June 29, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Eckville Shelter to New Tripoli Campsite 13.3 miles

Day 3: June 22, 2015

Well, after an evening of thru hiker tales, including one about a hiker who took part in “hike naked” day, I conked out before it got dark in the Eckville Shelter!

Up early, ate my granola bars, and was ready to go! I swore off oatmeal after the last backpack. Why? I mean it is so good for me! It’s gross. It’s mushy. I have never liked oatmeal and do not see any reason I should eat that crap on the trail…unless it is cold out…then I suffer just so I can have something warm to eat. But I am working on an alternative to that also… 🙂

Watched several hikers leave as I sat at the picnic table and waited for Google and CanDo. Wondered for a moment if they would be offended if I just started hiking. But then I decided it was probably better to stick together since I didn’t want to do anything crazy without someone to spot me!

After getting back on the trail it resumed the regular rockiness. After a bridge crossing, the trail ascends steeply to the ridge. Nothing like a climb to get you warmed up in the morning!

Cute little bridge crossing this morning.

After passing the side trail to Hawk Mountain it is just another mile slightly uphill to Dan’s Pulpit. I was looking forward to this as it would give a view back to the Pinnacle…and I love to be able to look back at where I hiked before. It was blessedly sunny today, which allowed for a good view at Dan’s Pulpit.

Dan’s Pulpit looking at the Pinnacle

Pennsylvania raised its rocky head afterwards! Lots of fun rock jumbles meant tedious walking. Nothing like stepping on a rock that decides to dance with you! Add to that rising temperatures…whew. Every once in a while a great breeze would catch me unaware and I would just be like “Yesssssss!” The heat and the rocks had us slowing down a bit and I was happy to pull into the Allentown Shelter for a break and lunch. 🙂

Passed the Tri-County Corner

Yay! the Shelter at 7.4 miles.

Lunch!

I chugged my Gatorade, took off my shoes and rubbed my feet! These rocks were getting to be serious business. But after the shelter…smooth sailing. We got to Rt. 301 relatively quickly. It was flat fire roads again with beautiful ferns lining the path. Overhead, the blue skies and puffy white clouds went on forever. A gorgeous, hot day!

Nice trail after the shelter!

We found the turn off for New Tripoli Campsite without any drama…but when we started to go down steeply I was momentarily discouraged. Down, down, down. It seemed like forever! It was totally worth it. Great campsite with access to a very nice water source, a stream. How delightful to soak my feet in the stream after a hard day hiking. 🙂

Awwwwwww…..nice and cold!

It was a long day and when I climbed into my bag I fell asleep almost immediately. Tomorrow – the big day, Knife Edge and Bake Oven Knob. *snore* ZZZZzzzzzzz

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike on!

June 29, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Windsor Furnace Shelter to Eckville Shelter 9.1 miles

Day 2: June 21, 2015

When we turned in the night before, everyone camping around the shelter had instructed us to yell if Scott Jurek ended up coming through. The buzz was up and down the trail, all of us wanting to cheer him on when he passed us!

Bag Lady dutifully checked in late … just to see if he was really still in Port Clinton. She had a look of concern on her face…he is on the move! WHAT!!! It is raining, storming, lightning, thunder!! But the tracker was erratic…and by the time we figured out his location he was nearing Eckville Shelter. 😦 So much for technology! He passed us while we were hiding out in the shelter!! Records wait for no storm apparently.

All those who were looking forward to seeing Scott on the trail were just a little bummed out. We had been soooooooo close! Well, we had that I suppose.

Bag Lady was only hiking with us for the first two days and decided she was going to take a blue blazed trail to bypass Pulpit and Pinnacle. We tried to convince her otherwise, but she was ready high tail it out of these wet, wet woods and rocks. So we said our goodbyes, and she headed to the right on Hamburg Road and we headed up the AT to the left.

I never get tired of being in the woods after a good rain.

Headed up!

As we began to climb a rock pile near the Pulpit, we all agreed that Bag Lady would not have approved of this trail! It was not a bad climb, just a lot of rocks. I thought it was fun, but of course, you know…this is only the second day and the excitement of climbing over rock jumbles is still fresh. 🙂

Climbing the Jumble!

