I had chosen early in the week to hike a part of the Laurel
Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).
After much research and watching other YouTube videos I had
chosen these two sections. The shorter section was to see the ledges I could
see on the aerials I was looking at. This section was 5.2 miles long
Then I decided to go to the Highlands Market and ask permission to park in there parking lot for the day and continue the
hike. This section of the hike was 10.2 miles long.
Truth to be told I had to turn around and go back to the
Soob because I left my wallet out in the car lol. Then I thought I couldn’t re-hike
that so decided to go elsewhere on the LHHT.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources have
deemed this stream closed for taking drinking water from it. They have found heavy
metals in it.
They also say the water hand pump Grindle Ridge should not
be used.
In these two sections of the trail as you can see with the attached
profiles, they are very manageable regarding elevation change.
The vista at N40° 01.413' W79° 18.666' is at an elevation of
nearly 3000’.They have harvested trees
selectively to open the scenic view there.
A few words of caution for these trail sections. When it
rains this area would be a nightmare. With all the exposed clay on the slopes
of the inclines would be extremely tough and the footbeds of the trails would
become creeks.
The food at the Market was a nice treat.
All in all, these two sections are very enjoyable.
Well, this was one of the more humbling hiking experiences I
have had in a long time.If you spend time
outdoors doing what you love at one time or another mother nature is going to
remind you that you’re only human.
On this day like any other day I check the weather and head
out. I am wearing convertible pants, wicking long sleeves, and a wicking short
sleeve underneath.
I would be carrying 3-litres of water and in normal hiking
conditions this for me would last for a 16 – 20-mile hike. What has not been realized
yet until I have 1.5 miles left in a 13-mile hike is I will run out of water. The other sign would be my body having heat
cramps in my leg one at a time, but we will get to that later.
Starting at 41.556185, -77.375912 aka Gillespie Point Trailhead
being mile 0.0. I looked at a topo map and saw yes it would be a climb up to
the scenic view, but what I did not do was see what the average percent of
grade it would be to get there.
Starting at the trailhead and immediately started the accent
with an average grade of 18 percent I grinded it out.After ascending 932 feet I had a beautiful
view of the Pine Creek Gorge.
The next leg would be the nearly 2-mile decent into Brill
Hollow. There are two ephemeral water sources while hiking into the hollow.
After crossing Big Run Road, you will need to do a stream
crossing at mile 2.3. During this creek crossing you will see a few small and
beautiful waterfalls and the waterfall spotting will go on for about 0.70
miles.
After passing the waterfalls you will start another accent.
This ascent will be 1.12 miles long, with an average grade of 10.4%, and with
an elevation gain of 609 feet.
I had been used to grade changes, but none at this point lasted
this long. Sweat was pouring out of me. I should have right then changed up my
clothes. I knew better but pressed on. I should have converted my pants to
shorts and removed my long sleeves. This would be the start of my dehydration.
I should have also checked my water bladder level.
After that you will start your accent into Hoyt Hollow. This
hollow has several beautiful creeks in them. As has been said by others, this
is no place to be during a high-water moment.
The cold and at times chilling temperatures of the runoff
from the mountain springs can be overpowering and at times dangerous.
Trout Run was running well but nothing that would stop
someone from crossing it. I just did not want to get my boots wet on this day.
I began breaking trail along the north side of the creek to
work up to what I call Anvil Rock Falls. The rock formation looks like the
front edge of a blacksmith’s anvil.
I was walled out and needed to go to higher ground or wade
the creek. I chose to get to higher ground to traverse the walled-out section.
I was walking along a ledge that I thought was surprisingly flat-ish.
The ledge was also covered in dead leaves. The sandstone was also prime habitat
for snakes. I oddly enough did not see or hear of any snakes.
I made it back to where I started to break trail. I began my
hike out of the creek bottom. For the next nearly 2-miles I would be going up
hill with an average grade of 6.4%.
On the hike back at nearly mile 9 I felt something I had not
experienced in decades. I felt heat cramps in my left leg and at first it was
just a nagging feeling. This would get worse to the point I needed to lay on
the trail.
I made every attempt to rub it out and stretch it out. It
nearly migrated to my crotch.
I then realized I was in the starting stages of heat
exhaustion. I was ok for now and knew I needed to drink more water “but really
it was already too late”.
I also needed to cool my core temp down slowly and not allow
myself to go into any type of shock.
I got up and pressed on to find a water source for cooling.
