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Post by anfhiker on Oct 16, 2021 9:00:37 GMT -5
I got back this Wednesday from a trip around Pine Creek on the excellent but challenging Eastern States 100 loop. This running race affords a sweet tour of one of the crown jewels of PA's wild areas. The race is typically run in August and the trail is maintained by volunteers and some paid maintainers (or so I'm told). As such, the track is usually in very good shape.
I had wanted to explore this loop for a couple years and this year ended up being the time to do it. It also happened that it would allow me to log the miles needed to cross 1000 miles of hiking for the year, a number I've always thought would be neat to do but have never managed to accomplish.
I carried most of the same gear I hauled on my PAWT trek, with the exception that I upgraded my tent to a much lighter REI Quarter Dome model. The tent held up nicely, although it didn't have to face any heavy rain. Weather for the trip from Friday Oct 8 through Wednesday Oct 13 was decent, with some light rain a few times but no downpours. The sun was a rare sight, however.
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Post by trailnotfound on Oct 17, 2021 18:11:46 GMT -5
Nice route, and great timing to take advantage of the race maintenance. Did you go the same way the race goes (CW from Little Pine SP)? I'd been considering this one for a while.
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 17, 2021 19:16:02 GMT -5
TNF, I started in Blackwell (it's closest to me) and went clockwise. I'm not sure which way would have been easier, as it seemed to balance out.
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 17, 2021 19:19:27 GMT -5
Day 1-Friday, October 8, 2021 I started this loop from Blackwell at the parking lot for the creek/bike path. I arrived a little later than hoped for thanks to the road closure of Rt 414, so I didn't get on the trail until close to 6:20 PM. I made my way up and over Gillespie Point and back down to a camp site I spotted on the map along Big Run. It wasn't ideal as there was a good amount of slope, but I managed. It was a nice short day which would give me a little leeway in future days in case terrain got more difficult.  Day Mileage 3.33 Trip Mileage 3.33 |
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 17, 2021 19:31:59 GMT -5
Day 2-Saturday, October 9, 2021 I got up and on the trail fairly early as I was feeling pretty fresh at this point. I hit the trail at 7:15 AM and was making good time along the more gentle terrain at the beginning of the day. I had to cross Trout Run with my boots off pretty early; I was thankful that the air temperature was pretty balmy for October. I don't think it ever got cooler than about 55 for the entire trip! I made my way up the long slopes of the Mid State Trail for quite some time. The colors were beginning to change where the trees were more exposed, along the edges of the grassy trails.  It was along this section that I saw the only other backpacker I'd see until the very end of the trip; a local hiking with his dog from Little Pine SP to Blackwell. He warned me that he'd seen a rattlesnake just the week before and that I might need to be careful. Thankfully I didn't see any live snakes on the trail. The wet grass did cause me a little trouble with my shoes as there was an off and on drizzle a few times during the day. By mid morning I arrived at Browns Fork cabin, a nice spot to take a break and eat a snack.  I kept moving on, passing up and over multiple stream valleys, on admittedly fairly easy climbs and descents. I made excellent time. By mid afternoon, I had arrived at an area I knew pretty well from a hike in 2019, where the Mid State Trail splits from something called the Love Run Trail. As this climb and descent were pretty steep, I was thankful that the ES100 loop followed Love Run, as it was a nice easy stroll to the road. I even noted a few brook trout darting about in the stream;made a mental note to come back and fish some day. I made the mile or so road walk to the campground for the night, where I set up my tent and promptly went over to Happy Acres for some dinner and was even able to catch the start of the Penn State game. I put the restroom facilities to good use in drying out my boots and was in my tent and ready for sleep by around 10 pm. Day Mileage 22.27 Trip Mileage 25.60 |
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 17, 2021 19:52:25 GMT -5
