Saturday, November 4, 2017

Wind Gap to Fox Gap

8.5 Miles
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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