Winter Wanderings

There is something about walking through the woods in the middle of the winter. There is a quiet and calm under the canopy that I find minimally Zen-like. Perhaps it is the carpet of snow on the ground covering all the Earth's imperfections or that only the most dedicated are willing to endure the harsh winds that bite at the skin. Whatever the reason, the peace and tranquility is amazing and perfectly simple.

Even in the winter I am a minimalist when it comes to hiking. I still tend to wear shorts and take the minimum amount of gear I need. I do tend to wear shoes but, only for thermogenic reasons. I have been eyeing a pair of hiking shoes from BackCountry for a while now but haven't the funds to get them...yet. I think they'd be perfect for the rock terrain covered in snow and leaves and whatever else debris litters the trail. Many of the trails I tend to travel fall into one or two categories, rocky and/or steep. So I've been looking for a shoe that will keep my feet dry and warm, only for the winter mind you. I still prefer going barefoot.

I went up to Col. Denning State Park again on a weekday afternoon with a buddy of mine to go in search of a plane wreck. It seems about 30 years ago a plane had crashed into the mountain range and was just off one of the trails. It was a small plane and very little wreckage remained but it was interesting to see. The trail itself was a bit steep initially and only after a mile or so did it level off. I was shedding layers like crazy to the point of going in just my shoes and shorts, everything else around my waist. Even in the 25 degree air I was sweating profusely without a shirt on. Though every time we stopped for a breather I was soon freezing again...motivation not to stop...lol.

The top of the trail led straight to a wagon wheel of trails of which we took the trail leading to Flat Rock, one of my favorite trails. After checking into the shelter along the trail and an hour of uphill hiking we made it to the top. Though the clouds were out the view is still amazing. I was even able to get a video of some buzzards flying overhead.

I'm still entranced by the way being in nature ehances my mood and overall well being. I can understand completely where Henry David Thoreau was coming from by moving to Walden and living the life he did. It puts things into perspective.

Posted with Blogsy

The Tuscarora Trail

South central Pennsylvania in early June from the top Barkley Ridge on the Blue Mountains is a beautiful sea of green foliage.  Giving the appearance of an ocean in the morning breeze adds to the amazing sight.  My hiking partner and I had discussed this trek for about two weeks till we were able to put it to action.  Our plan was simple, walk straight up the mountain behind my house, find the Tuscarora Trail and follow it to Flat Rock Trail in the Tuscarora State Forest & finally to Col. Denning State Park where we'd be met by his girlfriend for our ride home.
We didn't set off till a little after 2 p.m. and I traveled with minimal gear not knowing what sort of terrain we'd run into at the top of a mountain.  Following the road straight up the mountain proved to be more difficult than we'd realize.  It quickly went from asphalt to dirt to rocks quickly.  Recent four-wheeler tracks helped the climb but, we still had a good workout in the process.  We reached Rattlesnake Camp at the top of the climb, it was a small shelter and fire pit located in a nice open field looking out over Perry and Cumberland counties.

Hiking was difficult, ankle strength was put to the test.

From there we located the trail, which was no easy feat.  The trail is not as well marked as we'd thought it might be and took a bit of navigating on our part to locate.  We followed the top of the range for a few hours, travel was slow and unstable.  Much of the terrain is loose rock and a great deal of overgrowth with the occasional downed tree blocking the trail.  The overgrowth made things more difficult due to us not being able to spot trail markers quickly.  I think we veered off the trail 2 - 3 times only but, had a slow go through this stage of the hike.
We didn't stop too often and when we did it was to look out at the beauty around us.  There wasn't much signs of travel through this part of the trail and I can understand why.  There wasn't as much wildlife as I had hoped.  A few deer, a wild turkey and a pheasant were all we saw.  Once the trail left the ridge of the mountain the trail became more traversable.

Flat Rock vantage point. A bit hazy but, still a great view.

Opening up and much better maintained we were able to up our pace and make up for lost time.  We had figured 5 hours to make the trail and we were a bit behind.  No stopping for lunch, we ate on the move.  We did have some concerns about our water supply since we were sweating, a lot, and only carried about 2 liters each.  Finally after roughly 3 hours of hiking we came upon our first trail sign.  To our concern it read "Col. Denning 9 miles" and we started to think we'd be turning this into a night hike.  We are still not sure why the sign reads 9 miles because with our cadence we approximated that we only traveled about 4 miles from that point to Flat RockTrail in the Tuscarora State Forest.
We stopped at a creek and cooled off a bit, reapplied bug spray and at a bit before heading back up the mountain to Flat Rock.  For those who don't know Flat Rock is a majestic view of Cumberland county and on a clear day and good eyesight you can see Harrisburg, PA to the north.
From Flat Rock we were able to make sure our ride home could pick us up by the time we finished our descent and take in the scene below.  Our final hike down the mountain was made with caution.  The trail is littered with loose rock and is pretty steep so footing is a bit tricky in areas.
We finished our trip in 5 hours and 20 minutes, tired, sore and happy with our accomplishment.  It was a rewarding trip that is definitely worth repeating.  I'm trying to talk my hiking partner in to an overnight hike...we'll see how it goes.
Since I'm always curious what others take on day trips I thought I'd share my list with everyone and encourage readers to do the same in the comments section.
Also, just a side note.  I did this hike in a pair of New Balance X-trainers which held up well considering the rough terrain.  I was hoping to do this in my Vibram FiveFingers KSO's but, haven't got them glued back together again.  If I can ever afford it I plan on getting the KSO Treks from Vibram FiveFingers, the leather uppers and heartier soles look to be my best trail/hiking shoe.
My Gear List
Camlepak 2L backpack system (one of the original packs)
My Everest waistpack
SOG SEAL Pup knife
Swiss Army Knife
Clif Bars
Twizzlers
Altoids first aid kit (homemade)
iPhone
2 bandanas
notebook
pen
picture of family
I.D. tags
bug spray