This is where we heard the voice from beyond…

As we neared the top of the jumble, we heard a voice from beyond, ” Deeeebbbbbiiiee?”. That is Google’s name, and we looked at each other and busted out laughing…Bag Lady?!!! Bag Lady had gotten turned around and had ended up climbing an even steeper hill only to end up back with us! Oh, the humility! Welcome back, Bag Lady!

We all came together at the view from Pulpit Rock. The rain was gone, but the heat and humidity was back in full force. The sweat was dripping down my back and when I took my pack off, the straps were soaked. But the breeze felt so good as it cooled me off considerably!

View from the Pulpit

Leaving Pulpit Rock we hiked on together and in a few miles we found a nice break spot at the Pinnacle and a found a few of our reptile friends as well!

Rock Pile at the Pinnacle

Climbing over the rocks to get to the Pinnacle Ledge

View from the Pinnacle

Look! Bag Lady is waving!

My Reptile Friend is quite handsome!

Then it was a long descent to the Eckville Shelter. The last part of the hike was a flat fire road which was pleasant but hard on the feet after a while. We had been hiking it for about a half hour when Google stopped and whispered “listen!” Bullfrogs! I found two frogs talking to each other on a log…so cool!

Then we kept walking, dodging puddles, as we made our way down the fire road until Bag Lady left us to get her car in the Gamelands Parking lot near Eckville. She was going to drive around to Eckville Shelter and meet up with us before heading back home.

A long, flat road…not as easy on the feet as you might think!

Arriving at Hawk Mountain Road, we turned right and walked the last o.2 miles to the Eckville Shelter. OH!!! What a lovely place! Hummingbirds, flowers, a barefoot quality lawn! And, and, and … a shower! That’s not all…the caretaker, Mic, gave us popsicles!!!!

When you ask a question Mic will ask, “Did you read the map?”

Love the Hummingbirds!

Hikers gather-A bubble of thru hikers came in.

The shelter

Sitting and Chatting with Mic

After Shower and Rinsing out clothes (thanks CanDo for the photo)!

And the final sweet spot…Bag Lady and CanDo went to get us Gatorade, cold Gatorade!!

Delaware Water Gap or Bust…Hike on!

June 29, 2015 by Kylena

AT-PA Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace Shelter 6.1 miles

Day 1: June 20, 2015

Google, Bag Lady, CanDo and I met up at our hotel on Friday, June 19. We cruised by Cabela’s in Port Clinton since CanDo had a last minute gear issue, then had a great dinner before returning to our hotel for the night.

In the morning, it was raining. Pouring actually. Oh, to start a section hike in the pouring rain would be demoralizing, not to mention just plain crappy. We got in our cars and headed up to Lehigh Gap. We were leaving two cars at the east parking lot in the Gap. After getting each car parked and our gear into Google’s car, we headed back down to Port Clinton.

Then, glorious divine intervention! The rain stopped!

Google parked in the lot just south of town on Rt. 61. CanDo decided to hike the Blue Blaze to the AT, while Google, Bag Lady and I took the longer route through town. The barbershop already had a few thru hikers hanging out in front and they called out a friendly hello as we passed by. The barber tried to distract us with cookies, but we were focused, determined, and ready to hike!

Continuing down the street, a cute beagle let us know we were on his territory as we walked by his fenced yard! Turning the corner we were now on the AT and soon saw CanDo waiting for us at the gate.

Google & Bag Lady

We were now officially on our way! The walk along the Schuylkill River is very pleasant, although there were a few muddy spots this morning. We chatted about Scott Jurek. He was currently about 35 miles behind us…Bag Lady had been tracking him all week. We had all been discussing the possibility of seeing him during our trek, and now it looked like he might pass us somewhere on the trail today!!

When we started climbing Blue Mountain out of Port Clinton conversation all but stopped as the terrain became steeper. Google and CanDo pulled ahead, while Bag Lady and I kept a more casual pace (translation: slow as molasses but not as sweet).