Day 3-Sunday, October 10th, 2021 I was up decently early again but I knew that my boots weren't totally dry, so I spent some time drying them at the air dryer before I got packed up and ready to roll. One of the folks in a camper next to me offered me some coffee, which I don't drink, and some apples, which I did take. It was about 7:45 when I slipped on my pack and walked through the campground to where the MST leaves Little Pine SP. I hadn't left the confines of the park when I heard the rustling in the trees of some light rain. This would prove to be a semi regular occurrence through the day, even though the weather forecast had called for about a 15% chance of rain. Still, I was feeling fairly strong and wasn't too worried about making time. Well, the terrain had other ideas. I can see why they put this section at the start of the day. The climbs and descents on the MST are pretty sturdy, and besides that included a lot of rocks, which made for slippery footing and a lot of wasted energy. I felt like the area coming down into Ramsey Run was particularly difficult, as the trail entered an old road at too steep an angle to even be able to stay steady on the muddy soil; I fell and slid down onto the dirt road below. I took a lunch break in this area as it was pretty beautiful.  The ups and downs continued as I popped over this valley and across a generally flat area with a bit of a view of Ramsey Run's valley. Then came the steep descent down to Ramsey itself, with many switchbacks helping. Nevertheless, it took a long time and my legs were fairly tired as I emerged at the bottom and crossed Pine Creek on an old bridge. Many people were stopped on the bridge to look at the creek, including two young ladies that seemed to be a photographer and her subject. When I passed over the creek and to the end of my time on the MST, I stopped for a break at the intersection of a blue blazed trail called the Stone Cutter Trail. I pondered which way to go to reach the Tiadaghton Trail, which seemed to be where I wanted to be according to the map. A runner suddenly appeared as I was standing there and I asked him which way to said trail. He said either way would work, but right would be more direct. I thanked him and moved up the hill. This climb was pretty brutal with a full pack, but the reward was pretty neat.  Unfortunately, the trail includes a saddle in the middle, which makes you go up another fairly steep hill, and the north end of the trail near Waterville is no picnic either. It was now that I started questioning whether I'd be able to make it to the area near Upper Pine Bottom SP, or whether there would be a suitable camping area in here. I decided that I would make it as far as I felt comfortable going and then see where I was for the next day, when I had a reservation at Hyner Run SP. I made it to the end of the Tiadaghton Trail around 4 PM and walked up the hill along Lower Pine Bottom Road. The stream below is pretty yet I didn't feel like I could enjoy it a lot because I was looking for my next turn all the time. I made it to the Wolf Path, where I crossed and stopped on a rock to filter some water and rest before yet another tough climb. After I ate a little and got filled with water, I pushed up the hill, a slow slog where I questioned my conditioning at every turn. Thankfully, I eventually crested the hill and came out onto a gravel road. I decided here, since I had a little cell service, that I'd look for somewhere to camp along this road and take my chances with the potentially tough descent in the morning. As east on Middle Hill Road looked to head toward some Marcellus pads, and I needed to go west, I moved along for a little while til I found a mowed area off the north side of the road where there was a deer fence. I set up my tent and cooked dinner, hoping it would dry out a little overnight. Unfortunately, despite the stars being out when I woke up in the mid-night, it clouded over and rained several times throughout. Still, I had an ok day over what I figured would be the toughest terrain. I slipped off to sleep around 9:30 PM and was ready for an easier day on Monday. Day Mileage 20.06 Trip Mileage 45.66 |
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 17, 2021 20:16:30 GMT -5
Day 4-Monday, October 11th, 2021 I woke up with rain and leaves all over my tent. Luckily my rain fly held up like a champ so nothing was wet in side. Still, I was hoping to find some time to dry this off today if the sun came out. I was a little worried as I knew a lot of today would involve trails I'd never hiked and many of them were likely to be unmarked besides what appeared to be recent use from the race course. I packed up and was on the trail a little later, around 8 am. I walked down Middle Hill Road for a little ways and then made a right onto Pine Hollow Trail. This was a gentle grade until it fell abruptly into Ott Fork's draft, where it turned right and followed the stream down to Rt 44. This was such a pleasant walk after the rocky slopes of my previous day. It also helped that the stream is gorgeous!  