As you may or may not know I was sick and within the last week and half felt better. My voice still sounds like Froggy off the Little Rascals. I did a short four-mile mellow hike last week and needed to see how much stamina I had lost being sick for nearly twelve days.
For this hike I would choose to do a leg of the seventeen miler I did in the spring of this year in the Moraine State Park in Pennsylvania. I would hike about 9 miles and have an accent and decent through out the hike of 4000 feet. This would be broken up in sections throughout the hike.
This would also test myself. Well, it was fun except for the last three miles. We will just say I sounded like a four pack a day smoker at the end with my breathing lol.
Then my backpack decided to be too unalive itself! The shoulder strap sheered itself in half.
I also wore my bear bells so the hunters would be less likely to think I was a deer!
I have pushed the envelope of my HP Pavilion to the point it wont run Pinnacle Suite 26. So, now I need to purchase a video editing machine! I am thinking the
HP OMEN 16L i7 RTX 4060 Pro Gaming Desktop, Intel i7-14700F(Beats i9-12900F), NVIDIA RTX 4060, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB SSD, DP, RJ-45, Wi-Fi 6
Until I get this figured out my content is going to be minimal!!
I also believe it will not run Pinnacle anymore because of the last windows update. I wish I was smart enough to be able to get into the code and figure that out, but the only thing that has changed is that windows has updated @!@@#$!!
I am also heading back to work on Tuesday. My voice is whisper only at this point lol. Other than that I am nearly 100%
Well, the trip to the Allegheny National Forest has come and
went for me. I left on Wednesday and by Thursday I was starting to feel sick. I came
home on Saturday. I hated leaving my friends, but now one else needs to be sick
because of me. I am off on Monday and will go on Tuesday. When my supervisor
gets in if I don’t feel well, I will take a sick day. I could not breathe correctly so I did not hike
sadly.
Jerry, it was nice to see you again, and I know you’re at
peace with yourself and it was great to see you on the trip. Be well my friend
Folks fall has arrived and some friends and I will be headed to the ANF here in two days. I will have plenty of content when I return. I will return on the 6th and be well.
I hope you enjoy the artwork. I had to join two trails to make this loop 14.7 miles long. I only ran into other people when you got close to each trailhead.
I wanted to do this in the middle of summer but here we are
lol. I got up and hit the road at about 0700
because I wanted to give the sun enough time to get into the actual gorge.The GoPro13 does not do well in dimly lighted
areas. On the other hand, the Olympus TG-6 does a decent job in this type of situation.
I arrived at an empty parking lot and the primitive campsites
I saw along the way were nice and well maintained.
The rim of the gorge where I was at an elevation of 1502 and
where I would meet the Chautauqua Creek I would be at an elevation of 1331.
I had planned the hike 10 miles but with the rain that I was
driving though for the majority of the trip I did not think this would be feasible.The clouds did open to sun from time to time
while in the gorge.
The creek bottom was strewn loose rocks ranging from large
cobbles to large pieces of shale.This
is not a hard hike, but it is very tedious. You must watch your every step. I wore my carbide studded boots to do this
hike. I did slip every now and then, but if you had rubber soled shoes on it
would be like walking on ice in many areas.
Cell service was nearly zero most of the time down in the
gorge. I say this because if you get hurt down there you are on your own!
The state of New York has posted signs on trees to let you
know they have access easements on the creek in many locations. Obey the signs
when they state you need landowner permission to enter.I should have looked at this PDF that the DEC
posted. It shows I could have gone further. The signs were very confusing out in
the field. This document will help clear things up a little.
This would be the first day my friend would join me on a
hike. I chose for us to hike up to Spruce Knob. This hike would be 11.2 miles and ascending
and descending over 1300 feet. We would follow the Huckleberry Trail. This is the highest peak in the Mountaineer State,
being 4,863 feet.
Looking back, I do regret we did not go to a better vantage
point that day to get better views. The
constant climb up was challenging but not too strenuous so that it was unbearable.
You do have to really concentrate on
where you step 70% of the time due to exposed roots and displaced rocks.
The way down was the same but with the assistance of gravity
lol it was easier.
This would be a day or rest. I would do errands into town. I would get the gallon water jugs filled and have to go to Elkins West Virginia Walmart. I needed to find another Mini SD card because mine was almost already filled!
This is me driving out of the Monongahela National Forest.
The morning routine was the same as yesterday to include the
snorting and stomping deer.