Climbing Blue Mountain

Bag Lady & I found Google & CanDo waiting for us at the top!

It was a long climb with a full pack, but eventually the endorphins kicked in leaving me giddy! Suddenly, everything was great…the weather, the view, the trail, being outdoors, life, oh…I thought someone was going to slap me I felt so good! 🙂

The trail from the top of Blue Mountain to the shelter was surprisingly decent. There were some small rocky spots, but plenty of smooth trail too.

Descending around the rocks

Pocahontas Spring sign

Consulting the Map

Not a bad trail!

A little more rocky, but still decent!

Back to sweet trail

Hamburg Road

Windsor Furnace Area

Our packs were covered in case of rain, but we arrived at the shelter high and dry! We set up, ate dinner, and checked in to see where Scott was on the trail. He was approaching Port Clinton! Then the tracker showed he had stopped for a while.

Waiting for Scott

We checked in a while later, Scott was still in Port Clinton…and it had begun to rain. Then it started storming…Scott was still in Port Clinton at 8:30 pm…guess he was spending the night.

One more check in…yep, still in Port Clinton!

Headed to bed, but by all means feel free to hike on!

June 18, 2015 by Kylena

Getting Ready for PA: Pack Weight & Water

Woohoo!!! Headed to Pennsylvania tomorrow for a section hike on the AT! We will be out 8 days, with a hotel stop in Lehigh Gap. I have been working on my pack all week, you know, so it wasn’t completely overwhelming here on the day before I leave. I have a Dana Designs Mazama pack. Not the newest or the lightest, but it is my backpack and I love it. It has a lot of pockets and helps me organize my stuff! As you can see I actually have it fully packed this morning. It’s a good idea to check the total weight before slinging the pack on for that first big climb out of Port Clinton, PA! Here is what is in the pack:

In the mushroom cap:
First Aid
Headlamp &Extra batteries
Pocket knife
Map
License/$$$

In the Main Cavity: Sleeping Bag
Pad
Cooking Stuff including Esbit stove/fuel tabs
Food for 4 days
Extra Clothes-Exofficio lightweight bug pants, long sleeved lightweight pullover, extra socks, and a windbreaker pullover.
Water bladder & water bottle

In the Outside Middle Pockets
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Water Filter
Toilet Paper/Hand sanitizer
Gatorade bottle

In the Bottom Pockets Poncho Pack
Cover Hat

In the Back Net
Tent
Camp shoes

Total weight = 31 lbs

I always come in at about 30. I am okay with this weight.

************************************

During the summer water sources start to dry up. This is the case with the section we are hiking. Most of the time we are on a ridge with little opportunity to access a water source. Since the temps are going to soar into the upper 80s and 90s each day we need to be sure we can stay hydrated. I have space to carry 4 liters plus 20 Oz of Gatorade…but that may not be enough over a full two day period. We have the advantage of having 3 cars with us. We are planning on buying a few jugs of water and placing a car with the jugs in the most critical areas. This should solve the problem…and, honestly, if nothing else, just make us feel better!

************************************

So now I am ready. At this point I need to stop thinking and start hiking! Up to the rocks we go! Hike on!

June 11, 2015 by Kylena

A Western Maryland Walk on the C&O Canal

Follow the Potomac River west from Washington, D. C., oh, I’d say about a hundred miles, or so, and you will come to a sweet, little river town that was once in the running for the capital of the United States. Williamsport, Maryland was reviewed by none other than George Washington for a possible location for the United States capital!! Even though it wasn’t chosen as the capital…well, I am sure it was an honor just the same!

I headed to Williamsport to do some flatland hiking since it was way too hot and humid to climb a mountain today (for me anyway 😉 ).

Williamsport is a cool river town with the Potomac River forming a natural boundary on the west and Conococheague Creek hemming it in on the north. The C&O Canal runs along the Potomac River. Many bikers were already on the Canal or taking a break at picnic tables when I rolled into the parking lot.

Museum & Parking Area-Picnic tables and bathrooms!