Another one I'd like to fish some day. There were some stream crossings, and the water was a little high, but I managed them without too much incident. I was across Route 44 fairly early and caught the Plantation Trail, which promised to take me to the top of the ridge where I'd connect with some more unknown trails. Thankfully this one was a little more friendly slope. I was up to the top and connected to some sort of ATV trail system. I had good cell service here at the top and wanted to check the weather to see if I was totally off when I thought it wasn't supposed to rain more; sure enough, the weather looked nice. The trail was a little tricky to follow in the ATV section so I had to pay close attention to the map. Long story short, you want to follow the gravel road to the area with picnic tables, then take the left, bear left at that left, then bear left again and you hike until you get to the number 21 trail. You'll notice the trail drops steeply to the right, which connects you to the Jack Martin Trail (not signed). This is a fairly steep descent down to Browns Run along Rt 414. I emerged from the woods at a small parking lot and then walked across the creek to the yellow blazed Browns Run Trail, which you follow for a long time. Despite it being in the stream valley, it is not a typical broad ascent, with many ups and downs along steep side slopes. I was a little worn, but managed to make the top of the hill by early afternoon. The next several hours were all trails that I could see on my GPS and Google Maps, which was nice and made it fairly easy to follow. Sinking Spring Trail, Robbins Run Trail, and the old Donut Hole Trail were not terrible to follow for the most part. I will admit that there was one section that I followed an orange blazed trail at a camp to a blue blazed trail along Lick Run, somehow missing the orange blazes turning. So that was tricky. Still, besides the fact that it was a wet section, it wasn't bad. The leaves were quite nice in some areas.  Once I emerged onto Ritchie Road, I felt like the end of the day was in sight. However, I'd soon run into what was maybe the only really frustrating section of trail on the entire trip. I crossed Hyner Mountain Road and a gas pipeline, then moved my way toward a power line. The ES100 map I'd downloaded showed the trail to cross the power line and follow the woods to where it would connect to Bear Pen Hollow Trail. Well, when I hit the power line there was a sign for blue blazed Bear Pen Hollow. So I followed it for a few hundred yards. It was very muddy due to some recent work along the line (logging perhaps? I couldn't tell), and when the blazes turned right I felt glad to exit. Only...the trail went missing. So I backtracked to find blazes again, only to see where it seemed it had to go that way. I went back to the parking area to look and see if I'd missed something. It didn't seem I had. I walked back the gravel road around a corner past a compressor and a Marcellus pad, starting to go up a hill to look for another trail or sign. Nothing. Finally, I tried to see if I could get service to look at the ES100 site for a clue. Thank God, I got a tiny bit of service and was able to see that the route now follows the power line for a good mile and a half or more! So I trudged back and down through the mud. I knew it would eventually turn so I had to follow every muddy track to make sure the trail didn't turn where I might miss it. I ended up losing a mile or two and a good 45+ minutes walking around. Anyway, the trail eventually turned with no fanfare just past the top of a small valley, and I saw the orange blazes of the old DHT once again. At this point I knew I was not far from Hyner Run. The descent into Hyner Run Road was steeper and rockier than expected, and my feet were a bit wet and starting to blister. I made it eventually to the road and made the mile or so walk into my camp site. This time I made it just prior to dark. I was able to set up and use the facilities to try to dry my stuff out a bit. I was surprised at the number of sites that were full for a Monday night, and there was a bit more activity than I cared for. I did not sleep very well, mostly due to the light from the shower house, the noise and some personal stuff that came up as I was able to have enough cell service to check in with some people at the camp site. Day Mileage 25.74 Trip Mileage 71.40 |
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 17, 2021 20:36:48 GMT -5
