous resort.  After the hike, several of stopped at Janoski’s Farm where we met Heather for dinner.  I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did.  Welcome to new hikers Bill and Luann and welcome back to Carol, Luann, Anna and Tom. 

 

September 26 & 27, 2009 - Oil Creek State Park Weekend - Compared to the last time we visited Oil Creek State Park, in October 2006, the weather for the weekend was balmy and relatively dry.  We had a bit of rain in the morning while we toured the Drake Well Museum but the rain ended before our bike ride.  During our visit to the museum, we were lucky enough to have front row seats while one of the museum employees prepped then fired up the old steam engine at the Drake Well replica.  Really cool!  On our bike ride, when we reached the half way point at Petroleum Center, we stumbled on a doggie outing day hosted by the State Park which was great fun.  Lots of cute dogs and friendly dog owners and, most importantly, a food stand.  Hot soup was great on such a grey day.  On the ride back, I stopped for brambleberries which were quite tasty; not sure why no one else would try them.  After the bike ride, for the first time since we started going to Oil Creek State Park, the Boughton Bridge was open and we finally got to do the Oil Creek State Park loop hike.  The bridge washed out just before our 2004 visit and was just replaced this summer.  After the hike, we met in Franklin for a great dinner at Bella Cucina.  The food was terrific but very expensive.  On Sunday, we again lucked out with the rain and had a relatively dry hike at Petroleum Center.  I love Oil Creek State park because the hiking is challenging, the scenery is great and history is on display with the decaying oil relics scattered throughout the woods.  Welcome to new hiker Ila and welcome back to Luann, Anna, Tom, Heather, Allen and Rebecca. 

 

August 22, 2009 - Coopers Rock State Forest - Our eleven hikers enjoyed a pleasant day for our relaxed hike at Coopers Rock State Forest in West Virginia.  Along the way we checked out the Henry Clay Iron Furnace and stopped for lunch on Rock City which is a fascinating collection of large rocks slowly breaking apart.  After lunch on Rock City, we walked the nicest part of the trail through huge rhododendron and along the base of cliffs below the Coopers Rock overlook.  We descended a short but steep side trail to see Haystack Rock which recently slipped down the hillside toward the Cheat River and then we bushwhacked and scrambled over the boulders for a view of Cheat Lake from Coopers Rock.  After a short bushwhack down the hillside toward Clay Run, we had an easy walk along the trail back to our cars.  Dinner at Oliverio’s in Morgantown was good as usual but this year Tom only had one dessert.  Welcome to new hikers Mike & Mike and welcome back to: Carol, Linda, Anna, Tom, Luann, Heather, Jason, and Mike M.  I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. 

 

July 24 through July 26, 2009 - Allegheny National Forest Weekend - We had ten people for our Friday hike at the Morrison-Rimrock Trail in the Allegheny National Forest.  We met at the Warren County Historical Society next to the courthouse in Warren and carpooled to the trailhead.  On the way, we stopped at the Kinzua Dam to enjoy the view of the lake.  At the beginning of our hike, we picked lots of blueberries and we had a nice walk, except for temporarily losing Tom & Heather just before lunch.  A threatening thunder storm made our mid-hike stop at the Kinzua lake brief but the rain didn’t last long.  We enjoyed the waterfalls along a branch of Morrison Run and were soon back to our cars.  Dinner Friday evening was at Forte in Jamestown, NY which was good as always.  Luann’s mom & dad joined us for dinner.  Thanks to Carol, Jeff, Heather, Tom, Jason, Linda , Anna, Luann and Rebecca for the good company. 

 

On Saturday, seven of our group met for a long hike in the Hickory Creek Wilderness near the Heart’s Content Scenic Area south of Warren.  The trail was easy to follow but several spots have grown in and could use some maintenance.  We met several people backpacking including two young couples from Pittsburgh and a group from Cleveland with one guy that we know from the Cleveland Hiking Club; small world.  About halfway through the hike, in an area where old railroad ties are clearly visible, we saw an extraordinary, large fungus shaped like a rose and about two feet in diameter.  After the hike, we all met at Luann’s family camp in Scandia, PA for a weenie roast.  My dad and Aunt Jo & Uncle Ron also came up and enjoyed the company.  Luann, her parents and brother Jerry welcomed us with lots of good food including hotdogs, watermelon, salads and s’mores.  Luann’s dad and brother made a great campfire which warmed us up and kept the rain away.  Thanks Luann!  And thanks to Carol, Anna, Tom, Luann, Rebecca & Jason for joining us for the hike. 

 

Our Sunday hike was at the Minister Creek Trail off PA Route 666 along the Tionesta Creek.  The trail loops through house sized boulders and climbs to the top of the ridge above the Tionesta Creek.  We had lunch at a pretty spot where the North Country Trail briefly intersects the Minister Creek Trail.  After lunch, we hiked back along Minister Creek and then climbed back up the ridge to the Minister Valley Overlook.  Rain chased us off the overlook so we wound our way around the second small loop that I discovered for the first time when we were here last in 2007.  This extra little loop is my favorite part of the hike.  Thanks to Carol, Cristin, Anna, Luann, Linda, Jason, Jeff & Heather for joining us on this hike. 

 

June 6, 2009 - Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail - Mud Pike (Rt. 653) to Hidden Valley - We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day for our hike last Saturday on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail from Rt. 653 to Hidden Valley.  Eight of us enjoyed the perfect weather and good company for our twelve mile hike.  Along the way we saw some great views of the Indian Creek Valley including the US Steel building in downtown Pittsburgh.  We also saw lots of late spring wild flowers including wild lily-of-the-valley, while clintonia, and several others that I couldn’t identify.  We stopped halfway at Seven Springs for a rest and a cold drink.  The rest of the hike went quickly and all too soon we were back to the fire tower and our cars near Hidden Valley.  After the hike, we had a good dinner at the Oakhurst Tea Room on US Route 30 near Somerset.  Thanks to Carol, Beth, Rick, Tom B. Linda, Luann and Anna for joining us on this hike.

 

May 2, 2009 - Johnstown Flood Hike - Five of us met Saturday morning at the Johnstown Flood Museum to learn about the tragic Johnstown Flood of 1989.  On May 31st, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed destroying Johnstown and killing 2,209 people.  The Johnstown flood was the worst man-made disaster of all time and made international headlines.  Within days of the flood, the mills were reopened and reconstruction of the city began.  After the museum, six more hikers joined us and we carpooled to the Seward trailhead of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) where we began our hike with a long climb to the top of Laurel Ridge.  Along the way, we saw a few wild flowers: yellow, white and purple violets, coltsfoot, and white and purple trillium.  We hiked through mountain laurel, rhododendron, and fields of Mayapples that had not yet bloomed.  Along the way, we had views of the Conemaugh river valley and Johnstown in the distance.  After about five miles we began to head downhill, leaving the LHHT and following old roads into the village of Morrellville and Lower Yoder Township.  We walked through the well kept neighborhoods of Johnstown, through cemeteries, ball fields and backyards, greeted by many people out enjoying the nice weather.  We stopped briefly at the ball fields to patch up an injured hiker, then we walked through the Powell Stackhouse Park to Westmont Boro above Johnstown.  The view of Johnstown was incredible and dinner at City View Bar and Grill, next door to the incline, was very good.  After dinner, the incline ride was great fun, and we had a quick walk back to the Flood Museum and our cars.  Welcome back to Carol, Linda, Tanya, Dan, Natasha, Luann, Tom, and Dave.  And a special welcome back to Cristin and Susan, who we haven’t seen for a long time.  I hope everyone had a great time.

 

April 18, 2009 - Cook Forest State Park - Six people joined us on a beautiful Saturday afternoon for a relaxed hike at Cook Forest State Park.  The weather was extraordinary with lots of sun and the smell of summer.  Unfortunately, Tom couldn’t make the hike.  He would have enjoyed the day because it was the first day of fishing season and the streams were lined with fisherman.  We didn’t see any fish, or any wild flowers for that matter, but we did see Luann’s mom and dad who were campground hosts for the weekend.  We managed to talk Luann’s mom into hiking with us which I think she enjoyed; I know we did.  We started the hike at the Log Cabin Inn and hiked up to the campground where we picked up Luann’s mom.  This short stretch to the campground is especially pretty.  We wove our way through big trees for a couple of miles then headed down an old road to the Clarion River where we ate lunch.  We climbed our way out of the gorge and up to the fire tower where my niece, Liz, ran into the fellow she had been working with all week.  Small world.  We dropped Luann’s mom off at the park office before climbing the big hill to the Forest Cathedral where we wandered through the big trees and finally descended to the cars.  Before dinner, we went back to Luann’s parent’s camper for drinks and snacks, then headed to a very good, but very expensive, dinner at Gateway Lodge.  Welcome back to Jean, Linda, Luann, Mike and Liz.  And welcome to new hiker Heidi.  I hope that everyone enjoyed this beautiful walk through the big trees.

 

April 4, 2009 - Laurel Hill State Park - We had a large group and great weather for our hike at Laurel Hill State Park.  Seventeen people joined us on a sunny, blustery day for a very pleasant hike around our traditional loop.  The wind was strong and cold in the parking lot, but eased as soon as we headed into the woods.  We stopped at the CCC camp and the scenic Jones Mill Run dam for a quick history lesson and at the old growth hemlocks for lunch.  Along the way, we saw lots of colts foot, a few yellow violets, and three, perfect spring beauties.  There were lots of trout lilies but no blossoms.  (I learned on Sunday that trout lily leaves are tasty.  We’ll have to get Linda to try some on the next hike.)  After lunch, we stopped for a minute at the 900 year old hemlock near the half way point of our hike and soon after, when we came to the park road, said goodbye to three of our hikers who had had enough.  The best part of the hike was dinner at the New Centerville and Rural Volunteer Fire Department buckwheat pancake supper which is my favorite place.  Linda disappointed the old farmers when she didn’t pound down the pudding with her usual relish.  Welcome to new hikers Terry, Bernadette, Peg, Cindy, Kevin and two other folks whose name I didn’t catch.  Also, welcome back to our regulars: Tom, Linda, Laura, Rebecca, Dave, Tanya, Dan, Jim and Renata.  I hope everyone had a nice hike.  PS - After dinner, we were surprised to run in to Cristin and Rachel with little Levi in the Fire Hall.  It was the first time any of us had met Levi and he is very cute.  In a few more years, he’ll be hiking with us. 

 

February 21, 2009 - Laurel Mountain State Park - We kept up our streak of no-snow for our annual X-C ski at Laurel Mountain, at least pretty much…  We arrived at the top of the mountain to find a few inches of new snow over a thin, icy base.  A few other people were out skiing so we decided to give it a try.  It was just me, Carol and Luann so we weren’t under a lot of pressure to do anything in particular.  We ended up skiing for about 2 miles, heading up the Loop Trail and gingerly making our way toward Lippo’s Loop.  The snow on top of the mountain was pretty thin having mostly blown away in the high winds from the night before and eventually the rocks just became too much for us.  We headed back following the Bill Albert’s Trail and parked our skis back in the car and our butts in the warming hut for a quick lunch.  After lunch, Carol, Luann and I drove to Laurel Summit State Park and had a nice walk to Wolf Rocks.  It was a beautiful, crisp, sunny, day and we rested on the rocks for a good long time enjoying the view before hiking back to the parking area and our cars.  After the hike, we met Tom B. for dinner at the Ligonier Tavern which was good as usual. 

 

January 18, 2009 - Boyce Park Winter Walk - The weekend had been bitter cold but Sunday warmed up for our hike at Boyce Park in Monroeville and Plum.  We had about five inches of snow on the ground which made walking difficult, but it sure was pretty with snow on the trees and lots of little kids sledding.  We walked for about six miles in three hours on the many confusing trails and generally following the same path that we hiked last year.  Of course, I got the group turned around a couple of times which necessitated some minor backtracking.  All the more fun I say.  We walked a bit slower than normal because of the snow, so we cut out some of the more obscure trails and arrived back to the cars in time to beat the pre-playoff crowd for a late lunch at Rivertowne Pour House.  Welcome to new hikers Yun, Janine and Matt and welcome back to Tanya, Carol, Tom and Steve.  I hope everyone enjoyed getting out for a snowy walk on a beautiful January day.

 

December 13, 2008 - Schenley & Frick Parks - We had a pleasant, relatively warm day for our hike through Schenley Park and Frick Park.  We started a Dippy the Dinosaur outside of the Carnegie Music Hall and walked past the various monuments in Schenley Plaza.  The last time we were here, in 2005, Schenley Plaza was still a parking lot, and now is a beautiful entrance to Schenley Park with a wide lawn, gardens and even a carousel.  The Mary Schenley Fountain, my favorite, was restored this summer and now gleams.  It is especially striking at night under illumination from spotlights that make it glow.  Our hike took us over Panther Hollow, with the panthers that guard the bridge cheerfully decked out with red hats for Christmas.  We stopped at Starbucks in Squirrel Hill for a hot drink then continued to Frick Park with great views of the Mon Valley.  We managed to find the correct trails this time, and except for the incessant roar of the Parkway, we could have easily been in the Laurel Highlands.  We walked through Homewood Cemetery then window-shopped our way through Squirrel Hill down Forbes and Murray and back to Schenley Park.  After the hike, seven of us met for dinner at La Cucina Flegrea in Squirrel Hill.  Welcome to Dave and LaVerne for their first hike with us and welcome back to Luann, Anna, Tom B., Jason, Dave, Rebecca and Brad.  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and see you next year. 

 

October 24, 25 & 26, 2008 - Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail - Hidden Valley to Seward - On Friday, Tom and Birdman (visiting from South Carolina) joined Carol and me on the fourth segment of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) from Hidden Valley to Laurel Mountain.  This is a long stretch of about 15 miles which took us past the Mountain Streams ski area, over the Turnpike and past Beam Rock.  The area around Beam Rock is one of my favorites on the trail.  It’s rocky underfoot so that you have to be on your toes, there are lots of twists and turns, small scenic creeks, and plenty of hemlocks.  As you approach Route 30, the trail winds through a seemingly endless maze of Rhododendrons and then climbs around and trough a scattering of house-size rocks.  After the hike, Birdman had to take-off to meet friends for dinner in Pittsburgh, so Tom, Carol and I decided to try someplace new for dinner.  We ended up at Jioio’s in Ligonier for a bountiful Italian American dinner.  Tom was impressed with the sheer quantity of food presented and staggered out with the leftovers.  The rain started overnight and I didn’t expect anyone to show for the hike on Saturday morning for the fifth segment of the LHHT from Laurel Mountain to Route 271.  I was surprise at the turnout: Tom B., Tom from Johnstown, Big Dave, Natasha, Jeff H., Carol and me.  The hike was long and cold.  The rain finally gave up after noon, but it remained cold and damp for the remainder of the day.  This section of trail is relatively flat and usually has some great views to the west but mostly we just saw clouds.  The trail crosses the old Forbes Road after about 2 miles, and Tom from Johnstown had to turn around; hopefully, one of these days, Tom will be able to stay for an entire hike!  We continued on, passing through a rock formation, over Mystery Hill, through the southern section of State Game Lands 42, through another rock formation and then back to the cars.  After the hike, Tom, Carol and I met Linda and Laura for a nice dinner at the Road Toad.  Eating at the Toad was a life-long ambition for Linda; glad we could be there to share the experience.  Sunday turned out to be a much nicer day and Carol and I were joined by Tom, Paula, Gail, Allen and Anna for the sixth and final segment of the LHHT from Route 271 to the end of the trail in Seward.  The hike is mostly level with the end being steeply downhill.  Along the way, we passed through a pretty section of Rhododendrons near SGL 42 and a not-so-nice section along a dirt road that borders a fenced off area.  Rebecca met us coming the other way and hiked with us for a while before heading off on her own.  Later, we also met Steve coming the other way to meet us.  Steve turned around and hike with us back to the parking area.  After passing the WJAC tower, the trail traverses the ridge above the Conemaugh Gorge with some great views of the Johnstown suburbs.  The trail then continues steeply downhill and back to the cars at the Seward trailhead.  After the hike, we again decided to try someplace new for dinner and ate at Carol and Dave’s Roadhouse on PA Route 711 just north of Ligonier.  It turned out to be a good choice and everyone seemed to enjoy their dinner.  Thanks to everyone for helping make this an enjoyable weekend of hiking on the LHHT. 

 

September 27, 2008 - John P. Saylor Trail - Seven hikers met Saturday near Windber, PA for a long but pretty hike on the John P. Saylor trail in the Gallitzin State Forest.  The hike starts in the Babcock State Forest Picnic Area, winds through open forest and along beautiful Clear Shade Creek.  Much of the trail is on old logging railroad grades and therefore is relatively flat.  The length of the hike seems to keep people away which is too bad because the trail is fairly easy and the location is beautiful.  Saturday morning was overcast but the sky cleared after noon and it became warm and sunny.  We stopped for lunch at my old, favorite camping area on a small island in the middle of Clear Shade Creek.  We sent Tom up the fisherman’s trail to return to his car since he had to get home early.  Dave and Jason crossed the swinging bridge to do an extra five mile loop in the Clear Shade Wild Area.  Carol, Tom B., and I continued on the main trail along the creek and soon met Rebecca coming the other way to join us.  The trail along the creek passes through patches of huckleberries loaded with fruit; we stopped frequently to munch what will probably be the last berries of the year.  There is a boggy spot along this stretch that I especially like because it is covered with green and red moss highlighted with goldenrod and tall grass.  We stopped again to pick berries after climbing up from the creek back to the top of the plateau in the old CCC camp which has grown in considerably since I started coming here in the 1980’s.  This area was once open but is now filled with spruce trees and covered with huckleberries and another plant with a berry resembling a blackberry.  All too soon, we arrived at Wolf Rocks which is brightly painted by local teens.  The view from the rocks is gone now that the trees have grown and the graffiti doesn’t seem nearly as original or creative as I remember in the past.  When we arrived back at the cars, ready for a beer and lunch at the Windber Hotel, we were shocked to find a window smashed out of Rebecca’s car and her purse stolen.  Rebecca called 911, was transferred here and there multiple times, talked with the State Police who wouldn’t take a report over the phone and promised to send someone soon.  After multiple calls, and waiting for several hours for someone to arrive in “fifteen more minutes,” we left without anyone ever showing.  Turns out that the 911 dispatcher fouled up the location and a Ranger was sent to Prince Gallitzin State Park which isn’t anywhere near where we were waiting.  Oddly, waiting wasn’t bad: Tom B. went into Windber to buy a piece of Plexiglas to temporarily repair Rebecca’s window, then he went back again to buy pizzas.  The other Tom B., who lives nearby, came back to join us for a pizza picnic which was kind of fun.  After dinner, we cleaned up Rebecca’s car, patched the window, and headed for home, arriving well after dark.

 

August 9, 2008 - Clear Creek State Park and Clear Creek State Forest - We expect hot, muggy weather in August, but this year we lucked out with a beautiful, dry, cool day for our double hike in the Clear Creek State Forest and State Forest near Sigel, PA.  Our first loop took us to Beartown Rocks in the Clear Creek State Forest where we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the view.  Along the way, we traveled through tunnels of Rhododendrons and stopped to pick wild blueberries by the handful.  The hike from the rocks back to the parking area was steeply downhill through a beautiful glen of second growth trees and a carpet of ferns.  After a quick stop back at the cars, Luann led us on another loop using some of her favorite trails in Clear Creek State Park.  Along the way, we stopped at Luann’s parents camper where they were camp hosts for the State Park.  Luann has possibly the nicest parents ever - they had snacks and drinks waiting for us and I think we could have easily spent all evening sitting with them.  Instead, we continued along Clear Creek back to our cars to complete our double loop hike.  Later, we met at the Farmer’s Inn back toward Sigel where we had a very good, home-style dinner.  Six of us stayed in a large cabin adjacent to the Farmer’s Inn called At the Woods Cabin.  After dinner, the six of us plus Jeff sat around the campfire, toasted marshmallows and ate S’Mores.  A slow moving storm rumbled and flashed in the distance and eventually drove us inside.  On Sunday, we met Luann’s parents back at Clear Creek State Park and Luann’s mom took us on a hike around the Tadler Run Trail which turned out to be a great hike.  Along the way, we saw two good sized American Chestnut trees and picked and ate our weight in plump, ripe wild blackberries.  We spent the afternoon with Luann’s parents sitting around the fire and eating.  Welcome back to Alex and Bob and thanks to our regular hikers Jason, Carol, Bob, Jeff, Linda, Anna, Luann, Tom, Laura and Rebecca. 

 

July 26, 2008 - Whitetail Trail - We had a beautiful summer day for our hike on the Whitetail Trail in the Forbes State Forest and for our annual pot-luck picnic which we held this year at the Lick Hollow Picnic Area.  Looking back through the Notes, I was surprised to find that the last time we did this hike was August 2002!  The hike was shorter than normally at just about seven miles.  The Whitetail Trail was originally built as a part of the Allegheny Trail which was to connect the Appalachian Trail in Virginia to the Bruce Trail in southern Ontario.  We frequently spend time with members of the Bruce Trail Club at the Susquehannock Lodge in Potter County.  The Whitetail Trail passes through portions of State Game Lands 138 and the Forbes State Forest.  We stopped for lunch where the trail crosses Redstone Creek.  Along the way, we saw rhododendron in bloom, and ate samples of various treats such as wild blueberries by the handful, greenbrier shoots and sassafras.  We saw a small American chestnut tree and even found the trailing arbutus mentioned in the 50 Hikes book.  The trail passes through some deep glens that are very quiet and smell of cinnamon ferns.  Back at the picnic area, Luann was ready with a table cloth and bench rugs.  We ate heartily and then lounged around chatting and enjoying the summer day.  Rebecca brought a vegetarian pasta salad and dark chocolate brownies, Tom brought homemade mozzarella which was excellent and a salad which I didn’t get to try, Luann brought a pasta salad with ham, kettle corn and a perfect ripe tomato, Anna brought rice crispy treats (which I just realized I didn’t try), Beth and Rick brought watermelon and chocolate cupcakes, Jeff made his famous red bean dip and cooked up some burgers, Heather brought ice cream (!), I brought Theresa’s Make Ahead Black Bean Salad which we’ve now had on every picnic, tabbouleh, and fat-free hummus, and Linda brought me.  OK, Linda also brought some pita bread and grapes.  Thanks to everyone for making this an extra tasty hike. 

 

June 14, 2008 - Rachel’s Ohiopyle Loop - I’m sure that it was a beautiful day somewhere, but in Ohiopyle on Saturday it was wet, wet, wet.  Our small group of nine hikers were not convinced by my reassurance that we were just experiencing a heavy drizzle which would soon go away.  In fact, it started to thunder and rain about a mile into the hike and continued until we returned to the parking lot four hours later.  The “drizzle” did vary in intensity from a light rain to a pounding downpour.  Mostly it was a pounding downpour.  Linda, Anna, Luann, Heather, Tom, Jeff R., Jeff H., Laurie and I were soaked through after just a few minutes.  The hike was totally defined by the rain - and witty conversation of course.  Along the way we saw a few wildflowers, including false Solomon’s seal, partridge berry, and mountain laurel.  As you might expect, the waterfalls on Sugar Run and Fetcher Run were full and beautiful.  I missed Rachel and Chris who normally lead this hike; hopefully they will be back hiking soon with Baby in tow.  I managed to keep to Rachel’s route, with the help of the GPS, and only made a couple of wrong turns, quickly corrected.  The rain miraculously stopped when we got back to the cars where we stripped off wet gear then headed to the train station to change and dry off.  Like last year, we celebrated Jeff R’s birthday with dinner at Caileigh’s in Uniontown.  Unfortunately, we had to celebrate without Jeff who couldn’t make dinner.  Happy Birthday Jeff!  Caileigh’s was a little off from their normal excellent food and service but it was still pretty good; hopefully it was just a bad night.  Thanks to everyone for joining me on this rainy hike.  Welcome to Jeff H. and Laurie.  I hope to see you again soon.

 

May 9, 10 & 11, 2008 - Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail - Ohiopyle to Hidden Valley - We had a select group for our weekend of hiking on the first half of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).  On Friday, Anna and Rebecca joined Carol and me for the first segment of the trail from Ohiopyle up, up and up to the top of Laurel Ridge at Maple Summit.  Along the way, we had some great views of the Yough River Gorge and saw plenty of wildflowers which were at or near their peak.  The trail was wet but the weather was cool and partly sunny which was perfect for hiking.  After the hike, Carol and I had dinner at the Falls City Restaurant and Pub in Ohiopyle.  The food was good and the atmosphere appropriately rustic.  On Saturday, Anna and Rebecca returned and Steve joined us for the second segment of the trail from Maple Summit to Laurel Ridge State Park at Jim Mountain Road.  I first did this hike in 2002 with Mountain Dreams led by Mike and Darlene and attended by many of my favorite hikers including Steve.  I wasn’t sure what to expect on for this hike because it poured rain all Friday night and Saturday morning.  We delayed the start time to accommodate a large Venture Outdoors group that was hiking the same day.  Just before our hike, the weather cleared and the day turned absolutely beautiful.  Rebecca started early and hiked from the end to the beginning to meet us at Maple Summit.  Soon after we started, we saw a beautiful waterfall apparently tumbling through the woods across a ravine from the trail.  There, we met our buddy Kenn hiking the other way and exchanged greetings.  The flowers went wild with the rain and sun and I stopped frequently to snap photos.  After the hike, the group headed to the Italian Oven in Connellsville for Carol’s birthday dinner.  The rain started again Saturday night and it got cold as well.  We weren’t surprised on Sunday morning when nobody showed for the third segment of the trail.  Unfortunately, we only had one car and therefore couldn’t do the shuttle.  After hiking around the fire tower area near Hidden Valley, Carol and I headed back to Monroeville for a nice Mother’s Day lunch at our favorite Indian Restaurant.  Hopefully, we’ll find time to reschedule the third segment of the trail before October. 

 

April 19, 2008 - New Florence State Game Lands 42 - This trail is not one of my favorites.  In fact, most of the hike is on old roads and pipelines and not on trail at all.  Overall, it has little to recommend it.  I was hoping that we would see some early wild flowers, but there were only a few out.  We saw some purple and yellow violets, lots of coltsfoot and some blooming cherry trees but nothing else.  We didn’t see any wildlife except for a few birds.  There is more wildlife in my backyard right now than we saw in the State Game Lands on Saturday.  The sun was out early in the day and made the climb up Laurel Ridge on the Zig Zag trail hot and thirsty.  The climb had me gasping for air and I was glad to stop for the occasional view of the power plant on the Conemaugh River in the valley below.  Eventually we came to the top of the ridge and joined the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) for what is undoubtedly its least appealing section along a gas pipeline that doubles as a road.  After a mile or so of gravel, the LHHT ducks into the woods for a beautiful stretch of trail through Mountain Laurel and second growth hardwood forest.  Along the trail, we found large, red wintergreen berries.  The weather turned slightly overcast and cooler.  After stopping for a quick lunch, we left the woods and the LHHT behind for more gravel road to an active gas well complete with drilling rig.  In the past, the section of trail from this point on was a grass covered roadbed that was quite pleasant.  Unfortunately, the old road has recently been bulldozed, probably to open up more areas for gas exploration.  We stopped for a short break at a pretty spot on an old bridge crossing Baldwin Creek.  I found a cadis fly larvae in the shallow water and showed everyone the tiny white worm in its stick and mud house.  We managed not to get lost, and followed Baldwin Creek, passing the old Baldwin Iron Furnace, back to our cars.  Dinner after the hike was at The Back Door Café in Johnstown which was very good but expensive.  The owners Tom and Denise were exceptionally nice to us and the entire staff was very accommodating.  Be sure to stop by if you find yourself hungry in Johnstown.  Even though the trail wasn’t the greatest, I think that our thirteen hikers had a really good time.  Welcome to new hiker Sue and thanks to our regular hikers Carol, Anna, Linda, Tom, Rebecca, Luann, Dave, Helen, Heather, Lori and Dave for turning this otherwise dull hike into an exceptionally fun day! 

 

March 20 through March 23, 2008 - Easter - Greg’s Relaxed Hiking Break at Susquehannock Lodge, Potter County, PA - I’ve spent a lot of time at the Susquehannock Lodge over the years and every trip has been memorable.  I always look forward to Easter at the Lodge because it is usually my first break of the year and Ed’s traditional Polish Easter dinner is to die for.  Anna and I arrived at the Lodge on Thursday just before Greg and Dorian from Kitchener and Adrienne and Andrew from Toronto.  After martini’s, Ed surprised us with a steaming tray of stuffed cabbage rolls for dinner.  What a great way to start the weekend!  After dinner, we had a quick walk up icy Thompson Road.  Anna fell and cracked a rib on the way down after the Yaktrax she borrowed from Greg broke and tripped her up.  Another mark against Yaktrax for walking on ice - go with Icer’s.  Anyway, poor Anna, all weekend every laugh was followed by an “Ouch!”  Chris, Rachel and Heather arrived after dinner and we tormented them with tales of stuffed cabbages missed. 

 

Friday our small group hiked the south loop at Mount Brodhead on the ridge above Carter Camp.  The hike went fast despite calf-deep snow along some portions and a tricky crossing of Cross Fork creek at the lower tip of the trail.  We got back to the clearing below Rt. 44 way too soon and I convinced everyone that we should take a longer bushwhack back to the road by following the ridgeline.  Tightly packed beech saplings and knee deep snow made the trek interesting, but we eventually made it back to the cars thanks to the GPS.  After ice cream on the porch at Keener’s Kountry Store, we headed back to the Lodge for tea, a nap and martini’s before dinner.  With tea, Anna served a delicious peach and blueberry pie she made for my birthday.  Several more folks from southern Ontario joined us Friday afternoon.  Since it was Good Friday, Ed served us salmon for dinner which is always one of my favorite meals at the Lodge.  After dinner, Greg showed slides from his trip across Wales last summer and later we sat around the fire until bed leaving boots there to dry. 

 

Saturday morning, we split up the group - Greg took the slower hikers to the Grand Canyon with shopping after in Wellsboro, and I led the more adventurous on a strenuous hike on the Susquehannock Trail (STS) from the Forestry Office to Splash Dam Hollow with return via Township Trail.  Splash Dam Hollow is one of my favorite spots and I have great memories of a lazy summer afternoon lounging there with the quiet broken only by the soft drone of insects and the wind in the trees.  This visit, the air was crisp but the sun was strong and warmed us while we stopped for a snack.  There is a newer beaver lodge in Splash Dam Hollow and evidence of recent activity but we didn’t see any beavers.  We hiked downstream along Lyman Run and after an exciting stream crossing, walked along Lyman Run Road to the Township Trail.  Deep snow made the climb back to the STS exhausting and the lack of blazes made following the trail tricky, but we made it with lots of time to spare before dinner.  Ed served stuffed chicken breast Saturday evening and after dinner Greg showed slides from his trip last summer with Anna, Adrienne and Dorian to the Presidential Range in New Hampshire.  The fire in the living room crackled into the late evening until everyone finally went to bed.

 

Sunday the entire group had an enjoyable hike at the Grand Canyon along the southern section of the West Rim Trail.  Parts of the trail were icy and those of us that had Icer’s were feeling quite smug.  After about 4 ½ miles, half the group turned around and the other half walked back to the cars along the road.  Ed’s Easter dinner was tremendous with ham, pork roast, kielbasa, and four kinds of pierogies.  Monday morning we had a short hike behind the house before having a lunch of leftovers on the deck.  It was hard to say goodbye, but luckily good memories last a long time.  I wish you were there; maybe next time…

 

March 8, 2008 - Boyce Park - I arrived a Boyce Park just as it began to rain thick drops that hit the windshield with a heavy thump.  Not for the first time, I was hopeful that nobody would show and longed for my comfortable couch and a good book.  As the rain came even heavier and thicker and my daydreams expanded to hot chocolate and a crackling fire, Tom B. came strolling down the parking lot ready to hike.  Tom reminded me that we had the same weather the last time we hiked in Boyce Park, five or six years ago, and that then he had had to wrap an old towel around his head to keep off the rain.  Soon after Tom arrived, Jason, Heather, Helen, Dave, Mark, Gary and a new hiker, Jody showed up.  I was surprised that so many people were willing to give up a warm couch, good book, crackling fire and hot chocolate for a hike in the freezing rain!  As we headed out from the ski lodge, the rain turned first to slush and then to ice pellets.  By the time we were past the base of the ski slopes and headed up the first hill, it was snowing.  Boyce is a challenging hike for being so close to Monroeville but it isn’t necessarily pretty.  The snow greatly improved the scenery and quieted the ubiquitous drone of cars on the nearby Turnpike.  We basically chatted the entire 7.5 mile loop, passing tracks of various small creatures briefly captured in the snow, flocks of robins who were no doubt having second thoughts about returning north so soon, lots of nice views obscured by blowing snow, and the remnants of coal mining operations from long ago.  I concentrated on not getting horribly lost and did a pretty good job all-in-all.  By the time we arrived back at the cars, the wind was blowing the snow horizontal and we were all parched and peckish.  John Harvard’s took one look at Tom and decided to hide us in the back room which had the added advantage of being as far from the smoky bar as possible.  The beer was great and dinner was very good.  The final statistics for the hike were: 7.5 miles and 1365 feet climbing.  Thanks to everyone for getting me out on this beautiful day for a snowy winter hike. 

 

February 9, 2008 - Laurel Mountain State Park & Forbes State Forest Loop - We have been skunked more often than not for our annual cross country ski trip at Laurel Mountain State Park and haven’t had a successful ski day there since February 2004.  The weather report this year was exceptionally dire with NOAA calling for not only no snow, but rain, wind and mid-30 degree temperatures.  I called off the ski trip on Friday and decided to hike, but when we gathered at the summit Saturday morning, there was four inches of new snow and little ice balls falling from the sky.  The six hardy hikers that showed up despite the weather started out hiking not knowing what to expect from the day and I have to say we all ended up being surprised.  It turned out to be a beautiful, warm, sometimes even sunny day for our hike, with snow melting underfoot and essentially not even any ice to make footing tricky.  We started at the warming hut on Laurel Mountain Road, hiked up Bill Albert’s Trail then Towhee, Black Bear, Spruce Flats and Wolf Rocks Trails to lunch at Wolf Rocks Overlook.  We retraced our steps on Wolf Rocks Trail to Laurel Summit State Park and after a brief stop at the Spruce Flats Bog, we followed Picnic Area Trail to Rector Edie Road and the Laurel Highlands Trail.  We stopped at Beam Rocks Overlook where we got a beautiful view of the valley to the south and east including windmills in the distance.  We continued on Laurel Highlands Trail, passing a Boy Scout troop half heartedly practicing their winter survival skills, until we were able to pick up the Summit Trail back to the warming hut.  I think that the section of the Laurel Highlands Trail through the headwater area of Spruce Run is especially beautiful in winter.  Final stats for the hike were 12.6 miles and 1450 feet climbing.  Tom B. met us for dinner after the hike at Ligonier Tavern (we were a half hour late) which was as good as always.  Thanks to Mark, Dave, Jeff, Heather and Rebecca for humoring me on this long, February hike. 

 

December 1, 2007 - Schenley Park and Nearby Neighborhoods - My guilty secret is that I never get tired of this urban hike from Dippy through Schenley Park, Greenfield, Hazelwood and Squirrel Hill.  It’s a great hike through obscure parts of town that most of us only see peripherally while flying along the Parkway East.  We had a beautiful, clear day and a crowd of sixteen for our hike last Saturday.  We started at Dippy near the Carnegie library and took our time in Schenley Plaza talking about the history memorialized by the many monuments that most of us had never noticed before.  Our hike took us past the Phipps, across Junction and Panther hollows, and down into Greenfield under the Parkway.  We climbed the stairs which constitute Anthony Street, past Greenfield High, to the top of the hill at Frank and Deely Streets for a great view of Downtown, Mt. Washington and the Northside.  We wandered through Calvary Cemetery and were disturbed by the large signs warning of many recent purse snatchings.  Even in our era of rampant gun violence, state sanctioned torture and invasion of small countries, snatching purses from old ladies in a cemetery seems really low.  From the cemetery, we wandered through Squirrel Hill, stopped at Starbucks for a hot drink, and returned to Oakland through Schenley Park.  Dinner after the hike was at Ali Baba on South Craig Street in Oakland.  Ali Baba is always good, very accommodating and always treats us well.  After the hike, Carol and I toured the Chihuly exhibit at the Phipps which was I highly recommend; just be sure to get tickets well in advance.  Thanks to everyone who joined us on my favorite urban hike.  Welcome to new hikers Tom & Barb, Nancy, Tanya, Wanda, and Dan.  I hope to see you all again soon. 

 

November 10, 2007 - Allegheny Gorge - Clear Creek State Forest - Some years ago, Kathy signed us up for a February hike at Allegheny Gorge with Mountain Dreams Outfitter in Shadyside, hoping that hiking would give us something fun to do when it was too cold fish and there was no snow to ski.  We had a great time that day.  Mike and Darlene led the hike, and we met Barb, Lisa, Dave (Birdman), and Linda with whom we would end up spending many more pleasant days hiking and dining.  I haven’t seen any of my old friends now for a long time, some for several years, but I think of them often, especially while hiking the trails we shared.  Saturday was the Keystone Ramblers first visit to Allegheny Gorge.  Fourteen of us enjoyed a pleasant day for our hike, cool and overcast but with no rain or snow.  We began our hike at the State Game Land 39 parking area near Pearl, PA.  After a short walk through level, open woods, we passed through a deer exclusion area where the difference in the undergrowth between inside and outside of the fence was clear and significant.  We stopped at the Bullion Run Iron Furnace long enough for a snack and for some of us to search for a geocache hidden nearby.  My new GPS took us to within three feet of the cache; sharp-eyed Ellen found the cache well hidden even though it was in clear view.  From the iron furnace, we headed back up the hill and along the South Trail where we passed a good bit of oil junk (aka, oil era relics) and generally had a pleasant stroll through the woods until we reached the Dennison Run Overlook with a great view of the Allegheny River and Kennerdell, PA across the way.  We bushwhacked for a short way along the ridge, then descended steeply to beautiful, hemlock lined, Dennison Run.  The trail crosses several scenic suspension bridges before starting to climb back up the ridge.  Along the way, we passed the famous circle tree, a Venango County Natural Wonder.  Dinner after the hike was at Bella Cucina in Franklin, PA which was very good.  Franklin is a pretty town, and the seat of Venango County.  Welcome to new hikers Rich and Ellen, and welcome back to Carol, Jeff, Heather, Tom, Luann, Steve H., Anna, Steve B., Helen, Linda and Brad.  I hope everyone enjoyed the day hiking at Allegheny Gorge. 

 

October 13, 2007 - McConnell’s Mill State Park - Alpha Pass to Hell’s Hollow - We usually hike to Hell’s Hollow in the spring because the wildflowers along the trail are terrific and the long hike helps to get us into shape for hiking season.  This year we decided on an autumn hike and I am glad we did because McConnell’s Mill State Park is beautiful this time of year.  Fifteen hikers joined us for the hike and we had a beautiful day, cool and dry with sun and some clouds.  The leaves were beginning to change with the maples bright red and hickory trees lemon yellow.  The first half of the hike was fast and uneventful.  Most of us have been hiking all summer, and even though the trails in McConnell’s Mill are difficult and long, we were all fit and ready.  Along the way we enjoyed views of Slippery Rock Creek, now slowly moving through the rocks, and not the normal raging torrent we usually see in the spring.  The Slippery Rock Gorge trail has been rerouted just past Eckert Bridge to bypass the steep hill which was becoming badly eroded.  I really like the new trail which traverses the hill high above the creek, then climbs in switchbacks to the ridge.  Kudos to whoever built and maintains this section of trail.  We stopped for lunch at the confluence of Hell’s Run and Slippery Rock Creek, then completed the first half of the hike by ascending Hell’s Run.  After taking a break to enjoy the flume and waterfall on Hell’s Run and to explore the old Lime Kiln, we turned around and retraced our steps back to the beginning of the hike.  Unfortunately, the hike back wasn’t so fast or uneventful.  One of our group fell, getting a minor injury, and a pack of unleashed dogs interacted poorly with Cathy’s dog Clarence which slowed us down.  But much worse, was our unfortunate encounter with a hive of yellow jackets, which attacked us with gleeful abandon.  Everyone but Cathy and Clarence got stung at least once and three in our group got stung six times each.  Not fun.  But we made it back to the cars without further incident and with everyone in pretty good spirits.  Beth hiked the entire route in her steel toe shoes and didn’t complain once.  After the hike, we had a very nice dinner at the Harmony Inn in historic Harmony, PA.  The folks at the Harmony Inn always treat us well; dinner was good, the beer was excellent and our waitress, Kathy, was terrific.  Welcome to new hikers Danene and Randy; I hope you can hike with us again soon.  Welcome back to Mike who we haven’t seen in a year and to all our regulars who make this hiking so much fun.  I hope you had a memorable, if itchy, hike.

 

September 22, 2007 - Central Pennsylvania Weekend - Thousand Steps and Trough Creek State Park - Saturday was our group’s third visit and my sixth visit to the Thousand Steps in Huntingdon County, PA.  I never get tired of the steep climb, rocky terrain, and beautiful views.  The steps are amazing, both historically and from the fact that volunteers have spent so much time to restore and maintain the steps.  As a brief refresher, the steps were built by the quarry workers who mined the ganister stone (Tuscarora sandstone) that was used to make fire bricks.  The quarry was operated by the Harbison-Walker Company of Pittsburgh until about 1936 when a flood washed out a railroad bridge across the Juniata River to the brickworks in Mount Union.  The steps were built by the idled quarry workers to keep them from leaving until the bridge could be replaced and the brickworks reopened.  The steps are individual large stones placed stepwise, one on top of the other.  It took our group of fifteen hikers and one dog 20 - 30 minutes to reach the top of the steps; there are actually 1036 steps.  After reaching the top of the steps, we began our hike to the top of Jack’s Mountain and back by walking out to the east for a great view of Mapleton and Mount Union in the valley below at either end of Jack’s Narrows.  The Juniata River and the Pennsylvania Railroad main line were clear below us.  We continued our hike moving west on the Standing Stone Trail (formerly the Link Trail), around the face of Jack’s Mountain, past the Dinky Hut and up, using old narrow gauge rail switchbacks.  There were several excellent views to the east, including the gap where the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River passes through Tussey Mountain.  Along the way, we saw chipmunks, a timber rattler, and several American Chestnuts, some with nuts.  Helen got a good look at the rattle snake, while stepping over a log almost onto the snake.  The snake was unperturbed and appeared to sleep through the entire incident.  After finishing the hike and climbing down the steps, and congratulating ourselves on completing a strenuous but beautiful hike on such a warm day, we stopped at Miller’s Diner in nearby Mill Creek for a late lunch/early dinner.  Here, the only calamity of the day was me forgetting that it was Tom’s birthday.  Happy Birthday Tom and many more.  Much later, eight of us braved the Juniata College homecoming night and met at Mimi’s in Huntingdon for dinner.  It was very busy and the wait staff was crazed by the time we got there, but we ate, talked and had fun anyway.  Thanks to everyone who joined us on this hike, Jeff, Tom, Rachel & Chris, Heather, Allen, Luann, Anna, Helen, Mark, KC, Rebecca, Beth & Rick.  Welcome to new hikers Mark & KC.  I hope you had as much fun as I did. 

 

We had a much cooler day for our hike on Sunday at Trough Creek State Park.  Nine of us started out on the Brumbaugh Trail from Picnic Area #5 near the Ice Mine, climbing about 775 feet to the top of Terrace Mountain.  Heather decided to skip the steep climb and agreed to meet us later at the Balanced Rock.  The climb was difficult but we had some nice views of Raystown Lake and could hear the motor boats in the distance below us.  We arrived at the Balanced Rock after about an hour to find not only Heather, but Rachel & Chris, and my dear friend Theresa who I hadn’t seen in several years.  We stopped at the Balanced Rock long enough to have a snack and to lose Rebecca, then we continued on the Ledges and Copperas Rock trails to Copperas Rock.  The coppery-yellow stain on the cliff of Copperas Rock is ferrous sulfate that leaches from a small pocket of coal.  According to the state park map, the small cave at the bottom of Copperas Rock was probably dug by early settler who used ferrous sulfate as a mordant (fixing agent) for setting the dye color in cloth.  How about that!  We continued along the Rhododendron Trail, crossed the Suspension Bridge and then followed the Boulder Trail which I think is the best part of the hike.  The Boulder Trail climbs through and over open rock piles where we did not see any more rattle snakes.  We descended from the Boulder Trail to the valley below where we followed tiny Laurel Run through dark forest, eventually climbing back to the ridge and then descending again to the Ice Mine and the start of our hike.  After the hike, Beth & Rick cooked us hot dogs, mountain pies and S’Mores over a small fire in the picnic area.  We lounged around, eating, talking and watching them cook for another hour or so after the hike.  It was great fun.  Thanks to Allen, Luann, Linda, Beth & Rick, Rebecca, Heather, Jeff, Anna, Chris & Rachel, and Theresa for joining us on this hike.  I hope we can all do this again soon. 

 

August 11, 2007 - Ghost Town Trail Bike Ride  - We had a beautiful, cool, day yesterday for our bike ride on the Ghost Town Trail between Dilltown and Nanty Glo.  The two weeks of high heat, high humidity and torrential downpours broke for a dry, sunny, 80-degree day.  We started from Dilltown at about 2:30 pm and rode the 12 miles along Blacklick Creek to Nanty Glo on a perfectly maintained trail.  Wildflowers lined the trail and everything was green and smelled of summer.  We saw susans, daisies, bee balm, chicory, joe-pye weed, mallow, asters and many other late summer flowers.  I stopped several times to pick blackberries for a trailside snack. 

 

Along the way we passed through the five ghost towns, Wehrum, Bracken, Armerford, Lackawanna #3 and Scott Glenn, which have been gone since the mining era ended here in the early twentieth century.  Dilltown, Vintondale, Twin Rocks and Nanty Glo survive but it is not hard to imagine where their fate might lie.  The trail passes tall bony piles of rock, coal rubble and debris, some of which are fort feet high, left from the old mines.  Blacklick Creek itself is a relic of the mining era with it’s bottom and banks coated red from iron deposits, a result of acid mine drainage. 

 

Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) reclamation ponds near Vintondale are helping Blacklick Creek recover from a century of pollution that has made Blacklick Creek red and lifeless.  Near the reclamation ponds, is the spooky and impressive miners’ memorial with life-size figures of miners carved into black rock at the former entrance to Mine No. 6.  We also passed the Eliza Furnace in Vintondale which is one of the best preserved iron furnaces in Pennsylvania. 

 

After a brief stop in Nanty Glo, which is Welsh for Valley of Coal, we headed back to Dilltown for our annual pot luck picnic.  Heather and Steve both brought tabbouleh salad and I simply could not decide which I liked best.  Dave brought an interesting dish with Raman noodles, cabbage and toasted almonds which was quite good.  Carol brought a sweet watermelon and Heather brought a pineapple which made me drool it was so good.  Jeff brought a cucumber salad and an amazing pasta salad with smoked mozzarella.  I made Caponata, which is a sweet-and-sour eggplant-based Sicilian dish that I like to eat on fresh bread, and, of course, the ubiquitous Theresa’s Make-Ahead Black Bean salad, made with lime juice that Theresa gave me before she moved to Rochester.  We stopped at the nice shop attached to the Dillweed B&B where I bought a T-shirt and a chocolate gob.  You might remember that Steiner wants to make Gobs the hiker’s currency with all proceeds from Gob sales going to fund better trails. 

 

While we were picnicking , we noticed a huge quantity of insects flashing in the late afternoon sun.  Jeff pronounce them swarming honey bees, and sure enough, he found the bee-ball in an apple tree behind the picnic pavilion.  Jeff explained that when a hive gets too big, a new queen is born who takes off with a pile of worker bees in search of greener clover.  While the bees rest during their search for a new home, the workers surround the queen and form a living bee ball.  The one we saw was about 12-inches in diameter.  All in all it was a very nice day and a terrific pot-luck picnic. 

 

July 20 through July 22, 2007 - Allegheny National Forest Weekend - Yesterday morning, when I went out to get the newspaper, I was accosted by a flock of turkeys, then later that day, during my evening walk around the neighborhood, I saw no less than four deer munching away at the neighbors shrubs, apple trees and day lilies.  This past weekend, during our three days of hiking in the Allegheny National Forest, we saw exactly zero wildlife larger than a chipmunk.  I think they’ve all left the forest for Monroeville.  Someday, I’ll probably come home from work and find a deer in my living room, smoking a cigar and reading my newspaper. 

 

Nine people joined us for our hike on Friday at the Morrison-Rimrock Trail on the Allegheny Reservoir.  We met at the Warren County Historical Society in downtown Warren on Friday morning and carpooled to the trailhead.  On the way, we stopped at the Kinzua Dam to take in the lake view and watch the carp beg for treats.  Rebecca caught us up in the dam overlook parking area and joined us for the rest of the day.  We had a generally pleasant walk and a leisurely lunch on the shore of the lake.  There were several large blueberry bushes near the lake loaded with fruit that unfortunately wasn’t ripe.  You can stop by in a few weeks with a bucket and pick you weight in blueberries.  The hike up from the lake is especially pretty, through hemlock glades along Morrison Run which cascades off the plateau into Kinzua Creek.  At the Y in the trail, our group split into fast and slow hikers with the fast group taking the longer Morrison Trail Loop and the slower group completing the Rimrock Trail Loop.  The Rimrock Trail follows a pretty branch of the creek up through rock grottos with beautiful, cascading waterfalls.  After the hike, Rebecca treated us to slices of cold watermelon.  Dinner Friday evening was at Forte in Jamestown, NY which turned out to be an excellent choice.  I had roasted duck which was excellent.  I also got to taste Linda’s pasta and Rebecca’s crab cake which were equally as good.  Be sure to visit Forte if you’re ever near Jamestown.  My Dad, Aunt Jo and Uncle Ron joined us for dinner and said that they really enjoyed our meeting our group.  Thanks to Tom, Luann, Rebecca, Jason, Heather, Linda and the Steiners for joining us on this hike. 

 

Saturday, eleven of us hiked the Hickory Creek Wilderness Trail near the Hearts Content Scenic Area just south of Warren.  The connector trail from the new parking area added two miles to the hike for a total of about 13.5 miles.  After reading the Allegheny National Forest web page about how the trail was not being maintained and the trail markers were being allowed to fade, I was worried that we would have trouble following the trail.  Memories of the Chinatown hike last December where a tangle of downed trees made the trail nearly impassible had me spooked.  The Hickory Creek Wilderness Trail however, turned out to be in great condition and we had no trouble making our way.  We stopped in a pretty clearing about halfway through the hike to eat lunch.  Along the hike, we walked past huge cherry trees and some very old hemlocks.  Even though this is one two small wilderness areas in the Allegheny National Forest, we saw several relics of former development including a railroad grade with ties still in place and an old artillery range.  Please contact the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness if you’re interested in learning about protecting more of the Allegheny National Forest as wilderness.  After the hike, we gathered for a weenie roast at Luann’s camp in Scandia, PA.  Luann, her parents and brother welcomed us with a pile of good food including hotdogs, watermelon, salads and mountain pizzas.  Luann’s dad made the perfect campfire and we ended the evening around the fire, talking and watching the stars.  It was an excellent evening; thanks Luann!  And thanks to Bob, Linda, Luann, Rebecca, Jim, Jason, Tom, Tony, Jeff and Helen for joining us on this hike. 

 

We concluding our Allegheny National Forest weekend with a hike on the Minister Creek Trail in the middle of the forest off PA Route 666.  I have a fond memory of coming here as a boy scout some 35 years ago.  The trail climbs from near the confluence of Minister Creek and Tionesta Creek to the top of the ridge, through fields of house size boulders strewn like dice on the forest floor.  We stopped twice, once in the boulders and once in the headwaters of the creek where several branches come together at a pretty camping site.  From there, we pushed on, high above the creek, through another bolder field, and had lunch onto of the Minister Valley Overlook.  After lunch, we took the second smaller loop, which twists through rocks and ledges and ends up back at the overlook.  Oddly, nobody in our group had ever done this part of the trail before and it was terrific.  On the way back, we saw one perfect foxglove along the trail.  Thanks to the eleven hikers who joined us for the day, Jim, Tom, Linda, Helen, Luann, Tony, Bob, Linda, Erik, Cristin and Jason.  I hope that everyone had a good time hiking the Allegheny National Forest. 

 

June 16, 2007 - Bear Run Nature Reserve - We had a beautiful day for our hike at Bear Run Nature Reserve, 75 degrees and sunny with high, puffy-white clouds and a nice breeze.  Four of us toured Fallingwater and twelve  people show up for the hike.  I love Fallingwater and could easily live there (assuming availability of a large staff of servants to take care of everything).  Fallingwater was the summer home for the Kaufmann family and was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  My favorite art at the house are three rustic sculptures of peasants facing each other and embracing, milking cows and praying.  Bear Run Nature Reserve was part of the property owned by the Kaufmann’s and like Fallingwater, is currently managed by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.  The Reserve protects the headwaters of Bear Run and Laurel Run both which flow into the Yough near Fallingwater. 

 

Our hike started at the barn at Bear Run and followed narrow trails through the laurel and rhododendron, crisscrossing Bear Run over wooden bridges, the finally joining the less interesting Ridge Trail for a lengthy uphill to the crest of Chestnut Ridge.  There is another interesting stretch through woods on a rocky trail back down to the highway and across.  We followed Laurel Run down to the Yough and the railroad tracks, passing the turnoff for the steep uphill shortcut trail.  Our route was more gentle but longer with the occasional view of the river and constant happy cheers of the rafters.  Along the way, we passed several old mines and quarries which would have been busy and noisy 100 years ago, but today are just overgrown and wooded.  The poison ivy was pervasive along most of the route which surprised me; I don’t remember seeing so much there before.  We stopped at a scenic overlook which I’d never noticed before and then stopped again at the more well know Paradise Overlook which is considerably overgrown and doesn’t afford much of a view anymore.  Many of our regulars were there, Tom, Carol, Jeff, Steve, Jason, Linda and Heather.  There were three hikers we haven’t seen in years, Pat, Lauren and Christy, and one new hiker, Margie.  We celebrated Jeff’s birthday with dinner after the hike at Caileigh’s in Uniontown.  The entire restaurant joined together to sing Jeff happy birthday.  I hope everyone enjoyed the hike and I hope to see you all again soon and often.

 

May 5, 2007 - Raccoon Creek State Park - Anyone that has hiked with us at Cook Forest, Laurel Hill or Colton Point State Park knows that Pennsylvania was once covered by some pretty big hemlock and white pine trees and that not much grows in the shade of those trees.  Big conifers are long gone from what is now Raccoon Creek State Park which is mostly made up of abandoned farms and recovering industrial areas from 100 years ago.  Hardwood forests now cover much of the park which means that there is a brief time in the spring, before the trees leaf out, when sunlight hits the forest floor, and the wild flowers bloom.  Our eight hikers hit what will probably be the peak wildflower weekend for our strenuous 10+ mile hike.  Along the trail, we saw whole fields of red, white and pink Trillium, Blue Cohosh, immature Mayapples, yellow, white, violet and pale purple Violets, Starflowers, False Hellebore, Ramps, two Jack-in-the Pulpits, Bloodroot, Spring Beauties, Phlox, Garlic Mustard, Wild Stonecrop (which is really cool), Sundrops, Wild Geranium, Ginseng, Bluets, Dogwood and others that I either didn’t know or can’t remember.  Raccoon Creek State Park is a hotbed of wildflower activity.  In several places, the smell of honeysuckle lingered as we whipped by at warp speed.  We kicked up one hen turkey which amazed Anna that turkeys could fly and heard the towhees calling to each other “Cup of tea” along the entire trail.  We poked around the old CCC brick incinerator for a few minutes during the first half of the hike and had a brief stop for lunch at the Frankfort Mineral Spring which was a popular 19th century resort and health spa.  The spring comes out of solid rock in a beautiful natural rock grotto complete with waterfall and blankets of Trillium.  The second half of the hike took us through pine plantations probably dating from the CCC era and past several 3-foot high ant hills, some active and some not.  The highlight of the second half of the hike was the handle tree - a genuine natural wonder.  Dinner after the hike at Janoski’s Farm was pretty good and very filling.  After dinner, several of us went across the street to Janoski’s Greenhouse to shop for plants and flowers.  Thanks to Rebecca for leading this strenuous and fast hike.  I hope everyone enjoyed the day as much as I did.  Welcome to new hikers Roy and Steve. 

 

April 14, 2007 - Laurel Hill State Park - The names of the state parks that are strung along Laurel Mountain can be confusing:  There’s Laurel Mountain State Park which is basically the now closed downhill skiing area just south of US Route 30, Laurel Summit State Park which was once just the Laurel Summit Picnic Area which is just south of Laurel Mountain State Park, and Laurel Hill State Park which is on the ridge between PA Route 31 near Hidden Valley and Copper Kettle Road near Seven Springs and finally, Laurel Ridge State Park which is scattered piecemeal along the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) with the main portion of the park best known for the cross country ski area off Jim Mountain Road.  Whew!

 

April hiking on any of the Laurel Mountain trails often brings changeable weather and the weather report was pretty bleak for this weekend.  I was therefore surprised to have thirteen people attend our hike at Laurel Hill State Park.  The hike was very pleasant and surprisingly warm with only a few spits and sprinkles of rain.  Along the way, we saw a few small wild flowers including spring beauties, colts foot and yellow violets.  There were lots of trout lilies but no blossoms.  We stopped at the CCC camp and the scenic Jones Mill Run dam for a quick history lesson and at the old growth hemlocks for lunch.  After lunch, we took a minute to hug the big 900-year-old hemlock near the half way point of our hike.  Today was opening day of fishing season so we saw way more fisherman than flowers.  There were thousands of fellows lucklessly flailing away, including our Tom of course, but no other hikers on the trail.  The very best part of the hike was dinner at the New Centerville and Rural Volunteer Fire Department buckwheat pancake supper which is always a treat for me.  It’s always fun to watch Linda pound down the pudding.  Welcome to new hikers Marian and Sue and to our first foreign hiker, Anne who joined us from Edinburgh, Scotland.  Welcome back to our regulars: Tom, Linda, Laura, Jeff, Heather, Rebecca, Steve, Tony and David.  I hope everyone had a great hike.

 

March 24, 2007 – Linn Run State Park - Tom B. called my cell while I was about 30 minutes from the trailhead to tell me that Rt. 381 was closed south of Rt. 30 due to flooding.  The snow last weekend and a week’s rain swelled all the creeks and apparently the Loyalhanna overflowed at some point.  I thought that this would be the our first hike cancelled due to natural disaster but we tried an alternate route and were surprised to find several cars waiting.  The rain stopped just as we began the hike and aside from some minor spitting, never returned.  The ground was saturated with water, which is why I like to do this hike in March - the waterfalls were beautiful and in several spots, we walked through them.  We saw one Spring Beauty.  There’s also a place, my favorite, where you slide down a steep bank and land in a narrow hollow with fog, waterfalls, hemlocks and moss covered rocks with snow tucked in shaded spots.  We took our time.  The hike took about an hour longer than planned but the group was fun and chatty and the day flew.  Tom B. was the sweep and Luanne and Steve stayed mostly in the back with Tom.  I led with Anna, Big Dave, and Dara sticking close.  Dave told us a joke:  Did you hear about the man that had to have his entire left side removed?  He’s all right now.  Dinner at Ursula’s (formerly Casa Chapala) was just ok.  I miss their old Mexican menu.  Thanks to everyone for a great first hike of the year.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

 

December 3, 2006 - Chinatown Hike - We had another gorgeous day for our hike on the Chinatown Trail in the Mountain Streams section of the Forbes State Forest.  The nice weather brought out the crowds and we packed the parking lot at the trailhead with twelve hikers hiking, one hiker horribly lost and two hikers late.  The last three years have not been kind to the trails along Camp Run and Little Run.  The damage from the early snowstorms last fall is still evident with downed branches and tree tops everywhere across the trail making the hike more challenging than expected.  We started out from the trailhead parking on Sky View Road and followed the Mountain Streams Trail to Auckerman Road.  With only minor floundering, we found the old railroad grade that follows Camp Run, passing the foundations of long forgotten homesteads, and finally coming to the small impoundment with the “Chinatown” marker.  Birdman, visiting from South Carolina, led part of our group on a hunt for the Chinatown Geocache which was placed by the famous QuestMaster who originally designed this hike.  One of our hikers, Yu-ting, is Chinese and after a minute of studying the Chinatown marker informed us that the writing is Japanese and is definitely not Chinese or Korean.  She copied the characters from one side of the marker which we are having scanned and eventually translated.  More to follow.  We continued climbing and followed Camp Run to its headwaters in a beautiful glen with two small ponds and a springhouse where we had lunch.  We then followed Sky View Road to the top of the Little Run drainage where the hike leader (that’s me) missed the turn and kept going up the road.  After a short walk, we realized we were off course and turned around.  In my own defense, the start of the trail off Sky View Road was very obscure and difficult to see even though I’d been there many times in the past.  We continued along on the ridge above Little Run for a while and then bushwhacked down to the creek.  The rest of the trail along Little Run was in bad shape and might as well have been a bushwhack too for all the rough going.  The stream crossings were worse than I remembered and I think that they might have been challenging for the newer hikers.  We finally made it to the turnoff trail that intersects the Mountain Stream Trail along Indian Creek.  Not too far along the turnoff trail, we began to hear the Turnpike which sounded very foreign after a quiet day in the woods.  We soon made it back to the cars and headed to a serviceable dinner at Nino’s.  I like Nino’s but they don’t do big groups very well and there was stray smoke from the bar that was annoying.  The hike turned out to be about 9 miles with my little detour which made for a pleasantly tiring hike.  Welcome back to my old friend Birdman and welcome to new hikers Paula, Paul, Yu-ting, Dara, Tony and David.  I hope everyone had a good time and enjoyed the hike.  I hope to see you for our next hike in March 2007.

 

November 4, 2006 - LHHT - Route 271 to Seward - In contrast to our weekend at Oil Creek State Park, the weather for the last leg on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) was fantastic.  We had a clear dry day with plenty of sunshine and good cheer.  Eight hikers joined us on the sixth and final section of the 70 mile LHHT from PA Route 271 to the trail’s end near Seward.  No timber rattlers this time but we did see a few late wildflowers and had some nice views of the Conemaugh gorge.  Six hikers started from the parking area off Route 271 and we met up with two more hikers at the half way point who had hiked in from Seward.  I can’t really say why but sometimes hikes are just especially fun.  This was one of those hikes.  The company was great, we kept up a brisk but comfortable pace, the weather was pretty and the trail was clear.  Similar to the last time we did this hike in May 2003, we finished in record time completing the 14 mile hike in about five hours.  We had so much extra time, I was able to talk everyone into stopping at the Johnstown Flood Museum before dinner; they were for the most part underwhelmed with the museum.  The only weird part of the day occurred while walking to the Johnstown Incline for the ride to the City View Bar & Grill at the top.  It had gotten pretty cold after sunset and on the way to the incline, Rebecca actually complained!  Of course, everyone else was complaining too but I thought Rebecca was impervious to heat, cold, lightning, etc.  Dinner at the City View was pretty good, the service was great and the view was really nice.  I’d recommend a visit the next time you’re in Johnstown.  Thanks to everyone for joining us on the hike.  Welcome to first timer Mike; hope we didn’t scare you off. 

 

October 28 & 29, 2006 - Oil Creek State Park Weekend - I have been delinquent lately in relating our adventures in the field with Keystone Ramblers.  It surprised me how many people commented on the missing Field Notes.  And here I thought that nobody ever read them!  Anyway, I’ll try to catch up now…  It was a dark and stormy night.  Followed by a dark and stormy day and an even darker and stormier night.  And, I fell off my bike and onto my butt during the bike ride; must have been the snow.  Anyway, that pretty much sums up our Oil Creek weekend!  Need more details?  Carol & I arrived in Oil City on Friday to check out the hikes and generally bum around.  It was cold and it poured rain all day so we didn’t actually do much.  We tried to find the Otto Cupler Torpedo Museum, but they were closed up tight, seemingly for good.  We did have a nice lunch at the Four Sons Brewery on South Franklin Street in Titusville.  The food was good and the beer excellent.  Friday night we walked around Oil City in the pouring rain and finally settled on a pizza for dinner.  Saturday continued to pour rain in the morning so we spent most of our time indoors at the Drake Well Museum.  I love the museum and never tire of looking at the exhibits.  The rain stopped late in the morning and four of us gathered in the museum parking lot for our bike ride along the rail trail to Petroleum Center.  It was a cold ride but was actually pretty much fun (except for my crash).  Oil Creek was running over its banks and at one point Tom rode through a foot of water on the bike trail.  The rest of us were smart enough to walk or ride around the high water.  I was looking forward to warming up at the state park office in Petroleum City before the return trip, but the office was closed.  I’m always amazed that the state parks close on the weekends.  I guess I can’t blame them; the only other people we saw in the park that day was a troop of crazy backpacking boy scouts.  What were they thinking being out in that weather.  Anyway, after the bike ride, we warmed ourselves up at the Drake Well Museum gift shop, then gathered the rest of the troops for our afternoon hike.  The bridge at Broughton was still out, so we did a shuttle hike from Miller’s Farm rather than the originally scheduled loop.  The hike was cold and wet with several moments of bright sun to keep our spirits up.  Along the way, we stopped at an old graveyard where early settlers were buried in what is now forest and hiked through areas of beautiful hemlocks.  We stumbled on a hollow tree called home by a small, shy porkypine.  He let us take a pretty good look before hiding inside his hollow trunk.  We also came upon a flock of wild turkeys moving through the woods.  Tea cup and saucer sized clumps of snow and sleet were falling by the time we got back to the museum parking lot and the weather just got worse from there.  Jason had a hair raising drive back to Pittsburgh in blinding sleet and snow with tanker trucks and semis careening all around him.  And Erik and Cristin went camping!  Ha, ha!  They’re tough; good for them.  The rest of us went to dinner at Bella Cucina in downtown Franklin.  The food was excellent.  Our dinners were prepared perfectly; probably the best I’ve had outside of Montreal.  Unfortunately, that night they had a very loud Irish band playing that was more suited for a pub than a fine restaurant.  It was a relief when they went on break, but they were back again quickly enough drowning out all conversation.  The only thing that could be heard over the band was the drunk woman screeching at the next table.  The weather was much better on Sunday with bright sun and relatively warm temperatures.  We met at Petroleum Center and had a very nice hike beginning at Wildcat Hollow, crossing Pioneer Run at Gregg Falls, coming across the old railroad bridge over Oil Creek and up to the top of the gorge to the cross country ski area.  It was a beautiful day and a very pleasant hike.  Thanks to everyone for joining us on this great adventure in northwest Pennsylvania.  Welcome to Allen who braved the bad weather to hike with us for the first time. 

 

September 23, 2006 - Coopers Rock State Forest - Planning, scouting and leading hikes and maintaining the web site takes a lot of time; but hikes like this make it all worthwhile.  Despite the dire forecast, we had a beautiful day for our hike on Saturday at Coopers Rock State Forest in West Virginia.  Our nine hikers were in no hurry and we took our time and relaxed during this short, easy hike.  Last year, we did the Coopers Rock hike in mid-November, just after a freak snowstorm knocked down treetops which made much of our hike into a scramble.  This year, the trails were clear making for easy walking.  Along the way we stopped at the Henry Clay Iron Furnace and tried to envision what it would have looked like 170 years ago, soon after the furnace was built.  Each year, wood from 250 acres was required for charcoal to fire the furnace so the entire area would have been denuded of trees far and wide.  Around the furnace would have been a small town with about 100 log homes, a school, company store and church.  Today, only the furnace remains, with no trace of the once thriving community.  Just past the furnace, we stopped for lunch on Rock City which is a fascinating collection of large rocks slowly breaking apart.  After lunch on Rock City, we walked the most interesting piece of trail on the hike through huge rhododendron with improbably thick trucks along the base of rock cliffs below the Coopers Rock overlook.  We took a brief side trip to see Haystack Rock which has recently been slipping down the hillside toward the Cheat River and then scrambled over the boulders to join the tourists enjoying the view of the Cheat Valley from Coopers Rock.  After a short bushwhack down the hillside toward Clay Run, we had an easy walk along the trail back to our cars.  Dinner at Oliverio’s in Morgantown was a nice change and everyone enjoyed watching Tom pack away TWO desserts.  Happy Birthday Tom!  Welcome to new hikers Ken & Craig and welcome back to our regulars: Carol, Brad, Jeff, Steve, Linda and Tom.  I hope everyone enjoyed the hike as much as I did. 

 

August 12, 2006 - LHHT - Laurel Mountain (US 30) to Route 271 - People who complain about Pittsburgh’s weather must never actually venture outdoors because we could not have had a nicer day for our hike than last Saturday.  Thirteen of us met to hike the fifth section of the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) from Laurel Mountain (US Route 30) to PA Route 271.  The weather on Saturday was perfect and I couldn’t have hoped for a nicer group.  The trail between Laurel Mountain and PA 271 follows Laurel Ridge and is relatively flat with just a couple of moderate ups and downs.  Along the way, we passed through fields of cinnamon ferns that reminded me of the Hammersley Wild Area in Potter County and through a boulder field like a small Rock City from Coopers Rock State Park in West Virginia.  The most exciting part of the hike, was at the very end, about 50 yards from the parking area, where we encountered a beautiful timber rattler in full yellow, sunning herself across the trail.  She was very tolerant of us until we started taking photos which caused her to rattle and coil.  Seeing the rattler was a special ending to a very pleasant hike on a beautiful day in Western Pennsylvania.  After the hike, we recovered the cars at the trailhead and had a good dinner at the Ligonier Tavern in Ligonier, PA.  After dinner, Carol, Eleanor, Jeff and I wandered up Main Street to find the bronze marker for the Forbes Road and then finished the day with an ice cream.  Welcome to new hikers Joanne, Eleanor, Tom and Jason who seemed like old friends since several of our hikers knew them from elsewhere.  Welcome back to all our regulars: Carol, Tom, Rachel, Cristin, Erik, Rebecca, Jeff, Dave and Steve.  I hope to see you all again soon. 

 

July 15, 2006 - Cook Forest State Park - Fourteen of us met on Saturday afternoon for a relaxed hike at Cook Forest State Park.  Friday night was hot and humid and I worried about thunderstorms and other problems hiking on Saturday.  It turns out, there was no need to worry - Saturday was warm but not so humid and the promised thunderstorms never showed.  The trails at Cook Forest State Park are well maintained and weave through areas that are exceptionally beautiful.  All along our hike, we passed stands of old growth timber, some which are 450 years old, and walked through large areas of rhododendron in full bloom.  Our hike included three big climbs.  The first climb was from the Log Cabin Inn to the campground, another from the Clarion River to the fire tower and the last from the park office to the top of the ridge in the Forest Cathedral.  The climbs made the hike somewhat challenging, especially in the heat, but we stopped often to rest and enjoy the surroundings.  Several of our hikers climbed the Cook Forest fire tower for the view. While on the fire tower, Cristin and Erik watched a bald eagle soaring over the Clarion River.  We ended our hike by wandering through the Forest Cathedral speculating on which of the tall trees was the oldest.  One day, I’ll catch a ranger lead tour of the area and learn some details of the trees.  The old growth hemlocks and white pines in the Forest Cathedral are massive approaching 200 feet tall and some 300 years old.  Earlier in the day, Carol and I did a geocache in another area of the park.  The geocache was hidden near the largest American cherry tree that I’d ever seen.  If you’ve never been to Cook Forest State Park, you should plan a visit and explore the area to get an idea of what Western Pennsylvania looked like when William Penn was governor.  After the hike, we had a little time to clean up and cool down, then had dinner at the Gateway Lodge.  Anna wanted to simply eat their free snacks and drink their free tea, but we herded her and everyone else to the beautiful dining room for a very pleasant dinner.  After dinner, Carol and I stayed for an excellent performance of Guys & Dolls by Clarion University at the park’s Saw Mill Theater.  On Sunday, Carol, Cristin, Erik and I rented kayaks and drifted the Clarion River to enjoy the beautiful, sunny day.  Overall, a great way to spend a weekend.  Once in a while, we get an especially nice group and have an especially nice hike and this was one of those times.  Welcome to new hikers Jeanne, Chuck and Jean and welcome back to all our old regulars.  I hope you enjoyed the hike as much as I did.  

 

June 24, 2006 - Quebec Run Wild Area - Our Fifth Anniversary Hike - We celebrated our fifth anniversary on Saturday with a hike in the Quebec Run Wild Area.  Five years goes by fast and it seems like yesterday that Kathy and I started the Keystone Ramblers with friends we made while hiking with Mountain Dreams Outfitters.  Now, Mountain Dreams is gone and so are all of the original hikers that were on our first hike.  Kathy is in California, Viduri is in Boston, Dave (Birdman) is in South Carolina, Barb is somewhere on French Creek, John & Joyce never hiked with us again, and Linda & Lisa (who got lost and never actually made it to the hike) are off doing their own thing.  Did I miss anyone?  Our group has changed considerably over the years but Quebec Run is still as beautiful as always.  We managed to pick a day with the Mountain Laurel in full bloom and there were spots along the hike where the smell of the laurel and cinnamon ferns mingled.  Along the hike, we passed through stands of Larch, my favorite tree, and groves of laurel with pink, white blossoms.  We saw several bright orange newts and were serenaded along the way by wood thrushes and towhees.  Quebec Run remains one of my favorite spots with many fond memories of hikes and friends.  I can’t remember where we ate after the hike five years ago, but to celebrate on Saturday, we had an excellent dinner at Chez Gerard in Hopwood.  Thanks to everyone that came on the hike Saturday: Carol, Rebecca, Rachel, Cristin, Branson, Kenn and Nanci.  I hope you had as much fun as I did and hope to see you again soon.

 

June 16 through June 18, 2006 - Greg’s Fourth Annual Orchid Adventure - Tobermory, Ontario - Anna, Carol & I left Pittsburgh on Thursday morning, stopped for lunch in Buffalo and met Greg and Ed & Carol (from the Susquehannock Lodge) for an excellent Indian dinner at Masala Bay in Waterloo, ON.  The next morning, Anna, Carol, Carol S. and I headed north, stopping at a couple of Tim Horton’s on the way for T & P and lunch, to the Bruce Peninsula which, of course, is the spit of land in Lake Huron that forms the Georgian Bay.  After a quick stop to visit the statue of Wiarton Willy (our Groundhog Day competitor), we continued to a place called Cape Croker on the Neyaashiinigaaming Indian Reservation where we hiked a section of the Bruce Trail along the escarpment above Colpoy’s Bay with great views of the chalk cliffs from Jones Bluff.  After our excellent hike to Jones Bluff, which we renamed the poison ivy hike because of that plant’s abundance along the trail, we headed north to Tobermory and checked into the Princess Hotel overlooking Little Tub Harbor where we met Greg, Ed, Jeanette and twenty-two other Canadians to begin our Orchid Adventure.  Carol and I abandoned the Princess Hotel for dinner at the Stone Orchid which serves unusual vegetarian Indonesian food and also had live music that evening but met up with the others later that night to enjoy the annual Tobermory fireworks display.  The waitress at the Stone Orchid directed us to the ditch across the street from the restaurant where we saw our first orchids of the weekend, a large clump of Big Showies.  On Saturday, we started early with a boat ride to Flowerpot Island with a quick tour of sunken ships (through the boat’s glass bottom, and the lighthouse of Big Tub Harbor.  On Flower Pot Island, we weren’t disappointed and found many, many orchids, flowers, rare plants, and odd critters.  My favorite was the little 2500 year old white cedars growing from the cliffs in what was called the “vertical forest.”  Saturday afternoon, before dinner at the Princess Hotel, a few of us followed the Bruce Trail from the hotel to the new Bruce Peninsula National Park Visitors Centre which had opened that day.  After a movie, tour, and view from the observation tower, we hiked the newly opened Burnt Point trail.  The new trail twisted and turned through white cedar forest with the springy feel of walking on peat.  The trail crossed pebble beaches on the Georgian Bay with beautiful views of crystal clear water.  The next day, the group traveled to the Singing Sands beach on Lake Huron where we saw yellow and pink lady slippers, wild irises and dozens of carnivorous pitcher plants.  From Singing Sands, we drove a short ways to the Bruce Alvar to see lakeside daisies and Indian paintbrushes.  Finally, we stopped at Larkwhistle gardens which is a one acre wonder of flowers, vegetables and herbs on the Bruce Peninsula near the small town of Dyers Bay.  After leaving the garden, the group parted ways for the return home.  Since we were so close, a few of us drove to Dyers Bay to see the sights and search out our friend Charles who has a cottage there.  Charles and his wife Joy showed us around their cottage including their stone beach on Georgian Bay.  Sunday night, we headed back to Greg’s in Waterloo where we made Ed cook dinner, then Monday we all headed home. 

 

May 20, 2006 - LHHT - Hidden Valley to Laurel Mountain (US 30) - The 12-days of rain broke and left us a cool, beautiful day for our long, 15 mile hike on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) Saturday between Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain.  Six hikers completed the fourth and longest section of the trail on our two season quest to complete the entire LHHT end-to-end.  Hard to believe that it has been three years and one month since we last hiked this section of trail.  I remember that hike like it was yesterday; for one thing, it was cooler then and the leaves and flowers were not yet out.  This hike found lots of wildflowers with trillium being especially plentiful.  We found batches of white and pink trillium and a beautiful variegated trillium with dark green leaves.  Jack-in-the-Pulpits were also plentiful as were starflowers and foam flowers.  We also found one excellent fossil on the trail and many interesting rock formations and the view from Beam Rock was excellent and bright.  Unfortunately, the best find from the last time was missing this year but we did meet several boy scout troops hiking the trail and a couple of weary looking backpackers who looked like they needed a shower and a good meal.  After the hike, we celebrated a late Cinco de Mayo at Casa Chapala in Ligonier.  Casa Chapala is one of our standard après hike dining locations and I’ve always enjoyed their margaritas and spicy food.  Casa Chapala is now under new ownership and is definitely a keeper with a healthy and interesting California/Mexican menu.  The food and service is excellent and well worth a stop the next time you’re in Ligonier.  I hope everyone had a good time and I look forward to seeing you on our next hike.

 

April 22, 2006 - Roaring Run Natural Area - Forbes State Forest - Thunderstorms blowing through the area late last week made Roaring Run live up to its name this weekend for our hike in the Forbes State Forest.  Nine hikers started out for our traditional eight mile loop which normally includes crossing Roaring Run at least 28 times.  Our plans quickly changed when we saw how high Roaring Run was flowing.  Instead of crossing, we bushwhacked on the south side of the run, occasionally meeting back up with the trail, skipping the first fourteen or so of the crossings.  The last time we were here, in July, we saw piles of red Bee Balm.  This trip, we saw many early spring wildflowers including Spring Beauties, red and white Trillium, Blue Cohosh, immature Mayapples, Bloodroot, Dutchman’s Breeches, yellow and violet Violets, yellow Trout Lilies, Starflowers, Dwarf Ginseng, False Hellebore, Ramps, and one perfect Jack-in-the-Pulpit.  We also saw and ate many, many bugs.  After about an hour of hiking, bushwhacking, flower watching and bug eating, we heard shouts from across the creek. Out of nowhere came Josie and Jess, wet, muddy, and laughing, running to catch us up.  They had arrived late after a wrong turn on the Turnpike and had hit the trail running!  Unlike us, afraid to get our feet wet, Josie and Jess followed the trail the whole way including the fourteen crossings that we avoided by bushwhacking.  After meeting up, we continued along the trail, crossing Roaring Run with grace, daring and wet feet until, finally having had enough, we left the creek and returned to our cars by the high route along the South Loop Trail, a less interesting but more direct route than normal.  After the hike, we met my coworker, Kevin at the New Centerville Rural and Volunteer Fire Department for a wonderful buckwheat cake supper.  Kevin rode his bike 70 miles from his house in the Northside just to have dinner with us.  I had a great hike and hope that everyone else did too.  Love those buckwheat cakes!

 

April 8, 2006 - McConnell’s Mill State Park - Alpha Pass to Hell’s Hollow - My favorite hike kicked my butt.  I’ve done this hike many times and have never been so sore and tired.  Can you even imagine the crazy nut balls that hike over twice as far on the Rachel Carson Challenge!  The day started out cold but warmed quickly after we started hiking at the Alpha Pass trailhead.  Near the beginning of our hike, while we were stripping off the first set of extra clothes, a dog, “Buddy” joined our group and kept us company for the entire hike.  Of course, even though we hike 15 miles, Buddy hiked about 30, running back and forth at breakneck speed.  Wish I had his energy.  We saw few wildflowers on the first half of the hike; but on the way back, the forest had exploded with blossoms!  We saw Spring Beauties, Colts Foot, Bloodroot, Blue Cohosh, Purple Lindas and many other flowers that I couldn’t identify.  Unfortunately, we lost our wildflower expert to a twisted ankle before the big blooming.  Normally, I’d just make up names; I was too sore to be creative.  The trail was in great condition compared to previous years with less mud and fewer blowdowns and someone has greatly improved the trail over the slide areas.  We made it to the Hell’s Hollow parking area with only one casualty and after dropping off poor Anna in the parking lot, continued downstream to the bridal veil falls on Hell’s Run.  We crawled through the old lime kiln and then crossed the creek for an adventurous bushwhack up and up the opposite hill.  Only Buddy climbed easily but at least this year Cristin didn’t lose her shoe.  The walk back was uneventful and we stopped several times to enjoy the steady blooming of flowers and to listen to the roaring waters of Slippery Rock creek.  Several kayakers were taking advantage of the spring flood, bouncing between boulders and generally whooping it up.  Unfortunately, the old mill was still closed for the season so we didn’t linger long before heading back to the cars at Alpha Pass.  For me, the hardest part of the hike was climbing that last set of stairs back to the parking lot.  Dinner at Harmony Inn is always terrific and this year was no excepting.  They are good, reasonably priced and always treat us exceptionally well.  Thanks very much to Luann and Nina for rescuing poor, lame Anna.  Welcome to new hikers Tessa and David and welcome back to all the regulars.  I hope everyone had as much fun as I did and hope to see you for our next hike. 

 

March 25, 2006 - Ohiopyle State Park - Baughman Rock & Meadow Run Loops - We had a beautiful day last Saturday for our double loop hike at Ohiopyle State Park.  Twenty hikers met at the Visitor Center & Train Station in Ohiopyle for our first loop on the Baughman Rock and Sugarloaf Trails.  After an extended climb to the top of the ridge, we had a nice but cloudy view of the Yough River Gorge from Baughman Rock overlook.  The woods were still bare and brown, especially at the top of the ridge, but we enjoyed the leafless view of the surrounding topography.  We stopped for lunch near an abandoned farm pond a short bushwhack away from Baughman Rock and after lunch continued back to Ohiopyle on the Sugarloaf Trail high above Meadow Run.  From the Sugarloaf Trail, we had glimpses of Meadow Run and the rocks that we would visit later in the day.  Back in Ohiopyle, we enjoyed the park’s heated bathrooms and addressed our most serious crisis ever: more people than space at our designated après hike restaurant, DiMarco’s in Uniontown.  With some luck, we talked Caileigh’s into taking the group for dinner and DiMarco’s graciously let us cancel our reservation at the last minute.  Dinner plans made, we began our second loop for the day at the natural slides on Meadow Run which is a tributary of the Yough with its confluence in Ohiopyle.  The slides are amazing and several hikers vowed to return in the summer for a slide.  After a short hike along the rocks of the run, we once again climbed to the top of the ridge where the Yough could be seen in the distance through the bare trees.  The trail descends back to Meadow Run at the beautiful Cascades waterfall where we hung out for a short time on the rocks enjoying the roar of the water.  We completed our hike by following Meadow Run back to Ohiopyle and our cars.  Dinner at Caileigh’s was great and the staff excellent.  Welcome to all the new hikers.  For the first time, we had hikers from Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania!  I hope everyone had a much fun as I did and hope to see you all again soon.

 

December 3, 2005 - Rachel’s Ohiopyle Loop - Rachel has lead several hikes for us over the last couple years and she always finds beautiful and interesting routes.  Saturday’s hike was no exception with Rachel leading us through some exceptionally beautiful areas in Ohiopyle State Park.  Eleven hikers turned out for what proved to be a lovely winter day.  Our hike started at Cucumber Falls parking area, followed the Yough along the Great Gorge Trail then climbed the ridge on the Kentuck trail.  We made a small loop, through groves of green rhododendron, on the Sugar Run and Mitchell Trails and returned to our cars the way we came.  Along the way, we had beautiful views of the Yough and of distant, snow covered valleys through the trees.  The falls on Sugar Run and Jonathan Run were spectacular with early season runoff.  This hike rivals Linn Run as my winter favorite.  Linda & Laura joined six of us after the hike for an excellent dinner at Caileigh’s in Uniontown.  This was without a doubt the best après hike dinner we’ve had in a long time.  Not only was the food excellent and the service great, but Caileigh’s staff was extremely gracious in the face of our hiker’s dress and boisterous demeanor.  We didn’t realize how gracious until confronted with all the swank people waiting for seats that looked down their noses at us on the way out.  Anyway, thank you Rachel for a great hike, Caileigh’s for a great dinner and the rest of our hikers for great company.  Welcome to new hikers Jeff and Branson; hope to see you again soon and often, and welcome back to Dave who we haven’t seen since early in the year.  A special welcome back to Chris who just returned from a year long tour in Iraq; glad you’re back safe and sound.  I hope everyone had as much fun as I did on this hike and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  See you all in January. 

 

November 12, 2005 - Coopers Rock State Forest - We had an incredible day on Saturday for our hike at Coopers Rock State Forest in West Virginia.  The sky was bright blue and there was still a hint of color in the leaves.  The freak snowstorm from a few weeks ago caused a lot of damage and many large trees and branches were down throughout the forest.  We had some rough going in one area near the old furnace.  We cleared some of the smaller stuff off the trail while we were hiking and hopefully made the job for the volunteer trail crew a bit easier.  With fourteen people, we had the largest group in quite a while.  The limb littered trails and the large group made for slow going and we took about an hour longer than expected to finish the hike.  The extra time allowed everyone to get to know each other and hopefully everyone had a good time.  Along the way, we got to see an expanse of witch hazel trees all in yellow bloom, the old Henry Clay Iron Furnace once a hive of activity now apparently out in the middle of nowhere, Rock City which never fails to impress and of course Coopers Rock with its great view.  Our hike included some scrambling over rocks and lots of crawling over logs.  After the hike, we had a good dinner in Morgantown at Back Bay where the main theme is fish.  Welcome to new hikers Gary, Erin, Jim and Betsy.  Welcome back to Cristin, Brad and Cathy who we haven’t seen for a while.  I hope everyone had a great time.  I enjoyed hiking with you. 

 

October 22, 2005 - LHHT - Mud Pike to Hidden Valley - Looking back through my field notes, it’s been a long time since we got rained on with such enthusiasm during a hike.  Cold and stormy would best describe our hike last Saturday on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) from Mud Pike (PA 653) to Hidden Valley.  I think that our five hikers enjoyed the day despite the rain.  Tom B. could only spend a couple of hours hiking so after driving us to the trailhead, he walked with us to the overlook for a great view of fog then turned around.  Rebecca missed us again for the start of the hike, but started walking from the fire tower and met us halfway.  Rebecca is a great navigator because she managed to find her way through the construction at Seven Springs without getting lost.  The Seven Springs portion of the LHHT is currently quite a mess and a challenge to follow in the fog.  Anyway, even with the rain the hike was beautiful.  The leaves have just turned and there is something beautiful and extraordinary about walking through autumn woods in the rain.  The sound of the rain is soothing and the wet leaves seem like a glossy photograph.  At lunch, in light rain, Rebecca made us tea.  Having tea in the woods in the rain with friends is a great experience.  Somehow I know that I’ll remember this hike for a long time.  Of course, the best part of hiking in the cold rain is that you can eat tons of food for dinner.  Linda, Laura and Mike skipped the hike but met at Nino’s in Laurelville for a great Italian dinner.  Nino’s is a very nice Italian American dinner; be sure to stop if you’re out that way.  Thanks to Tom for taking us to the trailhead and thanks to everyone for joining me on this hike.  I hope you had as much fun as I did. 

 

September 24, 2005 - John P. Saylor Trail - When I was a young pup, the John P. Saylor Trail was my favorite place for weekend backpacking trips.  The trail is beautiful with mixed forest and great places to set up camp.  It’s always fun to come back and to observe the subtle changes that occur over the years.  Saturday was a perfect day for a hike.  The trees had a hint of autumn color and the smell of cinnamon ferns filled the air.  Our five hikers enjoyed the long walk and the great company.  We saw a few common fall wild flowers like tiny lavender asters and goldenrod but many of the boggy areas which are normally emerald green and vibrant were dry and brown from lack of rain.  Clear Shade Creek, where I’ve spent many quiet hours fishing, was very low and could have easily been crossed without wet toes.  We saw no fish and aside from some chipmunks and a few birds, no wildlife.  After the hike, Tom, Tom and I had good dinner a Rizzo’s in Windber, PA.  I had eggplant parmesan which has become my favorite of late.  Welcome back to Tom, Kenn and Nanci.  I hope to see you all again soon.  Rebecca - sorry we missed you at the trail head! 

 

August 13, 2005 - LHHT - Maple Summit to Mud Pike - Pittsburgh was hot and steamy in Monroeville on Saturday morning so it was a pleasant surprise to find Laurel Ridge cool and comfortable for our hike.  We met in the parking lot at the Laurel Ridge State Park picnic area, where we ski in the winter, and carpooled to the start of the hike at Maple Summit where we left off in April.  This hike was the second in the series of six hikes to cover the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).  From Maple Summit, we hiked along rolling trail through 2nd and 3rd growth timber.  Along the way, we met a family spending the weekend backpacking from the Laurel Ridge State Park picnic area to the Ohiopyle Shelters and back.  Mom looked none too happy with her big pack and miles more to walk.  We paused frequently to eat blackberries and huckleberries in the small clearings that we encountered along the trail.  We stopped for a rest and a snack along a small tributary of Sandy Run before climbing back to the top of the ridge, past the Rt. 653 Shelters, and back to our cars.  With only four people, our pot luck picnic was small in selection but large in volume with plenty to eat.  Steve brought a delicious quinoa salad that I hope to add to the recipes page soon, Ron brought a pasta salad and sandwich fixings and I brought Theresa’s famous black bean salad which has become a tradition for our pot luck picnic.  We had a small, select group for our hike with cool weather, good exercise and great conversations.  Welcome to first time hiker Ron and welcome back to Steve.  Thanks for coming on our hike and I hope to see you again soon. 

 

July 17, 2005 - Roaring Run Natural Area - We had a moderately cool summer day, rare this year, for our hike in the Roaring Run Natural Area of the Forbes State Forest on the western flank of Laurel Ridge.  Our group hadn’t been to Roaring Run for over three years.  Not much has changed and it is still as pretty as ever.  The Roaring Run hike is best known for the trail crossing the stream twenty-eight times.  In the spring and during wet summers, the stream crossings can be a challenge.  Remember when Lisa fell in and nearly drowned her mom’s cookies?  But this year, since it has been so dry, we didn’t even have a wet toe.  We had a pleasant hike through Bee Balm with its beautiful, bright red flowers and the unusually shaped Turk’s Cap Lilly which looks like a Day Lily turned inside-out.  Everyone got to try some late season Greenbrier which often tastes like lemon and bean sprouts; this year the consensus was that it tasted pretty much like grass.  Beerman spotted some small trout in Roaring Run and Anna impressed everyone by naming some of the obscure plants.  I reminisced how our old friend Darlene would patiently teach us the names of all the wildflowers.  After climbing to the top of the ridge, we stopped to look at the memorial to the three kids that died in 1896 in a sleigh accident on the way home from church.  The trail along the ridge has been cleared and the Greenbrier cut back since the last time we were here.  Unfortunately, the overlook at Painter Rock is pretty much obscured by trees and the view is gone.  Just before starting our descent down Painter Rock Hill, we met two non-Kevin mountain bikers coming up, poor devils.  They were “lost” and had just “biked” up one of the steepest stretches of trail around.  Painter Rock Hill might be tough to bike up, but it is certainly fun to run down.  I must be getting too old for this running down hill because my knees were shaking by the time I got to the bottom.  We walked the last mile to the cars pushed by thunder but did not get hit by any rain.  After the hike, we had a nice dinner at Ligonier Tavern.  We had hoped to sit outside and listen to a band play in the gazebo, but the threat of bad weather moved the concert inside.  It was weird to see all the people sitting in their lawn chairs in the Ligonier diamond listening to the concert over loudspeakers.  Instead of sitting, we walked around, went window shopping and had ice cream.  What a great way to spend a summer day.  Welcome to first time hikers Beth and Rick and welcome back to Erik.  Thanks for coming on our hike. 

 

June 4, 2005 - Alpha Pass to Hell’s Hollow - McConnell’s Mill State Park - Our intrepid hikers, Tom, Luanne, Rebecca, Big Dave, Anna and I braved mud, poison ivy, and sore feet to complete this long difficult hike.  Along the way, we encountered a snake with a frog in its mouth, turkeys, kayakers, and a group from Venture Outdoors led by my hiking buddy Pauline.  We saw wild, American yew, Solomon’s seal, clintonia, Mayapples, and piles of other wildflowers.  We stopped for lunch at the confluence of Hell’s Hollow and Slippery Rock creek and then hiked another two miles to Hell’s Hollow Falls and the ruins of the lime kiln.  Half way and we’re still in good shape.  Back down Hell’s Hollow to Slippery Rock creek and we’re starting to slow down.  The last five miles were pretty tough - somehow the uphills got steeper, the downhills got muddier and the rocks got slipperier.  Did I mention the heat?  It was the first day of the now famous June heat wave and we all drank enough water to run the fountain at the Point for a week.  But despite the challenges, we still made it back in time for dinner!  As always, we had a great meal at the Harmony Inn in historic Harmony Village.  They are fast, good, reasonably priced and have excellent service.  Thanks to everyone for joining me on my favorite hike.  Hope to see you again soon and often. 

 

May 21, 2005 - Linn Run State Park - We must be doing something right because we had another gorgeous day and a great group of people for our hike at Linn Run State Park.  This is one of my favorite hikes because it is challenging but not too long, the area is very scenic and has lots of historic significance, and there are plenty of good restaurants in nearby Ligonier.  We saw piles of wild flowers along the entire hike which Sue and Karen helped to identify.  There were trillium of various colors, may apples not yet blooming, tulip poplar trees with their yellow-orange blossoms, Jack-in-the-Pulpits of various sizes, and a squaw root just popping up.  Along the trail, we sampled greenbrier, wood sorrel, sassafras, and black birch.  I’ve noticed that Linda is getting much more accepting of eating things out of the woods.  Since this was the closest we could come to Cinco de Mayo, we had dinner at Casa Chapala in Ligonier.  Dinner was good, but Casa Chapala is still having trouble with larger groups and it was a bit slow.  Welcome back to Dave, Sue, Hazel and Karen who we haven’t seen for a long time. 

 

April 16, 2005 - LHHT - Ohiopyle to Maple Summit - Who would have thought that the weather in early April could be so nice.  Eleven of us had a beautiful, spring day for our strenuous but pleasant hike on the first eleven miles of the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).  The stretch from Ohiopyle to Maple Summit is the most difficult on the LHHT with a steep climb of about 1100 feet in just over a mile.  The exceptional views of the Youghiogheny gorge and the general sense of accomplishment make the climb worthwhile.  After leaving cars in the State Game Land parking lot at the top of the mountain, we drove to Ohiopyle to start the hike.  The first steep pitch took us to a beautiful overlook with a view of the Yough and Sugarloaf Mountain.  The trees were mostly still bare which brings out the topography of the hillsides and erosion valleys.  Several miles of ups and downs took us through areas covered with wild flowers and across quiet brooks.  We stopped for lunch at the Ohiopyle shelter area and then headed up, up, up to the top of Laurel Ridge.  Once at the top, it was an easy walk back to the cars with one great view of the Yough valley from high rocks.  But the best was yet to come!  After the hike, we retrieved our cars in Ohiopyle, headed over the hill to Confluence and then up the Laurel Hill Creek valley to the New Centerville VFD buckwheat pancake supper in New Centerville.  The pancakes, potatoes, and sausage were great.  Linda simply pounded the pudding; the locals were impressed.  For some of us, dinner was a treat; for others, maybe not so much.  But all agree it was a unique experience.  I hope everyone had a nice day.  Remember, don’t feed them ducks and keep your hands off the sausage!  Welcome to first time hikers Erik, Jessica and Tom; I hope to see you again soon and often. 

 

April 3, 2005 - B & C Tours - Singles Hike at Bear Run Nature Reserve -  Had this doggone Singles hike planned for two months.  Using my imagination in February, I could see a warm, sunny day on the trails, walking two-by-two, getting to know Mr. Close (one of my female friends has given up the search for Mr. Right.)  Or even getting to know Miss She’ll Do.  We stayed up on the mountain the night before the hike and woke up to a warm, sunny day.  That’s a lie.  Actually, there was four inches of snow on the ground.  We will hike in anything, but we wondered if anyone else might show up.  I mean, who would be crazy enough to venture the drive in this snow, much less go out into the woods to do a hike?  Nine fun people, that’s who.  Bundled up, we hiked for about an hour and a half before we made our way back to trailhead.  Agreeing that this wasn’t enough, we spent a very pleasant time together over lunch.  Indoors.  It was easy to converse with each other in the restaurant, without the sound of nylon hoods rubbing against our ears.  We’re thinking about doing it again soon, only without the snow. - Kenn

 

March 12, 2005 - Schenley Park & Nearby Neighborhoods - We had an excellent almost-spring-day-in-Pittsburgh for my favorite urban hike through Oakland, Greenfield, Hazelwood and Squirrel Hill.  Snow gave way to bright sun, which gave way to sleet, then more sun, then a blizzard, then sun, on and on, etc., etc.  Four of us enjoyed the walk, good company and every changing weather.  Along the way, we heard one hawk and saw another (a tradition), had great views of Panther Hollow, the Mon Valley and downtown Pittsburgh, stood above the stone bridge which is buried under the Mary Schenley fountain, checked status of the work on the grand entrance to Schenley Park, toured Calvary Cemetery, climbed some historic Pittsburgh steps, and had a treat at Starbucks on Forward Avenue in Squirrel Hill.  After the hike, we enjoyed the Spring Flower show at Phipps Conservatory.  The new entrance to Phipps is beautiful and I can’t wait until the landscaping is complete.  Our good friends Allen and Rachel couldn’t make the hike but joined us for a pleasant dinner at Ali Baba in Oakland.  I hope everyone enjoyed the hike as much as I did and I hope to see you again in April for our next hike. 

 

February 12, 2005 - Cross Country Skiing at Laurel Mountain State Park - A week of rain and warm weather destroyed the base on Laurel Mountain so that even the four inches of fresh snow that fell on Friday couldn’t save our ski trip; we decided to hike instead.  In the morning, Carol, Luanne and I met another hiker, Mary, at the Ski Patrol hut and had a nice walk through fluffy snow on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.  Mary is walking the entire LHHT in segments.  We returned to the Ski Patrol hut for lunch and while we were eating, saw a large Purple Bus zip by on Laurel Mountain Road.  What the…?  After lunch, Carol, Luanne and I decided to drive to Laurel Summit State Park for a nice walk out to Wolf Rocks.  On the way, we encountered the Purple Bus.  Purple Bus + single lane dirt road + us = ditch.  The bus won and we were very happy for Luann’s 4WD.  (We saw the Purple Bus later at The Springs at Laurel Mountain downhill ski area - wrong turn buddy?)  The walk out to Wolf Rocks was beautiful with all the newly fallen snow and we had a great view from the rocks out over the Linn Run Valley.  While there, we met a group from D.C. that was actually trying to ski the rocky trails.  Their poor skis!  After our walk, we stopped at the downhill ski area to change and get a snack and then headed down the mountain to dinner at the Ligonier Country Inn in Laughlintown.  Dinner was good but a little pricy.  Tom B. won’t ski but he met us for dinner; it’s always fun to watch Tom wolf down dessert in three or four bites. 

 

January 29, 2005 - Cross Country Skiing at Laurel Ridge State Park - Skiers know that Pittsburgh only has about two months of good weather; the rest of the time, there’s no snow.  We were lucky on Saturday to have just enough snow for great skiing at Laurel Ridge State Park.  The temperature was pleasant, in the mid-twenties, and the ski bright blue.  It was such a beautiful day, we were surprised that more people weren’t skiing.  Laura and Linda came and I was pleasantly surprised to see Luann and her sister Kristen.  We haven’t seen Kristen since she went off to school and, after our trip to Laurel Mountain a couple of years ago, I never expected to see Luann on skies again.  Our little group took a run around the blue and red trails before and again after lunch.  Pretty flakes of snow fell near the end of the day promising a winter wonderland for Sunday.  The trails were fast, the hills steep, and the snow, thankfully, soft.  We all enjoyed Linda’s rolling commentary and occasional screams.  Many thanks to the Bob Rupple and the Riversport Cross Country Ski Concession for keeping the trails beautifully groomed.  After skiing, we met up with Brad and headed for dinner at the Italian Oven in Connellsville.  I passed up my traditional aubergine and instead got portabella lasagna which was very tasty.  It was a great day of skiing with good friends and I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did.  I’m looking forward to our next ski trip to Laurel Mountain in February; hope to see you all there.

 

December 4, 2005 - Frick & Schenley Parks - I’ve procrastinated and somehow two weeks have gone by since our hike through Frick and Schenley Parks.  Now as I sit and watch the snow falling down, the hike seems long ago and the memory distant.  I do remember that it was a beautiful day and that we had an unusually large group with seventeen hikers.  We started the hike at Dippy and spent some time in Schenley Plaza inspecting the many monuments and reviewing a little history of Pittsburgh from 100 years ago.  We walked through Schenley Park and Squirrel Hill, stopping at Starbucks for a hot drink before continuing to Frick Park.  The trails through Frick Park were muddy from recent rains and everyone exclaimed “yech” as we slipped and slid through the puddles.  I only remember getting lost once (a new record?) in Frick Park cutting out the most slippy and interesting trail in the park.  We met Lisa in the Frick glade and she walked with us through the rest of Frick park and Homewood Cemetery.  In the cemetery, we admired the monuments to notable Pittsburghers like Henry Frick, Robert Pitcairn and Edwin Bigelow.  I especially like the Wm. H. Brown Pyramid although it’s a bit ostentatious.  After the cemetery, we headed up Forbes, down Murray and over Beacon back to Schenley Park through Panther Hollow and out at the Visitor’s Center.  Dinner at Spice Island Tea House on Atwood Street in Oakland was good as usual.  Welcome to first time hikers Julianna, Sandy and Kim.  Welcome back to Judy, Dan and Agnes; nice to see you again.  Hope to see you all again next year for cross-country skiing and hiking.  Have a wonderful holiday. - John

 

November 7, 2004 - Bear Run Nature Reserve - Sunday was a perfect day for a hike with strong sun and a bright blue sky and five of us had a great time at Bear Run Nature Reserve near Fallingwater and Ohiopyle.  The leaves have fallen in the Laurel Highlands so the views through the woods and the Yough were terrific.  Along the way, we found wintergreen, Christmas ferns, lots of greenbrier, and even tiny sassafras trees still with their leaves.  The mountain laurel was still green and the rhododendron has already formed next year’s buds.  The second half of the hike, along the Peninsula Trail, was the best part for me because I’ve never been there.  The trail follows the Yough the entire way and both the river and railroad tracks are visible.  There were no trains during our entire hike but there were several neat old quarries and a couple of steep hills that were fun to run down.  After the hike, we headed to Nemacolin Woodlands for dinner.  Unfortunately, Seasons, where we planned to eat, was closed, so we ate at the Tavern pub instead.  Seasons is a beautiful space and has an interesting menu with reasonable prices; but oddly, the Tavern seated us in the hallway and had a pub menu with prices more like a used car lot than a restaurant..  The food was good if overpriced, the service suitably snooty, and the fish tank was very large.  Welcome to first time hiker Maura and welcome back to Tom and Dave.  Special thanks to Rachel for showing us the way.

 

September 25 and 26, 2004 - Oil Creek State Park Weekend - There is no doubt in my mind that Pennsylvania is the best state for outdoor activities with thousands of miles of hiking trails, bike trails, trout streams, rivers for boating, country roads for biking or car touring and hundreds of beautiful, quaint small towns with a good restaurant in every one.  Our system of state parks and forests is unsurpassed with easy access to a park for everyone in the state.  Our weekend adventure showcased one of the state’s nicest parks.  Oil Creek State Park is a gem with excellent hiking trails, a great trout stream, a paved bike trail and a scenic railroad.  The park staff and volunteers ensure that the park is always clean and that the trails are well maintained.  The Drake Well Museum is adjacent to the park and should not be missed.  On display are artifacts from the early days of oil at the site of the first modern oil well.  In August of 1859, “Colonel” Edwin Drake struck oil at this site.  His discovery started the modern oil industry which we are still fighting for today. 

 

Carol and I began the weekend early Saturday morning with a tour of the Drake Well Museum.  I’ve been to the museum many times and never tire of it.  A new exhibit at the museum displayed a restored Crossett tanker truck from my home town of Warren, PA.  Crossett Trucking was owned by the grandfather of a close friend of mine.  After touring the museum, we met the rest of the day’s group in the museum parking lot and geared up for a ride on the bike trail along Oil Creek to Petroleum Center.  We flew along the trail passing other bikers, walkers and kayakers all out enjoying the beautiful day.  After a snack in Petroleum Center, we biked back to the Drake Well Museum to change clothes and prepare for our afternoon hike.  The pedestrian bridge over Oil Creek at Boughton Run was closed for repairs which made our planned loop hike from the museum impossible; so instead, we all crammed into Bob’s van for a shuttle to Miller’s Farm.  We hiked back to the museum from Miller’s Farm along a portion of the 36-mile long Gerard Hiking Trail that encircles the park.  After the hike, eight of us met in Franklin at Bella Cucina for an excellent dinner.  Franklin is a beautiful town and well worth a visit.  Several of us stayed in Franklin at Hager’s Peach Basket Bed & Breakfast.  Hager’s is a beautiful, turn-of-the-century, Victorian house and Maureen Hager made us feel comfortable and very welcome. 

 

On Sunday, we headed back to Oil Creek State Park to hike the Petroleum Center Loop.  Our group first did this hike in August 2001.  My buddy Dave got his nickname “Birdman” by identifying a weird heron from the iron bridge across Oil Creek.  On this trip, we saw a blue heron (even I know a blue heron) standing in the same spot.  We started the hike with a tour of oil junk along the trial in the park’s Wildcat Hollow Outdoor Classroom.  We saw oil pits and barrels, drilling rigs, pumps and drive rods, a steam engine and an eccentric for Central Power.  We climbed to the ridge above Oil Creek for a beautiful view of the valley and continued along the west rim until descending again to the creek.  After lunch along the creek, bike trail and railroad tracks, we headed back up, through beautiful hemlock forest to the top of the east rim.  We stopped at the scenic overview, just in time to see the Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad excursion train cross the bridge over Oil Creek.  After heading back to Petroleum Center, those of us with bikes took and quick, unscheduled ride to Titusville along the bike trail.  It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the last bit summer weather and the first of autumn color.  Thanks to all who attended.  I hope that everyone had as much fun as I did.  I’m looking forward to our next visit to Oil Creek State Park in Spring 2005 for a hike led by writer and naturalist Linda Steiner. 

 

August 14, 2004 - Laurel Ridge State Park Hike and Pot Luck Picnic - On the way to the hike, I was lamenting to my friend Carol that all the founding hikers in our group have gone their separate ways and that I’m the only one left.  Therefore, it was an excellent surprise when Dave D. pulled into the parking lot to hike with us on Saturday.  Dave was in the area from South Carolina to visit family and decided join us for the day.  It was great to have Dave back.  Coming from the heat of South Carolina, Dave picked a nice cool weekend for a hike.  It was great hiking weather and uncharacteristically cool for August.  We started the day with a pleasant walk along the Ridge on the cross country ski trails to the scenic vista overlooking the Laurel Run and Indian Creek valleys.  Unfortunately, because of the haze, we couldn’t see downtown Pittsburgh like we have on past hikes.  After lunch on the rocks, we headed back along the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).  Along the way we passed an old cemetery where settlers from the 1800’s are buried.  At milepost 18, we stopped at the Rt. 653 shelter area.  There are eight overnight shelter areas along the LHHT.  Each area has 5 Adirondack-style shelters with fireplaces, a water supply and latrine.  After leaving the shelter area, we continued down the hill, picking up the headwaters of Sandy Run and then headed back up to the Ridge along the cross country ski trails.  Some of our hikers had only been to the Ridge in the winter to ski and it was fun to compare and contrast the terrain from winter to summer.  Back at the picnic shelter, we checked out the construction of the new warming hut.  Unfortunately, several hikers had to leave before the picnic, but there was still lots of food and fun for those that stayed.  Bonka brought bread and an excellent red pepper dip and a delicious cake for dessert.  Linda brought chips and salsa, cookies and tea.  Tom brought a selection of deli treats from an Italian market in Johnstown.  I brought tabbouleh and chick pea salads, and Carol brought her remarkable appetite.  Beerman grilled kielbasa and saved the day with his hot charcoal.  By the time we had the picnic, it was cold on the Ridge!  Carol’s fingers turned a remarkable shade of blue and only thawed after several minutes over Tom’s fire.  Thanks everyone for hiking with us on Saturday.  Welcome to new hikers Bonka and Heather.  Welcome back to my old friend Dave.  I hope to see everyone again soon.

 

July 10, 2004 - Ohiopyle Triathlon - Biking, Hiking, Eating - Great group; great day.  Fourteen people participated in our second successful Ohiopyle Triathlon with an amazing 100% (more or less) completing all three events!  After a pleasant 11 mile bike ride from Ohiopyle to Confluence, we had lunch on the porch at the River’s Edge Café, then an equally pleasant 11 mile bike ride back to Ohiopyle where several hardy souls opted for the bonus events of ice cream eating and a quick dip in the Yough.  After regrouping, we started down the trail for a walk around the inside and outside loops of the Ferncliff Peninsula.  A tiny bit of bushwhacking was necessary on Ferncliff Peninsula; of course, bushwhacking is always fun for this hike leader.  Cucumber Falls and the rocky trail through the gorge to the Yough was especially beautiful.  Finally, for our last leg of the Triathlon - dinner at the Stone House Restaurant and Inn on US 40 in Chalk Hill.  Dinner was ok (at least the Stone House was open this time!) and the company was great.  The entire day was terrific, the bike ride was pleasant, the hiking beautiful, the food plentiful, and the weather perfect, but without question the highlight of the event was the great group of people.  Welcome to first timers, Linda, Kary, Rebecca, Diana, Dee Dee, Kristen and Christy; hope to see you soon and often. 

 

June 12, 2004 - McConnell’s Mill State Park - Alpha Pass to Hell’s Hollow - Seven Rambler regulars (not to be confused with regular Ramblers, of which there is only one, our VERY regular leader John A.…) showed up at the McConnell’s Mill park office for this ambitious 15-plus mile hike from Alpha Pass to Hell’s Hollow and back.  The day was sunny and pleasant, not too hot.  Because of the steep hemlock-lined walls of the gorge and the fast-flowing water of Slippery Rock Creek, the gorge can feel cool and refreshing on the warmest days.  This year we were treated to a typical late spring day, sunny and mild, a contrast to last year’s rain and chill for the same outing.

 

We started out on the Alpha Pass trail at a fast pace, through the gorge past the old mill and covered bridge, closely following Slippery Rock Creek on its east bank.  Beyond the mill the trail is paved with asphalt for a short distance, but after crossing a stream over scenic waterfalls it reverts to a more typical rough and rocky natural footway.  Even early on the hike we found ourselves stumbling and tripping on the rocks and stumps that cover the trail.  At 1.4 miles we crossed Slippery Rock Creek on Eckerd bridge and picked up the Slippery Rock Gorge Trail toward Hell’s Hollow.  Eckerd Bridge is a popular launching area for whitewater kayakers, which proved to be true on this day.  The Slippery Rock Gorge Trail is common from this point with the North Country National Scenic Trail which, when complete, is proposed to extend 4,600 miles from upstate New York to North Dakota.  Much of this trail is complete in PA but there are many sections that are undeveloped and fragmented in other states, particularly in the Midwest. 

 

Once across Eckerd Bridge the character of the woods changed slightly from that of a deep rocky gorge near the covered bridge and mill to a more open valley, although it’s still a steep one.  Except for a few switchback climbs up to the rim, the trail generally continued to follow along the west bank of the creek.  On this day the prime lunch log at Walnut Flats at creek’s edge was half-submerged in high water, so we opted to dine on higher ground.  After another 5.6 miles the trail leaves Slippery Rock Creek where Hell Run joins it, and follows Hell Run to the abandoned limekiln near a pretty waterfall.  We rested here long enough to pass around a bottle of Advil and complain about aching knees and feet, but we were only halfway so we soon turned around to retrace our steps back to Alpha Pass.

 

As it was originally planned, our hike would have taken us back to the mill from Eckerd Bridge on the Kildoo Trail.  This very rugged path follows the west side of Slippery Rock Creek.  Normally we would cross the creek on the covered bridge, but it was closed for repairs to damage caused by a falling tree.  Thank you to John A. for remembering to NOT take us down Kildoo Trail on our return, forcing us to either backtrack a very difficult mile or swim across the creek in class III rapids!  By the time we climbed out of the gorge to the parking lot, we were all very sore and tired, but felt good about finishing the hike without incident.  That is, except for Cristin, who we later learned was forced to abandon the old hiking creed “Leave only footprints, take only pictures.”  Hope you’re feeling better Cristin!

 

Dinner at the Harmony Inn in nearby historic Harmony added a nice finishing touch to our day.  And since we were so close, we could hardly turn down the chance to get some frozen custard out on Rt. 68 west of Zelienople! Mmmmm…(PS - Thanks Megan for the great trail notes!  -- John A.)

 

May 16, 2004 - Johnstown Flood Hike - A small group of hikers met Sunday morning at the Johnstown Flood Museum to learn about the tragic Johnstown Flood of 1989.  On May 31st, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed destroying Johnstown and killing 2,209 people.  The Johnstown flood was the worst man-made disaster of all time and made international headlines.  Within days of the flood, the mills were reopened and reconstruction of the city began.  Today, the spirit of the city is still evident with the well kept neighborhoods and beautiful parks.  After visiting the museum, we began our hike at the Seward trailhead of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) where we had a long climb to the top of Laurel Ridge.  We hiked through mountain laurel, rhododendron, and huckleberries.  Mayapples, purple violets, Jack-in-the-Pulpits and many other wildflowers were blooming along the trail.  Along the way, we had views through the trees of the Conemaugh river valley and Johnstown in the distance.  After about five miles we began to head downhill, leaving the LHHT and following old roads into the village of Morrellville and Lower Yoder Township.  From the top of the first of five cemeteries we’d pass through on our hike, we could see the American flag on the hill above the Johnstown Incline which was our destination.  We walked through the well kept neighborhoods of Johnstown, through cemeteries, ball fields and backyards, greeted by many people out enjoying the nice weather.  After a brief rest, we walked through the Powell Stackhouse Park with its many incredibly large oak trees to Westmont Boro above Johnstown.  The ice cream stand was open (yea!), the view of Johnstown was incredible, and the incline ride was great fun as always.  Thanks to Johnstown locals Tom B. and Don K. for showing us the sights.  Dinner on the deck of the Johnstown Brewery was pretty good and worth another visit.  Welcome to first time hikers Don and Lori.  Welcome back to Karen and Tom. 

 

April 18, 2004 - Chinatown Hike - We had an absolutely gorgeous day for our hike Sunday in the Mountain Streams area of the Forbes State Forest at the base of Laurel Mountain.  Twelve hikers splashed our way about a million times across Camp Run and Little Run which was actually pretty nice considering the summer-like weather.  We stopped along the way to look at the early spring wildflowers.  We saw Coltsfoot, Spring Beauties, Trout Lilies, Little Yellow Pennsylvania Violets, Partridge Berry, and Blue Cohosh.  Mayapples and Trillium were coming up but not yet blooming.  Ramps, Skunk Cabbage and False Hellebore were poking up in the boggy areas near the streams.  We hiked on old rail grades following the small creeks and passed foundations of abandoned farms which hints that this area was a busy place not so long ago.  We stopped at the beautiful spot near the Chinatown marker for a rest and took a few minutes to find the geocache of the same name.  We took a travel bug from the cache in hopes of helping it get home to Florida after long trips to China and to India.  We ate lunch in the glade at the top of Camp Run and then headed back to the cars by following Little Run back to Indian Creek.  Dinner at Nino’s in Laurelville was excellent from start to finish.  No eggplant parmesan on the menu which was disappointing, but the crab ravioli and chicken and mushroom dishes that I tried were great.  Welcome back to Ann and Luanne after a long time away.  Welcome to first-time hikers Nathan, Brittany, Breanna and Matt.  I hope to see you again soon and often. 

 

March 27, 2004 - Linn Run State Park - Fifteen hikers joined us at Linn Run State Park on Saturday for our first hike of the year.  The weatherman promised a beautiful day for a hike and indeed Saturday turned out to be sunny and warm - after the hike.  During the hike, it was foggy, muggy and there was a very heavy dew (it rained and rained).  It was still a very nice early spring hike with beautiful waterfalls on Grove Run and snow still tucked into the crevices between moss covered rocks on Fish Run.  Welcome to new hikers Vincent, Frank, Rachel, Tom and Jim and welcome back to all my old hiking buddies.  Hope to see you again for our April hike. 

 

February 7, 2004 - Cross Country Skiing at Laurel Mountain State Park - Three inches of fresh powder covered the crusty ice and made for good X-C skiing conditions at Laurel Mountain State Park on Saturday.  The rain earlier in the week must have scared everyone off because there were only about a dozen people at the Mountain skiing on Saturday including Megan, Kevin and I from our group.  Being young and energetic, Kevin skied from the warming hut to Wolf Rocks and back while Megan and I spent the morning on Spruce Run and Summit trails.  After lunch at the warming hut, Megan and I went back out and skied Lippo’s Loop and Towhee down to Spruce Run and back to the warming hut via Summit.  The weather was beautifully winter with big white snowflakes and perfect blue-wax temperatures.  Skiing on Saturday was so much fun that we went back out on Sunday, this time to Laurel Ridge State Park.  The weather and snow at the Ridge on Sunday were perfect with a bright blue ski and pleasant blue-wax temperature; I was shocked to find so few people there.  The great skiing has me hoping for at least another month of good weather before spring arrives.  After skiing, we met Tom B. for dinner at Ligonier Country Inn in Laughlintown.  Dinner was good, the gas fireplace was warm and cozy and Tom B. kept us entertained with witty conversation. 

 

January 17, 2004 - Cross Country Skiing at Laurel Ridge State Park - Mother Nature finally smiled and gave us enough snow to have a great ski outing at Laurel Ridge State Park.  The morning began cold with several inches of fresh powder.  The snow continued and the temperature rose throughout the day finally reaching a balmy 34 degrees F.  In the morning, Megan took the faster group around the 5K red loop and I stayed with the beginners for two laps around the shorter blue loop.  Back at the warming hut, we met several friends for lunch and enjoyed a nice chat and the warm fire.  After lunch, the faster group tackled the northern yellow loop with its long glide down to Sandy Run and the equally long climb back up to the ridge.  The slower group did a lap around the red trail and back to the warming hut where we picked up more skiers from our group.  Big flakes of wet snow fell as we finished the day with another run around the red loop.  After skiing, we headed to dinner at the Italian Oven in Connellsville.  Our good friend Brad missed the skiing but surprised us by joining us for dinner.  It was nice to see everybody for a great day of skiing.  With luck, we’ll have many more white days.

 

December 6, 2003 - Pittsburgh, Allegheny City & Herr’s Island Loop - Tons of snow greeted our twelve hikers Saturday morning for a winter came early walk around the city, North Shore and North Side.  We started our hike in the Strip District at the Pittsburgh History Center and weaved our way through downtown, stopping at Starbucks for a warm drink.  We passed the ice skating ring in PPG Plaza wincing at the little kids falling down on the ice, made it past the Westinghouse Building without getting yelled at, peeked through the grimy windows of the Post-Gazette building, and walked past the fountain in Point State Park.  We stopped at the Blockhouse which is the oldest building west of the Alleghenies and had a great discussion with one of the docents.  From Point State Park, we crossed the Allegheny River on the Fort Duquesne Bridge, walked along the North Shore, past the Steelers Stadium and Science Center and headed into the North Side.  Down one quiet, pretty street in West Park, we ran into Brian O’Neil from the Post-Gazette.  Not every suburbanite is afraid to come to the North Side.  We walked through West Park, past the National Aviary and stopped for lunch at a pleasant pub at Cedar and East Ohio Street.  After lunch, we walked through Allegheny Commons, past the Pirate’s Stadium and along the Allegheny River to Washington’s Landing.  After throwing some snowballs at the river and each other, we headed across the 31st Street Bridge to the Strip and back to the Pittsburgh History Center.  We were all happy to have a bright sunny day for our hike with lots of beautiful snow to make everything look wintery.  I hope that everyone had a good time and has a happy holiday!

 

November 8, 2003 - LHHT - Ohiopyle to Maple Summit - Eight of us had a strenuous but pleasant hike on the first eleven miles of the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).  The stretch from Ohiopyle to Maple Summit is the most difficult on the LHHT with a steep climb of about 1100 feet in just over a mile, but the exceptional views of the Youghiogheny gorge make the climb worthwhile.  After leaving cars in the State Game Land parking lot at the top of the mountain, we drove down to Ohiopyle to start the hike.   It was a beautiful, clear day with blue skies, few clouds and only a hint of a breeze.  Even though the temperature never rose above freezing (we saw icicles near the top), the steep climb and the strong sun kept us warm.  Most of the leaves were off the trees which brings out the topography of the hillsides and erosion valleys.  After the hike, we stopped at the Stone House Restaurant and Inn in Chalk Hill and were surprised to find the restaurant closed for the season.  Fortunately, the bar was open, and except for the ubiquitous smoke, dinner was pretty good.  I hope everyone had a nice day.  Welcome to first time hikers Tom and Cheryl; I hope to see you again soon and often. 

 

October 4 and 5, 2003 - Central Pennsylvania Weekend - Yes it’s true: we’ve managed to have another weekend of great hiking, good food and terrific company.  My weekend started on Friday afternoon with a piece of homemade apple pie at Helen’s Cozy Corner B&B in McVeytown.  Helen’s great cooking and excellent company are reason enough to visit Central Pennsylvania; the hiking, scenery and local history are just an added bonus.  After Helen’s pie, I joined Rachel, Chris and Cristin in their cottage for beer and for dinner.  Cristin brought a case of Erie Brewing Co. Railbender Ale which flowed fast and furious making the company fun and the conversation witty.  Rachel served an amazing vegetarian dinner of pasta with fresh tomato sauce, cheese and pine nuts and an excellent salad.  All this fun and we haven’t even gone hiking yet. 

 

Saturday morning, at the crack of 10:30, we headed up the Thousand Steps; a half hour later, we made it to the top.  It was cool and rainy which made the rocks slippy and the views mostly virtual.  Luckily, later in the day, the weather cleared enough for us to see the Juniata River, the railroad, highways and towns in the valley below.  Also, luckily, the cool rain and lack of sun made the hike snake-free which was fine with me after my close encounter with a timber rattler on the same trail last week.  If you’ve never been to the Thousand Steps, the hike is beautiful, scenic, tricky and steep.  The trail from the top of the steps follows the old railroad switchbacks up the face of the quarry.  Near the top, the trail crawls through a field of rocks and boulders prompting all our hikers to accuse me of leading them astray.  Me lost?  Hardly ever.  At the top of the mountain, is a stand of large hemlocks.  Hemlocks so high up are very strange; we hypothesized that these water-loving trees were growing on top of a spring; the mountains are porous and leak like a sponge.  Later, we saw Jack’s Spring which flows steadily out of the mountain, forming a pool and a small stream that flowed down the trail back to the top of the steps.  Back down the steps, our legs quivering, the sun came out briefly and promised better weather for our next hike.  After the hike, we headed to Miller’s Diner for milkshakes and soup and to watch the trains roar down the Main Line filled with cars and limestone.  After lunch, there was plenty of time for a nap and another snack back at the B&B (Helen made cookies) before dinner in Huntingdon at Mimi’s Restaurante and Martini Bar.  Great place and worth a stop if you find yourself in Huntingdon in time for dinner.

 

Sunday after breakfast, we met at Trough Creek State Park on Raystown Lake.  I remember coming here twenty years ago with a former girlfriend and her grandparents; hopefully, it won’t be that long again before I can return for another visit.  After crossing Trough Creek, we climbed to the top of Terrace Mountain where there is a view of Raystown Lake from the ridge.  Also at the top, we found hickory nuts, black walnuts, birch trees, sassafras, wild grapes and no snakes.  After trying to push over the Balanced Rock, we climbed up along the Rainbow Falls and then down to Copperas Rock, across the Swinging Bridge, then back to the top of the ridge and finally down to the Ice Mine and our cars.  The weather was perfect for hiking with clear skies, bright sun and cool temperatures.  A great day. 

 

I hope that everyone had as good a time as I did.  Thanks for keeping me entertained and well fed.  Welcome to our new hiker, Dennis.  Hope to see you again soon and often. 

 

September 19 through September 21, 2003 - Allegheny National Forest Weekend - Hurricane Isabel joined us on the Morrison-Rimrock  trail for our first day of hiking in the Allegheny National Forest.  The rain varied from a heavy drizzle to a light sprinkle during our 10 mile hike.   Even though it was wet, the trail was enjoyable with views of the Kinzua Reservoir and the many waterfalls along Morrison Run.  Along the way, we picked and munched on huckleberries and wild apples.  We stopped for lunch at the Morrison Run campground which is only accessible by hiking or by water.  Luanne supplied the first of three kinds of cookies for the weekend: oatmeal chocolate chip.  Good stuff Luanne.  After the hike, The Beerman reeled in his first Pike from the reservoir near Devil’s Elbow; unfortunately, there were no witnesses.  Dinner Friday was tip-top home cookin’ at the Acocks Inn in Pittsfield. 

 

Beautiful weather and Dave M. greeted us on Saturday morning for our 11 mile hike in the Hickory Creek Wild Area near Hearts Content.  The trail was pleasant, fairly level and passed through a red pine plantation, lovely hemlocks and mixed hardwood forests.  We stopped for elevenses near some large rocks comprised of coarse conglomerate.  Mary and Mike passed out Theresa cookies which kept us going until lunch.  During lunch, we used Luanne’s GPS along with a topo map of the area to fix our position and demonstrate how to use UTM coordinates.  After the hike, we walked through the big timber at Hearts Content where there are Hemlocks and White Pines that are over 300 years old.  Imagine standing still for 300 years.  Rachel and Chris spent the weekend tent camping in the Hearts Content campground where they got to use the water fountain that I designed during a summer job with the US Forest Service over twenty years ago.  Chris says that the water is terrible!  Saturday night, we had a delicious but slow dinner at the Liberty Street Café in Warren. 

 

Sunday morning, we had a great hike on the Minister Creek trail.  The trail is short at about 6.5 miles but scenic with plenty of rocks and hemlocks.  Near the end of the hike is a large rock outcropping with a great view of the Minister Creek valley.  We met lots of people on the trail including a group of students from Slippery Rock University on a weekend outing.  We ate lunch at the overview where Luanne supplied some terrific brownies.  I hope everyone had a good time and enjoyed the hiking in the Allegheny National Forest.  

 

August 2, 2003 - Prince Gallitzin State Park and Seldom Seen Mine Tour - It was a great day for a road trip to Prince Gallitzin State Park in Cambria County and for a cool tour of the Seldom Seen Mine.  Megan and Luanne met me for the carpool and the drive east on US 22 to Prince Gallitzin State Park.  The Beerman had camped at the park, spent the morning fishing in Glendale Lake and met us at the trail head for our short but pleasant hike.  During the hike, we saw a variety of mushrooms ranging from large, bright-yellow toad stools to fine, white coral-like fungi.  We also saw tiny toads, a large bull frog, a couple of small snakes and two deer, one with antlers.  I was happy to find my old Sit-Upon which my friend Greg had given me several years ago.  Apparently, I dropped it when I was at the park a month ago scouting the hike.  I noticed it was missing while hiking in Potter County over Independence Day and I’m happy to have it back.  As part of the hike, we climbed Headache Hill to the top of the water tower where we had a great view of the lake and surrounding area.  While there, we watched a medical helicopter circle and land to meet an ambulance in the field below.  Everyone agreed that our six mile hike was perfect for a warm, muggy day.  After the hike, we drove to the Seldom Seen Mine where we had an excellent tour of the mine and got an appreciation of the difficult and dangerous work involved in mining coal.  After the tour, we had a good dinner at the Miner’s Rest in Patton, PA.  I wanted the Eggplant Parmesan, but since I’d just had it Thursday at the City Grill in the South Side, I decided to get the Miner’s Rest Specialty Burger, complete with bacon, cheese and a fried egg! 

 

July 13, 2003 - Ghost Town Trail Bike Ride - Twelve riders from our group joined dozens of other people biking and walking for a perfect, beautiful, cool, sunny afternoon on the Ghost Town Trail.  The weather couldn’t have been nicer or the company better.  We all set off at our own pace for the 24 mile out-and-back ride along Blacklick Creek from Dilltown, Indiana County to Nanty Glo, Cambria County.  Beerman and Leah flew ahead like pros and I took up position in the rear with a leisurely pace.  The normally psychedelic creek was runny high and therefore was a nearly normal color.  Wildflowers lined the trail and everything was green and lush with all the recent rain.  Along the way, we passed the ghost towns of Wehrum and Bracken, tall bony piles of mine tailings, and the Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) reclamation ponds that are helping Blacklick Creek recover from 100 years of pollution.  Because of the efforts underway to clean up Blacklick Creek, Beerman might even get to fish there someday.  We also passed the Eliza Furnace near Vintondale which is one of the best preserved iron furnaces in Pennsylvania.  After a brief stop in Nanty Glo, we headed back to Dilltown for our annual pot luck picnic in the Dilltown picnic pavilion.  We stuffed ourselves silly with pasta salad, taco salad, grilled sausage, tabbouleh, cauliflower curry, Eritrean roasted vegetables, and baked beans.  Since no picnic is complete with out dessert, we had delicious chocolate chip cookies, little muffins, and Megan’s bunt cake with hard sauce.  Thank you everyone for keeping me well fed. 

 

June 21, 2003 - McConnell’s Mill State Park Alpha Pass to Hell’s Hollow Loop - The way it was raining on my way to McConnell's Mill State Park, I thought that I’d be the only one to show up for the hike.  But the Beerman was waiting for me in the parking lot and Rachel and her friend Cristin, Dave M. and Luanne pulled in a few minutes later.  It continued to rain for the first quarter mile of the hike, from the Alpha Pass parking lot, along Slippery Rock Creek to the old mill.  The creek was running high and was chocolate brown with runoff from the heavy rain.  Somewhere between the old mill and Eckert bridge, the rain quit for the day and left us with damp but cool weather for the rest of the hike.  The slippery rocks, bounteous mud, and piles of poison ivy and stinging nettle kept us on our toes and sometimes on our butts.  Along the trail, we saw tulip poplar trees with their yellow-orange blossoms, trilliums with purple leaves, Jack-in-the-Pulpits with their pine-cone-like seed pods, may apples with weirdly shaped leaves, beautiful, orange-red shellac shelf fungus, entire banks filled with clintonia, and wild yew trees.

 

The trail was steep in places and muddy with several trees across the trail for us to climb over.  We made it to the Hell’s Hollow parking area without much trouble and had lunch.  On the way back, we walked downstream to the falls on Hell’s Run where we examined the old lime kiln and admired the bridal veil-like falls.  Rather than double back, we crossed the creek below the falls and bushwhacked up the opposite hill, though brush and knee deep mud, to get back to the main trail.  Can you believe that Cristin didn’t believe that I knew where I was going! 

 

Back on the trail, returning the way we came, everything looked completely different than earlier in the day.  We had to reassure ourselves that we were on the right trail.  Several of us were getting tired by the time we got back to Walnut flats and the last three miles back to the parking area were pretty slow.  We made several short rest stops to recharge, and made it back to the cars with promises of beer and food at the Harmony Inn.  By the end of the hike, everyone was tired and completely covered with mud. 

 

We all earned and enjoyed our dinner at the Harmony Inn in Old Harmony.  Our friend Megan joined us there after kayaking all day.  Three at our table got a vegetarian chimichanga that was named after the only man in the US ever to be convicted of cannibalism.  The Beerman got a huge piece of coconut cream pie for dessert and ate it in six bites.  Welcome to first time hiker Cristin, I hope to see you again soon and often. 

 

May 23 through May 26, 2003 - Potter County Weekend of Hiking and Yoga - Eleven people participated in our first hiking and yoga weekend at the Susquehannock Lodge in beautiful Potter County, PA – God’s Country.  Friday night started inauspiciously when the State Police interrupted our dinner of vegetarian lasagna with what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.  Luckily, the problem was resolved without need for bail money and it certainly gave us something to talk about during the rest of the weekend.  After dinner, several of the group walked up nearby Thomson Run Road to get a breath of fresh country air and to warm up for the hike on Saturday.  We had the added bonus of visiting with my friends, the Simko’s, who were staying at the Lodge for a week of fishing. 

 

On Saturday, after our first yoga session and breakfast, the group hiked the Mt. Brodhead trail that was recently laid out by the DCNR near the Cherry Springs Fire Tower.  The trail is normally a moderate loop which our group would handle without any problem.  However, many blowdowns and incessant rain resulted in a challenging hike with lots of scrambling over fallen trees and soggy, soggy boots.  Everyone was pretty tired by the end of the hike and ice cream at the local general store was a welcome refreshment.  Becca got us stretched out with an afternoon yoga session at the Lodge.  After yoga, there was plenty of time before dinner for tea and other, stronger beverages. 

 

Sunday was a much nicer day.  After yoga and breakfast, we headed to Slate Run, PA and the Golden Eagle Trail.  We enjoyed the many beautiful views and occasional glimpses of sun during the hike.  Unfortunately, we didn’t see any rattlers or bears like we did last year.  We did stop for a snack at the small grove of virgin Hemlocks that was probably once a lumber camp as evidenced by the old cast iron stove and washboard along the trail.  After the hike, we stopped at the Slate Run General Store for a bit of shopping and ice cream.  After dinner, Becca led another excellent yoga session.

 

We concluded our hiking on Monday, May 27th with a short but beautiful hike from the back of the Susquehannock Lodge on the Billy Brown Trail and Susquehannock Trail System (STS).  The STS is a gentle trail through second and third growth hardwood forest.   Monday was another rainy day,  and hot soup for lunch at the Lodge really hit the spot. 

 

May 10, 2003 - LHHT - PA 271 to Seward - The Last Leg - The damp weather scared away all but the most avid hikers for the last leg of the LHHT from PA 271 to Seward.  Walking in the rain was peaceful and cheering:  You could almost see the leaves popping out and everything getting greener.  Small, pink variegated trillium lined the trail, the may apples were everywhere and the mountain laurel was getting ready to bloom.  Towhees offered us refreshment almost the entire way.  The rain stopped in time for lunch and the clouds cleared enough for some grand views of the Conemaugh Gorge.  Tom B. set a mean pace and we completed the 14 mile trail in just five hours.  Dinner at Ligonier Tavern was early and good; unfortunately, the hike leader forgot to stop at Joe’s Bar before dinner.  Welcome to first time hiker Brian Williams; hope you can join us again soon for another hike. 

 

May 4, 2003 - LHHT - Laurel Mountain (US 30) to PA 271 - Not every hike has to be great.  On this hike, there were few wild flowers, essentially no leaves and a lot of damage to the trees along the trail.  Luckily the weather was bright and sunny for this next-to-last leg on the LHHT.  We did see a few Jack-in-the-Pulpits near the beginning of the hike and there were some interesting rock formations near the end but for the most part the trail was pretty dull.  Our eight hikers were happy to complete the trail and everyone seemed to be dragging towards the end.  Even the boy scouts with backpacks that we ran into around lunchtime seemed listless and glad to be almost done.  Dinner after the hike at Casa Chapala was much quieter than last year (no band) but my dinner at least was great.  Welcome to new hiker Pam; hope to see you again soon and often.

 

April 26, 2003 - LHHT - Hidden Valley to Laurel Mountain (US 30) - Who would have thought that hiking 15 miles would be so easy?  Not me; I’ve been worrying about this long hike since last year when I set up the LHHT end-to-end.  And yet, our eight durable hikers easily completed the trail last Saturday without even a whimper.  The weather was pleasant, with only a couple short periods of spit and drizzle.  We saw a few wild flowers near the beginning of the hike, but in most places along the trail, the trees did not even have buds.  We found one excellent fossil and many interesting rock formations along the trial attesting to the fact that what is now Laurel Ridge was once at the bottom of a warm, shallow sea.  By far, the best find along the trail was our friend Theresa who hiked in from the end of the trail to meet us.  After the hike, six of us had a great dinner at the Ligonier Tavern.  If you’ve never eaten at the Ligonier Tavern, be sure to stop the next time you’re in the area and enjoy their great food.  Thanks to everyone who attended for a great hike.

 

April 5, 2003 - Schenley Park & Nearby Neighborhoods - A rainy morning gave way to a pleasant, cool afternoon for my favorite urban hike around Oakland, Greenfield, Hazelwood and Squirrel Hill.  Fifteen hikers enjoyed our walk, taking in the many beautiful views of Panther Hollow, the Mon Valley and of downtown Pittsburgh.  Along the way, we stopped to pay respects to Bobby Burns, saw the Parkway East from a new angle, had a grand tour of Calvary Cemetery, and stopped for a treat at a new Argentinean pastry shop on Forward Avenue.  After the hike, we had a predictably terrific dinner at Spice Island Tea House.  Later, a few of us wandered off for a walk through Phipps Conservancy before calling it a day.   Welcome to first time hikers Jan, Susan, Melanie, Steve and Amanda; I hope to see you again soon and often.  Welcome back to Jonathan and Ann who we haven’t seen for a good long time. 

 

March 22, 2003 - Linn Run State Park - Twenty-three hikers celebrated Spring with a challenging hike at Linn Run State Park and the Forbes State Forest.  We began our hike at the Grove Run Picnic Area; the weather was pleasantly cool but overcast.  We started by climbing to the top of Laurel Ridge, along and sometimes through Grove Run as it cascaded down the mountain to Linn Run.  The 900 foot climb to the summit warmed everyone up for the next segment of the hike along the Ridge to the top of Fish Run in the Forbes State Forest.  Our old friend Winter left an obstacle course of windfall to make the hike interesting and even left us some waist deep snow in the shady hollows of Fish Run.  No wildflowers were out yet, but along the way we saw some song birds, tracks and some interesting poop which Bob identified as porkypine poop.  We slid and stomped our way down the Fish Run trail to the old P, W & S RR grade at Linn Run where we headed back uphill following the runaway train ramp.  We backtracked on the Fish Run and Grove Run trails and ended with a bushwhack down a narrow hollow to Linn Run Road for a short walk back to the cars.  After the hike, we had an excellent dinner at Ivy’s Café in Ligonier; thank you Ivy’s for your great hospitality and flexibility in handling nineteen of us on short notice.  I hope everyone had a good time on this challenging hike.

 

February 8, 2003 - Cross Country Skiing at Laurel Ridge State Park - Our twelve skiers had another perfect day on Saturday for cross country skiing with a clear, blue sky, warm sun, one foot base and two inches of packed powder at Laurel Ridge State Park.  In the morning, we skied the popular 5 k red trail.  Along the way, the steeper yellow trails tried to lure us in, but in deference to the beginners with us, we stayed on the red trail and headed back to the warming hut for lunch.  Back at the warming hut, we met Barb and Theresa getting ready for their afternoon ski lesson and Dave M. finishing up a morning run.  After lunch, the main group headed out on the 10 k orange trail which, after some fun, steep downhill sections at the very beginning, proved to be fairly flat and featureless.  I regret not bushwhacking from the orange trail to the fabulous view from the rocks on the LHHT where we have in the past been able to see the Steel Building in distant Pittsburgh.  On the orange trail, Brad impressed us by sprinting up the steep hill back to the warming hut.  Dinner at the Barn was pleasant and the food was good.  The Barn didn’t seem cold at all since most of us kept on our long underwear.  As usual, the conversation was the best part of dinner.  Welcome to Sue and Maureen who where with us for the first time. 