Another large group of young folks were on their way to the river’s edge with fishing poles, buckets, and bait ready for whatever the river might bring them today. It was quite a bucolic setting to behold. I changed out my flip flops for walking shoes then set off to stroll upstream along the C&O Canal.

Of special interest is the crossing of the Conococheague Aqueduct. The aqueduct is currently undergoing restoration but is still part of the C&O Canal so can be used during restoration.

Conococheague Aqueduct

One convenient aspect of the Canal is having mileage markers! Walkers, bikers, or horse riders can keep track of how far they have gone. I planned on hiking 6 miles, so I noted the first mileage marker, and knew I would need to turn around at mileage marker 103. Side note…One of drawbacks of the Canal is usually having to retrace your footsteps in the opposite direction to get back to your car.

First Mile Marker…100!

It was a hot morning and I could feel the heaviness of the air settling over the river and the Canal. Occasional breezes which made the towering trees rattle their leaves did little to alleviate the heat and humidity that seemed to surround me. I am indebted to the birds that distracted me with a variety of melodies and, lucky me, an owl also hooted a welcome!

Big Trees, Shady Path

Each section of the Canal takes on its own personality. At the beginning of my hike, and probably for a mile or so, there was farm land on my right and the Potomac River to my left. A farmer was out on a tractor… Oh, I cannot tell you how welcoming it is for me to hear a tractor out in the field! I hail from southern Indiana and this sound takes me back to a place in my childhood that brings a feeling … of what…happiness? well being? comfort? love?…hard to describe, but good, good, good! 🙂

Then the farmland disappeared and all I could see is a huge rocky wall. Boulders have fallen into the Canal here and the whole place takes on a rugged look. I thought about whether it would be possible to climb to the top of the rock wall, just to see over to the other side, but it looked rather overgrown and vertical. And I was hot…well…that energetic, rock star moment didn’t last long. 🙂 Back to putting one foot in front of the other!

Towering Rock Wall

Quite a few bikers with packs were making their way down the Canal today. I enjoyed the whoosh of air that accompanied them as they flew past me in groups of two, four, and more. I was hoping for more as I neared my car and the end of my hike!

Potomac River on a Hot & Humid Summer Morning

I trudged up the short incline to my car and ripped off my shoes and socks. I could not put my flip flops back on fast enough!

Hot and Sweaty…Hike On!

June 9, 2015 by Kylena

Great Hike Near Frederick, Maryland on the AT (6.4 miles)

Got a couple of hours? Have you ever visited the original Washington Monument?

Well, you could just drive up but why??? This is a nice out and back hike to the Monument on the Appalachian Trail (AT).

Park at the Rt 40 parking lot for the AT (new 40, not the old 40 that goes past South Mountain Inn).

Head south on the AT passing over I-70 on the bridge. I drive under this bridge frequently … it was super exciting to walk across this bridge the first time I took this hike! You will love it and if you have kids, they will definitely be loving the semi tractor trailers zooming just below their feet! They might even get a few honks! 🙂 🙂

Bridge over I-70

Once over the bridge, the AT squeezes between two houses. Respect the boundaries for the AT!

Cross the road and continue on the AT as it heads slightly uphill and passes the Bartram Trail. The Bartram Trail links to Greenbrier State Park.

Many animals make their home along the trail, deer, bear, and even turtles!

What a cute little girl! If the turtle had red eyes, then it would be a boy.

This is also a nice trail for dogs. Sidekick Pauli loves to hikes here!

After about a mile, the trail crosses Boonesboro Mountain Road. Be careful! Traffic can come though here pretty fast!

The rest of the hike is wooded and shady with two power line crossings. Some of the trail is smooth easy walking while other parts are rocky.

Most of the hills are small and increase elevation slowly, that is until you get just past the second powerline crossing. At that point, the trail makes its final climb up to the Washington Monument.

The first time I did this hike I packed a picnic lunch and walked the 3.2 miles to the Washington Monument. Sitting in the shade of the apple tree, I ate my picnic lunch while taking in the view of the Monument and Boonesboro in the valley below. Then I backtracked 3.2 miles to my car in the Rt. 40 lot. It was very peaceful!

