Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have that on the basis of multiple people who have not only been there but live in PA and hike it routinely. Perhaps you neglected to check my state location.Originally Posted by The_Saint
This section is actually nice, don't listen to someone who's never been there
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
There may be parking at the cabin, if it isn't rented. I'm not sure who "owns" the cabin, PATC or Pennsylvania DCNR.
Experts are the ones who think they know everything. Geniuses are the ones who know they don't.
You need seek no rocky summit, for these high places are within you.
Thanks Smitty7997, I've been finding some info on the web and there seems to be minimum parking for people who are renting the cabin and then one or two spaces near the cabin for others. The cabin is owned by the PATC. If anyone knows different, please post.
Exercise, eat right, die anyway -- Country Roads bumper sticker
Fall seven times, standup eight. -- Japanese Proverb
Perhaps some history would be useful. Some of the trails in PA run along the end of the glacial morain meaning that every rock in the flow was dropped where it melted. The Pine Creek was actually changed direction according to the geologists. While Pine Creek is no where near the AT it demonstrates the effects the ice age had on PA. The second bit of history, much more recent, is that many of the trails follow old rail beds from the logging industry. When they were abandoned the ballast was left where it lay. That's a whole lot of rocks. I am sure there are sectrions where the dirt shows through, but by and large that's the history of the trail beds in PA.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
I have hiked from Pen Mar to 501 and from what I’ve seen of the trail I didn’t think that stretch was so bad. Yes there are some rocky stretches but most of it seemed decent compared to how rocky the trail gets north of the Cumberland valley. There were some parts heading up and across Cove Mountain I thought I would lose my mind stepping over bake potato to bread loaf size rocks for at least five to six miles with no more than 100 feet of clear flat trail at a time and they seemed very few and far between. I hope to finish Pa this year and they say it gets much worse north of Port Clinton so I figured I would cross that bridge when I get there. From reading the earlier post I agree that the climb up and out of Caledonia park will test your Cardio. Quarry Gap shelter is one of the nicest cleanest well maintain shelters I’ve ever seen. I stayed the night at Birch Run shelter last spring and landed in the middle of an impromptu to Boy Scout Jamboree. Four different troops and conservatively 100 plus scouts and leaders camped in and around the shelter (there are a lot of tent sites). I thought the trail from there into Pine Grove was relatively easy. Hope this helps out, and I look forward to seeing you at the Spring Hang. And Rambling Rev I do agree that you have to consider all the old Logging roads on the AT they are rocky. Pa stretches of the AT have earned their reputation one step and stumble at a time.
Gris
the 2 mile climb out of caledonia to the shelter there was a rough way to end a 15 mile day. it wasnt' that steep. just seemed like i was going uphill forever. there was a sweet shelter right out of there that i stayed out with awesome water and a caretaker who took time to put fresh flowers outside.
the rest of the trail from quarry gap shelter to pine grove was not very memorable. there were a bunch of stretches heavily shrubbed with some sweet mountain laurel and that area can be populated with rattlesnakes. there wasn't a whole lot of rocks, but like most of PA there were enough around that you had to have your eyes pointed to the ground most of the time...
caledonia to penn mar is a 20 mile hike, as someone stated. birch run shelter is located directly between these 2 parks.
Ramblin Rev, this isn't the section with the rocks, I have hiked it before - for the mentioned section its a jeep /forest ranger trail. We arn't agreeing because the other sections are nasty.
Last edited by Wise Old Owl; 03-20-2011 at 19:43.
There was an Old Man with a owl,
Who continued to bother and howl;
He sat on a rail, And imbibed bitter ale,
Which refreshed that Old Man and his owl.WOO
i did this section about 2 years ago and from what i can remember the hike itself was pretty easy with lots of water along the way. rocky yes, but that is pa hiking for you! if i remember correctly there are 3 shelters along this portion and all 3 three have good water sources. leaving from caledonia the 1st shelter has a spring and the next 2 are along streams.
Hops
Here is a good place to do planning
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site...active_Map.htm
If you dig a little deeper, download the center line, shelters, parking lots and realize the center line can be off by 100 feet. Drill in on Google Earth and you can see the trail in many places.
There was an Old Man with a owl,
Who continued to bother and howl;
He sat on a rail, And imbibed bitter ale,
Which refreshed that Old Man and his owl.WOO
More good info. Thanks eveyone!
Exercise, eat right, die anyway -- Country Roads bumper sticker
Fall seven times, standup eight. -- Japanese Proverb
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