~*~ Section of the Mid State Trail, PA ~*~

Jo Hays Vista to Little Juniata, PA

Date: May 27 – 30, 2005

Hikers: solo, with an appearance by BroodX and Colin

Mileage: 25’ish

Elevation Gain/Loss:

Friday, 5/27

I bolted out of work ASAP to drive to the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon, PA. The Doyle is a thru-hiker haven so I had loaded up a box with Pop Tarts and aboot 180 candy bars before I left. I arrived there around 5:30pm and met up with BroodX, Bohdi, Jive, Justin and Cotton Joe…a little late since they had been sitting at the bar since about noontime, I’d imagine. We debated going to Harrisburg for the evening and then decided to crash there. We all hung out chit-chatting for awhile and then called it an early night.

Saturday, 5/28

Up and at ‘em around 7am! BroodX and I said goodbye to the happy little thru-hikers, left the candy bars in the hiker box, some beer outside their doors, and my phone number for when they hit Eastern PA and NJ. I followed BroodX up to the Mid State and left my car at Little Juniata off Rt. 22. He shuttled me up to Jo Hays Vista and left me, saying adieu until Sunday evening when we would meet up at Colerain Road. My mom says I need to get some friends that will say “no” when I ask to be dropped off alone in the woods.

As soon as he dropped me off, the rain came. I didn’t mind the rain too much since the trail was easy going and well maintained. My biggest concern was that the rain wouldn’t let up and I would be forced to set up my Hennessy Hammock for the second time in downpours, thus ensuring I would be wet for the rest of the weekend. The hike into camp was nice and uneventful, I saw nobody on the trail at all. Though there were several spots that I imagine had incredible views, I saw nothing through the rain and the fog. Once again, I thought “there is a beautiful mountain there…trust me.” I arrived at camp, a big open clearing with a nice sized fire pit. The guidebook said I shouldn’t camp there because it is the sight of “beer and pot parties”. The guidebook lied.

The rain let up, I got my Hammock squared away and got settled in. I made a quick dinner of Mousilauk Goulash with grilled Albacore and gathered up some wood for the fire. As soon as I got the fire going, I was hit with another 30 minutes of pouring rain, which I enjoyed from the comfort of my HH. Once again, I started the fire which took off immediately, despite the wet wood. It’s probably a good thing I had the site to myself that night. Fire was cranking, my iPod was on, and I was dancing around and singing like a crazed jungle woman, having a blast! Solo is great sometimes! I hit the sack around 9pm and slept soundly through the night, despite a slight chill on my back since I neglected to bring a sleeping pad.

Sunday, 5/29

Up at 8am, I was anxious to get underway. The sun was shining and the trail the day before had been great! That lasted about another ½ mile, at which point all hell broke loose. I spent the remainder of the day navigating hellacious blowdowns and searching for blazes that were no where to be found. Just head south…it’s a ridgeline. Though cautious at first when negotiating my way around the trail (I hike mostly around it), I gave up after about an hour and just tore through everything. My legs and arms at the end of the day were in sad shape and pretty scratched up. Thankfully there was no rain, which made it a bit easier going. Not to mention that it was fairly level, albeit rocky, so it was one less thing to worry about. There are some spectacular views from the ridgeline and I wanted to stop and take a breather but didn’t dare. Since I was having so much trouble with the trail, and I knew I had to meet BroodX at 5pm, I didn’t want to stop for too long. It took a lot longer than I had anticipated. Water sources were non-existant on the trail, that whole ridgeline thing and all, so I was getting pretty damn thirsty as the day wore on.

Around 3:30pm, I emerged on Colerain Road. I was thrilled to death to be through the mess! I decided to hike down about a mile or so to load up on water while I waited for BroodX to show. When I hiked back up, I stopped at a gorgeous lookout, threw off my pack and lay out on a rock taking in the sights. Seeing the impending rain, I hustled up to our meeting spot and put up my tarp. I had no desire to be wet again after yesterday. The rain only lasted a short time, BroodX called in the meantime and said he was running late. No problem, I was back on the rock, singing and dancing with my iPod. I decided to hike down Colerain Road instead of sitting and waiting…off I went, got about a mile and a half down the road when BroodX came driving on up. I hopped in the car and we went back to the ridgeline.

