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On Saturday I hiked a small section of Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania with my two year old son, Logan, and my brother-in-law. It was about an hours drive from my house to the trailhead and was an area I had never been to before. Of course, this all happened after a quick stop at the mecca that is Cabela's.
We started off on Rt. 501 and slowly ascended up what is called Shower's 500 Steps. Apparently back in the early 1900's a man built 500 steps out of stones along the trail. I didn't count them to see if it was really 500, but the rocks were not hard to find on the infamously rocky Pennsylvania trail. This was my first hike of the season and considering I was carrying my son on my back it was a slow go to the top. Once reaching the top we had some nice views of the PA farmland and mountains in the distance. We continued on through the woods along the ridge of the Blue Mountains. It was a great rolling trail with not too many rocks and some nice overlooks. Unfortunately, the numerous Mountain Laurels, that crowd most of the trail, weren't in bloom yet. We came to a large "boulder field" where a glacier carved through the woods leaving huge boulders in its path. It was quite impressive! We then continued on and arrived at our turnaround point, Shubert's Gap Dam. A beautiful spot with a crystal clear pond and a few nice waterfalls leading down to it. I got some nice pictures, but still haven't figured out how to get them on here. I guess I need to download that program mentioned in the photography section.
All in all it was a great day in the woods! My son did great, even caught a quick nap in the backpack. Amazing how kids can sleep while being jostled all over the place. A nice breezy day with bright blue skies and temps around 70. The hike lasted about 4.5 hrs, so I'm guessing we did around 8 miles, give or take. I don't know a whole lot about the history of this area and the things we saw, sorry I couldn't fill you in more. I'll have to get a book on the AT to learn more.
We started off on Rt. 501 and slowly ascended up what is called Shower's 500 Steps. Apparently back in the early 1900's a man built 500 steps out of stones along the trail. I didn't count them to see if it was really 500, but the rocks were not hard to find on the infamously rocky Pennsylvania trail. This was my first hike of the season and considering I was carrying my son on my back it was a slow go to the top. Once reaching the top we had some nice views of the PA farmland and mountains in the distance. We continued on through the woods along the ridge of the Blue Mountains. It was a great rolling trail with not too many rocks and some nice overlooks. Unfortunately, the numerous Mountain Laurels, that crowd most of the trail, weren't in bloom yet. We came to a large "boulder field" where a glacier carved through the woods leaving huge boulders in its path. It was quite impressive! We then continued on and arrived at our turnaround point, Shubert's Gap Dam. A beautiful spot with a crystal clear pond and a few nice waterfalls leading down to it. I got some nice pictures, but still haven't figured out how to get them on here. I guess I need to download that program mentioned in the photography section.
All in all it was a great day in the woods! My son did great, even caught a quick nap in the backpack. Amazing how kids can sleep while being jostled all over the place. A nice breezy day with bright blue skies and temps around 70. The hike lasted about 4.5 hrs, so I'm guessing we did around 8 miles, give or take. I don't know a whole lot about the history of this area and the things we saw, sorry I couldn't fill you in more. I'll have to get a book on the AT to learn more.
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