Enjoy!

Get Outside!

and Hike on! 🙂

June 9, 2015 by Kylena

AT-PA Rt183 to Port Clinton 6/6/2015

I’m back Pennsylvania!

Thank goodness I found a hiking pal in PA! It has been a lot of fun hiking these last couple of sections with Cindy, trail name “CanDo”.

This time around, I got to the parking area off Rt. 61 in Port Clinton with no major drama, just a little rerouting around Harrisburg due to roadwork. It is a nice little lot south of the town and has a blue blaze to the AT. As soon as I got the car backed into a spot (beautifully I might add), a text came in from CanDo. “I’m in the Rt. 61 lot.” Ummm…but I am in the Rt. 61 lot and it was clear she was not. This was soon sorted out…two lots, different sides of the highway. My lot was deemed the nicer choice to leave a car, so CanDo picked me up and we headed down to the Rt. 183 gameland parking lot.

Pulled in, gathered our packs, then headed up the gameland road to get to the AT. It was 8:45 and 15 miles were ahead of us. I like smaller goals, so I set my sights on Eagles Nest Shelter, about 6 miles in.

Intersection of the Gameland Road and AT…right turn and off we go!

A deer jumped to the side of the road flicking his white tail before disappearing for good into the woods. Good morning to you too, little deer!

Reaching the intersection with the AT we also disappeared into the woods, taking a right, headed north. There were no climbs initially, just a few rocky spots, so we soon found ourselves passing Black Swatara campsite and spring. The campsite looks to be large enough to serve a group comfortably. Someone has handcrafted a gorgeous sign for the site!

It was a wonderful day for hiking! The rain had finally cleared out leaving us with a morning of cool temps, blue skies and refreshing breezes! The trail was a regular amount of rocky as we stomped on towards Eagles Nest shelter.

Only another two miles until the shelter!

Eagles Nest Shelter has windows and gutters!

The shelter was 0.3 miles off the trail, which meant we added a little over a half mile to our trip by stopping for lunch there. We opted to pass on another 0.1 mile to see the view since we would get an overlook further down the trail.

What a super respite! We lolligagged for about 45 minutes before heading back to the AT. I took off my boots, laid back on the shelter floor and propped my feet up on the wall. Ahhhh!!!

This shelter even has a mirror!

Taking a break fooled my mind into thinking I hadn’t actually hiked this morning. So starting out after lunch was like starting anew on a 9 mile day hike, not the 15 we had originally undertaken. “I got this!” I said to myself.

The woods was still carpeted with thick ferns, but now the mountain laurel was beginning to bloom as well. Just gorgeous pockets of mountain laurel blossoms brightened up the darkness of the forest. We walked through admiring all of it!

Another little break along the trail.

The miles were just melting away and I still felt good. The guide book warns of the severe rockiness of the last six miles. I found the guide book to be wrong in this case. There were some spots of heavy duty rock hopping, but most of the trail just seemed like regular old Pennsylvania rocky!

Now this … this is one of the REALLY rocky sections! 🙂

Feeling pretty triumphant at Auburn Overlook.

The hardest part for me was the steep downhill into Port Clinton. Slow go there for sure. My knees and thighs were relieved when we were in sight of the bike trail at the bottom of the hill. Then another short down on some very suspect steps and we were at the Port Clinton trail depot. And since we had not had enough walking on rocks all day long…we proceeded to tramp all over the ballast to look at the trains!! Go figure…we are nuts!

Trail comes out to Fire Road, then turns back into the woods…almost missed this arrow!!

Yay! Reached the rail trail!!

The final assault, I mean descent, to the depot.

As we left the train depot, a guy stops and asks, “hey, you two know about the all you can eat spaghetti dinner?” WHAAAAAAT?!!!!! Oh, this was the best end to a hike ever!

Oh Yeah!!!!!

All You Can Eat!!!! Yesss!!!

All You Can Eat Spaghetti Dinner…$8.

