North Country-Tanbark Trail Hike, 9/10-9/13
Sept 21, 2021 16:48:23 GMT -5
Post by anfhiker on Sept 21, 2021 16:48:23 GMT -5
So it had been a while since I did a nice long hike, mostly because the ankle that started to get balky on my PAWT hike stayed balky for the better part of the next 18-20 months. In turn I got further and further out of shape as depression set in and I did more damage on long overnight hikes by twisting my ankle(s) on the Susquehannock and Quehanna Trails last summer/fall, and the cycle just got worse. Long story short, I committed myself before God to get out and hike this year and eat better, which has led to some pretty dramatic weight loss and a reinvigoration of my love for backpacking. I live within about 15-20 minutes of the end of the Tanbark Trail and always thought it would make a nice ending point for a hike on the North Country Trail. My recently retired dad offered to shuttle me to the top of Route 59 and a 65ish mile, 3 night hike was born.
I arrived at the trailhead approximate 530 on Friday, Sept 10. It was a beautiful evening and I enjoyed the solitude of the forest as the hush fell over the approaching evening. I knew that it would be a pretty pleasant stroll of about 8 miles to my campsite for the night, and most of it would be downhill. The section of the trail along Hemlock Run is one of my favorites.
I made good time and crossed Chappel Fork and Rt 321 just before dark.
I was thankful for the light of my headlamp as I wound my way up the hill to the new shelter near FR 142, dedicated to a former USFS employee that I knew and worked with in my own job from time to time. I settled into the shelter just after 8 pm and did some reading as the stars flashed through the gaps in the trees. It seemed it would be a cold night, and it sure was! My 40 degree bag was stretched to its limit for me as I struggled to keep comfortable, thanks to the fact that I'd neglected to bring any long pants on the trip or warm socks. It didn't help that the shelter is turned a bit up the slope so the cool air feels a little breezy as the temperature drops and the air rushes down into the valley at night.
I woke in the morning to a brisk temp, which helped get me on the trail early. I was out by 705, and I knew that the first couple climbs of the day would be the toughest. Nevertheless, I made excellent time today. I was up and over the hill to Red Bridge, where I filled my water bottles from the running spring along the road, in a couple of hours, and passed over Bliss Hill and to the Gibb Spring Shelter in time for an early lunch. I sat in the sun as it had still not warmed above the low 60s and had some crackers and peanut butter, my one food luxury of the trip as I am testing how much I can eat for a longer hike in October. I slid down over the hill past Route 6 and across Twomile Run, which is running nicely still thanks to the wet summer.
I moved my way south into the Tionesta Scenic Area, which is admittedly not the most scenic thanks to the blowdown from the May 1985 tornado. Still, I bet it was quite the hike in its heyday. I passed a lot of beech brush with a few patches of hemlock along the stream valleys. I stopped at Fox's Dam to rest my legs and realized that I was moving quickly enough that I had a choice: possibly push past my intended campsite and complete the hike in 2 full days and an evening, or continue as planned and take the full three nights? Like a true adventurer would *want* to go sit in your house when the call of nature was at hand?!? I decided it would be a nice restful evening. So I pushed on up over the hills, passing a group of three men who were headed in the opposite direction, bound for Gibb Spring on an overnight hike. I made it down from the Scenic Area to the new Cherry Run shelter by 330 PM, meaning I'd have quite some time to relax by a fire and do some reading. This shelter was also built in 2020 by NCTA volunteers and it's a really nice spot. There's also quite the pile of wood around if you have anything to cut it with. I managed to get a really nice fire going and enjoyed the evening of solitude quite a lot.
