MO: Hike the AFT (~40 miles)

Take some time to appreciate spring with a trip up to the Allegheny Front Trail! A great introductory loop for those looking to get a taste of PA, or else members looking to put in some longer miles now that warmer weather and longer days are finally here. The AFT isn't an overly difficult trail, but given that our splits will involve a 20+ mile day, consider your abilities before committing.

The Plan:
Karan (B.A) and I will be leading this trip, and we'll be meeting at 5PM Friday at Grosvenor. Brian will also be on this trip in spirit, as we plan on copying his route from his September journey (which I am liberally borrowing from here on out to finish this itinerary).

We have about a 3.5 hour drive (https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Shady+Grove+Metro+Station+Kiss+%26+Ride,+Redland+Road,+Redland,+MD/39.492443,-77.567713/Rattlesnake+Pike+%26+Tram+Rd,+Rush,+PA+16874/@40.0184352,-78.9447374,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m16!4m15!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b7d293d4d7e969:0xc4e4908c55afef1e!2m2!1d-77.163525!2d39.1205!1m1!4e1!1m5!1m1!1s0x89cc1ef685ae670b:0xa6ff5da02c9378c0!2m2!1d-77.97724!2d40.9168729!3e0?hl=en) to the trailhead, with a stop in Breezewood for a quick bite. We'll park at the eastern parking lot on Rattlesnake Pike, and night-hike about 2.5 miles north to a nice large campsite just after the intersection with Rock Run Trail. The next day will be about 23-24 miles, camping along Upper Six Mile Run at the most southern part of the south-west quadrant of the AFT (just after Wolf Rocks). Sunday morning we'll finish up the remaining 15 miles. The first stretch of this will be the Moss-Hanne Trail which tends to be really wet. Bring a dry pair of shoes to leave in the car; you'll be glad you did.

Afterwards, we'll head to Otto's (http://ottospubandbrewery.com) in State College for a celebratory meal.

Map/Trail resources:
You need to bring a map to be a part of this trip; I would suggest getting the first resource listed here, along with at least one other from the provided list. This trip also appears in Michael Martin's book for those of you who own a copy.

The people at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (814-765-0821) are more than happy to send you (for free) the latest small scale map of the AFT.

Here is fairly complete description: http://files.meetup.com/1502009/Allegheny%20Front%20Trail%20Package.pdf

Here is the official map: http://alleghenyfronttrail.info/aftmaplg.html

Here is the Mid-Atlantic Hike material:http://midatlantichikes.com/aft-w.htm http://www.midatlantichikes.com/id186.html
A detailed PDF version of the AFT guide: http://www.cramer520.info/BCramer_MASTER_AFT_Guide_0609.pdf .

Trip size for this one is limited to 8, and you will need member status or above to attend. Feel free to email me or Karan with any questions. Updates on weather and carpooling to come soon!