The cloud bank was heavier and vastly bigger than yesterday.
The sunrise did manage to poke out here and there. I hope you enjoy the
attached videos and photos.
Today I would like to visit the Seneca Rocks State Park.
After loading up the car and driving forest road 227 I made it to State Route
250. I arrived at the park at an empty parking lot, but what I did not know is
most people park in the other lot. Lol
When I started to gear up at the car it was not raining, but
as soon as I hit the foot bridge it began to rain. The rain was constant all
the way up to the exposed signature rocks that Seneca Rocks is known for. The
technical clothes I was wearing were made for weather like this. I wore pants
and a long-sleeved shirt. This quick drying material kept me warm even though I
was soaked. I pressed on up to the summit.I passed several people and at some pint the rain had stopped. I did not
know this, but it gave me a 15-minute rainless moment at the summit.
I know the rocks will still be wet and hopefully it would
offer still an opportunity for me to get a few photographs. I got to the sign
that talked about not being prepared and having the right gear could result in
death if I want to proceed.I pressed on
because I have enough common sense.
I chose a route that offered me enough friction and handhold
to climb a short section of these magnificent rocks. The rocks were slick, but
the little route I had chosen to get to the first perch was a smart one.
I arrived at the first ledge and could see across the valley
and could see a rainstorm moving in on me again. I watched it for a moment to see if I could
see lightning.I saw no visual evidence
of lightning and pressed on up the rock faces. I was using my military training
to go up these rocks. I was keeping at a minimum of three points of contact and
arrived at my last perch before the rain would find me. I thought it was taking
minutes for the rain to reach me.
The winds aloft moved that storm to reach me in about it
seemed like seconds. I got down from that perch as quickly as I got up it.I still did not see any lighting, but what I
did hear was thunder. It was constant and never ended as I climbed off the
perch. As I finally got back to the dirt, rock, and tree root riddled path I
pressed on. I was yet again soaked as I made my way off Seneca Rocks.
The trail showed signs of getting a lot of rain by forming
little rivers of water.Others may not
know this but these trails when they get rain turn into waterways. You need to
pay close attention to this fact.In
some areas there is nowhere else for the water to collect and run off. In some
cases, these trails can hold running water inches deep.
The thunder never stopped the entire hike down the mountain.
I hiked down the trail quickly. I had a piece of deadfall nearly hit me and
that made me go even quicker. It’s been my experience if a piece of deadfall
falls keeps going don’t stop don’t look keep moving.There are more likely more hanging in the
trees over your head and unless you’re a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle you will
not be able to dodge the falling debris.
I got back to my car wet and ready to call it a day. I was
praying that back at camp it was dry. With hope in my heart, I drove back to
camp. While driving back to camp the clouds were parting and looking less
threatening. The rain had slowed down drastically to the point where I could
not see any physical evidence of rain.
I turned onto Forest Road (FR) 227 and continued to drive to
camp. I was relieved that I did not see any rain puddles. This meant that the
campsite saw no new rain! I finally arrived at camp and as I expected no rain
had fallen.
The nightly routine would be the same except I choose to
have chili tonight. I also in northeasterly direction mother nature was working
overtime. The fog bank was so large that it made the horizon disappear.
I have seen fog this thick out in the open ocean but not
here on land and so it was a real treat. This treat would end up hanging around
for the next three days.
There was so much water vapor in the air, every surface was
covered in moisture. This is one reason I always travel with my waterproof
bags. It is because of these bags that my clothes remain dry and even my dirty
clothes stay dry.I mean come on who
wanted to smell damp, sweaty, stinky, and dirty clothes?
Since these bags are waterproof you don’t need to worry
about them. The only way to do this is you need to make sure they don’t blow
away! Some dry bags when being used can blow away in the wind unless you hold
them in place somehow.You must remember
these bags are filled with clothes and like a tent in the wind you need to tie
or hold them down.
I went to bed that night listening to the rain hit the tarp.
I was also relieved that I saw no lighting and being atop a ridge on a mountain
this was real threat.
I chose for this trip to pay a visit to the Monongahela
Nation Forest in West Virginia.I plan
on dispersed camp in the Mower Basin for seven days. The first three I would be
solo and on that Friday my partner in crime would come to camp.
I went to the primary camp site, and it was occupied. I had
four other camp sites chosen and continued to the other four. I found that
other campers were on the other spots.I
went to the last one and found it to be open.