Feeling like real hiker trash…priceless!

Hike on! 🙂

May 30, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Rt. 501 to Rt. 183 5/28/2015

Up with the dogs at 5:30 am, then out the door at 6:30 am. I thought I was leaving early, but didn’t anticipate rush hour in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania! I mean come on, why is the traffic stopped? It’s a burg for God’s sake. 🙂

Rounding Harrisburg on I-83, my accelerator foot got jittery from the seemingly endless riding of the brakes. My heart soared when I finally zipped down the ramp headed east on I-81… ecstatic to demonstrate some of my NASCAR talent!

On to meet hiker pal, Cindy, at Rt. 183. I pulled into the parking lot right at 9 am … on time! We left my car and drove back to 501 in Cindy’s. The clouds were many shades of gray and hung low obscuring the ridges. We discussed the possibility of rain…

Pulling up to the 501 lot I noticed two dejected looking backpackers sitting on the ground. I wondered what they were up to. “Good Morning! How’s it going?” Their response was indicative of a rough night. Gesturing to the foggy mountainside, I continued, “Did it rain this morning, or is this just coming in?” Now they let loose…they described a hellish night in a wicked thunderstorm. They had been hiking a few days and were now ready to take a day off to dry out in town! We left them waiting for their shuttle to arrive.

The trail rides the ridge of Blue Mountain which made for pretty nice walking, although a few rocky sections kept me humble. I quickly learned to teeter-totter on the loose stones! Ahhh, new skills…or is that skillz? 🙂

Here I am showing off those skillz! Thanks Cindy for the pic!

There were quite a few campsites along the trail. Sweet campsites! Small, but plenty of space for a couple of backpacking tents. We stopped for a long lunch (30 minutes!) at one such site.

It was great to stretch out…I rarely stop for long when I am hiking alone. I don’t know why…I just don’t! Cindy told me she is the same way. How about that? 🙂

There were also a few excellent views. This was taken by Cindy at Shikellamy overlook. I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I still cannot pronounce Shikellamy correctly despite Cindy repeating it several times for me!

A cute little red spotted newt was hiking the trail today…that I stepped right over without noticing…thanks Cindy for pointing it out!

We came to Hertlein Campsite soon after the newt sighting. Wow! A beautiful place to camp! The stream was flowing freely. Afterwards, Cindy and I both wished we had filtered some of that fresh, clear, cold water to drink!

This section between 501 and 183 is interesting as it switches from rock jumbles to mountain laurel groves to blue berry patches…and then there are the FERNS! As far as the eye can see in all directions, ferns!

At one point we met up with another section hiker who had started at Delaware Water Gap and was coming south. She was ready to finish her section after getting caught in the aforementioned hellacious thunderstorm and almost stepping on a rattlesnake the day before! I don’t blame her! I kept an eye out for snakes the rest of the way to our car!

Our traverse crossed an old pipeline, then entered the woods again for a few more rocks. The trail looks to be in some stage of slight rerouting. It is easy to follow, however, so we were soon at the historical stone marking the location of an old fort.

This historical stone also meant we were nearing the end of our hike…and the crossing of Rt. 183. Whew! Had to take that crossing at a jog!! Blind curve…fast cars!

Despite a bit of humid weather and occasional distant thunder which kept reminding me that we might encounter our own little scary thunderstorm, this hike was a blast! And we stayed dry!

We exited the AT about a half mile after Rt. 183 to walk down the service road to the Gameland parking lot and my car.

We will return to do Rt.183 to Port Clinton next weekend. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Ankles beware!
Hike on!!!

Gallery April 20, 2015 by Kylena

AT – PA Swatara Gap – ??? It’s Hot, It’s a Ridge, and It’s Rocky…And I love it!

This gallery contains 4 photos.

This summer I am set to complete the Pennsylvania section of the Appalachian Trail. I am about half way through the state, having completed Pen Mar through Swatara Gap in May 2014. In June I am backpacking a big section with my backpacking pals, Google & Cindy…but I can only go for a week. This […]

April 1, 2015 by Kylena

Browning Mountain and Basketball History (yes, Still Exploring Indiana!)

