Backpacking #6 - Michaux State Forest

For this weekend trip we decided to check out Pennsylvania, specifically the Michaux State Forest. Yep, the usual threesome; myself , Joe and Heather... wait, no, that's not Heather that's Dave! Since the three of us are heading out to Montana for a week long adventure it seemed appropriate to make sure we could survive at least a single night in the woods together.

Our total route (link) was only about 8.1 miles and we planned on hiking most of it the first day so we could get up and out early the next morning. We started off in Pine Grove Furnace State Park and hiked along a super wide highway of a path which led us to the Appalachain Trail. After only 5 minutes of hiking we'd reached the halfway point of the entire AT!!! Thru-hikers eat your heart out!! BOOYAH! It was pretty cool to stand at a point that takes some entrepid thru-hikers months to reach. I'd already worked up a sweat and I dont think we'd even gone a mile. In case it's hard to read the sign says, "Springer Mt, GA - 1,069 miles" and "Katahdin, ME - 1,069 miles".

Up, up, up and we found ourselves at a nice overlook and a sweet spot for a snack. I didn't get a picture of it but the descent from this point is pretty hairy. If you have a slip on the rock scramble/climb down it's pretty much curtains for you.


A mile or two further along the trail and - what the heck is this? Halloween? Apparently this is a memorial to some unfortunate hikers or nature lovers? Definitely unexpected in the middle of the woods.

Kinda creepy

Funny thing about this route was we kept crossing through other parks, including camp grounds, roads, lake beaches, etc. So we took advantage of the nice comfy seating.

Ahhh... the remote wilderness - wait, what?!?!

After about 7 miles of up and down, back and forth and in and out of civilization we decided to find a camp spot. We ended up roaming all around through the brush until we found an area with enough clearing for three tents and a small fire.

Dave's shiny new Eureka Spitfire

My Tarptent Double Rainbow

Joe's Sierra Designs Velox 2

We'd kept a pretty decent pace the whole hike so we got settled by about 3:30 and then.... and then what? Well, one of the best things about being separated from the rest of the world is that when you find you've got nothing to do... you do nothing... and it's flippin' fantastic. There was much sitting, stretching, sipping of whiskey, stoking the fire, chatting about nothing in particular and one rousing serenade by Dave on the harmonica - more on that later.

Doin' nothing. Exactly the idea.

After a mostly good night's sleep (Dave said he heard animals and got scared and wet himself) we packed up, and within no time were back at the vehicles. We stopped to check out this furnace close by which one of the park attendants had described as "beautiful". I dont know if I'd go that far but there's a picture so you decide for yourself.


And now, as promised, Dave on the mouth organ: