Monday, October 12, 2020

SST - MST Boomerang Route


Sunset from the ridge


2020 has been a weird year: Covid and western wild fires conspired to upset all of my previous hiking plans. Times being what they are, I was in desperate need of some extreme social distancing on a trail. 

This seemed like the perfect year to take on one of adventure projects: 
The Standing Stone - Mid State Trail Boomerang route.

Above the clouds in Cowens Gap

The Trails:

The Standing Stone trail is an 84 mile  point to point trail that connects Cowens Gap State Park near Mcconellsburg to The Allen Seger Natural Area in Rothrock State Forest just east of State College. 

The Mid State trail is a 327 mile point to point trail that bisects Pennsylvania extending from the Maryland to New York State line. The northern terminus of the Standing Stone trail occurs where it intersects the Mid State trail at Detwiler Junction. 

Lake at Cowens Gap SP

The Route:

From Cowens Gap, the closest trail town on the Mid State is Everett which is just 30 miles west. This geographic coincidence was the genesis of the route as a personal project. 


Route Overview


As a matter of convenience for shuttling, I started my hike where the Tuscarora trail crosses route 30 near Top of Mountain roadhouse.

Facts and Figures of the Boomerang Route:

Distance: 172 miles (not counting side hikes to view points)
Vertical: 25,000 feet
Resupply: Food options directly on trail at Three Springs, Mapleton, Alfarata and Williamsburg

Trip Report:

I staged my vehicle in Everett and after the shuttle ride i was heading north on the Tuscarora trail by 8am. Potable water is available at Cowens Gap state park. 


South terminus of the Standing Stone Trail

Just north of Meadow Gap is the start of a 6 mile road walk (urg) but the reward at the end is the full service town of Three Springs complete with a diner, pizza shop and convenience store at about the 30 mile point of the route. If you do this route in the reverse direction, the reward after the road walk is a long steep climb.


Interesting rock formations are a constant occurrence on the route


Monument Rock on the SST



Between Three Springs and Mapleton, The Standing Stone trail is a mixture of forest roads, double track and single track. The pizza shop in Mapleton at the 52 mile point of the route is top notch.

Clear views from the ridge

North of Mapleton is the classic 1000 steps climb. Completing the climb to Shorb's Summit would be a worthy day hike with 1,600 vertical feet over 7 miles each way.
                        
View from 1000 Steps Overlook

Sunset on Shorb's Summit
                          

After crossing route 655, the trail stays low through game lands and eventually reaches Roth Rock area. The trail snakes through the cool rock formations loved by local rock climbers for bouldering and top-roping. The trail connects to the high ridge  where the follows a rocky route with numerous boulder fields before descending to Glen Furnace State Park. 


One of many typical boulder fields on the route

The last section of Standing Stone summits Broad Mountain before descending into the Alan Seager Natural area where it intersects the Mid State Trail at Detwiler Junction.


Never Ending Views

 Picking up the MST at Detwiler Junction the route turns south. From Rothrock to Alphrata the trail follows a single narrow ridge with exceptional views looking to both the east and west. The trail descends from the ridge at Alphrata where the Mid State trail follows the Lower Trail, a rail-trail, into Williamsburg. 

A short road walk connects Williamsburg to the ridge and state game lands double track. The route stays on the ridge and crosses gas and power line cuts and eventually drops off the ridge into Loyalsburg gap before climbing steeply again to the ridge. The last section starts on grassy game lands double track and ends with rocky knife-edge ridge walk weaving through lots of fantastic rock formations.



The trails on this route are in fantastic condition and the route is well marked and well maintained. Both the SST and MST trail stewards have done an exceptional job on this trails. Its been a dry summer and fall but with a little forethought I never ran dry of water.

The highlight of this trip was the high ridge walking and fantastic foliage views with the town access and on-trail food taking a very close second.

If you wanted to do a light version of this route, connecting Alphrata and Mapleton would be an approximate 70 mile hike and would cover the best sections of the route and skip all the road walks. Rothrock Outfitters in Hundington does offer hiker shuttle services in this area.

So there it is: The SST-MST Boomerang Route. Go do it. 






Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Collegiant Peaks Adventure 2018

Flikr Photo-dump here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskJ6GYzj

The Route
The Collegiant Peaks Wilderness in the Sawitch Range of the Rocky Mountains west of Denver is a hotbed of alpine wilderness, hiking trails and high peaks. The 3,100 mile Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and the 500 mile Colorado Trail (CT) both pass through the region. The area is home to fifteen 14ers (mountains with a peak elevation of 14,000 or higher). The Continental Divide, which divides the watersheds to the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico, cuts through the Collegiant Peaks Wilderness in a north-south direction.

My route linked the CT and other lesser traveled trails on the eastern side of the divide with the CDT on the western side to make a loop that would return me to the starting point.

My hike would start and finish at Twin Lakes just south of Leadville, Colorado. In establishing my route I deliberately avoided the lower elevation sections of the CT and targeted opportunities to hike in the alpine zone and over a few of the 14ers in the region.

The Start - Day Zero
As usual, the most stressful part of a hike is getting to the trail head. Fortunately the mass transit options to get to and from the start are pretty good in this area of CO. I utilized some well written guides to navigating Colorado's mass transit options available on the web (https://pmags.com/colorado-transit-options-for-the-outdoors

To get to the trail from the Denver airport required taking the RTA to Union Station, followed by a short walk to catch a Greyhound bus to Frisco. Once in Frisco a Lake County transit bus would transport me to Leadville. I was able to make the trip from home to the trail in a single day reaching the trail head around 5:30pm on a Friday evening and hiking until dark where I camped so my first day would start on trail.

Day 1
Day one started early heading south on the Colorado Trail after a good nights sleep just south of the Twin Lakes trail head. Since I was coming directly from sea level this first day stayed below tree line to allow for altitude acclimatization. 


Gateway to Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
About an hour after sunrise I came up behind the first person I'd see on trail. He was an older fellow. We chatted about where I was heading and he remarked he wasn't from around there and didn't know the area but it sounded nice. He asked where I was from and I responded "Pittsburgh."  
      "Really?" he said, "I live in Baden." 
      "Really?" I said, "I work in Ambridge." 
      "I graduated from Ambridge high school," says the stranger

Here we were, two guys who live 15 miles from one another who had to travel 1,500 miles to the Colorado wilderness to meet. 


Harvard Lakes on the Colorado Trail
By early evening I found myself in the parking lot near Silver Spring. After talking to some local hikers in the parking lot I decided to hike up the CT to the saddle at 12,000 feet situated just east of Mt Yale. Mt Yale would be the first 14er I'd have a chance to summit on my route.
Abandon Shack on the Slopes of Mt Yale


That night the only significant rain of the trip would fall and the wind would howl in the tree tops above my shelter but I'd be snug in my spot on the saddle.



Day 2

This is where I would depart the Colorado Trail. The eastern CT segment stays relatively low and below tree line. Its nice trail but my goals for this trip would send me higher in search of more time in the alpine.



Above the Clouds on Mt Yale's Summit 
I waited to leave the saddle until first light to ease navigational stress following the caryned route to the summit of Yale. I hiked on class 2 and 3 terrain into the teeth of a stiff cold wind to the summit. I found a spot to have breakfast behind a large boulder out of the wind. I didn't linger long in the cold and took the standard route off the summit heading further west and descending to the road that follows Cottonwood Creek over the Continental Divide.


Pond below Ptarmigan Lake
Slopes and ponds below Ptarmigan Lake



Ptarmigan Lake

That afternoon I hiked two lesser known trails, Ptarmigan Lake trail and Poplar Gulch Trail and stopped to camp for the evening a couple of miles north of St Elmo. 


Alpenglow view from my shelter at sunset - Poplar Gulch Trail above St Elmo
Day 3
I got an early start to give myself a few more hours to cover the next section of my route. I walked through St Elmo in the pre-dawn hours. St Elmo is a former mining camp and the site features a number of historic buildings dating back to the 1900s.

Jeep road switch-backing up to the saddle below Mt Antero

The road out of St Elmo eventually lead to the jeep trail which climbs to the saddle below Mt Antero, another 14er near my route. As I climbed the jeep trail numerous ATVs and high-clearance vehicles passed me. Reaching the saddle a gale of a wind was blasting me in the face and I didn't linger long but hurried on my way. 