In setting up camp I found two piles of bear scat. One pile
was clearly fresher than the other, but still two piles!
The attached photo is the last dispersed camp site. It was a
little over a mile from the other site. I was dispersed camping in the Mower
Basin.You can drive right up to your
camp site, but don’t be fooled, this is primitive camping. You need to bring
everything with you and take it all out with you.
I had made food for the trip, and it was under ice in the
cooler. I brought with me also two cases of bottled water and 6 one-gallon jugs
of water for showering. One thing that threw me for a loop was the number of
flies there were present at the campsite. There re a lot of flies so many flies
you need to be prepared. The flies will leave you alone after a few hours buts
unnerving to witness.
I got the screened gazebo set up and moved onto my tent set
up. I set up a tarp over my tent area so that even if it rained, I would have a
dry place to sit. I would be able to enjoy the views of the camp site.
After I got that all set up it was time to run into town and
pick up firewood.
I drove out of the forest and one hour later I would find
the place to pick up the wood.
I loaded my Subaru and headed back to camp.I brought with me a plastic trap, in case it
rained I would be able to keep the wood dry.
I then realized I had not eaten and decided to heat up some
turkey meatloaf.I broke out my fuel
cannister and the stove.I do need to
add that I found a fresh pile of bear scat at our camp site when I got there.
That means I prepared food away from the sleeping tent. That also means I would wash dishes in a different location from the cooking location and the sleeping tent.I also would hang the trash in a treeaway from all the above forementioned.
I did this in the hopes the bear and other little furry
visitors would be less likely to show up. I also brushed my teeth away from
camp.
All this seems like a lot but in all actuality it’s a safe
way to be.
On my way to my tent to call it a night I looked up at the
night sky. I chose this area also because it’s one of the darkest places east
of the Mississippi River. It has a Bortle Rating of 2. You can read about the
Bortle Scale here https://www.handprint.com/ASTRO/bortle.html
I could see the Milky Way Galaxy from Horizon to Horizon.
This was what I really was after. I don’t have the camera equipment to take
images of the Milky Way to show off her true raw beauty, but memories are
enough for me now.The other reason for
coming to this location was also to take star trail photos. I did get that
opportunity, but heat lighting along with cloud cover made that tough too. Its
also important to point out that we go outside to enjoy the outdoors its not
“us” who are in-charge of what happens to us.I hope you enjoy the photos attached below.
This would be my first night here and it will turn out to be
one of the quietest nights of my life in a long time.The crickets were the music that lulled me to
sleep. I do t recall falling asleep really but all I recall was my head hitting
the pillow and it was lights out.
Day 1
I was awoken in the morning by a snorting deer stomping its
hooves to the point where I believed I could hear it stomping.I laughed out loud and yelled “good morning
to you too”.
I dragged myself out of the tent and proceeded to heat up
coffee for breakfast. I did not see any
new evidence I was visited by any uninvited guests. The trash I hung in the
tree was untouched and there was no evidence of tracks or disturbed grass where
I brushed my teeth either.
This would be my first sunrise at camp and mother nature was
not disappointed. She painted her canvass effortlessly with pastel pinks, reds,
blues, and various shades of white. The overnight low was in the 50’s and a
dense fog bank had settled into the valley.
I hope you enjoy the following photos and videos from this
moment attached below.
The water started to boil in the kettle, and I put together
the coffee. Then I would turn my attention to making oatmeal.The oatmeal I premixed was basically a candy
bar with oats in it lol.
I finally got to set down and further enjoy the scenery and
the moment that I was being a part of.
There was a slight breeze out of the North-Northeast and it
was nice and cool.
I started to think about what I was going to do today since
I came down a day early. I came down a day early because I was afraid of
setting up camp in the rain. For all of us who have set up or torn down camp we
know it’s not fun at all. It’s wet and gets everything else wet and not
forgetting it weighs more!!
Let’s get back on track here with what I was going to do
today.Well, I wanted to hike but which
one means how many miles did I want to do. I choose to do the Loop that was a
combination of Lumberjack, High Meadow, and Seneca Creek Trails.I look at these trails on my Garmin Base Camp
mapping program. I knew that the final grade and last leg of this loop would be
a brutal slow burn accent.
The bottom of the gorge was at an approximate elevation of
3148’ and the end was at 3953’ elevation. Now that does not sound bad, but I
made no mistakes, but I did not know or research how many creek crossings I
would have to in this last leg of the hike.So, the last 5.58 miles was a real treat fest.
