by Daryl Warren
An ambitious plan was thwarted by the difficulty of the terrain and the elements.
Three hikers from the Asaph Trail Club, Pat and Roy Boyd and I, accepted the challenge of doing this backpack hike on the first weekend of spring 2014.
Many months of preparation went into planning this 46.5-mile backpacking trek on the Tuscarora Trail in Buchanan and Tuscarora State Forests. The objective was to hike all the designated miles within these two state forests as a partial qualification for the Pennsylvania State Forest Hiking Award. This award recognizes “any hiker who completes the entire 798 miles of the State Forest Hiking Trail system...having truly hiked the 18 State Forest Hiking Trails in their entirety.”
Only 38 miles of this 110-mile trail is within the Pennsylvania state forest system. However, to reach the points where the trail passes through the state forests, it’s necessary to hike many extra miles from convenient access trailheads and roads.
The winter of 2013-2014 was among the longest, coldest, and snowiest in recent history. Snow in the high elevations hung on, but we were optimistic that most of it had melted with the recent warm spell. Little did we know that slushy, snow-covered ice would slow our progress to a crawl on some mountainsides that rarely saw the sun’s rays.
PA Route 641, four miles south of Tuscarora State Forest, was our first point of entry. We began hiking south to north on March 19. We were fortunate to meet up with the landowner who gave us permission to park in his lot. He also mentioned that the trail was steep and challenging, which proved to be an understatement. However, our legs were fresh after a 3.5-hour drive from Wellsboro, so we tackled the 700-foot climb up to Knob Mountain with vigor, beginning at 9:15 AM.
The temperature was around 40 degrees, so we were quite sure the weatherman had missed the mark with a prediction of a misty, icy mix. It was very cloudy and looked like rain, so we used our pack covers to protect our backpacks. As we reached the top of the mountain, the wind became stronger, and heavy fog rolled in followed by a few snow flurries and light sleet. The temperature in the higher elevation was much lower than in the valley below. We had gone about three miles when the mist began to freeze to the trees. The wind broke the ice off the trees when it had accumulated about an eighth to a quarter inch, so we were in no danger of heavy ice downing branches and trees. In some places, the path was completely covered with ice that had blown down.
Our progress was slower than anticipated because of the rocky treadway. Rarely did we encounter sections that had just a few rocks. The trail followed the knifelike ridgetop, which was littered with one rock outcrop after another. Carrying our backpacks greatly increased the difficulty, because we were forced to climb up, over, and around these immense formations. Between these difficult sections, the trail was strewn with smaller rocks—sometimes filled in between with ice and snow. There was a definite falling hazard because of the ice under the snow, so we carefully negotiated these dangerous sections. However, I did take one backward tumble, landing on my back. Fortunately, my backpack provided a cushion.
We plodded along at an excruciatingly slow pace of just over a mile per hour. We arrived at the southern marker of the Tuscarora State Forest at about 12:30 PM, four miles from our start. We knew the trail register was at 5.7 miles, but as we trudged along, it seemed a lot farther. We signed the register at about 2:00 PM and came to the realization that we’d be fortunate to get to our designated campsite at Hemlock Road, 4.7 miles ahead of us, by dark. Nonetheless, we had no other options because there was no water before the road. Our hope was that the trail would relent and provide some easier walking surface. It did get a little easier as we approached Catholic Path at 5.8 miles, but it was a respite.
We had earlier discussed the possibility of reaching the Fowlers Hollow Shelter before dark. This would mean adding two miles to today’s hike, but we’d be rewarded with the amenities of this well-maintained shelter. We now realized we would need to dismiss that possibility.
Just past Catholic Path, the trail rose to about 2,300 feet, the highest elevation of the day. It was not until 9.2 miles that the treadway became friendlier as it descended on a forest road from Rising Mountain. At 9.3 miles the trail uses a gorgeous stretch of practically flat terrain on another forest road. We could really beat feet here on the snow-packed surface as we crossed the Perry County/Franklin County line (marked with a signpost) at 9.8 miles. From there it was an easy walk to the head of the Hemlocks Natural Area, where we arrived at 6:35 PM. This allowed us enough time, before dark, to set up our tents and filter water from the perennial spring located just 200 feet from the trail.