I found a shallow source of water. I took off my pack and stowed all the non-essential
gear. I soaked the long-sleeved wicking shirt and began with my head to cool my
core.
I did this for my neck as well as armpits. The cool water
that came out of the water seep was a life saver. I did this until I felt confident, I made a
good choice to press on for the remaining 2-miles.
I was already out of water “big miscalculation”. I held off drinking the remaining two tablespoons
of water left in the bladder.I would
need to reach Gillespie Point before taking this drink of water.
The next 0.78 miles, percent of grade being average of
13.7%, and the final push up the steep grade with an elevation gain of 562 I
rested again. At the top of the gorge it provided a nice breeze and further
helped my core cool.
After what seemed like forever I put my pack on and made my
final descent.
I had already thought
I would not be able to make the 2-hour car ride back to camp and might have to
stay in a motel for the night.
Last thing I needed to do was pass out at the wheel. So, I
took it step by step down the hill for nearly a mile and 900 feet down. I also
was motivated by the fact that I knew I had packed extra water bottles and left
them in the car.
I got back to the car and had not been as happy as I was in
that moment for a while seeing the car. I did not hop in automatically I took
my pack off and got one water bottle. While still walking a little I drank the
water slowly.
I felt better than I thought and I would drive but still
stayed on high alert if I needed to pull over.
I was lucky because this all could have been much worse.
Mount Davis is in the Laurel Highlands Region of
Pennsylvania. Mount Davis is the highest point in Pennsylvania at an elevation
of 3,213 feet or 979 m.
In past visits to this area, really enjoyed my time there.
I chose to look at Alltrails.com to see what estimated mileage they would give
me for any trails around there.
I also need to add that the Forbes State Forest is broken
into a few different areas. For example the one area is Forbes Sate Forest –
Mount Davis Natural Area in Elk Lick Township, Quebec Run Wild Area in Gibbon
Glade, Roaring Run Natural Area in Doegal Township Pennsylvania.
The website estimated length was 5.7 miles and because I
know that they are never correct unless its flat ground it would be longer with
all the elevation deviation I would most likely encounter.
The trail ended up being a loop of 6.5 miles long. It was
not an extreme up and down, only one long grade climb. The footing was a little
techy in some areas and that’s because of loose rocks with snow and ice on
them.
The beautiful mountain laurel was everywhere in some areas.
They recently did some trail care and cut back the mountain laurel, so the
trail is more obvious.
I did see bear tracks in the snow and a bevy of coyote scat.
When I first arrived on Tuesday the 23rd the fog
was so thick and navigating harder than it needed to be I decided not to
attempt any hiking on Mount Davis.
I pulled into the little sleepy town of Meyersdale to get
some breakfast. IMHO these little sleepy towns have the best food.I found the best little breakfast place in
town. It was called Donges Drive-in Motel, and they can be found here https://www.dongesdriveinmotel.com/
Everything is made from scratch, but if you want sausage
gravy they only do that on Saturday. The
prices are very low and the food is delicious.
I chose to head up to Wolf Rocks and Beams Rocks instead to
see if I could get a break from all this fog. The next area would be about 1300
feet lower than Mount Davis and my hope was it would be below the fog.
The conditions of the roads were not bad and they were only
wet. It was not until I reached the dreaded sign that said “no winter
maintenance” is where the driving conditions got bad.
My Subaru Legacy was doing well on the slick roads and that
was until the road grades got steeper. I felt the back end slip a bit and
thought on this narrow forest road with these deep open ditches on the side if
I slipped into one, I would have to be pulled out.
I chose to do a 6 point turn to turn around and get back to
the main road.
After a little bit of anxiety, I got back to the main
road.I did not get to see the two rocky
ledges and will return some day.
So, I decided to head to the hotel room and beg them to
allow me to check in early.
They did and I stayed in the Days Inn off the turnpike in
Somerset. The Days Inn was hmm clean and the rooms over feel were below
average. I know I was only paying 150.00 dollars for two nights tax included,
but the finishing touches on the room left a lot to be desired.
The new pain on the walls was missing in spots. The TV
console covers one of the electrical outlets. The doors to my room had a gap so
big you could see the carpet in the hallway.The lock to the door was good and substantial.
It’s been a while since I stayed at a hotel that has
multiple floors. Normally when I have stayed at such hotels you need a key to
get into the back door of the first floor. Well at this Days Inn its free range
and anyone can come and go through the back door to get into the hotel.