On Sunday, I was thankful that it wasn't quite so cold as I woke up a little later and was on the trail at 730. It was, however, a foggy morning and never really seemed to get all that sunny as it had predicted to be. I was down across Rt 948 and up over to Henry's Mill pretty quickly, and I knew that the trail was going to be easier from here on. I looked forward to being able to get a little longer day in and actually toyed with the idea of finishing up the entire rest of the 32-33 miles it would have been to get to my car. Once again, I decided that I had committed to spending the weekend out, so I decided to stop where I planned. I made it to the Hunter's Station shelter for lunch and took a break in a place where I've spent many a night (I'm not sure if this one or Amsler Spring is the oldest shelter on the NCT in the ANF, but it must be one of them). I enjoyed looking into the crystal clear waters of Upper Sheriff Run, which I've caught a few brookies in before. Still, to get to camp at a nice time I needed to push on. I was making good time as I passed the drainages that led me to Minister Rd, where I'd drop into the Minister Creek valley. This is always a popular spot and one where I expected to see people. I was eating a snack when a few groups passed me right at the creek, encompassing 5 of the 8 people I saw all weekend. They were friendly and it was nice to hear a voice. I moved on and continued past the intersection of the Tanbark Trail down to the Queen Creek shelter for the night.
I enjoyed this spot a lot and got another fire going. This one was a little tougher as the wood was mostly from the planted pines around the shelter, which meant it burnt a lot faster than the hardwoods I had at Cherry Run. Still, it was a wonderful evening that I was able to spend a lot of time reading and journaling, and preparing for things upcoming. The one unnerving part...just before dark, I heard a coyote howl about 100 feet from my camp spot. Within 15 minutes I heard an entire pack of them off a few hundred yards in the distance. I don't know whether they were just gathering or if they were chasing some prey but it was a lot of noise. I don't typically get nervous out in the woods but I was a little cautious until I heard the sound die down for a bit.
In the morning, I woke up and was on the trail by 715. I knew I'd be home today, which my back was looking forward to, but the adventure was a really needed one for me. I was quickly up the trail to the junction with the Tanbark Trail, a sort of hidden gem in the ANF. It's both good and a shame that this trail doesn't get more use as there are waterfalls, beautiful mountain laurel thickets, huge boulders and beautiful streams to cross.
It links nicely to Rt 62 where I had my car parked. I was trying not to eat or drink too much so I wouldn't have to stop and filter water, and I was out of the woods by just after all. All in all, a great trip that required a pretty minimal shuttle (only about 50 minutes) for a non-loop trail of 65 miles. While not as tough as Loyalsock or scenic as the Laurel Highlands, I'd still recommend it to visitors to the ANF who want a nice section hike with likely solitude and some good, free shelter sites to use (I carried the tent just in case but it wasn't needed for a weekend hike just after Labor Day). Hope you are enjoying the trails, everyone!!
I arrived at the trailhead approximate 530 on Friday, Sept 10. It was a beautiful evening and I enjoyed the solitude of the forest as the hush fell over the approaching evening. I knew that it would be a pretty pleasant stroll of about 8 miles to my campsite for the night, and most of it would be downhill. The section of the trail along Hemlock Run is one of my favorites.
I made good time and crossed Chappel Fork and Rt 321 just before dark.
I was thankful for the light of my headlamp as I wound my way up the hill to the new shelter near FR 142, dedicated to a former USFS employee that I knew and worked with in my own job from time to time. I settled into the shelter just after 8 pm and did some reading as the stars flashed through the gaps in the trees. It seemed it would be a cold night, and it sure was! My 40 degree bag was stretched to its limit for me as I struggled to keep comfortable, thanks to the fact that I'd neglected to bring any long pants on the trip or warm socks. It didn't help that the shelter is turned a bit up the slope so the cool air feels a little breezy as the temperature drops and the air rushes down into the valley at night.
I woke in the morning to a brisk temp, which helped get me on the trail early. I was out by 705, and I knew that the first couple climbs of the day would be the toughest. Nevertheless, I made excellent time today. I was up and over the hill to Red Bridge, where I filled my water bottles from the running spring along the road, in a couple of hours, and passed over Bliss Hill and to the Gibb Spring Shelter in time for an early lunch. I sat in the sun as it had still not warmed above the low 60s and had some crackers and peanut butter, my one food luxury of the trip as I am testing how much I can eat for a longer hike in October. I slid down over the hill past Route 6 and across Twomile Run, which is running nicely still thanks to the wet summer.
