The Phoenix Backpacking Club

It's been a while since I spent the night in the woods.

Details

We will meet at the Park Office at 10:00 and be on the trail by 10:30 for an 7 mile backpack to the Sioux Backpacking area. I will take wood up to the sites in the morning, so we can have a nice fire to warm ourselves by in the evening. Sunday morning we will pack up and take the Forest Trail a short 2 miles back to our cars.

The general details:
Distance: 7 miles
Elevation Gain: Nominal
Difficulty: Beginner / Intermediate
Terrain: Root / dirt blazed trails
Pass: Honor system $4 at Park office (or reserve a site online at https://pennsylvaniastateparks.reserveamerica.com/welcome.do
I have reserved Sioux Shelter Site #3
Guests: Yes
Dogs: Yes

This trip is for experienced backpackers and would not be considered for an introduction to backpacking, or for individuals lacking appropriate equipment. “Leave No Trace” (LNT) principles we be applied, and fire risk will be adhered to. You will be responsible for your own navigation whether digital map or paper, but we will try to stay somewhat cohesive on our hike. We should have plenty of daylight at this time of year for the hike.

This is a point to point hike going North to South, therefore a shuttle is necessary, taking about 45 minutes on the morning we start. We'll need to leave at least two cars at the southern trailhead which is located at the Rattlesnake Rock parking area (South of Blackwell off two lane road 414). We will need at least a third vehicle to take us (with packs) to the North trailhead parking lot (Just South of Ansonia off Colton Road). We will have to leave Rattlesnake Rock parking lot by 9:00 a.m. on Friday morning so we can be at the Northern trailhead parking lot and on the trail by 10:00 a.m. Some people may be able to park at the Northern parking lot if they need to start on Friday morning.

It takes at least 5 1/2 hours to get to Pine Creek area from Cleveland so plan your commute appropriately. I plan to leave Thursday early afternoon to camp near the Southern trailhead at Rattlesnake parking area. The parking area has a pit toilet - no water. Good campsites are about a quarter mile up the trail near a nice stream. Please let me know whether you will be spending Thursday night at Rattlesnake and whether you can shuttle. I will be leaving my car at Rattlesnake parking area.
Description of trail as copied from previous trip is as follows:

The West Rim Trail is a 30.5 mile point to point hike that skirts the edge of the Pine Creek Gorge, also referred to as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. The trail offers many dramatic views of the canyon with it’s steep 1,000 foot walls. Also, throughout the trail you’ll get to enjoy a variety of forest types that contain an abundance of wildlife.
Trail Facts
• Length: 30.5 Miles
• Duration: 3 Days
• Elevation Gain: 5,648 Feet
• Grand Canyon Views
• Photo Ops
• Beautiful Forests
• Cascading Streams
• Abundance of Wildlife
• Parking

See the interactive map link below, the caltopo map, for the exact parking and trailhead locations.
The first 2 miles of the West Rim Trail are the hardest (or last 2 miles, if you’re hiking southbound). You have a 1,000 foot climb up to the top of the canyon. Once there you can easily be deceived into thinking that the rest of the trail will be flat since you’re hiking the rim of the canyon. However, that’s far from accurate. What you’ll find out is that even though you’re following the rim of the canyon, the trail dips in and out of ravines that cause constant changes in elevation, which in turn increases the difficulty of this trail.
On the West Rim Trail there’s definitely less water sources available in the southern half compared to the northern half and some of these water sources aren't reliable especially in dryer conditions. So, make sure to carry a little extra water in case your planned fill-up spot is dried up and you have to hike to the next one.
There’s no shortage of campsites on the West Rim Trail. However some campsites are a lot better then others. I recommend the campsites at mile 10.25 and mile 19.25. Both areas have you camping in beautiful hemlock forests. The spots are also flat and can accommodate multiple tents. The only down side is that they are not near water sources so you’ll have to carry extra water to them. Be sure to have enough containers!
3 Day Trip Option
Day 1:
• Start at the northern terminus of the trailhead near Ansonia
• Hike for 11 miles
• Camp in a nice hemlock forest (dry campsite)
Day 2:
• Hike for 9 miles
• Camp in another beautiful hemlock forest (dry campsite)
Day 3:
• Hike for 10 miles
• Arrive at southern terminus of the trail
HERE IS A LINK TO AN EXCELLENT INTERACTIVE MAP BY CALTOPO:
https://caltopo.com/m/7FUF
HERE ARE LINKS TO DOWNLOADABLE AND PRINTABLE MAPS FROM PA DNR:
https://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=1743735&DocName=d16_west_rim_south_10_16_17.pdf
https://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=1743734&DocName=d16_west_rim_north_10_13_17.pdf
You've always wanted to do this! So come on along

We are headed to The Allegheny Front trail, NE quadrant, in search of wild blueberries. Tasty and delicious. This wont be a high miles hike. At most 5 to 7 miles on Saturday and less on Sunday. 15 miles total for the weekend if that. It's all about the berries. I have done this trip before and remember where we found berries in the past. Friday we will need to shuttle one or more vehicles to the parking lot at the junction of the east loop of the trail and route 504. Please arrive at our gathering location on time. Once we have the shuttle done, we will hike N a small distance (about 2 miles as the crow flies) on the Shingle Mill trail to our intended campsite (40.9397, -78.0606). Then relax, look for a swimming hole, take a swim, take a nap.

On Saturday, we will continue N on the Shingle Mill trail and then turn right on the main AFT when we reach the junction. We will head at a leisurely pace to our intended camp (40.9582, -77.9847). As we hike we will be looking for the berries. We will stop to collect them. More than once; more than twice. Bring a rigid container to put them in so they are not crushed. You are allowed to sample as you pick. Our goal is to have berries for a desert on Saturday and for pancakes on Sunday. Bacon is needed. Yum! Potentially participants can help carry the cooking gear and mixes, so be ready to stash an item or two in your pack. If we decide to do a group cook breakfast, you may not need to pack a breakfast for Sunday morning unless you don't want bacon and pancakes, or you want to augment them with a personal favorite.

On Sunday, after breakfast has been fully enjoyed, we will continue hiking clockwise on the AFT a few miles until we reach our shuttled vehicle(s) on route 504. We will then bring everyone back to the gathering spot where we met on Friday and head for home.

LNT. Pack it in/pack it out. Only firewood on the fire. You need a Waiver on file or bring it with you. On Friday we will meet at the parking lot above the beach at Moshannon State park. The beach and parking lot are on Pa route 504 (40.9592, -77.9844). This trip is OK for beginners. Contact me if you need to on any other details.

We will hike north on AT from Pine Grove PA to Delaware Water Gap. Probably less than 2 weeks. One or two resupplies. Details TBD. We will use a shuttle or do it ourselves. If interested in all or part, put yourself on wait list and we will have a planning meeting to figure it all out.