November 4,
2017
Tom,
Shannon, Wyatt and Mike
After a busy--and in many ways personally difficult 2017-- all the stars and schedules aligned
for us to get one trail segment completed before the end of the year. That the weather was perfect for a hike only
made us all the more sorry that an entire year had passed since our last
sojourn on the AT.
The
Pittsburgh crew came out on Friday night and together we traveled to a hotel
south of Jacobsburg State Park to spend the night—which provided us with a head
start on Saturday morning.
Starting at
Wind Gap and heading east to Fox Gap, the hike began with an immediate 600+
foot ascent. The steep incline was a
good reminder that we need to hike more often.
From there, the trail remains mostly level at an elevation around 1500 feet,
and descends just a bit upon reaching Fox Gap.
About 7
miles into the hike, at 1600 feet, Wolfs Rocks is a quartzite rock formation created
some 420 million years ago, and marks the southernmost point of the Wisconsinan
glacier. Its commanding vista overlooks
the Cherry Valley Wildlife Refuge---and on the day of our hike it provided
Wyatt with the chance to see a porcupine nestled in a tree top just a short
distance away. Porcupines often climb
trees to eat food---including tree bark---and having not seen too much wildlife
over the last 200 miles, this was a welcome sight. 
While fall
was underway and the canopy was getting bare, entire sections of what looked
like red huckleberry were still vibrant.
There were a few groups of hikers out, some individuals---and a dog that
Wyatt enjoyed meeting. It was an ideal
day to hike and not surprising that others were enjoying the day also.
Mona was
waiting for us when we reached Fox Gap, and after a quick stop for pizza dinner
in Harrisburg—the Pittsburgh crew was once again heading west.
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