ROCK RUN
I
decided to hike the next morning, despite the fact that it was still
snowing. I really hadn’t covered many
miles over the past two days, and I needed some exercise. My only other likely option was running, and
I really didn’t want to do that! I’ll
put up with running in cold weather in the winter, but not in April. Plus, the dog needed some exercise, too.
One
of the best things about visiting Christy’s parents is that there are many fine
hiking opportunities within a 45 minute drive.
So, I was able to sleep in a bit, get in a 12 mile hike, and be home
well before dinner time. For this day’s
hike, I decided to cover another stretch of the Allegheny Front Trail in the Moshannon State Forest.
I had hiked several other parts of the trail on previous trips. This time, I chose to do the stretch along
Rock Run. With snow still falling, a
streamside hike seemed like a good choice.
Plus, the AFT connects with another trail, offering a loop with only 2
miles of backtracking.
I
reached the trailhead, and nearly turned around and headed home. The trailhead is located on a plateau, and
the wind was absolutely howling. As I
gathered my gear, I discovered that I’d left my hat and gloves with my winter
coat, which was back at the house. This
would’ve been a deal-breaker, except that I found Christy’s hat in the
car. I bundled up as much as I could,
freed the dog, and hit the trail.
Initially
we hiked through a stretch of hardwood forest that showed no signs of
spring. There was a dusting of snow on
the ground, but at least it had stopped falling. Before long, we passed through a meadow,
where it was even windier. Fortunately,
we then began descending from the plateau into the headwaters of Rock Run. The wind diminished, and soon the walking was
almost pleasant. We passed through a
stand of fir trees (most likely planted) before reaching a junction and a trail
register.
This
was the beginning of the loop, and I chose to hike it counter-clockwise. The trail led us
through more hardwood forest, passing a number of springs and small
streams. After a couple of miles, we
finally wound our way down into the valley of Rock Run. Since it was noon, and the temperature had warmed
a bit, I decided to stop along the creek for lunch.
Afterwards,
I resumed the hike, following the trail above the stream. Eventually we worked our way back down to the
creek. This stretch was probably the
highlight of the hike, as there was a lot of fine creek side scenery. Eventually we crossed it on a footbridge, and
a bit later we crossed over a significant tributary. A short distance later, we began
switchbacking out of the valley. We
passed well above a fork of the main creek, and spotted a number of nice
cascades and slides.
Somewhere
along here, I missed a turn and wandered out an old forest road. This worked out ok though, as I soon
intersected the AFT. Once on the AFT, I
knew the way back. We ultimately
returned to our lunch spot, which definitely confused Boone. He wasn’t sure which way to go, but after 8
miles, he was ready for the car! We were
there a couple of hours later, and back home shortly thereafter.
Rock
Run was a pleasant hike, if not terribly exciting. The best part of the hike was Rock Run
itself. Unfortunately, only a couple of
miles of trail were actually along the creek.
I probably wouldn’t do that one again, but I’ve still got a few sections
of the AFT to complete.
Back to Pennsylvania
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!