Browns Creek Basin
I decided to forgo a summit of Antero as the day was getting on and I had a lot of ground to cover before stopping for the night. From this location I went cross country through two adjacent gulches and eventually intercepted the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) near Hancock Lakes where I stopped for the night.


Chalk Creek Basin above Hancock Lake
Day 4
Now that I was on the CDT I expected to start seeing thru-hikers. The CDT is one of the "Triple Crown" hiking trails, the other two being the Appalachian Trail (AT) and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The CDT is a 3,010 mile foot path that extends from the Canada to the Mexico border roughly following the Continental Divide. It is the most remote of the three trails and considered to be the most difficult.

As I was breaking down my camp I met my first south bound thru-hikers, a pair of twins who referred to themselves as the "Aussie-twins." This meeting reinforced a theme I've noticed in my travels, that one meets more foreign hikers on the most popular trails than native hikers. 
On the CTD north of Alpine Tunnel
At this point the trail intercepts and follows a section of historic railway and climbs up to the Continental Divide on the old rail bed. In 1881 the South Park and Pacific rail company completed a project to tunnel under the mountain at the divide and join the east and west sides of the rail line. The historic site of Alpine Tunnel features numerous interpretive plaques describing the site and activities that took place in the early part of 1900s.


Restored Telegraph Shack at Alpine Tunnel Historic Area
Alpine Tunnel was the southern end of what turned out to be the best section of alpine hiking I'd experience on the trip. The 20 mile section that extends north to Cottonwood Pass was the most exceptional alpine trail I've traveled. It passes through numerous valleys and basins past Ema Burr mountain and Mt Kretzer, crisscrossing the continental divide several times in the process. A harsh wind blew steadily out of the west and by the end of the day, though the scenery was exceptional, I was really looking forward to getting down from the Divide into the shelter of a low camp for the night.


Black Rock of Ema Bur Mountain




Interesting light-play on the mountains near the Divide

Descending to Cottonwood Pass

Sunset on the CDT alpine 
Day 5
As I continued north on the CDT, I bumped into more south bound thru-hikers. On this day I met 3 hikers doing something extraordinary. Hiking all three long trails of the triple crown, the AT, PCT and CDT, makes a person a "Triple-Crowner" and is a coveted hiking honor. For most people this takes several to many years to complete as the hiking season allows most folks to only complete one trail in a hiking season.

Thanks and praise for Boars Head (typical lunch on the trail)

This day I met three hikers who were attempting the "Calendar Year Triple Crown." That is, competing all three trails, nearly 7,920 miles of hiking, in a single year. This is an audacious hiking goal which to date, has only been completed by 5 individuals. These three had completed the PCT, and would complete the CDT when they got to New Mexico (they had flip-flopped the CTD) and upon completing the CDT would be starting the AT immediately. What amazing people we meet on the trail!


Red alpine flora on the west facing slopes of the Divide

Lake Anne on the CDT
Day 6
I awoke early from my camp spot on the lower slopes of Mt Huron, another 14er near my route. I made the summit at just after dawn and didn't linger long in the cold wind atop of mountain. I descended to the saddle and got behind a large boulder out of the wind. 


Looking slightly derelict on Huron Summit
I found I had cell service for the first time in several days so I took the opportunity to exchange texts with Amy while I ate some breakfast. As I sat there I started hearing the sound of broken pottery on the slopes below where I sat. A few moments later a mountain goat came into view as he climbed the steep slope near where I sat. He took little notice of me but went about his business of nibbling alpine plants and eating snow. I had a really horrendous angle with the sun and took the worst photo ever of a mountain goat but when the animal laid down in the shade, I knew it was the best I could do.
Alpenglow on Mt Huron

I descended Mt Huron by the caryned eastern route and eventually met with Lake Fork gulch which connected me to the Sheep Gulch trail head. The trail from Sheep Gulch leads to the somewhat infamous Hope Pass, which is the turn-around point for the Leadville 100 foot-race. Many of my friends have done this race and I was excited to see the trail and the pass. The trail up the gulch was lined with aspen and a full-fall color show was on as I climbed the trail to the pass. 