Day 5-Tuesday, October 12th, 2021 Thanks to my lack of sleep, I was a bit lackadaisical getting out of my tent and moving. It was close to 8:30 am when I finished drying some things and packed up. I talked with a fisherman who was up from southern PA and we discussed the good streams of the area and the differences between fly and spin fishing. It was nice to have a good interaction from a fellow outdoorsman. I figured that today would be a little easier day, although I would push as far as I could if the timing worked out right. I was thankful that I would be following trails I knew better today, with the DHT, T-Squared and Black Forest Trails being my primary trails. The climb on the DHT from Hyner Run is along a small stream and is pretty well maintained. It's also fairly steep but not terrible, at least compared to the ones I'd done Sunday. I didn't take too many photos on this day, mostly because I was a man on a mission. I felt that if I was able to keep my pace up, I just might have a shot to make it to Slate Run and Hotel Manor for some dinner. Complicating things were two factors...first, that my lazy butt had not gotten out of bed at 6 am like I initially hoped, and second, that the restaurant has funky hours (12-4) that meant I'd have to move. There was one pretty brutal descent and climb into a small drainage early on, but the rest of the trails were fairly well graded. Thus, I made very good time. I arrived at Cougar Run and the end of my time on the DHT by around 11 am. The T-Squared Trail melted away quickly as well, even though I stopped on the porch of a camp to shovel as much peanut butter onto Triscuits and into my stomach as I could, as was my mid day ritual. I was to the Black Forest Trail by about 1 pm. I collected some water and made the decision to make my one adjustment off the official ES100 route...in order to save time, I'd take the Callahan Run cutoff rather than routing over Hemlock Mountain and down Naval Run to arrive at Slate Run as soon as possible. It was an excellent decision, if I do say so myself. Hemlock Mountain is beautiful and I wish I had left camp an hour earlier that day to experience it again, but Callahan Run is beautiful itself and would be worth a fishing trip some day. I arrived at the Pine Tree Trail and pushed the pace, knowing that I didn't have a huge amount of leeway to work with. I was worried I might lose the trail a couple of times, but it worked out that the blue, no yellow, no blue blazes worked out and I lugged over the steep hill above Naval Run and onto the appropriately named road and past three teenagers who were preparing to do some archery hunting. At this point I knew I just had to hustle and I'd be there by 3:30ish. Many fishermen were on the waters of Pine Creek as I strolled along the road and eventually reached my destination with 25 minutes to spare. I dropped my pack and went in. Thankfully, the food was hot (and salty!) and the drinks were cold, and after I was well sated, I moved back to shoulder my pack around 4:40. I crossed the famous Slate Run and chatted a moment with a fisherman who'd collected a few brown trout that afternoon.  Feeling amazing, albeit a little full, I meandered fairly slowly up the mountain, not really concerned with my pace. I knew that I'd either stay at the quarry site around mile 2, or the spring site (where I stayed in 2019) around mile 3. I was not aware of any usable sites past that until the West Rim Trail, so I had plenty of time to enjoy the terrain. I sort of hoped the sun may peek out so I could see the sunset, but that was not to be. In the end, I stayed at the quarry, and enjoyed my only fire of the trip.   It was a bit windy, which I feared may make for a cold evening. But it was really fine. I took an early bedtime, hoping to be up early so I could finish the trail in time to be home before too late Wednesday. Day Mileage 20.04 Trip Mileage 91.44 |
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 17, 2021 20:55:32 GMT -5
Day 6-Wednesday, October 13th 2021 While you're never overjoyed at the thought of a fun trip ending, there is usually a point where you're ready to be home in your own bed and take it a little easier. I was looking forward to both at the end of this day. It would also be a nice test of my fitness compared to 2019, when I had stayed along the BFT and hiked to Blackwell to the store, keeping track of my time well then. Today, I packed up and hit the trail by 7 am. It was foggy and even a little drizzly, despite the supposed lack of rain in the forecast. I made my way up the hill and to the spring campsite, where I filled all my water up for what I hoped would be the last time on this trip. I hit the trail again at 7:45, a little before my 8 am departure on my 2019 trek. It wasn't long before I made the right (really, straight) onto the Algerine Trail. This is a nice, rolling trail that leads from the BFT and eventually emerges (they call it the Vanaimes Trail then) onto Cedar Run Road. Along the way, I passed some more logging area, which made me pause for a second to find the trail. Thankfully it wasn't too hidden as they didn't drive over it like back near Hyner Run. I was down the Vanaimes Trail, passing some better flowing water than I had in 2019.  I paused at the bottom for a snack and then made my way up Long Branch Trail, which was built as an Eagle Scout project in 2001. As I graduated HS in 2001, I can't help but wonder what sorts of things those scouts are doing with their lives now? It would be neat to know if their trail building spurred a lifelong love of backpacking or the outdoors. Anyway, Long Branch was flowing beautifully as well.  