Northeast trip — November 13-16, 2014

I'm in!

I'm thinking about it.

I can do 8-10 easily, but my pace is around 2-2.5 mph. I've backpacked in many wilderness areas in WV in all seasons and the Hickory Creek Wilderness in PA.

As far as cold weather goes, the worse the weather, the more fun the trip! :D

Possible if very well trained trail dog is permitted.

Andy,

I can confidently tell you that the pace will be 2.0 mph if we're trying to stay relatively together as a group. That includes breaks (but not lunch – lunch is extra). Mark and I have hiked together a couple of times and this pace works pretty well (probably because it's my pace and not his).

We're still not sure where we're going so if you have any thoughts or requests please let us know!

Bob – We'd be happy to have a well-trained dog along and will keep that in mind as we look for locations. Stay tuned.

>>We'd be happy to have a well-trained dog along and will keep that in mind as we look for locations. Stay tuned.<<

Super! Count me as a probable.

Thanks for the responses – I knew there had to be a couple of backpackers besides Kevin and I in the NE.

I second Kevin's responses – 4 footed friends are definitely welcome and mileage may vary. We are definitely not mileage seekers. I like to think I have drifted more into enjoying the scenery, the journey and the company as I have aged.

Please feel free to throw out trip ideas, otherwise stay tuned and we'll post details as we continue to get closer to November.

The mileage and pace sounds good.

Some options for locations which stand out to me for an “early winter” trip:

Dolly Sods/Roaring Plains wilderness areas in WV

Cranberry Wilderness, WV

Those are just the first places which come to mind for me. I’d be interested in trying other locations too.

I love the idea of doing something in WV – I’ve never backpacked there. It’s probably the same drive for Mark (coming from northern Ohio) to get to WV as it would be for him to get to most of the PA trails. It would make it that much further for Bob since he’s coming from just north of NYC.

Bob – Is WV too far for you? I live near Lancaster, PA so you’d pretty much have to come very close to me to get to WV. We could meet up and carpool…

There are a bunch of loop trails in PA that might fit the bill and there’s always one of my personal favorites: Mid State Trail

Although it’s not a loop, it’s a great trail. We’ll have plenty of cars available for shuttling and it crosses through a number of PA State Parks that are open through December. Depending on the weather, a hot shower and access to flush toilets might be welcome (yes – I’m getting softer as I’m becoming less young). I’ve section-hiked about half of the MST and it offers great views, varied terrain, and not many people. Another option might be to spend Thursday night in a State Park campground and then Friday and Saturday nights on the trail.

Keep the ideas coming…

Mark & Kevin,

I am okay with anything in PA, MD and WV, and am flexible with whatever vehicle arrangements are necessary to facilitate the trip. I haven't been to any of the places mentioned so far, which is great – I want to see something new. I have synch'ed the calendar with my wife and am good to go.

All the places suggested thus far look fine to me. Just to throw something into the mix, however, I will mention that I have had on my mind for some time a hike of Pine Creek Gorge (PA's 'Grand Canyon'), but I have no idea whether it is a large enough venue for a multi-day group hike. In any event, I hope to do it solo or otherwise in the next couple of years.

Bob,

Great – Both Mark and I have received the required "permission" from our spouses for this trip already. It's funny that you ask about the PA Grand Canyon – Mark and I did it this past April. It's a perfect trip for a weekend…27 miles with a shuttle service to move your car for $40.

I'm happy to hear that you're really flexible with location. We'll keep in touch.

Hmmmm. Always wanted to do the Mid State trail. How much of it would you be planning to do?

Hi All —

I'd love to join a MD/PA/WV trip if I can.

Would the 13th be a hiking day or would everyone just meet in the PM? I could skip work on the 14th but probably couldn't leave until the afternoon on the 13th.

Rud

Funny – I originally threw the Sods out as a suggestion way back when we set these dates sometime in early summer. I was there once in July '11 and it was amazing. My concern would be temps in November – not that I am shy about winter camping, more from a planning perspective. I recall waking up July 1 in the northern Sods and it was 40 degrees while the surrounding towns were closer to 70. That plateau definitely has a different climate.

The Mid State Trail covers a lot of territory!

Looks great, but what section?

I've done from State College to Woolrich – It's great, albeit rocky, hiking with some great views (especially if the trees are bare).

Because the MST goes through several state parks we can probably adjust the route to make it easier for people to meet up part way through the trip.