I think the wind at Hope Pass was the strongest I had experienced on the trail and I laughed out loud as I leaned into the wind to stay upright. Tibetan prayer flags had been attached to a log tripod at the pass and they beat hard in the gale. I took a few pictures and started the decent to Twin Lakes.
Aspen color show on Sheep Gulch

Fantastic fall foliage 

Breaking out of treeline - Hope Pass
As I descended, I felt a little overcome by the feelings I have at the end of an adventure. Mostly I'd describe the feelings as extreme humility and gratitude. The mountains had let me in, showed themselves, kept me safe and now I was passing out of their sphere and back into our modern world. Near Twin Lakes I met a couple from Australia on the trail and discussed my trip and their car-camping exploration of the American west. They remarked what an amazing country we live in and I agreed.
40mph wind selfie - Hope Pass

Last night on the trail
I slept that night on the shores of Twin Lakes, just a couple miles from the road to Leadville and my exit from the range. I had a good sleep that comes at the end of journey and I woke with anticipation for my first hot meal in a week.

Sheep Gulch Foliage


More aspen showing off near Twin Lakes




Mural in Leadville
I made my way to Leadville and made a beeline for breakfast. After filling up I spent the morning walking around town. Being alone, carrying a backpack and looking/smelling like I hadn't showered in a week made me somewhat endearing to folks and many people I encountered wanted to know where I had been and what I had been doing. I exchanged stories with well dressed couples, shop owners as well as other hikers, wanderers and vagabonds. The fellowship of the adventurer is strong in Leadville.

Breakfast at the Golden Burro - Leadville




Saturday, October 7, 2017

Susquehannock Trail System Loop Hike September 2017

Facts, Figures and Beta:
Distance: 85 miles
Trail Type: Loop trail
Vertical: 12,000 feet (estimated by GPX and profiles)

Found Water: Generous and naturally occurring sources along the trail
Potable water: Pumps on the trail at Prouty Place Patterson SP*, Denton Hill SP, Ole Bull SP
Resupply: store on trail in Cross Fork


[*Edit: Prouty Place SP is off the SST. I did not visit this location. The trail crosses Rt44 at Patterson SP where there are a group of picnic shelters and a hand pump.]

Maps & Guide:      Susquehannock Trail Club guidebook and topo map set
                                DCNR map (no topo, ok for looking at the route but not suitable for backpacking)
Flickr Picture Album here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsm69qn41

The Pool in Hammersley Wild Area

Day 1 – September 28, 2017
Distance: 15 miles
Weather: Sunny, 60s, 40 overnight
Camped: Three Stone Quarries Trail

Arrived in Cross Fork in the afternoon and hiked into Hammersley Wild Area under warm fall sun. The middle section of the Hammersley area is very remote and obviously a challenge to access. Hiked through the wild area and to East Fork Road as the sun was setting. Found a nice camping spot along Stony Run. The little valley had a good owl population and the overnight chorus was quite pleasant.

Day 2 – September 29, 2017
Distance: 35 miles
Weather: AM: Sunny, 60s; PM: Cold rain, 40 overnight
Camped: Scheibner Trail

The early morning hike up the western leg of the loop through Prouty Place and Patterson State Parks was very pleasant. Stopped at the intersection of Prouty Lick Trail and the Sarah Jane Trail for breakfast. Continuing north the trail was very well maintained and dry. After having lunch at the base of White Line trail, I experienced one of the few sections of this trail that I would describe as overgrown. The climb up to Denton Hill SP is fairly exposed and it was obvious what a wet summer in an open valley will produce in PA: a very healthy crop of saplings and brush. Once on the ridge however, I reemerged onto well maintained trail in Denton Hill.

Bill Fish Memorial - Denton Hill SP
Scenic Overlook - Northern Ridge


At the intersection with the spur to the northern gateway, I took the time to go out and visit the memorial to Bill Fish, the father of the STS. Hiking along the northern ridge, clouds rolled in and a steady rain started that would last all night. Reaching the fire tower at Cherry Springs, I was disappointed to find that the state had removed the access ladder to the tower and I could not climb up for a view. I took my dinner near tower and camped nearby on the Scheibner trail in a steady rain that gave way to a stiff wind that persisted all night.
Eastern Side has many of the mile marks identified









Spring on the trail into Ole Bull SP
One of Two Swinging Bridges on the trail


CCC Diatomite Shed Converted to Shelter 





Trail into Ole Bull SP
Day 3: – September 30, 2017
Distance: 35 miles
Weather: AM: Cool, damp, breezy; PM: 60s, periods of sun and clouds
Off the trail at sundown

The trail was damp and greasy early in the morning but the persistent breeze began to dry things out as the morning wore on. On the Cherry Run Trail I ran into the only two people I would see all weekend: a pair of archery hunters out for the first day of early archery season. We chatted briefly before I pushed on down the trail.