 

January 18, 2003 - Cross Country Skiing at Laurel Mountain State Park - It doesn’t get any better than this: a clear, blue sky, warm sun, two foot base and six inches of fresh, sharp, packed powder greeted our sixteen skiers Saturday morning at Laurel Mountain State Park for some of the best skiing we’ve had in years.  The snow was perfect, the weather was perfect and the company was great.  We headed out from the ski patrol hut at about 11:30 am, twisting our way down Summit trail to Spruce Run trail.  Everyone made it down the big hill on Summit without any trouble.  Spruce Run trail was beautiful through the hemlocks with enough snow to cover the all the rocks.  From Spruce Run trail, we turned north on Summit for the fast, twisting, descent to Laurel Summit Road.  After crossing the road, we climbed up the steep hill to Towhee trail and turned north again to Bill Albert’s trail.  Some skiers followed Bill Albert’s trail back to the road and the rest of us continued around Lippo’s Loop and eventually back to the ski patrol hut.  Carol showed us her ski skating technique along the new maintenance road for the downhill ski area.  The road is good for skating, but otherwise leaves little to be desired.  I miss the exceptional downhill run that used to be along this stretch before it fell to the bull dozer.  The ski patrol hut was nice and warm and perfect for hot chocolates and snacks.  Several folks went out for a second run and some of us stayed at the hut to chat and look at Carol’s pictures of Lake Tahoe.  Those that went out to ski again got back just it in time for dinner at The Furnace.  It was pretty cold while we were skiing but the bright sun was warm enough to make us perfectly comfortable.  Oddly, no one got cold until dinner at The Furnace where we were all turned into icicles!  The food was good, but burrrrrr.  And another burrrrrr for good measure.  The irony of freezing at a place called The Furnace was not lost on any of us.  Anyway, skiing was great fun and I was happy that everyone seemed to have a good time.  We had several first time skiers and some with little experience and they all did exceptionally well.  Welcome to Jennifer (radio personality), Lisa, Anna, and Nancy who joined us for the first time.  Welcome back to all my old buddies; hope we get in some good hikes this year.  See you all in February for skiing at The Ridge.

 

December 28, 2002 through January 2, 2003 - New Year’s Celebration - Greg’s Relaxed Hiking Break - Five Pittsburghers joined Greg and twenty-three members of the Bruce Trail Club at the Susquehannock Lodge in Potter County to hike, eat and celebrate the New Year.  On Sunday, the group set out in bright sun and moderate temperatures through knee-deep snow on the 7.5 mile Mt. Brodhead trail near the Cherry Springs Fire Tower.  Most of the group called it a day halfway through, but eight of us completed the trail.  We were rewarded by seeing a porkypine just ducking into his winter lair.  Hiking through the deep snow was difficult and even tired me out by the end.  A glass of Greg’s Barbados rum and Ed’s baked chicken with orange sauce had me ready to go again on Monday for one of my favorite a hikes at Colton Point State Park.  Tuesday, after hiking and all the great views of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, we drove to nearby Wellsboro in Tioga County for chili and a hot chocolate to hold us over until dinner.  Monday night dinner was salmon and pesto sauce with rice and mixed veggies; tip top!  Tuesday the group split again with some walking up Thompson Road to the Susquehannock Trail System (STS) and others taking a longer hike from the Susquehannock State Forest office along the STS.  We all ended up back at the Lodge in time for chicken soup and sandwiches.  I quit after five bowls of soup to save up for the “traditional” New Year’s Eve dinner of turkey, dressing and sweet potatoes.  After dinner was the annual, men against women, Trivial Pursuit game and the most amazing thing happened: the men won!  First time ever; as I always say, “Better lucky than good.”  Many of us left early on New Year’s Day to beat the approaching storm and we were happy to get home with no freezing rain.  Those that stayed got iced-in and had to spend the evening without power.  Still, I understand that Carol and Ed kept everyone comfortable and well fed, and that overall it was a great adventure.  Thanks to Greg for all the great hikes and to Ed and Carol for their hospitality and great food. 

 

December 7, 2002 - Clayton Tour and Frick Park Walk - Eleven people joined us for a holiday tour of Clayton and Frick museums, and nine for a walk in Homewood Cemetery and Frick Park on a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon.  The Clayton was dressed for the holidays and fresh snow made the day pleasant for a winter walk.  On the Clayton tour, we learned how the Frick family prepared for Christmas and entertained in Victorian Pittsburgh.  I can only believe, that in his wildest dreams, Henry Clay would never have expected hundreds of people trouping through his house.  He must be rolling in his grave, which we visited later on our walk in Homewood Cemetery.  The fresh snow made for slippy walking, but we managed, and had enough time for a beer at the Church Brewery before an early dinner at Cucina Fleagra and dessert at Gullifty’s in Squirrel Hill.  For the record, The Beerman had both a huge dessert at Cucina Fleagra and a chocolate milkshake at Gullifty’s!  Welcome to new hikers Akiko, Michelle, Jim, Sam and Wendy.  Hope to see you all again next year for cross-country skiing and hiking. 

 

November 2, 2002 - Quebec Run Wild Are, Forbes State Forest - Beautiful Day!  Great Group!  Terrific Dinner!  It was an amazing autumn day for a hike - brisk but sunny, with a surprising amount of color still on the trees.  Our eighteen hikers had a great time in the Quebec Run Wild Area in the Forbes State Forest on Chestnut Ridge just east of Uniontown and Hopwood.  The hike was nine miles on marked trails through mixed forests along Mill and Quebec Runs with a bonus bushwhack along Mill Run to its confluence with Big Sandy Creek.  It was a special treat to have our good friend and famous Pittsburgh naturalist, Darlene along on the hike.  Along the way, Darlene showed us skunk cabbage just popping out, a large stand of Larch trees with their needles golden and just starting to fall, bright red partridge berries and sweet Wintergreen, fields of ground pine where we could kick up clouds of yellow, powdery spores, and the large, colorful, fallen leaves of sassafras, linden, poplar and magnolia.  We also saw one grouse, two hunters, and one other hiker.  What a pleasant day to leave the angry buzz of lawn mowers and leaf blowers to the city and instead get out and enjoying the peace and quiet of the Pennsylvania woods.  After the hike, thirteen of the group had dinner at Chez Gerard in Hopwood where we were treated to a lengthy, six course, country French dinner with Chateaubriand, monkfish, rabbit, and duck on the menu.  Great fun was had by all.  Welcome to new hikers Dick, Shelly, Jim and Cathy, and welcome back to Rachel Ann.  Hope to see you all again, soon and often.

 

October 19, 2002 - Roaring Run Natural Area, Forbes State Forest - Rainy, cool and windy autumn weather greeted six of us for a pleasant day of hiking in the Roaring Run Natural Area.  After descending from the County Line Road parking area, we followed the Roaring Run trail to the headwaters of the creek, crossing Roaring Run about 30 times.  The creek was fairly low, so the many crossings weren’t too bad.  But with the rain, wet, fallen leaves and many creek crossings, we almost all eventually got wet feet.  Lunch was eaten quickly, and a couple of us headed back downstream to avoid the steep climb up Painter Hill.  The rest of the group continued past Nedrow Cemetery and the stone marker commemorating three young lives lost in a sledding accident long ago, to the Painter Rock trail at the top of the ridge.  The trail becomes very rocky and continues west, passing the great view at Painter Rock, then quickly descending to Roaring Run for the short climb back to the cars.  Along the way, we saw Tulip Poplars, Cucumber Magnolias and Sassafras trees as well as sweet smelling Wintergreen berries.  We didn’t see any wildlife at all.  Dinner after the hike was at Brady’s in Acme.  Welcome to new hiker Nelson and hope to see you again soon. 

 

October 5, 2002 - LHHT Mudpike (PA653) to Hidden Valley - Finally, a perfect autumn day for hiking!  Cool weather, fall colors, dark clouds and bright sun, and the smell of autumn encouraged eleven of us to complete the third leg of six on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT), from PA653 to Hidden Valley.  Along the way we passed an old cemetery where settlers from the 1800’s are buried, saw a fine example of slickensides, and rested on a large rock outcropping where there is an exceptional view of the Laurel Run and Indian Creek valleys.  From the rocks, we could even see the US Steel building in downtown Pittsburgh on the horizon.  A few of us took time to go Geocaching and found two caches along the trail, including one placed by our friend the QuestMaster (see www.geocaching.com).  We met many, many backpackers along the trail, passed under the ski lifts at Seven Springs and waived to the riders, and followed horses for a short way, sidestepping their tailings.  The day was beautiful, the trail in good condition, the hikers were happy and the conversation flowed freely.  Dinner at Nino’s in Laurelville was very good and definitely worth a the visit.  I had ravioli that was even better than my grandmother used to make.  Hope you all can join us for the next leg of the LHHT in March 2003. 

 

September 28, 2002 - Chinatown Hike - After a refreshing day of rain, Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day for a hike in the Mountain Streams Area of the Forbes State Forest on the Camp Run and Little Run trails.  Twelve people, including five new to our group, enjoyed the relaxed hike where we had plenty of time to enjoy the peace and quiet, the trees, wildflowers and wildlife.  Both creeks were low, so the many stream crossings didn’t cause too many wet feet.  Along the way, we saw several trout in Camp Run and Little Run, including one relatively large and brightly colored fellow in Little Run.  After the hike, the group had a fine dinner at Casa Chapala in Ligonier. 

 

September 21, 2002 - LHHT Maple Summit to Mudpike (PA653) - Ten of us completed the second of six hikes to cover the entire 70 mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).  The LHHT is often rocky, steep and long which makes for challenging, hard-on-the-feet hiking.  The section between Maple Summit and PA653 is the shortest and most pleasant stretch of the trail with hemlock groves, a small lake, mountain streams and (the best part) a great picnic at the end!  The weather was warm, very humid and buggy with light rain and fog early in the day.  The autumn colors were just beginning to come out and the damp weather made everything seem more vivid.  Luckily, the weather cleared sufficiently to allow us to have our picnic.  The group feasted on a smorgasbord of goodies such as smoked ribs that tasted like bacon, fresh bread with roasted peppers, veggie sandwiches, broccoli, pasta and black bean salads, and several desserts.  We also celebrated the Beerman’s 40th birthday with a chocolate cake that he baked himself.  Many thanks to Luann for the great ribs, Barb for the sandwiches and salad, and Mary for the broccoli salad and Confetti GORP.  Welcome to new hiker Maureen who will hopefully soon become our resident naturalist.  Happy Birthday Tom!

 

August 30, 2002 - LHHT Ohiopyle to Maple Summit - Eleven people joined us for the first of six hikes to cover the entire 70 mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).  The weather was perfect with a moderate temperature, clear sky and cool breeze.  The stretch from Ohiopyle to Maple Summit is the most difficult on the LHHT with a steep climb of about 1100 feet in just over a mile, but the exceptional views of the Youghiogheny gorge make the climb worthwhile.  Except for the heart-pounding climb, the rest of the hike was pleasant with yellow daisies and other autumn wildflowers along the trail.  After the hike, we returned to Ohiopyle where we ran into the Hermsen’s who had just biked in from Confluence.  They joined us for a beer at the Ohiopyle House Café, then headed off for their return trip.  The rest of us had a great dinner at the Ohiopyle-Steward Community Center’s all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner. 

 

August 17, 2002 - Whitetail Trail - Seventeen people joined us for the hike on the Whitetail Trail and attended the pot-luck picnic at the Lick Hollow Picnic Area.  The weather was surprisingly cool and the threatening thunderstorms passed us by.  Along the way, the group picked up about 40 pounds of trash and left at least as much for future pickup.  The Whitetail Trail was built by the Sierra Club in the 1980’s as part of a trail that was to connect the Appalachian Trail in Virginia to the Bruce Trail in Ontario.  The Whitetail Trail winds through portions of State Game Lands 138 and the Forbes State Forest.  A spur from the trail leads to Pine Knob with a fantastic vista of Uniontown and Hopwood.  After the hike, we had a terrific picnic at the Lick Hollow Picnic Area with a variety of vegetarian dishes, hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches and, of course, dessert.  Many thanks to Barb, Theresa and Lisa’s mom for the cookies and brownies. 

 

July 28, 2002 - Riverview Park - Boy its hot outside!  Thirteen of us sweated rivers walking the pleasant trails at Riverview Park in Pittsburgh’s North Side.  The hike turned out to be significantly shorter than the 9 miles advertised on the park trail map.  But at about 5 miles, it was the perfect length for such a hot and humid day.  The highlight for me was the imposing, three-domed, Allegheny Observatory which dominates the bald knob in the middle of the park appropriately called Observatory Hill.  Allegheny Observatory was founded in the late 1800’s with generous support from William Thaw who owned shipping lines and was a director of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and was run by Professor Samuel Pierpont Langley, a professor of physics and astronomy at the Western University of Pennsylvania (now Pitt).  The observatory was very popular in its time and demonstrates that culture in 19th century Pittsburgh had a utilitarian nature.  The observatory justified its existence by providing the correct time to cities and railroads.  For a more accurate history of the observatory, see www.pitt.edu/~aobsvtry/.  Around the outside of the observatory are the names of the great astronomers; I knew about a third of them.  There was even a view of the city from Observatory Hill (the only view in the park); but there were no views of any rivers.  Equally impressive were the massive old oak trees found along the trail.  They are certainly over 300 years old; if only they could talk, the stories they could tell.  Perhaps the rivers can be seen from the tops of these trees.  The park itself has seen better days; however, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy plans to restore Riverview and the other city parks to their former glory.  If you’re interested in donating time or money toward restoring the parks, contact the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy at 412-682-7275.  Thanks to Mary Ann and Jim for laying out the route and leading the hike.  Also, thanks for sending us to the air conditioned DiPietro’s Ristorante in West View which has a delicious red sauce and turned out to be a pleasant place to eat.

 

July 20, 2002 - Thousand Steps - It was a hot and hazy day for our hike up the Thousand Steps in Huntingdon & Mifflin Counties.  The steps started at US 22 and climbed to the top of the abandoned quarry on Jack’s Mountain, just west of Mount Union, PA.  At the top of the steps, we joined the Link Trail for the remainder of our hike.  The steps were built by the quarry workers who mined the ganister stone (Tuscarora sandstone) that was used to make fire bricks. The quarry was operated by the Harbison-Walker Company until about 1936 when a flood washed out a railroad bridge across the Juniata river to the brickworks in Mount Union.  All five of us on the hike expected the steps to be carved from the living rock.  Instead, the steps were individual large stones placed stepwise, one on top of the other.  We were surprised when we reached the top that there weren’t more steps; we were equally surprised coming down that there were so many steps!  Coming down was harder than going up and our legs were shaking like Jell-O in an earthquake.  The terrain was strange, with loose rocks everywhere, and views of the valley below every few feet.  We saw a couple of lizards on the rocks, a turtle, a large grouse, and a small deer, but no snakes.  With all the rocks, we had hoped for snakes.  The trail climbed to the top of Jack’s Mountain where we left the Link Trail and returned to the top of the steps via a dirt road and abandoned portions of the old Link Trail.  There were plenty of huckleberries along the trail to keep up our energy until dinner.  And what a dinner!  Miller’s Diner, on US 22 between Mill Run and Huntingdon, is a real find.  Good and Plenty food was endless and terrific.  Behrman impressed the waitress by having a chocolate milkshake as an appetizer and another for desert.  We’re looking forward to returning to the Thousands Steps next year during October, with colorful leaves and cooler weather.

 

July 4 through July 7, 2002 - Canada Day - Greg’s Relaxed Hiking Break - By the time I got to the Susquehannock Lodge in beautiful Potter County, PA, the group had already had three days of good hikes and Ed’s dinners.  On Monday, they had hiked about ten miles through the Hammersley Wild Area; I understand that it was hot enough for a dip in Hammersley Creek to be cool and refreshing; usually it’s bone chilling.  Tuesday was hot and humid so we took a short hike on the Susquehannock Trail from the Forest Service office back to the Lodge.  It was a pleasant, fairly cool hike that left plenty of time for cocktails on the deck before dinner.  On Wednesday, most of the Canadians returned north leaving just four of us to explore a trail recently created by the Forest Service through a beautiful area near the Cherry Springs Fire Tower.  We got to try our backwoods navigation skills since the trail crew left some errant markings that led us down the wrong path for a ways.  The trail was partially on an old logging railroad grade that provided a clear example of a switchback.  On Thursday through Friday, ten people participated in Greg’s Map & Compass class at the Lodge.  We had fun leaning how read topo maps and to navigate with a map and compass.  On Day 1, we learned our way around topo maps including the different map symbols and how to use the UTM grid coordinate system.  On Day 2, we learned how to use the compass as a protractor and how to lay out and follow a route.  On Day 3, we learned about using the map and compass together and practiced by bushwhacking our way to the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum and the Bark Peeler’s Convention.  On Day 4, we practiced all of our skills with another bushwhack in the mountains around Lyman Run State Park.  Every day of the training included some classroom work and plenty of time outdoors.  Great fun was had by all and everyone came away with more confidence in backwoods navigation. 

 

June 22, 2002 - Ohiopyle Triathlon Revisited - Biking, Hiking, Eating - Great group; great day.  Seventeen people participated in our first successful Ohiopyle Triathlon with an amazing 76% completing all three events.  After a pleasant 11 mile bike ride from Ohiopyle to Confluence, we had lunch on the porch at the River’s Edge Café (thanks for lunch Ray!), then an equally pleasant 11 mile bike ride back to Ohiopyle where several hardy souls opted for the bonus events of ice cream eating and taking a quick dip in the Yough.  After regrouping, we started down the trail for a walk around the inside and outside loops of the Ferncliff Peninsula.  Cucumber Falls and the rocky trail through the gorge to the Yough was especially beautiful.  A tiny bit of bushwhacking was necessary around an area of deadfall; of course, bushwhacking is always fun for this hike leader.  Finally, we rushed to make our reservation for the last leg of the Triathlon – dinner at the Stone House Historic Restaurant and Inn on US 40 in Chalk Hill.  Dinner was good, service was great and the beer and daiquiris were flowing.  Several people even ordered desert which was definitely above and beyond the call to duty.  The entire day was terrific, the bike ride was pleasant, the hiking beautiful, and food was plenty and good; but without question the highlight of the event was the great group of people.  Welcome to first timers, Luann, Kristen, Paul, Theresa and Luke; hope to see you soon and often. 

 

May 24 through May 27, 2002 - Potter County Weekend - Eighteen people participated in our first weekend hiking event at the Susquehannock Lodge in beautiful Potter County, PA – God’s Country.  On Friday night, Ed fed us an amazing dinner of baked salmon in a pastry, rice, corn and carrots (but no butter beans).  After dinner, most of the group walked up nearby Thomson Run Road to get a breath of fresh country air and to warm up for the hike on Saturday. 

 

On Saturday, May 25th, the group hiked the Golden Eagle Trail near Slate Run, PA where we enjoyed the many beautiful views and saw a variety of wildlife including a timber rattler and a black bear.  We had lunch in a small grove of virgin Hemlocks that somehow avoided being cut during the logging era at the turn of the last century.  A few of us had a good time running down the mountain along Bonnell Run on the way out.  After the hike, we stopped at the Manor Inn in Slate Run for a beer and then headed back to the Lodge for happy hour where Simko plied us with many perfect Martinis.  Ed fed us well with a perfectly prepared Prime Rib, baked potatoes and veggies. 

 

On Sunday, May 26th, we hiked a portion of the West Rim Trail and other trails in Colton Point State Park along the rim of Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon.  It was another hike with great views of the canyon and the added attraction of a beautiful water fall on Four Mile Run along the Turkey Path trail.  After the hike, the group stopped at the Penn Wells Hotel in Wellsboro for beer and cheese fish.  Back at the Lodge, Ed served us another great dinner with chicken breast and shrimp steamed with vegetables in a light sauce.   After dinner, a few adventurous hikers followed Ed up the hill behind the Lodge and over the top, through a half mile of brambles, to Thompson Road.  Great fun, many scratches!

 

We concluded our hiking on Monday, May 27th with a short but beautiful hike from the back of the Susquehannock Lodge on the Billy Brown Trail and Susquehannock Trail System (STS).  The STS is a gentle trail through second and third growth hardwood forest.   Monday was such a nice day, and the trail was so pretty that I think we could have continued for the entire 85 mile loop.  But, the promise of lunch drew us back to the Lodge for a final meal, and the end of our first hiking weekend.

 

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- JMA R11/22/2009