North Country
Trail
It has been awhile since I posted anything. So I guess it is time to get caught up.
After finishing the Natchez Trace I headed north toward
Michigan to get miles on the North Country Trail. Pete’s brother has a cabin in Manistee NF and
the trail runs right past it. Stopped
in Nashville to visit The Hermitage home of Pres Andrew Jackson and of course
could not pass up a visit to the Grand Ole Opera for a fun show. Then stopped in Indianapolis Easter morning
to visit Pete’s nieces and had a nice dinner with them. Woke up the next morning to several inches of
snow and freezing temps, but headed north anyway.
4/3 – Hiked Upper Creek Access to Rt 76 trailhead – distance
10+ miles – I like to keep the hike length to 10 or 12 miles. The trailheads where easy to find and well
marked and had parking. The trail was in
good shape, well blazed and maintained.
Rain was in the forecast but by late afternoon it was light snow. That night the temperatures were in the teens
and the snow got serious. By morning
there was about 6” on the ground. The
well pump at the cabin was not working so there was no water, and the propane
was running low and the night temps where going to be in the teens. It was
snowing hard and I do not have 4-wheel drive on the van. Also, I did not have
the right hiking gear for that kind of weather.
After not too much thought we decided to head back to PA. I will just have to work on the NCT a little
later after spring arrives.
Potomac Heritage
Since the weather did not cooperate for the NCT I thought I
would head south and work on the Potomac Heritage Trail. I had planned to hike the VA east side of the
Potomac, since they would be new trails for me.
Many years ago I had gone from Alexandria to Mount Vernon on a bike
trail but that was over 40 years ago. So
that section seemed like a good idea.
4/8 – Headed to Occoquan, a charming little town with a lot
of history. It was a nice Sunday so lots
of people on the streets. We found
parking at the trailhead by the river bridge and all looked like go for a nice
hike. Pete was going to hike north with
me for a few miles then walk back and move the car 11+ miles north to Mt Vernon
to meet me. The trail starts by crossing
the Occoquan River on a foot bridge and continues on, crossing Rt 123, a very
busy road. There is a pedestrian
crossing light. It then goes into Occoquan Regional Park. Most of the trail in the park was blazed but
then we came to a section of the park where some construction was going on and
had to wonder around looking for the trail.
After we found the trail and emerged from the woods it proceeded on the
road. Not very scenic. After about a mile we came to very busy Rt 1
and no pedestrian crossing light. Not
sure how anyone is going to cross that road on foot. So we turned and returned to our car. I am not sure how this section of trail will
ever be completed and it did not seem very scenic to me.
4/9 – Drove north to Great Falls NP – Beautiful park and
really great falls.
Hiked the trail
along the Potomac to Algonkian Regional Park, about 12 miles, this is a great
section of trail.
The wild flowers where
wonderful and at their peak.
Virginia
Blue Bells everywhere.
When I was
looking for the trailhead I ask at the visitor center and a young man told me
the trail was blazed blue.
I was unable
to find a blue blazed trail but did find a green one.
Not an uncommon mistake for color blind
people.
After I was on the trail I found
it was well blazed and maintained.
Along
the way I walked by some really big houses.
That section the trail crosses private property.
Glad the property owners give permission to
cross because this is really nice section of trail.
Unfortunately cold weather returned and since I camp, I
again decided to head home and wait for spring.
Will it ever be spring?
4/28 – Nice weather in the forecast.
In the 60’s in the day and 50’s at night so
decided to head to MD and finish up the Potomac Heritage Trail by biking on the
C&O Canal.
In 2007 I rode bike from
DC to Pittsburg along the C&O Canal Towpath and the Great Allegheny Passage
on a
I planned to take the Western Maryland Scenic
Railroad to Frostburg and ride the mostly downhill 16 miles to Cumberland,
MD.
We arrived in Cumberland mid
af
After eating something I took a 5 mile ride
north from the campground and then came back.
This was the first time I was on my bike this year and the butt got a
little sore.
The camping area is really
nice right between the Potomac River and the C&O Canal Towpath.
ternoon and purchased tickets for the one way trip with bicycles to Frostburg
and then went to set up camp at Fifteen Mile Creek camping area.
supported Rail-to-Trails Conservancy outing.
4/29 – Drove to Cumberland to get the 11:30 train to
Frostburg. It was windy and much colder
then I planned. When we lined up (line
of 2, Pete and I) the conductor ask us if we knew it was 36 degrees and snowing
in Frostburg? Well no! What about that weather forecast of in the
60’s? After some thought we decided we
had warm enough clothes and we would go for it.