Removing my backpack cover, I discovered the SPOT unit I had attached to the top of my pack was missing. Apparently, when I took that backward fall and landed on the pack, the unit was dislodged from its holder. It certainly was out of the question to try to go back to recover it. (Good news! The unit was later discovered in the bottom of my pack cover.)
Both of us were so beat that we were thankful just to heat up something to eat and turn in. It was about 32 degrees, raining, and windy, but our camp was in a fairly sheltered spot, so the wind did not bother us much.
We woke up around 7:30 the next morning. Sleeping with the bag covering my head (for extra warmth), I did not realize it was daylight. Our plan was to be on the trail by 8:00, but by the time we got something to eat and broke camp, it was 9:15. This was an inauspicious start to a 12.4-mile day on a trail that was proving to be the most difficult of any of my previous hiking experiences. We had to hustle because Roy was meeting us at a designated dry camp where the Tuscarora Trail and Bill Miller Trail intersect. Roy would be bringing extra water with him.
Our 800-foot descent from Rising Mountain to the Fowlers Hollow Shelter was extremely difficult. Very seldom did we have the advantage of a switchback. The trail descended steeply through the rocks across the mountainside. It was around 11:00 AM when we arrived at the shelter. This elaborate facility is a wonder to behold in this remote area of the Tuscarora State Forest. It is well stocked with emergency items and supplies for the backpacker. Blankets, towels, food, fuel, and other items are all stocked in an animalproof locker. There’s also a huge fireplace with firewood already cut, a steel pole for hanging food bags, tools, a tarp, a clothes line with clothes pins, and perhaps the most impressive item—a straw-padded floor. A privy is also a short distance away.
We left the shelter around 11:20 and soon crossed over Fowler Hollow Run on a wooden bridge. (Thank you Potomac Trail Club for all you do to maintain this trail!) The climb up to Fenton Knob and Amberson Ridge was brutal. Lots of rocks and snow-covered ice, and the terrain was steep, rising about 800 feet in about a mile. It was two steps forward and one slip back. Two hours later, we finally reached Couch Road. We had covered only 3.2 miles in four hours. It was obvious we could not get to the Bill Miller Trail today, over nine miles away, so we called Roy and agreed to meet at Cowpens Road, eight miles from today’s start.
Hoping for a treadway that would allow us to make up some time, we backpacked on, each carrying about 35 pounds of supplies on our backs. The going did not improve. Even the “small ridge” climb up to Second Narrows Road proved to be difficult. Every time we encountered a west-facing ascent or descent, we were met with snow, ice, and rocks. The climb up to Sherman Mountain proved to be our undoing. By the time we got to the top, we realized we would not even make it to Cowpens Road. So we set our destination as Three Square Hollow Road, where we found a suitable camping spot near Camp GNAT and waited for Roy to find us from the SPOT unit signal. We got there at 5:30 PM, having covered only 6.1 miles in 8.25 hours.
After filtering water for dinner, we warmed ourselves by the fire, consumed lots of camp food calories, and just plain relaxed as we patiently waited for Roy. We did not know that the SPOT signal failed to reach him and he was looking for us near Cowpens Road. Through a series of electronic monitoring, he determined we were near Three Square Hollow Road, where the trail crosses. With his vehicle parked at Cowpens Road, he hiked two miles in the dark while his headlamp lit the way. We had camped about 200 yards north of the trail intersection, where he eventually found us around 8:30 PM.
That night, the temperature went down to 24 degrees, but a least it didn’t snow. The next day, Roy hoofed it back to his vehicle and drove to pick us up. We were done with the Tuscarora Trail, at least for now. It was very ambitious to think we could winter-backpack 46.5 miles in four days. The trail had won—temporarily.
Later that day, after a hearty meal at the Newville Diner, we hiked the Rocky Knob Trail in Michaux State Forest, completing the 4.32-mile loop in two hours. We even took time along the way to gawk and take photos.
Our tentative plan now is to slackpack the remainder of the Tuscarora Trail this fall.