I moved my way south into the Tionesta Scenic Area, which is admittedly not the most scenic thanks to the blowdown from the May 1985 tornado. Still, I bet it was quite the hike in its heyday. I passed a lot of beech brush with a few patches of hemlock along the stream valleys. I stopped at Fox's Dam to rest my legs and realized that I was moving quickly enough that I had a choice: possibly push past my intended campsite and complete the hike in 2 full days and an evening, or continue as planned and take the full three nights? Like a true adventurer would *want* to go sit in your house when the call of nature was at hand?!? I decided it would be a nice restful evening. So I pushed on up over the hills, passing a group of three men who were headed in the opposite direction, bound for Gibb Spring on an overnight hike. I made it down from the Scenic Area to the new Cherry Run shelter by 330 PM, meaning I'd have quite some time to relax by a fire and do some reading. This shelter was also built in 2020 by NCTA volunteers and it's a really nice spot. There's also quite the pile of wood around if you have anything to cut it with. I managed to get a really nice fire going and enjoyed the evening of solitude quite a lot.
On Sunday, I was thankful that it wasn't quite so cold as I woke up a little later and was on the trail at 730. It was, however, a foggy morning and never really seemed to get all that sunny as it had predicted to be. I was down across Rt 948 and up over to Henry's Mill pretty quickly, and I knew that the trail was going to be easier from here on. I looked forward to being able to get a little longer day in and actually toyed with the idea of finishing up the entire rest of the 32-33 miles it would have been to get to my car. Once again, I decided that I had committed to spending the weekend out, so I decided to stop where I planned. I made it to the Hunter's Station shelter for lunch and took a break in a place where I've spent many a night (I'm not sure if this one or Amsler Spring is the oldest shelter on the NCT in the ANF, but it must be one of them). I enjoyed looking into the crystal clear waters of Upper Sheriff Run, which I've caught a few brookies in before. Still, to get to camp at a nice time I needed to push on. I was making good time as I passed the drainages that led me to Minister Rd, where I'd drop into the Minister Creek valley. This is always a popular spot and one where I expected to see people. I was eating a snack when a few groups passed me right at the creek, encompassing 5 of the 8 people I saw all weekend. They were friendly and it was nice to hear a voice. I moved on and continued past the intersection of the Tanbark Trail down to the Queen Creek shelter for the night.
I enjoyed this spot a lot and got another fire going. This one was a little tougher as the wood was mostly from the planted pines around the shelter, which meant it burnt a lot faster than the hardwoods I had at Cherry Run. Still, it was a wonderful evening that I was able to spend a lot of time reading and journaling, and preparing for things upcoming. The one unnerving part...just before dark, I heard a coyote howl about 100 feet from my camp spot. Within 15 minutes I heard an entire pack of them off a few hundred yards in the distance. I don't know whether they were just gathering or if they were chasing some prey but it was a lot of noise. I don't typically get nervous out in the woods but I was a little cautious until I heard the sound die down for a bit.
In the morning, I woke up and was on the trail by 715. I knew I'd be home today, which my back was looking forward to, but the adventure was a really needed one for me. I was quickly up the trail to the junction with the Tanbark Trail, a sort of hidden gem in the ANF. It's both good and a shame that this trail doesn't get more use as there are waterfalls, beautiful mountain laurel thickets, huge boulders and beautiful streams to cross.
It links nicely to Rt 62 where I had my car parked. I was trying not to eat or drink too much so I wouldn't have to stop and filter water, and I was out of the woods by just after all. All in all, a great trip that required a pretty minimal shuttle (only about 50 minutes) for a non-loop trail of 65 miles. While not as tough as Loyalsock or scenic as the Laurel Highlands, I'd still recommend it to visitors to the ANF who want a nice section hike with likely solitude and some good, free shelter sites to use (I carried the tent just in case but it wasn't needed for a weekend hike just after Labor Day). Hope you are enjoying the trails, everyone!!
