My wife and I haven't had an opportunity to do a backpacking trip for over a year, so we planned to take one this past weekend (5/1 to 5/3). We settled on the Roaring Creek Tract for two reasons...
1. It is a loop. I prefer loops over out-and-backs. I don't want half of my trip to be area that I already saw, just personal preference. I'm also not fond of having to take two vehicles, or find someone to shuttle us.
2. It was less than 20 miles, and close, so we didn't have to push ourselves too hard.
Unfortunately, we got a late start. My wife is a third year medical student, and her schedule is extremely unpredictable. On Friday, she was held up until nearly 6PM, so we didn't arrive at the trail until after 7PM. We resigned ourselves to the fact that we would be hiking in the dark. We had not planned a camping spot, we figured we would have little trouble finding one when we decided we wanted to stop.
The trail starts out as approximately 1.5 miles of gravel road, easy hiking. The road then continues, while the trail breaks off to the right. Unfortunately, we misread the trail notes, and had a difficult time finding the trail. We ended up ascending the mountain via a power line. I do not suggest that anyone follows our lead on this... It was very steep, much steeper than the trail. In the dark, it was actually easier to follow, but we certainly got our heart rates up. The briers and brambles did not make matters any easier.
When we finally got to the top, it was very dark, and headlamps were required. We quickly discovered that finding the intersection of the trail with the power line was not going to be as easy as we had hoped. After some meandering, we found the correct trail (two crossed the power line). Thank goodness for the map! We proceeded about 2 miles further before setting up camp for the night. It was a beautiful, clear night, and the moon was nearly full. We set up our hammocks to share one tree, and deployed our tarps in a communal format. Beth fell asleep rather quickly... She was the lucky one. See, she has a 2QZQ pillowcase-hat, which apparently also blocks out noise well. She didn't have to hear the Whippoorwill that started up around 11:30PM, and proceeded to call ALL. NIGHT. LONG. It took me nearly an hour to fall asleep, initially, and then I awoke several times throughout the night.
We woke up around 7AM, and took our time breaking down camp and cooking some oatmeal for breakfast. We have a stove and pot from Batchstovez, and this was the first time we got to use them. I was very impressed with how quickly the stove bloomed, and how quickly the water boiled. We used 2 ounces of fuel, but the stove burned for at least 5 minutes after the water was ready. I expect we'll only use 1 ounce in the future. We didn't get to hiking until about 9AM, but neither of us was in any rush. Our plan was to do about 12 miles on the day, leaving about 5 for Sunday. As such, we enjoyed the sunrise and the calmness of the woods.
One thing of note, is that there is coal EVERYWHERE. This was an old coal mine, and many of the trails that this tract follows are old coal paths. There are also trenches and pits everywhere. It's obvious that they are some 50 or more years old, but they're still very cool to see. In one particular case, the pit was so deep that I could get down to it. There was actually snow (!!!) at the bottom of the pit, which I wanted to capture with a picture, but I couldn't get close enough without fear of hurting myself. I also wasn't confident that I could climb back out. There are also a number of decent vantage points, at least early in the Spring, prior to the foliage being in full bloom. We were privileged to a number of beautiful sights.
By late morning, we were ready for a lounge. We set-up our UBCs (from 2T's Outdoors), and had some cheese, crackers, and pepperoni. By this point, we had covered about 5 miles. We relaxed for nearly 45 minutes, before moving on. Sometime after this, I spotted two Golden Eagles. We later discovered a site with deer carcasses, and a sign indicating that the Weiser Forest District was studying Golden Eagle migration habits. The pile of carcasses and hair was a bit unsettling, until we found the sign. At roughly 8 or 9 miles into the day, the trail finally descended the mountain. Most of the hiking, to this point, was very flat and easy. Once the trail reached the bottom, it again joined the gravel road for about a mile. When it again turned off, we stopped for lunch, it was around 2PM. This was also the first place that we found water. The 2.5 liters that we each brought from home had lasted us to this point, but only barely.
At this point, we began considering completing the hike that day. We figured we had approximately 8 miles to go, and could easily finish before sun down. Heck, we were confident we might even be home before the sun went down. The majority of the remainder of the trip was alongside the reservoir (a large, peaceful lake) and the Roaring Creek which drains from the lake. We saw a Loon in the lake, and also a Bald Eagle circling overhead. Most of the trekking from here on was through somewhat swampy area. In a wetter season, it may have been difficult to navigate. Also, without any foliage on the trees, we found the sun to be somewhat uncomfortable.
By 5PM, we had reached the gravel road yet again. I figure we had hiked 15 miles at this point, if my memory serves correctly. We were about 3.5 miles from the car. Our feet were certainly feeling it, but both of us were feeling up to the challenge of finishing the trip. On the way out, we discussed that we should have simply made it a day hike. It'd be a bit of a long one for us, but carrying less gear would have made it more attainable.
We reached the car by 7PM, and made our way home. The weather was absolutely perfect, we couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend! Aside from the Golden Eagles, Bald Eagle, and Loon, we saw very limited wildlife. Saturday was the first day of Spring Gobbler (Turkey) Season in PA, so we had our eyes open for hunters, but never saw/heard any. The 18.5 miles that we completed on Saturday was a single-day high for us. Additionally, we've never taken a trip where we did not complete it one day sooner than we planned to, so we're convinced that we aren't very good at hiking leisurely.
A few notes... Water is a bit scarce for the first 15 miles, or so. Actually, there is no water for the fist 15 miles, really. Also, we relied on the trail notes from MidAtlanticHikes (http://mrhyker.tripod.com/roaringcreek.htm). They weren't awful, but they could have been clearer. The map is very helpful, though. I also downloaded the GPX file they provide, but it's not perfect either. There were a couple of times wherein we were certain we were on the right trail, but had substantially departed from the marked trail on the GPX. The website reports the tract as 18.3 miles, but if you add them up on the map, it's well over 19. I recorded nearly 22 miles of hiking... I know we detoured a bit, and also ventured off a couple of side trails for photograph opportunities, so that may have added some mileage, but I am still confident that the trail itself is over 20 miles long. Lastly, the parking lot was off of the main road. There was ample parking, and plenty of public presence such that we were not worried about vandalism.
Here's to hoping we can find the time for another trip soon! Thanks for reading!
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