I picked my way up the valley and followed the other side trails to the West Rim Trail, which is an old friend by now. Besides the trails in the ANF, I am pretty sure I've done more hikes on the WRT than any other trail. At the very least, it's a joint first with the Quehanna. I was across past the dynamite shed and to the first view of my final descent, the overlook above Blackwell.  It was here that I met my second backpacker of the trip, a young woman from Maryland doing a two day on the WRT. She seemed impressed so far and was looking forward to the trail. We parted ways after we had both rested and chatted for a few minutes, and I took the lead as I was in a hurry with the end in sight at this point! I was quickly to the Mid State Connector, with only one minor tumble as the rocks along the side hill were wet with the morning's drizzle. I made my way down the trail and passed Bohen Falls, which looked beautiful but I was not willing to visit, just as I hadn't in 2019. The side hill was no match for my motivation and I passed Jerry Run falls as well, which were really just a trickle still despite the wet summer/fall. Eventually I made it out of the woods onto Rt 414 at Blackwell at 12:50 PM, my pace being a full 1 hr and 25 mins faster over the same stretch than it had been in 2019. The sun even made an appearance for only the second time all trip (Monday afternoon late was the other). I was thankful for all that, and even more thankful to see no issues with my car starting after I'd changed my clothes and fired it up. The 3 hour ride home was tiring, but I made it and as I logged my miles for this trip, I realized I was at 1008.51 for the year. Mission accomplished! Haha. But it was beautiful and I'd recommend anyone looking for a scenic and challenging route to look into the ES 100 loop. There were a few blowdowns and a couple of tough places to follow but it was mostly in really nice shape. Enjoy, God bless and happy trails to all of y'all as you finish your respective courses this fall! Day Mileage 15.56 Trip Mileage 107 |
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Post by GaliWalker on Oct 18, 2021 10:51:17 GMT -5
Wow! Those are a number of long days, back to back! No wonder you're over 1000mi hiked for the year, a mark that I have never got close to. I no longer keep stats, but when I did I think the most amount of miles I hiked was in the 600s, although it did come with over 250,000ft of elevation gain.
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Post by jmitch on Oct 18, 2021 17:00:17 GMT -5
Incredible report and photos
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 18, 2021 17:51:31 GMT -5
Wow! Those are a number of long days, back to back! No wonder you're over 1000mi hiked for the year, a mark that I have never got close to. I no longer keep stats, but when I did I think the most amount of miles I hiked was in the 600s, although it did come with over 250,000ft of elevation gain. My previous best before this year was 722, back in 2016. I hadn't tracked for a couple of years but I decided to do a hike a thon this year to see how far I could get. I didn't track elevation gain for many hikes, but this one came in at 19,715 feet over the 107 miles. |
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Post by anfhiker on Oct 18, 2021 17:52:33 GMT -5
Incredible report and photos Thanks, jmitch. Your exploring of the Pa Wilds has been an inspiration to me for these hikes! I'm just grateful that I am able to be as mobile as I want to be, again. |
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Post by jmitch on Oct 19, 2021 14:36:42 GMT -5
I'm glad you're getting out there again.
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ki0eh
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Post by ki0eh on Dec 29, 2021 13:18:38 GMT -5
Man I remember when that Long Branch trail was new. I seem to have trouble following where to go in the Lower Pine Bottom valley as well so I don't feel as bad after reading this report.
Was your sloping campsite in the valley of Big Run all the way to the mouth of Ashworth Hollow (so called in MST guides, no other maps seem to use that name), which is where the old grade starts climbing out of Big Run to the south? Some call that the nicest campsite on the entire MST but it's slightly off trail and good for only one tent by most folks' standards. I think an old logging grade that escaped mention in the Taber books must have crossed there on a high trestle, can follow (uncleared of course, but someone did lightly flag it) that on the other side merging back into Big Run Road below the last tight curve, and below the logging road that was recently yellow blazed and signed by Forestry as a Gillespie Point return route.
