I forgot just how steep
the last little section leading to Hawk Rock was. The boys were near
exhaustion so I encouraged Nathan with a gentle shove, grabbed Cody's pack
for him, Janice looked at me like I was insane and we all summitted
together. Finally we were at Hawk
Rock.
Nathan and I joked about a helicopter picking us up there. Still a
clear afternoon, the views were spectacular. The boys made me nervous
showing no fear climbing to the edge of the rocks. A fly fisherman in
Sherman's Creek below looked like a white dot moving in the water. Miniature
cars and trucks could be seen crossing the Clarks Ferry Bridge. Janice and
the boys played "I Spy" and of course she spied something "green".
After a good break at the
lookout we pressed on to make camp at the Cove Mountain Shelter. I was
challenged immensely at this point because I had no idea how fast we were
walking with continued stopping and starting to survive the heat and
humidity and land marks were minimal on this short stretch of trail. I knew
the mileage we needed to cover and I figured we had to have covered it by
now and another break was needed. I told the group that I would walk ahead
looking for the shelter trail for ten minutes and turn around to meet them.
They should rest for ten minutes and then start walking again to meet me. I
took off to find the spur for the shelter and 25 feet later there it was. It
was pretty funny that our impatience with finding camp had gotten the best
of me just before the junction with the shelter trail.
These pretty wild
flowers were growing at the vista located at the turn for the shelter.
The spur to the shelter
was a semi-steep descent. We were carrying tents and wanted to leave the
shelter for through hikers, but there was nowhere close to the shelter to
set up tents. We had seen a camp set up in a clearing to the east of the
shelter. It turned out to be an old service road of some sort and about 100
yards out we found a flat spot. A couple was camped near the head of the
road and they had their dog Pony with them. Just beyond them a bog hosted
young mosquitoes and flies so bustling that you could hear them buzzing as
we walked by.
Getting dark fast, I
started making dinners while Janice and the boys set up the tents. Cody
seemed quite amused by dinner in a bag. (those photos through the camp fire
heat wave are kinda' cool) We were all pretty pooped from the afternoon's
walk and after some whittling and marshmallow toasting we called it a night.
In no hurry to get
moving, morning came late. Hot coffee while the boys whittled some more on
their walking sticks and of course Cody had his Gameboy with him. The spring
at the shelter was in good shape from recent rains. We filled our bottles,
broke up our fire ring, covered up our site and hit the trail. The boys did
a good job of leaving no trace.
Tent caterpillars
abounded the length of our walk.
Millipedes also amused
the boys, along with toads, a pair of very friendly flies, pretty Yarrow,
funky Pine cones and strange fungus all along the way.
We kept making progress
toward a pipeline cut that intersects The AT. With the promise of beautiful
vistas, I hoped we could break there for a bite to eat.
The heat and hunger got
the best of us so we stopped to eat right along the trail on a comfy log.
Finally we reached the
Pipeline Cut.
Man was it hot. 80°+ and
no cover from the sun. The beautiful views to the North and South were
magnificent and more than made up for the sweltering conditions. From here I
phoned my dad and asked him to retrieve us where the trail crosses PA Rt.
850.
I hadn't paid enough
attention to the map and me and the boys walked down the south face looking
for a blaze. I had seen an arrow on the ridge pointing south. My eyesight
isn't what it used to be and I figured it was pointing to the next trail
head into the forest. We walked about 100' down from the mountain top
without seeing a blaze so I got the map out. Janice hadn't come down the
face with us and found the next blaze as I realized the map showed the AT
crossing directly across the pipeline. The walk back up the service road was
difficult because it was steep and covered with loose gravel-like sand - not
to mention it was hot as hell. The vegetation to either side of the road
promised better footing, but it was mostly poison ivy so we stuck with the
slippery stuff.
The poison ivy was
inter-mingled with pretty yellow wild flowers.
Not paying better
attention to the map was a stupid mistake, but oh well, at least we didn't
walk too far. By the way, the little arrow pointing south was labeled
"VIEW". Anyone who would need such an obvious vista labeled or pointed out
would have to have eyesight much worse than mine.
From the pipeline the
trail re-enters the forest and begins a welcome descent. Along this portion
and much of the day we encountered many North Bound hikers. Most seemed to
be section hikers or just out for a stroll. May 27th did mark the beginning
of PA Hiking Week.
Completing the descent we
came to bog ripe with mosquitoes and eventually a stream good for refilling
bottles, but we didn't need it. This was quite picturesque place, but for
some reason my lens cap stayed on - no photographs were taken. A sign was
posted that south bounders should refill their water because the spring at
The Darlington Shelter was unreliable.
After a short ascent we
were out of the forest again crossing a farmer's field with Rt. 850 dead
ahead. The trail was plowed wide which made for an easy walk in the hot sun
through the field laced with pretty purple wild flowers. With 8.2 miles
behind us, the gang had made it.
Shade was of a premium at
the little parking lot at the road crossing and after a short wait we were
on the road home in time to get me to a
5k run
on Memorial Day.
This was an incredible
birthday gift my 3 best friends gave me. I can't wait till next year
-they'll probably hide from me the next time I get out an AT map.
Perry
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