PA Fall Hang?

[G.L.P.]

Yeah sorry guys .... i prolby wouldn't get there till 8-9 at night if i did go out...
i still might but it really doesn't look like i will get a chance
i got held up today and didn't get half the stuff done i needed to get done
so i'll be running all over tomorrow ... thats why i don't like posting overnight trips last min like i did this time ... i'll pm ya's if i end up going next week
if all goes well i'm shooting for next weekend... but i'm not 100% sure
i really wanted to get out but housework comes befor play

[JayS]

Bummer, GLP, but I certainly understand.

[G.L.P.]

yeah.... no biggy ....i'll probly get out again next weekend
like i said we try to get out at least once a month once the weather gets nice so there will be many more come the spring time...

[Crash]

Hey Crash,
I was planning on going. Leroy Smith Shelter is even closer to home.

Last chance for 501 - is anyone going? If so, please speak up by 10:00 AM tomorrow (Saturday the 27th) or I will join Crash.

Crash, how far is it in to the shelter? And where is the trailhead? The directions from the AT Shelter site take you to an unnamed road off Clearfield Road and Old Grad Road and then stops halfway down the road with no sign of a shelter. Do you have better directions?

Jay S

Rte33 to Wind Gap exit (Rte. 512 South)
approx 4miles make a right onto Bushkill Center Rd. at the stoplight.
Right turn onto Clearfield Rd.
Clearfield Rd. makes a jog left then right.
At the very end of Clearfield Rd. make a left onto Old Grade Rd.
and then an IMMEDIATE RIGHT TURN into the Gamelands parking lot.
The shelter is 5/10mile up the hill on the left.
The campsite is slightly past that on the right.

All are welcome.

[JayS]

Looks like a go on my end - hope to see you in a few hours.

[Crash]

It shouldn't be as windy up there.

Anyone is welcome to come up and freeze with us.

[Crash]

JayS & I hung out last night. It got down to 23 degrees. JayS was the firetender with limited wood. He did a great job keeping us warm until 12:30 am. It was windy at the campsite but not so much at the shelter which is farther down from the ridge.

I used a netless hennessy with a sleeping bag converted into a peapod. Then I had my MacEntyre IX underquilt (inside the peapod). The peapod bag was an old North Face rated to 35 degrees, so its more like a 50 degree alone in a hammock. I then used another sleeping bag in the hammock ( a 40degree model). I did have long underwear, fleece underwear, & snow pants on. We had some very light small flakes and the wind blew all night. I woke up with frost all over my tarps and pack. Only my feet were cold.. Turns out I did not make sure the IX was shifted down to my feet when I went to sleep. Otherwise I was toasty and unzipped the inner bag later on when I got hot. JayS says I was snoring only a few minutes after hitting the hammock. I used 1 HH tarp over an Equinox poncho tarp to trap warm air in the wind.

2 guys at the Leroy Smith shelter had Eno hammocks but I did not check if they used them in the leanto. Its a small leanto with very little room to put up hammocks.

JayS brought a windshield to use as a reflector & wind block at the fire. It helped a lot.
Thanx to MacEntyre I was toasty.

[jloden]

Nice... sounds like a good trip, wish I could have made it!

[JayS]

What Crash so nicely didn't tell you is that I was up half the night freezing! I am using a 3/4 UQ and had dialed it in earlier in the week by adding a shock cord across the WBBB ridgeline at about the hip level to snug the UQ up there. Nice & toasty... in the backyard at 32*. But it wasn't working last night! Took about 2 hours of fiddling to get warm.

The windshield reflector worked very well as a wind break but did little to reflect heat, even when we got it within 4 feet of the fire, behind us. Or maybe it worked some but we just didn't notice as the wind was light but swirling. It was amazing what a small fire we had that kept us warm when we were out of the wind. I think if we had another reflector across the fire and pointed down a little, it may have helped.

All in all, it was a great time. I'm glad I went. Thanks for the invite, Crash!


Pictures so it happened:
Crash and the fire reflector at night


The reflector in daylight


Our campsite above Leroy A. Smith shelter


Crash at the AT

[JayS]

Just bumpin' so others are aware of the pictures...