I started this hike late. I started at noon, but in
preparation for this I packed my headlamp. I also packed 3 liters of water and
snacks.
I kept my pace of 2 mph and while I will not set the world
on fire with that pace it’s a pace I am comfortable with. This is also the pace
I used to complete my 17-mile hike months earlier.
The start of the trail was wet on the Lumberjack Trail (LJT)
and would end wet. It was plagued by stinging nettles so be very aware pants
should be worn.There are dozens of
springs leeching out of the mountain side.This is part of the Spruce Mountain in the Allegheny Mountains.
With all the springs comes bugs, but the bugs were not as
bad as the nettles. We all need to pay close attention while hiking because you
could miss something amazing.
I was walking on this single-track trail and found a few
railroad spikes. I also found a few remnants of stone walls. These just
appeared as I was hiking the trail they popped up like magic. I don’t know what
structure they would have been used for. The age of the rocks looked to it
would predate the area becoming a park. I will attach photos and videos below
to show you what I am talking about.
The other magical part of this would be seeing three blue
cray fish!! Yes, you read that right I saw three blue crayfish, crawdads, or
mudbugs! I had no idea they would be this high up on a mountain.
I was hiking down the trail and saw something blue. My brain
was automatically thinking about who threw trash on this trail and then I saw
it move. My body locked up to a dead stop. My brain took a few minutes to
recognize and process what I was seeing.
I had assumed that the trail was drier than their habitat
and maybe they came up on the trail to warm up maybe. I am not a biologist but
that is my guess.I found them at an
elevation of 4035’.
I created this loop out of three trails and after the
section of the LJT it would lead me to the High Meadow Trail (HMT). Here is
where I saw how a horse had been through here recently and pushed back some
brush. Meanwhile after I saw several wild black berry bushes and what I
believed to be elderberries I pulled out my bear spray.The last thing I need to do is surprise
boo-boo eating his or her dinner! So, I had my bear spray out going down the
trail until it opened. I will add a video below showing how narrow the trail
was and seeing a bear here could have happened!
What I did not realize is that the fun had not really begun yet.
Unknown to me when I got down to the banks of Seneca Creek I would need to do 5
creek crossings. Now this would have been nice to know about going on the
hike.So, you can just imagine how
frustrating it was with only myself to blame.
I am extremely fortunate that the creek was not high and not
crossable. If it had been so I would have had to go back to the way I came or
take a chance again to cross it. This would have been really dumb of me to take
a chance.
When you don’t know how many water crossings you need to do
you will never know if you’re on the correct bank.
I kept pushing myself and at one point I stopped taking off
my GoPro and putting on my headlamp. This was thought of from the start knowing
I would not start my hike until midday.
As I hiked up the mountain and made a vertical accent of 805’
in 5.58 miles. It does not look that bad and it was not, but being at the last
leg of the hike and the sun had set it was worrisome.
I just kept thinking you are fine and praying I did not have
to cross the creek anymore.
When I finally reached the trailhead, I hiked 13.3 miles,
traversed Seneca Creek five times, and hiked out of gorge of Seneca Creek.
It was 1930 when I arrived back at the trailhead and it was
so late even the owls were saying who! Lol Like “who in the hell would start a
hike this late?”.
Beaten and battered I pointed the Subaru to camp.I arrived at camp an hour plus later.I heated up water to heat up the meatloaf.
Since I did not have a skillet, I figured out I would eat the turkey meatloaf
like stew. That meant heating up enough water to make the meatloaf hot. I
placed the three pieces of meatloaf in individual baggies. In doing this it
allowed me to breakup the meatloaf inside the baggy. After I did this, I could
then pour the crumbled meatloaf into the small pot.I then poured hot water into the small pot
and put it onto the burner. After the water started to boil the water, I pulled
the pot off the flame. That second dinner out at camp was such a mouthgasm!
After dinner and washing dishes, it was time to take care of
myself.
The other part of this journey today would be taking a field
shower at night. The temps plummeted and the water was in the 60’s. So,
needless to say it was a shock to the system and if the wildlife did not know I
was there they would know after I hooted and hollered after every rinse of my
body as I washed off the soap. Lol
I went to bed and barely recalled zipping the tent shut. I
do remember grabbing the bear spray and air horn before passing the heck out!