After having some lunch in Frostburg we started our downhill trip. It was not as bad as I thought it would be
and we past several other people on bikes riding uphill.
4/30 – The mouth of the Fifteen Mile Creek, where we were
camping, is so called because it is 15 miles west of Hancock, MD, so I decided
to ride my bike to Hancock. The weather
was nice, after a night in the low 30’s.
The trail was lined with Virginia Blue Bells and nice views of the
Potomac. At mile post 127.4 near Hancock
the limestone kilns of the Round Top Cement Mill are visible and about 200
yards east a rock formation called the Devils Eyebrow. There are 74 lift locks along the canal to
adjust water levels for a 605’ difference in elevation between the western
terminus and the tidewater in the east.
Digging was started in 1828 and finished 22 years later.
The canal averaged 40 to 60 feet wide and 6’
deep.
Loss of business to railroads,
floods, dry weather and freezing caused the C&O Canal to close in 1924. The
C&O canal was proclaimed a National Monument in 1961.
So with a very sore butt, I rode into Hancock and completed
my miles on the Potomac Heritage Trail.
Three trails done.
Appalachian
Trail
I have been working on the AT around home, here in PA, and
have hiked from Pine Grove Furnace SP to Rt 850 on various days.
4/19 – In a fine mist and off and on rain I hiked Pine Grove
Furnace SP to Rt 34
4/22 – On a beautiful sunny day hiked Boiling Springs to
Scott Farm AT work center.
4/24 – A somewhat cloudy day with some rain in the forecast
hiked Rt 850 to Scott Farm.
4/27 – Another beautiful day in central PA – Hiked Rt 34 to
Boiling Springs.
I have been seeing thru hikers but mainly flip
floppers. One family of father and three
sonsvwho had started in Front Royal. Also met a young man who had started in GA. He had also hiked last year and was the first
one to reach ME in 2017. I plan on
finishing my AT miles tomorrow with a hike from Shippensburg Rd to Pine Grove
Furnace SP with the Roads Scholars.
Every month, May thru Oct, Roads Scholars organizes a four state AT
hike. WV, VA, MD, and PA. The hike in PA finishes at the AT Museum and
several volunteers from the museum go along as guides. It is always a fun hike with them and
answering questions about thru hiking the trail. Tomorrow, May 7, will be the first of the
season.
We hikers do like to go on and on and on about hiking. Last
year a fellow AT hiker’s wife gave him a t-shirt that said “Warning – May start
talking about Hiking”. This seems to be
a problem with us hikers. Every time
there are 2 or more of us together the conversation is; Hike, Hike, Hike.
Every year the AT Museum has a recognition dinner and
inducts several candidates into the AT Hall of Fame in recognition of
outstanding contribution to the AT. It
is held at Allenberry Resort along the Yellow Breeches Creek and close to the
town of Boiling Springs where the ATC Mid-Atlantic Regional office is
located. Needless to say there is lots
of trail talk at that function. I was
very happy that “Gray Beard”, who, last year at the age of 82, became the
oldest person to complete the AT in one year, was there. I was very excited to meet him and he said
he felt the same about me, the oldest woman.
He is a very lively fellow and we had a lot of fun comparing
stories.
Since I am hiking tomorrow, I can just count on the AT as
being finished. 4 down 7 to go.
I will be leaving May 15 to hike the Arizona Trail so will
be reporting on that after I return May 31.
5/19 – Drove to the Grand Canyon North Rim and waited in line for camping permits. Rob, a friend of Barry’s, was also there with his friend Ron. The ranger, Steve, was a friend of Fred’s from when he was a volunteer at Natural Bridges NP. So we had a bit of a homecoming week with chatting and picture taking, while others in line patiently looked on. After all the chatting Steve discovered the computer was down so we could not get permits anyway.
In the morning Fred discovered that he had lost his trekking poles and thought he may have left them at the “East Rim Lookout” parking area. So after breakfast at the Jacob Lake Café we drove back to the parking lot and there they were. While there we decided to hike the 3+ miles to a lookout known as the Edward Abbey lookout. We had missed the side trail when we hiked past 2 days before. Edward Abbey, author of “Desert Solitude” and several other books, worked there as fire spotter. But legend has it that he spent most his time writing and missed some fires so the Forest Service closed the tower. There is an old ramshackled cabin with some furniture and a dead porcupine in it.
