West Rim Trail (WRT)

The west rim trail was one of harder trails we’ve done so far. But we didn’t know what we were up against as we prepared for the trip Tuesday morning March 9, 2010. We did the final checklist and waited for Andrew’s dad to pick us up at our house. We climbed in his car with our packs at around 11 o’clock and made the short trip over to my dad’s house. We prepared as much as possible and punched the trail’s coordinates into the GPS. This was a point to point 30 mile trail. The dads in one car and me and Andrew followed in the other. We had a smooth 2 hours of driving in before we stopped for lunch. We thought it was going to be a quick stop but the dads needed some things. Andrew’s dad got some last minute food items and my dad bought some warmer socks (they were 40$....what!?). We were finally in the Williamsport area by around 3:30pm. The first order of business was parking my old cavalier at the southern terminus to await our return and provide a shuttle to the other vehicle. We switched all of our packs into the Rav 4 and continued on to the trail head where we arrived closer to 5. We were finally standing on the trail and the sun was almost setting on our first day.
The initial miles of the trail took us up a steep ascent of the rim overlooking the beautiful PA Grand Canyon (Pine Creek Gorge). Before we came to the top of the first elevation our hiking boots sloshed into snow instead of the expected dirt and stones. Hiking in snow was a lot more intense and exhausting then on dirt paths. Our steps became shorter because it was easier to lose our footing. By sundown we had only gone 3 miles…much to our surprise. We took in the first breathtaking view of the canyon just as the sun fell past the trees. Tired and hungry we decided to make camp earlier than planned. We got set up and Andrew and I set out to build a campfire to warm up. My dad took his time setting up his Hennessey hammock (google search…very sweet design) right on the ridge with a cliff right beneath. The cold was seeping through the layers and only hot coffee with Pastor Andy’s tortellini recipe could warm us up. We turned in for the night expecting a big 10-15 mile day with the sunrise.
After a cold night we woke up to the amazing view of the canyon lit by the early sun and we made breakfast while preparing for our big day. We kept our fleeces on through the morning hours of the hike to beat the chill. We soon realized we were not only up against the 3-6 inches of snow, but even worse, frozen mud. Our trekking poles saved us from many falls. We made our way up and down the rolling mountains in and out of snow covered trails and eventually found a good spot for lunch about 8 miles later. Hot tea, soup, and ravioli never tasted better. Filtering water proved to be more of a chore than normal because the cold air around the water made the temperature feel even lower. We continued on, trudging and sometimes falling through the slick conditions and decided to make camp for the night at vista just past the 19 mile mark. It had been a long day. Our muscles stiffened as we set up the tent, worked up a fire and enjoyed some hot dinner around the flames. Just getting up from our seats and into the sleeping bag showed the toll the trail was taking on our bodies. We decided that the exhilarating views and scenery were well worth the workout.
This morning we woke to a colorful sun rise over the rapids far below. A mist rose from the water creating a photogenic sight. Packing up our gear for the last time… we made the decision to eat breakfast on the go as we filtered some water about 2 miles up from where we made camp. This day became warmer than the first and our fleeces we stuffed into the pack. After raging war with the snow and invisible frozen mud for another 3 miles, we had a choice to make. Do we continue the trail or take the downhill smooth road way out? They left the decision up to me and after reading the guys and taking into account the danger of injury due to the slippery rocks and trail if we would continue, now somewhat worn by the trail… I opted with the road. They readily agreed and we began blazing the trail down the road. We soon realized that snow on the road was a lot more slippery than on dirt. You could almost skate down the slopes and had to dig your poles into the ice as we made our way up and over and down and around the twisting and turning road. We thought we were close but still had more than 5 miles to go on that road, followed by an unknown distance on a connecting road to the parking area. When we needed a boost the hot pasta sides and coffee once again refueled us. We came to resent the work it was taking just to connect our waypoints. The mile countdown continued on and the road became a steady descent. Knees wobbling under the pressure and poles digging in to prevent falling, we were able to zig- zag our way slowly down the mountain side. The descent lessened and we came to the end of the road and turned right to make our way to the car. I think we celebrated a little too early because it wasn’t “just around the next corner” like we thought. A passing pickup truck and Pastor Andy jokingly sticking out his hitch hiker thumb proved to be our saving. She pulled over and offered her truck bed to us. We were even more thankful after realizing the lot was a good 10 minute drive from where she had picked us up. We made quick business of getting out of our boots and the 4 of us packing into my little blue car.
One thing we hadn’t thought of was the fact the GPS we were relying on for shuttling us to the other terminus was still in the Rav 4. Not good. We all strained our memories to recall the way we originally took as the sun was setting and making it that much harder. My dad’s iphone came through for us and we reached the car by 7. We found the closest restaurant and filled ourselves up with some good post hiking food. So good. Pastor Andy made his way home and my dad jumped into the car with us. We were in our own bed by 1 am. Good memory but wouldn’t wanna hike in snow without snow shoes again!

The Old Logger's Path (OLP)

So Britt and I left home and set out to pick up Adam from Bucknell. We got there and called him, but his phone had died. He had a week-long conference all week and planned to meet with us after his last meeting on Friday. We called the school office to find what building the conference was being held and found his car nearby. After not being able to get a hold of him for about 40 minutes or so, we decided to go on without him. About 10 minutes after leaving campus, I got a phone call from Adam. He had been moving couches for his new apartment. Thankfully he was already packed up and ready to go.