Log bridge typical of many on the loop
Swinging Bridge


Ole Bull SP was an unexpected treat. I don’t seem to know my PA history very well. I was unaware of of a Norwegian violinist virtuoso named  Ole Boreman Bull who purchased land in central PA the mid 1800s and established a the New Norway colony in what is now the Ole Bull State Park. The state park preserves the remnants of a half-finished castle and other archeology of the site.

Ole Bull Memorial
Ole Bull SP



The Susquehannock Hiking Club also maintains a board here where I found this poem posted (Rose Milligan 1998):

Poem posted on STC board in Ole Bull SP
As I hiked the climb from the valley where Ole Bull SP lies to the ridge I pondered author’s meaning. I don’t think that she meant we should all be slobs and live in our own filth. I think “dusting” is an analogy for a bigger, very human pitfall. The act of “dusting” is an act of maintenance. In a physical world, if we do not maintain, the resources we have acquired will degrade and at some point they are lost.  But as we acquire, it is easy for our effort to maintain  to begin to consume the one resource which can never decay but can never be replaced: our time and our attention.
But what about the “new” modern life? We like to think that a new modern citizen is more focused on experiences than on material. But our new modern world also requires “dusting.” Is not scrolling through your “feed” and “liking” the content of that “friend” you barely know and act of maintenance? The same can be said of “dusting” your physical world or your virtual world: if it brings you joy you are not mindlessly maintaining. The the means are the end. But if you are dusting simply to maintain an object or a space (physical or virtual) then think critically: why must I dust?
But I digress…
My pondering turned from the poem to the subtle growl in my stomach so I stopped at the base of Impsom Hollow and had a bit of lunch and tended to a couple of hot spots. After a bite and a climb, it was time to take on Spook Hollow. This trail is sort of legendary on the STS with its spooky sign. I’m not sure if it was just the hype but this section of trail was a piney wood (as opposed to an open hardwood forest) and it seemed to be spooky.
Newest Shelter Erected by STC
Gateway to Spook Hollow - Lived up to its name







I came to the new shelter just erected by the Susquehannock Trail Club. I looked at the register and it was finished only a week before my trip. It didn’t appear that anyone had used it overnight. I briefly considered cutting my day short and spending the night but alas it was very early and there were many miles yet to cover.
Forest reclaiming a rail grade

The trail re-ascended the ridge and followed an obvious abandon rail line. The entire area was covered with narrow gauge rail line in the early part of the century when logging companies completely clear cut the entire region. The trail guide book refers to the “vast Pennsylvania dessert” of treeless slopes. The rail lines took the cut timber to market along the steep grades of PA topography.
Ted's Truss Bridge


The trail descended to the very steep Morgan hollow trail and climbed the Long Hollow trail after crossing an interesting bridge. The next section of trail which followed Greenlick run was my favorite section of the hike. The trail felt very remote and the idyllic creek following the gentle grade coupled with an abundance of goldenrod in full bloom made for a very nice scene.
Fall colors popping in a meadow

Greenlick Run: My favorite section of the loop

At Scoval Branch I came to the a second shelter erected by the STC. I have visited a lot of hiking shelters over the years but none was as well outfitted as this one. A couple of chairs, wall treatments gave the open shelter the feel of a cabin and a host of cast iron cookware hung on one wall. I read through the last few entries in the journal. A 10 year old wrote about his first backpacking trip the previous weekend and how much fun he had with his dad. I’m glad his dad decided not to “dust” that weekend.
Most well adorned shelter I've ever seen - Scoval Branch

On the final decent back into Cross Fork the trail showed yet another character as tall conifers lined a well benched downhill trail. I got back to my vehicle just as the sun set, tired but satisfied.
My conclusion is that the Susquehannock Trail System is a hidden gem of Pennsylvania. A well maintained, well designed route that should be on every hikers have-to list.