"My concern would be temps in November"

Another concern is roads – depending on what kind of winter we get, roads to Dolly Sods can be closed in November.

Winter access to the Sods is possible from the Red Creek Trailhead (near the Laneville wildlife cabin), Timberline ski lift (fee), or White Grass XC ski trails (fee).

You can also take FS75 up to Bear Rocks from the Petersburg (east) side in bad weather. We've driven up to the last gate (1/2 mile from Bear Rocks) in the dead of winter and skied from there (it was a light snow fall year – only a foot or two on top). Just be careful, roads are treacherous (need 4 wheel drive if snow covered – road is not plowed but seems to be frequented by locals so there is usually tracks to follow). Shouldn't be a problem in November gaining access to the top by vehicle from either side, just be prepared for a white knuckle descent down icy roads should you get a storm while you're in the woods.

I'm in for those dates if location is in WV. Driving from metro DC area and open to carpooling with any others from here.

Another area in WV I forgot to mention is Seneca Creek Backcountry. I’ve only dayhiked a little there, but I’ve been meaning to do a few nights there sometime.

I found this brief trip report and discussion on the Hammock Forums to give us some idea of what it’s like:

Someone’s trip report

That's interesting. Could it be done as a loop, hiking the valley going out and returning via the ridge? (or vice versa) Looks possible in this map, with a short road walk.

I think that looks like a good loop with plenty of flexibility for exploring or doing more miles at the far end of the loop from the Seneca Creek Trailhead shown as the parking area “P” on that topo. Camping somewhere in the Judy Springs area sounds like a good option. The ridge trail we take on the return trip could be Allegheny Mt or Lumberjack. I’ll look up the scenery of both of those tonight in a guide book. I remember that Allegheny Mt Trail is rated more strenuous, but maybe not in a section we’d need to hike.

There are plenty of other trailheads and loop options too. Here’s the FS brochure/trail map

I checked the book Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide (8th ed, 2006), and the Allegheny Mt Trail seems to be rated strenuous do due the northern 25% of it which we wouldn't need to hike in a loop. The portion we would walk is an old forest service road which is still used only by them for maintaining fields for wildlife. The scenery is rated as "exceptional".

The Lumberjack Trail is the other option for making a large loop. It's rated as moderate, and the scenery is "exceptional-wooded" (meaning don't expect views). This trail sounds interesting because it has several springs, streams, and sinks where the stream goes underground.

If we're energetic and have time, one option would be to do an out and back up to Spruce Knob on the Huckleberry Trail, gaining about 1800 ft up to 4840 ft in 5.8 miles. The book rates the scenery on this trail as "exceptional."

Just more options to consider. So many trails, so little time. :)

Mark and I have bounced emails back and forth and we decided that we're going to do one of my favorite sections of the Mid State Trail in PA for the November trip. Anyone who's interested can join us for all or part of it.

It will be a three-night trip centered around Poe Valley State Park that looks like this:

• Thursday, November 13th – Depending on when people are able to make it we'll have either a 10.1 mile day to a campsite on the trail or a 5-mile day to the campsite (or a mix of the two). We'll spend the night near a stream.
• Friday, November 14th – We'll wake up, eat breakfast, and hike about 8.1 miles to Poe Valley State Park to set up camp. There are flush toilets, hot showers, and a catered (okay, I'll be cooking) dinner. We'll need to do some car shuttling on Friday afternoon. Evening activities include dinner and perhaps some card games.
• Saturday, November 15th – I'll make coffee and breakfast for everyone and then we'll pack up and hit the trail for a 10-mile day, including a lunch stop in Poe Paddy State Park and a look at the 250-foot railroad tunnel (which, last I heard, was closed due to falling rock). We'll camp at a nice site in a hollow near a stream.
• Sunday, November 16th – Rise & shine and hit the trail for either a 3.8 or 6.9 mile hike to waiting cars (shuttled on Friday).

As some of us become "less young" we've found it can be really nice to split a backpacking trip up with a cushy campsite in the middle. It means you're carrying a lot less (no more than one day's food), can have clean clothing each day, and enjoy a car-camping meal.

In summary, the total trip will be from 27 to 35 miles, depending your preferences and timing. Please PM me with your personal email address and I can provide more details if you're interested. Because we have a fixed location for Friday night you can also plan on arriving Friday night or early Saturday morning if that is all that works for your schedule.