We drove less than an hour and we had already reached the closest discernable town to the trailhead. It seems like the towns surrounding hiking trails are all eerily similar; half abandoned and left with a special breed of people. After driving through said town we were within a mile or two of our intended parking. We were disappointed to find a road block with a large sign informing us the road was closed ahead. Considering how close we were, we decided to plow around the block. No small task considering that we were driving a 15 year old Chevy Cavalier loaded with gear. After a few minutes of maneuvering we made it through the surrounding mud. It proved to be a bad decision when we reached several fallen rocks that had blocked the road further ahead. Worse still we realized we broke some of the brackets that held up the car’s exhaust. We decided to park the car, worry about the broken parts later, and hike to the rest of the distance.

Then a few more challenges; we had a lot of trouble finding the trailhead. We hiked past, then backtracked, then went past again, then circled a nearby area, all before finding the marked entrance. In hindsight I’m not sure how we missed it. It wasn’t as obvious as we might have hoped, but it was definitely marked and accessible. We took it all in stride anyhow. It was a good feeling once we were hiking on the trail and putting some distance between that access road and ourselves. We passed several beautiful campsites and scenery as well. It was after dinnertime, and we made it our goal to camp about 10 miles away at a beautiful gorge and swimming hole. Apparently this location had won “best swimming hole in America” from backpacker magazine, and it lived up to its credentials. But first we had to make it there.

We made it about halfway before the sun went down. We hiked till about 10:30 when we heard the stream described in our photocopied guide. Encouraged, we picked up the pace. We continued about a mile before realizing we hadn’t been descending much. We were still about 200 feet up a steep ledge from the stream. We figured we were a good distance away from the swimming hole the guide described. We hadn’t completely filled up on water at the start- we counted on filling up at the many sources we would cross. Unfortunately, they were all dry. So, we decided to slide our way down to the river. We couldn’t see much, but it sounded intimidating. We managed to filter and fill all our water containers while enjoying a break on a boulder mid-river. We hadn’t seen much flat ground for camping and couldn’t look too much further. Adam found a place halfway up the ledge barely large enough for our 2 tents. It would have to work. We set up while Britt made some dinner. It was delicious and a great way to end the day.

Britt and I woke up before Adam and decided to take a peek around without our packs or boots on. What we couldn’t see in the dark now looked unreal. Just about 100 feet off the trail we stood on a ledge looking over 3 dark blue, swirling swimming holes carved out of the stone. There were rock formations all around the water to jump off and rapids throughout the rest of the stream. We found some big boulders; a perfect place to have breakfast. After heading back to camp, waking Adam up, and getting packed, we headed back to the water. We had breakfast and took some pictures, while deciding if we were going to actually swim in this water (it was freezing). Adam made a convincing argument and we all hopped in. It was an awesome hour or two. We found a few chair like formations eroded by the current. It made a good photo op then we headed back to the trail.
We had planned to hike straight through the afternoon to the next major landmark, 4 vistas nearby each other. Instead, we got sidetracked about a half our later when we saw another swimming hole, even bigger than the first. We abandoned our plans and enjoyed the scenery. We had eaten lunch by the time we left. Once we got back on the trail the scenery was outstanding. Lots of mature hardwood trees with beautiful ferns covering the ground. Best of all the footing was all soft…barely any rocks (unlike the AT)! A few hours of hiking later, we reached a sharp turn and proceeded to climb 600 feet in less than a mile. It hurt so good. We reached the top and crested Sullivan Mountain.

It was covered densely with mountain laurels to the point that it was hard to make it through. We crossed the top of the mountain to the first vista. It was nice, but we had a feeling the others would be better. We continued a short way and reached the second. This one was higher and offered a better view. As we approached the rocky outcrop, we realized that a large rattlesnake was right in front of us. It must have been sleeping because it wasn’t aggressive at all, even after I tossed a pebble or two its way to hear its rattle. We thought better of stopping near the snake and walked to the next vista. In a sort of déjà vu, there was another snake in a similar position, but slightly larger. This one was much more aggressive. As soon as we arrived it started sounding its warning for us to leave. This vista offered a beautiful campsite right near the rocks, so we decided to make camp, snakes and all.

The clouds were coming in, and thunderstorms were forecasted, so we set up fast. Right when we were set up, we ate another delicious dinner provided by Britt. I decided to eat right on the outcrop. When I began to get comfortable I moved a bit and sat my hand down. Much to my surprise, my hand was on the back of a large rattlesnake. I’m assuming it’s the same one as before. It had been lying right under the surface of the rock on a small ledge below. My fingers wrapped over just enough to startle it (and me). After that I figured I had pushed my luck enough for the day and we ate around a campfire. We made sure the tents were zipped up tight that night. We all slept well enough, and woke up screaming only once…a false alarm…ha. It never did rain…

Day 3 we slept in and were on a mission to get to the car before the rain did eventually start. We made it about halfway before we lost the race. The rain started hard about a half hour before we got back. It actually felt really good to have the cold rain falling in the humidity and heat. We stopped to refill water and didn’t break pace again till we hit the car. We were happy to make it, but realized we still had to fix the muffler. It went fine though, and after a few minutes we had a temporary fix with some hiking rope and a pocket knife. We managed to turn around on the narrow road and make it past the roadblock a second time. After a rough start, this trip turned out to be awesome. I highly recommend it, but make sure you have a better map...and dont count on the water, even after recent rain.