I told this to the manager slash hotel owner I am guessing
and his remark to me was “they can’t get into your room”. I thought well isn’t
that a strange way to say you’re not concerned about the safety of the people
who stay at your hotel. Yes, they have a camera inside the building in the
hallway, but if a person has an altercation, it’s already too late they are in
the building.
I will never stay here again and if you’re just a worker in
the area in the oil and gas field I can see this being a place you would stay
at. It’s cheap and it is close to the highway and to shopping. For you to
minimize a person’s personal safety that’s says you don’t care and so I don’t
care to stay there again.
I checked in and cleaned up and went to go find some place
to eat. After a little driving I found the perfect tavern. It is called Glades
Pike Taverne and you will not find a better place to eat, drink, and they have
live entertainment. You will also not find a more diverse menu either!
The Stromboli I had was made from scratch and it was a
medium and the large are nearly double this size see photo below.
After a few beers I headed back to the hotel.
I was in the for the night and with the thick fog,
non-maintained winter roads, and high winds I was having a planning dilemma.
Where do I go and what time should I get there?
I thought I could return to Mount Davis and attempt at a
time lapse of the sunrise. What time should I get there, I was thinking. I will
get there later than I want to make the odds in my favor that the fog has moved
out. I knew I would miss the sun
breaking across the horizon, but I wanted to make sure the weather had pushed
through.
Sure, enough I had missed the prime part of the sunrise, but
there was still a window for some decent cloud formation time lapse photography
opportunities left.
After I got off the fire tower, I drove down the road to the
trail head of the Mount Davis Highpoint Trail. It was possible to make this a
longer hike but starting at noon and making it longer would not make it a great
idea.
I started at roughly at noon and it took me basically 4
hours with all the stops for photo opportunities. Most of the trail I would
call rolling down and up. The first takes you to the valley bottom of Tub Mill
Run and in the second part you climb up out of the valley for 1.95 miles. The
slopes are not tough, but they could be strenuous depending on how physically
fit you are.
This video depicts the grades you will need to hike.
By the time I got to the fire tower and was on the last leg
of the hike I only had about 2 hours to get to my car. With a mile left I
nearly jogged to my car. At least I was going downhill and maybe 3 mph walking,
but I was not going to miss this sunset.
I rolled to the car and got in as quickly as I could and
drove back to the fire tower. I was a little shocked that no one else was here.
I grabbed all my gear plus a couple of extra layers because
as the sun drops the temperatures would plummet.
I set up my tri pods, one for my GoPro13 and the other for
my Olympus TG6.The GoPro13 would be set
up for timelapse only.Once I started
the session, I would need to not touch it until it was time to leave.
I arranged my gear to still allow others to enjoy the fire
tower if anyone else had shown up. After watching the sun take its final breath
I had had enough. It was cold and the wind was starting to blow harder.
I stopped the GoPro from recording and as soon as I did that
a coyote let out a howl so loud I thought it was up in the fire tower with me.
I flipped on my head lamp and got my gear together quickly. I have never heard
of a coyote attacking a human, but I did not want to test that theory today.
I got my pack stuffed with gear and pulled my bear spray out
and then I heard a few more coyote’s howl. They were not that far away, and I
moved a little quicker to the car. My head lamp was on, and I was not trying to
be too quick, but just quick enough lol.
Finally, I got back into the vehicle and headed back to the
hotel.
This area has so much to offer everyone. It just takes time
to explore so go out and enjoy it and be courteous to others.
Here it is day two of Turkey Day Spey and it’s the last day.
The drought has not been kind to the USA and not to the Great Lakes Region. I
spent part of the day in Cuyahoga Valley National Park “CVNP”.
I chose to fish the Cuyahoga River “Hoga” today and she was
in amazing shape for being low. The
river has always had good flow even in the dead of summer lots of different gradients.
The river was gin clear in two feet or less, but two feet or
deeper she was green. I saw several shad
pooled up in the shallows I would imagine because of the cooler temperatures.
I would fish my sinking leader with 12-pound test tippet at
the end along with a simple shiner fly pattern. The Skagit line is a 440 grain
short head Freightliner by Scientific Angler. The leader set up was an Airflo
steelhead sinking leader 1.5”/second.
I finally saw other anglers today. Two of the anglers were
locals and one pinner was up by the bridge and did not come down.
The Hoga has a lot of silt, sand, and muck issues. Her banks
are in bad shape from all the erosion. The Hogs River basin is rich and fertile
for agriculture here in the CVNP.
I got to the river at 1030 am and with the highs today being
37 there was no reason to get there early IMHO.
I was ok with the slow day after all I always have zero
expectations of hooking a fish.
It’s nice to be on a section of a river and not see trash
and other footprints except for all the wildlife.
I could have fished another river, but I did not want to
fish around other people.
Well, the first day of Turkey Day Spey is in the books.
Mother nature has worked her magic of freezing temps and lots of wind and that’s
never a good mixture. I still tried, and I could not fish New York because of
the weather and road conditions.
I am headed out this morning after I eat breakfast. There are
only three rivers that are fishable right now, and I am choosing one that will
have less fish and most likely less people.
The days for me fishing with others around are rare unless you’re
a friend. Even fishing with friends is close to rare as well. With that said I
often fish in waters that have very few catchable numbers of fish on purpose.
On this day I choose to fish the Cuyahoga River. They did
stock it with steelhead last year and we will see how the return is in three
years. They will be stocking this river yearly with steelhead.
The access is plenty, but she has silt issues and has a lot of
sand.She has plenty of gravel sections
and deep holes. In a lot of respects, she reminds me of a smaller Manistee
River in Michigan.
I just pray that the areas that I have found over the
decades will remain the same, but only time will tell.
So, today I headed out to the river. I found her with good
flow and with 30” of solid visibility.
I needed a break from the restoration of my antique drafting
table project.
I got to the river in one of my favorite spots. This time I
saw boot prints on the trail, and this would be the first time I have seen another
person’s footprints.
I would be swinging a sinking leader that would sink at a
rate of 1.5”/second. I used a number 6 streamer
tied with a white body with an olive hackle collar.
I used 12-pound tippet and tried to redefine the definition
of insanity. I walked about 7 miles between the two stretches of water.
I had a solid grab in a throat where two current seams
converged. It was nice out today with the overcast skies and a gentle breeze. I did a lot of bush-wacking to get into one
spot lol I won’t be back there again. The wild razzberry bushes nearly ate me
alive! Lol
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.
Started on the Ohio - Pennsylvania border and headed into
Game lands 285. The terrain would range from your typical flood way to rolling hills
averaging grades between 8% to 18%.
I was a little over dressed and needed to strip some layers,
it warmed up quickly. The overnight low was 52 degrees; bit it was 64 degrees
by the time I got to the trailhead.
I stuffed them into my pack and headed out. It was nice and
nearly void of people. I saw only one couple and they were on their turn around
leg of their hike.
I keep looking at my handheld Garmin 64sx looking at the
elevations and what not. Please always
remember All-trails and all other web-based data is not accurate ever!
I would rate this hike for the average hiker in average
hiker health as an easy hike. When there were steep grade changes, they were
very gradual I thought.
I did not see a lot of wildlife. I did see an adult Lantern
Fly and recorded the GPS coordinates and emailed it to the Depart of
Agriculture of the state of Pennsylvania.
The 12.9 mile hike is what I needed in preparation for the
Monongahela NF trip in 17 days!!
A person can either complain that there is nowhere to fish,
or they can come up with a plan to do something.
I chose to change it up and spend three days fishing around
the Niagara River around the Buffalo Region.
I would concentrate on the breakwall on the Niagara
River.
A person can catch a multitude of species there depending on
the time of year. An example of this is that in the spring a person can go from
catching steelhead, smallmouth, walleyes, and freshwater drum all
summer.
Figuring out how the flows affect your bait or lures is one
of the toughest parts of fishing in this area.
I needed to pop n jig my Ned rig because the freshwater drum
would only take the Ned Rig on the drop.
All the freshwater drum hit out in deeper water as I jigged
it back to me.
I had no idea the depths I was casting into.
I could only read the water so much. There was an
identifiable ledge and drop offs. I could also make out small cobble areas that
had a mixture of sand, pea gravel, and glacial silty loam.
When I found the above described areas, it was fish
on.
Needless, our fishing is always at the mercy of the
weather.
Yesterday’s freshwater drum palooza was successful in part
because of the southerly winds.
The water level was 2 feet lower unlike today it was 2 feet
higher with the northerly winds.
This is the only explanation I can think of where all the
water came from. This change in water levels made the fish push off into deeper
water, I think.