After leaving his car, I told him quickly about my day’s adventure and how miserable the blowdowns were. Yeah…well, the first ¼ mile of our evening hike was perfectly clear. I don’t think he bought my “blowdown” story, so I adamantly pointed at my battle wounds and insisted it was bad. He saw for himself eventually, as we encountered even more of the same. I think I heard him say “I wonder if anyone maintains these”. Yeah…no kidding. I managed to go all day without falling…until we were halfway to camp. I bit it on a bunch of rocks, and after a kind “are you okay?” from BroodX, I said “yeah”, and then his laughter ensued. We hit camp about 2.5 miles in, dropped our packs, and decided to hike another ¾ of a mile to the vista. It was well worth the little trek as there was a breathtaking view of the PA countryside. We didn’t wait for the sun to set because we weren’t up for negotiating the trail in the dark; it was hard enough in the light of day. Back at camp, we made dinner (complete with a beer apiece), started the fire, tossed some socks on the rocks to dry and waited for Colin to show up. Well…we took a nap and waited for Colin.

Colin rolled in around midnight, complete with adult beverages. It was great to see him and to have more company. I was dumbfounded he was able to get in there, in the dark, with the condition of the trail. Colin brought a radio as well so we turned up the music, had a few beers and had some laughs. BroodX turned in around 1:45am so Colin and I stayed up, stargazing and chatting. Until Colin decided to climb a tree for a better view, to which I immediately ran for my camera. I wouldn’t have but he prefaced the tree climb by saying “Let me chug this beer and then I’m going to climb that tree”. Happy to report, there were no injuries. The fire finally went out, and so did we.

Monday, 5/30

10:00am wake up call, courtesy of BroodX. I got up, packed my stuff and changed into shorts…another sunny day in central PA! Colin was a little bit slower so BroodX gave a little rooster impression right in his ear. It was beautiful...though I’m not sure Colin would agree. Needless to say, by 11:00am, we were all up and ready to go. Colin packed up his 7800ci pack (I’m SO not kidding about that) and headed back to his car. BroodX and I headed out for Little Juniata. Once again, we stopped at the vista from the prior night to check out the view in broad daylight. It was still amazing.

And then, we went down. And down. And more down. Straight down, over rocks. Straight down, through blowdowns. Just…down. <sigh> GOOD NEWS!!! About halfway down, we found a great place for a Yackpacker Convention!!! July, anyone? There’s a photo of it, but basically there is a wide bank around the mountain, killer view, plenty of tent and hammock space, plenty of room to roam. Only downfall…carry in the water you need cause you ain’t gettin’ none there! Anyway, it’s picture perfect and suitable for many!

After another lengthy descent, we came upon the settlers. Trying not to scare them, we hurried along the road, following the reroute of blue blazes. The trail curved across the Little Juniata River and then…then…straight up! No switchbacks! Brilliant! And me, following the hobbit. The trail leveled off for awhile and then we found ourselves on a dirt road and a gradual climb. Thankfully, BroodX has a keen eye and saw the “snuck” (or was that a skunk?) on the side of the road. Amusing, as we had earlier discussed whether or not either of us had ever been sprayed. We escaped with no stink (at least not from the skunk) and finally cut back onto the trail. The last downhill was a bastard. Narrow, winding, rocks. I didn’t bother with my camera at that point. I just wanted down. Pricker bushes made it even more fun and my legs are now totally scratched up. We finally hit the trailhead register, signed ourselves out and made it back to my car in one piece, so to speak.

All in all, a great trip! Challenging in its own right because of the trail conditions, but it was fantastic to have the trail to myself (and ourselves on Monday). Even the Saturday rain did little to dampen my spirits.

What I Learned:

~Thru-hikers LOVE chocolate bars and Pop Tarts!

~Don’t call a thru-hiker “Tinkles”

~Nutrageous Bars cause cotton mouth.

~I should have spent more time at the Doyle when I lived in Harrisburg.

~Enertia Trail Foods Mac & Cheese is extra yummy with chorizo thrown in!

~ I don’t mind rocks so much…but I f***ing hate unmaintained trails.

~Unmaintained trails provide a plethora (ha!) of DNA samples for CSI. “Oh look…there’s some back hair…he can’t be Italian, it didn’t come out in clumps”

~”This boring thing is getting hiking.”

~When solo, singing and dancing is a great way to spend your time.

~”Don’t feel bad for him, you will only encourage him.”

~BroodX has a Fern Club. “Fumble!” “And the ferns go wild!!!”

~Bring a sleeping pad, even with a Hammock.

~Disco brings out the crazy in everyone.

~PA has some spectacular views…if you look up long enough to see them.

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