Breaking Trail, cont'd

AMC Outdoors, June 2008

Northern Stretch

On our second MST outing later in the summer, we tackle a northern, three-day stretch from Little Pine State Park to Morris, rated as the wildest and most remote section of the trail. It would be difficult to get vehicle access on this long stretch, so the only hikers it sees are those interested in doing a long hike. (We cover 64 kilometers, or a little less than 40 miles, with only one cross­ing, at Blackwell.)

Our extended family has come from across the state to cel­ebrate the Fourth of July here on the MST. Parents have escaped their jobs; cousins are home from college. Our group totals 10 and it feels like one big laughing party. The teenagers lead the pack, busy chatting. The adults lag behind, stopping to breathe, look around, and support a straggler who is having a hard time.

We walk through dark, old-growth hemlock groves, mossy creek valleys, pine forests carpeted in golden needles, and fields of blueberries. “Swimming” is what comes to mind as we wade through waist-high hay-scented ferns.

The trail eventually leaves the highlands and drops down to the Pine Creek Rail Trail at Blackwell in the scenic Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. This section of the gorge was designated a Na­tional Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1968. Cliffs and steep-sided mountains tower 1,400 feet over the Pine Creek and the MST. The tiny hamlet of Blackwell fits snugly into this gorge.

The hiking is great on this section, but the swimming is off the charts. After the trail leaves Blackwell and the rail trail, it climbs back up to the plateau for a while, then drops down to Stony Creek. Here, the stream cuts though a trough of buff-colored limestone. Forming an elongated basin of sparkling wa­ter, the striated rock makes for a fabulous deck to jump from. We clamber up the rock and cannonball into the breathtaking, frigid stream (which we have first checked for submerged boul­ders). Farther down, a 20-foot turquoise pool dances with light waves while weeping tendrils of green vines hang off the rocks in a screen. It is paradise.

Visions of a Longer Trail

Once the MST reaches the New York border, hikers will be able to hop onto the 500-mile Finger Lakes Trail, which connects to the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail. On the southern side, the MST already connects with the Green Ridge Trail in Maryland, which makes hiking all the way to Alabama pos­sible.

While working in the short term to complete the Pennsylva­nia trail, organizers are envisioning a trail that will eventually stretch from Lake Champlain all the way to Florida. The Mid State Trail As­sociation is now a signatory to the Mid-Atlantic Foot Trails Coalition, whose mission is to create a second long-distance hiking trail through the Appalachians west of the Ap­palachian Trail. The working name is the Great Eastern Trail (GET) and the route would follow the MST through Pennsylvania. If all goes as planned, the GET will be 1,600 miles and will connect to some 10,000 miles of other trails. Imagine being able to walk from Pennsylvania’s dense forests of hemlock to cypress swamps or the vastness of the Great Plains.

This is a big deal if you are a hiker, or anyone who values open space and wild places. These green corridors are not just for the critters, but for all people who need to clear their heads and rejuvenate their souls. If covering the entire MST is too much hiking for you, the trail is divided into 16 sections with easy access points along Pennsylvania high­ways, making short excursions a cinch. A brand new guidebook is scheduled to come off the press this year and two new digital maps will be available at that time (U.S. 22 to Poe Paddy and Poe Paddy to Blackwell, stretches of about 80 to 90 kilometers each). It will be one or two years before the remaining maps are completed.

The beauty of the MST is that you can wander on it for as long as you like: Backpack the entire length and go on to tra­verse other trails lacing up the continent, or just walk for an hour with the family and have a picnic in an old-growth forest. The woods are calling and a trail is waiting to lead you into the wildest corners of Pennsylvania (and beyond) for as long as you have to linger. I’m sure my family will be back.

Cindy Ross has hiked “The Triple Crown” (all three national scenic trails along America’s mountain ranges) and still loves to tramp around the hills of her home state, Pennsylvania. She has written six books about her outdoor adventures.

<<Breaking Trail, prev.