Down the road that goes to Elkinsville (or went to Elkinsville) is Browning Mountain. At 920 feet, I am not sure why it is called a mountain. I thought 1000 feet made a mountain…but I got that info from a movie in which cutie pie Hugh Grant played the lead … so you know, there is a slight possibility I am wrong! I am not bothered by that in the least. 🙂 Hugh Grant is “The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Down a Mountain” and very persuasive!

Over the years, I have heard some mysterious, almost magical, stories about the stones on top of Browning Mountain. These stones, which are quite large, are not native to the area and no one really knows how they came to be on top of Browning Mountain. Today was my day to climb the mountain!

Getting to the trail head was not a problem. We followed Elkinsville Road through Story, passed the Nebo Ridge Trailhead (stopped to get a map for future hike!), then went another mile or so until we saw the canoe rental place. We turned around there and backtracked about a 100 feet to find a spot to park on the side of the road next to the trail.

Headed up the Mountain

The first part of the trail is pretty steep, then you continue to climb along the ridge. We encountered several blow downs … seems to be a pretty regular occurrence on the ridges in Indiana.

It was a great day though, blue skies, gentle breezes, so the climb up was mostly delightful! We missed a right turn onto the trail that goes to the mysterious rocks somehow and kept walking for quite some time until we came to a fork in the trail. At this point, my sister, Rowena, was pretty sure we had come too far but wasn’t completely and totally sure, so we took the trail marked with two orange ribbons which headed to the left. When we started to go steeply downhill, Rowena decided indeed this was not the right way. So we back tracked to the fork and took the other branch…after another 15 minutes…nothing.

This is a trail marking???

Rowena had cell service so we looked on line for a website that might have a map or clues for which to look.

A geocache site stated that “There is a hidden intersection on the trail (look for the large, fallen tree that blocks the trail).” Okay, that is the STUPIDEST clue ever!!! There were at least FIVE THOUSAND large, fallen trees on the trail!!!

At least we knew two things now 1) the trail to the rocks was behind us and 2) the trail to the rocks was near a fallen tree. Alrighty-let’s go!

On our way back, we met a nice family from Cincinnati with two young girls. Together we found the trail without too much drama, Yay!

The rocks were pretty cool…but the whole spot is beautiful. Both my sister and I took some time to lay on the rocks and look up at the sky. Very nice!

BoobOnARock literally…

The adventure did not stop with Browning Mountain! On our way back home we stopped in at the Freetown History Museum, a one man operation in Freetown, Indiana. My sister volunteers at the Lawrence Co. Historical Museum so this was especially interesting for her! I wasn’t expecting anything, so of course, I end up finding something amazing!

Basketball history! But not your typical basketball history. The history of basketball in Freetown, Indiana. And…here’s the thing…the girls had a basketball team in Freetown BEFORE the boys! Check out the girls bball team from 1921 or 1922 in the photos below.

Mr. Fritz (to the right) unlocked the doors and gave us a personal tour!

This is so cool…and if Freetown had a girls team, then that means other towns would have had girls teams also, right? They had to play other teams! I want to know more…so if anyone out there knows anything about girls high school basketball teams in Indiana…let me know!!!

Keep exploring, learning and as always, Hike on!

Girl Gone Hiking

One step, then one step more

AT – PA Eckville Shelter to New Tripoli Campsite 13.3 miles

AT – PA Windsor Furnace Shelter to Eckville Shelter 9.1 miles

AT-PA Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace Shelter 6.1 miles

Getting Ready for PA: Pack Weight & Water

A Western Maryland Walk on the C&O Canal

Great Hike Near Frederick, Maryland on the AT (6.4 miles)

AT-PA Rt183 to Port Clinton 6/6/2015

AT – PA Rt. 501 to Rt. 183 5/28/2015

AT – PA Swatara Gap – ??? It’s Hot, It’s a Ridge, and It’s Rocky…And I love it!

Browning Mountain and Basketball History (yes, Still Exploring Indiana!)

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