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Post by anfhiker on Jan 2, 2022 16:55:52 GMT -5
Man I remember when that Long Branch trail was new. I seem to have trouble following where to go in the Lower Pine Bottom valley as well so I don't feel as bad after reading this report. Was your sloping campsite in the valley of Big Run all the way to the mouth of Ashworth Hollow (so called in MST guides, no other maps seem to use that name), which is where the old grade starts climbing out of Big Run to the south? Some call that the nicest campsite on the entire MST but it's slightly off trail and good for only one tent by most folks' standards. I think an old logging grade that escaped mention in the Taber books must have crossed there on a high trestle, can follow (uncleared of course, but someone did lightly flag it) that on the other side merging back into Big Run Road below the last tight curve, and below the logging road that was recently yellow blazed and signed by Forestry as a Gillespie Point return route. I really like the Long Branch Trail. It's a bit of a shame it got dropped from the PAWT. But the trail is better the way it's headed. And yes, most of the trails from the crossing of Pine Creek off the MST until you get to the Donut Hole Trail at Hyner Run involve some careful watch to make sure you don't miss a turn. As for the camp site, I'm not sure the name of the creek but it is right near the mouth of a small stream running into Big Run. You cross a road, then Big Run, then a long sidehill before dropping right down toward a tributary of Big Run. The campsite is right next to the trail, but small and sloped. It wasn't too bad though. |
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Post by kbusko on Jan 2, 2022 17:54:08 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing your hike with us. We really enjoy reading your trip reports. I agree with you about the Long Branch Trail and the PAWT route. The hardest part about doing the route we chose was not being able to include the Long Branch Trail. However, that also is a good reason for us to go back and backpack the ES100 route to include that and a couple other trails we have not yet hiked in the Pine Creek area. Keep on hiking and writing.
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Post by anfhiker on Jan 2, 2022 20:58:00 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing your hike with us. We really enjoy reading your trip reports. I agree with you about the Long Branch Trail and the PAWT route. The hardest part about doing the route we chose was not being able to include the Long Branch Trail. However, that also is a good reason for us to go back and backpack the ES100 route to include that and a couple other trails we have not yet hiked in the Pine Creek area. Keep on hiking and writing. The ES100 route was a lot of fun! Other than my second full day, it worked out nicely for camping at campgrounds or established sites. I'd highly recommend a late summer/fall hike to take advantage of the race trail maintenance. I'm mentally game planning what I'd like to do this year. The PA Wilder Trail might be doable (Chuck Keiper-Donut Hole-Bucktail Path) but we will see.  |
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ki0eh
Forum Elder
Posts: 196
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Post by ki0eh on Jan 2, 2022 22:12:23 GMT -5
Speaking of dropped from the PAWT, found that campsite fairies had notched a site into the spur ridge between Rattlesnake Run (formally UNT) and Babb Creek on MST Section 18, inside a spiral side hill descent dug under the direction of Joe Clark of Thousand Steps fame. Strangely the fairies had erected a screen blocking what could have been a view of Rattlesnake Run Falls. Folks who recently reblazed across Sand Run stopped at Babb Creek about 40 m from this site. Also, some mook spray painted white blazes past a rock shelter on the trail-north side of Babb. This site is sort of like the Ashworth Hollow site, small and not got for sleepwalkers
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Post by trailnotfound on Mar 12, 2022 19:53:08 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing your hike with us. We really enjoy reading your trip reports. I agree with you about the Long Branch Trail and the PAWT route. The hardest part about doing the route we chose was not being able to include the Long Branch Trail. However, that also is a good reason for us to go back and backpack the ES100 route to include that and a couple other trails we have not yet hiked in the Pine Creek area. Keep on hiking and writing. The ES100 route was a lot of fun! Other than my second full day, it worked out nicely for camping at campgrounds or established sites. I'd highly recommend a late summer/fall hike to take advantage of the race trail maintenance. I'm mentally game planning what I'd like to do this year. The PA Wilder Trail might be doable (Chuck Keiper-Donut Hole-Bucktail Path) but we will see.  I'm still very, very slowly recovering from an injury, but depending on that I'm also considering the entire DHT & BT (I've done the CKT enough) in late May / early June. When are you thinking of doing that? |
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