I fished the same nedrig but the north wind I believe with
the current stopped my 1/5 of an ounce to get to the bottom.
I changed direction of my cast. I even counted down to
different depths in the water column and had zero results.
It always amazes me with the variables that one needs to
think of when fishing. This is what makes fishing or any outdoor sport such an
adventure.
I also want to take a minute to talk about kindness. I want
to say kindness needs no words and you don’t need to speak the same language.
Here is my example. I was watching a young man from Turkey trying to find a
hammer to pound a few tents stakes in. I could have continued to watch him and
not offer the hammer that I brought, but instead I called him over to take my
hammer and go use it.
He went and drove his tents stakes in, and he thanked me in
his native language, and we continued with our evening. Later I called attention to the kids playing
in the campground roadway and pointed at the cars that had been driving too
fast.
This time his wife and the grandparents gave me a nod in appreciation
for making them away of the other drivers on the road.
By now it’s dinner time and I was warming up my chili. Then
the grandfather got my attention asking to come over and speak with me. His English
was very broken and in appreciation he invited me to have dinner with them.
I told him how honored I am that he is asking. I pointed to
my chili and other food I was preparing. He smiled and said no problem and went
back to his family. We exchanged lots of smiles and nods for the remainder of
the weekend.
All you need to do is be human and be nice and make others
matter.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the write up sorry it took so long.
There is also plenty of artwork also that I will be posting from the trip.
Its that time of year when our rivers and creeks are showing
signs of summer. These rivers and creeks are showing us their secrets. They
tell us a story about where fishing holes are. Where the fish would hold in
higher water levels.
Its during these times before the falls rains come when a
fisherman can learn about the river.Is
it tough work well yes because the sun is high in the sky and you can get
dehydrated fast.
Today I went to wade fish as low as you could on Conneaut
Creek.I had heard the lower has lost a
lot of her ability to hold fish and after today’s walk, I see why. She has
accumulated so much small cobbles and sand from the storms over the years. For
me it would not be worth the wade to get down there. Mind you this is summer
pool level, and the water was in places up to my high thigh. This would be impossible
to wade safely with another couple of feet of water in her water course.
I took my trusty TiCr TFO 6wt out for a walk. The rod was
lined with a GPX 6wt and an Airflo sinking leader it as a sink rate of 1.5”/sec.
I used my generic white streamer with a brown hackle collar.
I did connect with a few resident fish today. I saw several
Ospreys and one Bald Eagle. Its nice to see them flourishing.
I managed to see one fawn today while on the Grand River.
I hope you enjoy the artwork, and I am off to hike up into
Brandywine Creek Gorge.
Today I brought my good friend R to hike with me. Today I chose
McConnell’s Mill of PA but started at Hell’s Hollow Access. This would ensure
us not running into other hikers for many miles.
This section of the
trail would be challenging for the two of us. Not to the point of whether we
could not do it from the perspective of we are not used to this much vertical
change in topography back to back to back.
This is also a part of the North Country Trail System. It
was hot, muggy, muddy, and buggy! I am convinced the bugs play a game of how
annoying we can be! Lol
We did find where mother nature is carving a small natural but
deep bridge out of the small mountain that’s on the trail this can be found
here at these coordinates (N40° 55.571' W80° 13.368').
I don’t know how long the bridge will last due to the water
erosion, but it’s interesting to see how one way a natural land bridge is
created by mother nature.
The sound of the Slippery Rock Creek and her tributaries
were nice to listen to throughout the hike. You could hear the creek no matter
where you were on the hike.
Since it’s been an incredibly wet spring and summer the
mushrooms are growing everywhere. You could see where animals tried to eat them
and found them to be awful.You would
randomly see them torn to shreds as the animal tried to find a tasty part of
the mushroom!
We too ka rest on some large rocks at our turn around. It
was hot an humid and that’s why we started early like 0730. We had chosen to
turn around at mile 6. Now, here comes the moment where we look at the map vs
the six-mile waypoint. It was 0.60 miles further. Now that might not sound like
a lot but in this terrain, it was a bunch.
With all the up and down we had done at this point and how
much the map had been off horizontally and vertically we decided to turn around
at this point.
I need to point out that I planned the trail off “AllTrails”
we all know they are normally off to begin with and not to be used as gospel.
It was just another example of you can not trust technology all the time and especially
when you did not create the map yourself!!
We ended up hiking12.2 miles and ascended and descended a little over 2100 feet.
