|
Sunday, March 26th The first half of this hike was very nice! After a gentle descent down Tussey Ridge, there is a crossroad with the Iron Loop and the MST. hang a right and you go to Stone Valley, hang a left and you go back up the ridge. Lori and I took a left and found some wonderful camping areas and the "beaver pond" which used to be some sort of recreation facility. There are numerous streams, springs and runs along here (at least after a rain) and the woods are very nice. A leisurely walk past numerous springs and hunting cabins made this the nicest part of the hike, but the trail then gets a little rocky about a half mile from the base of Tussey Ridge. After making your way over a half mile of rocks, the trail makes a sharp left up the Tussey Ridge--steep! Not as steep as the hill we climbed in Pine Creek Gorge, but it was still a good 50 degrees off of vertical. This was the first time I got to use my Gabel Quota 8800ai walking sticks (see my review) and I'm glad I had them. Getting up the hill was nothing less than fun with these sticks. I hate to think of how I would have done it without them. Lori was a real trooper and refused to turn back when offered the chance. I didn't think she'd be able to make it up the hill, since it required a lot of upper body strength, but she made it OK, and didn't slow me down too much. I didn't have any problem with the strength aspect of the climb, but i did get winded every 75 feet or so. Waiting for Lori gave me a chance to catch my breath! After getting up the hill and climbing over a huge, nearly vertical rock field, we were back on the Jackson trail (rocks looked better than that steep downhill!) and we scampered back to our car. That damned Jackson trail is the rockiest thing I've ever seen . . . Cheese fries, burgers and malted shakes at Baby's were a well earned treat! Photos coming soon! |
|
Copyright © 1999-2008 -- The Other Half, Inc.
State College, PA USA - All rights reserved |
