Standing Stone Trail, section 2

I was sore from section 1, but set off to do section 2 the next day anyway. Once again, we started our morning by setting up the car shuttle. The morning was already hottier and muggier than the previous day, thanks in part to the rain overnight.

After a brief roadwalk, we crossed a stream into private property that consisted of unmown fields. The tall, wet grass was not a pleasure, and we had occasional difficulty finding the next blaze. A stile over a fence was overgrown, rendering the ladder on one side hard to use.

But we passed from there into the game lands forest. Once again we were headed uphill, albeit more gently than the previous day. There were impressive talus slopes next to parts of the trail, but no views on the way.

Of course, we had to take the .2-mile side trip to Monument Rock, aka the Standing Stone, aka The Thing The Trail Is Named For. There we posed for pictures at the rock, looked out at the best view yet, and enjoyed a cool breeze hitting the top of Blacklog Mountain.

We still a bit more elevation gain to go. Once we had finished that, I was grateful to stop for lunch along the ridgetop to let my legs recover.

The next few miles did have a few small ups and downs, lots of ferns, and more downed trees than we had seen in section 1. (Perhaps not surprising - we saw no other trail users all day.) Finally we began our descent. It was steep in places, and the trail crossed power lines three times. Once again we found many grassy sections and blessed our permethrin.

Then we reached our car at the end of section 2, right where the trail turns into a roadwalk. My friends headed north to New York, and I set off south to Maryland. The section, including Monument Rock, was 10.25 miles and 1,580 feet of elevation gain.

Standing Stone Trail, section 1

The Standing Stone is one of many shorter long-distance trails in Pennsylvania. It is 85 rugged miles in south-central PA and can be done as a backpack or a series of day hikes. I've been eyeing it with interest for some time now, and it turns out that one of my friends in the New York Ramblers had been as well. So he put together a weekend trip to do the southernmost two (of nine) sections.

We stayed in a cabin at Cowan's Gap. This was my second stay there, and I can heartily recommend the cabins. They are reasonably priced and comfortable, accommodating up to four people or a family group (if larger). The southern terminus of the trail is in the park, within walking distance of the camping area.

After our arrival on Friday, we walked from our cabin around the lake. In doing so, we covered the first and easiest half mile of section 1.

On Saturday morning, the real work began. First we set up a car shuttle. Then we headed out from our cabin, picking up the trail where it touches the road. From there it is a mile-long uphill. I had done this part previously and knew what to expect; while it's a climb, it's an old road and thus offers smooth terrain.

At the overlook, which was where I had turned around previously, I was pleased to see that the vegetation had been trimmed back to allow a view.

Not too long after, the trail reached the ridge and the end of the old road. The trail follows the ridge on top of Cove Mountain. So the trail was "flat" for a while in the sense of no major elevation changes, but it was very rocky and bouldery. It required attentive hiking. The day was also starting to get warmer, but luckily there was a nice breeze at the top. There were also many views along the way.

Our descent was more gradual, with occasional overgrown areas. Vanderbilt's Folly amused me, and I had to get a picture.

The final stretch was badly overgrown fields - although to be sure I think keeping them clear would be a full-time job.

From our cabin to our car was 9.75 miles and 1,200 feet of elevation gain, although 1,000 of that was in the first big hill. And we got done and back to our cabin before the wind and rainstorm blew in!

Training on Bob's Hill Overlook

I have wanted to see more of Cunningham Falls, and I also needed a hike that had a similar elevation profile to section 1 of the Standing Stone trail. Thus I plotted a hike that started at the lake, headed up to the Bob's Hill Overlook on the Catoctin Trail, and then retraced that route back to my car. Most folks going to the overlook come up from the shorter approach from the Manor Area to the east, and I was surprised to encounter only three hikers en route to the top.

This was a really nice hike, and I hit it at the perfect time. At lower elevations, there were so many ferns. Fields of ferns! Seas of ferns! At higher elevation, there was mountain laurel, and it was in bloom. 

The hike started off going steadily uphill, with about 1,000 feet of elevation gain. There was one stream crossing that required caution, but otherwise there were few obstacles. Eventually, the trail flattened out at the ridge top. Here, the trail was rocky - think football-sized rocks in the trail. I passed the trail to Cat Rocks to reach the north and south overlooks.

The north overlook was overgrown; it might provide nice views in the winter. The south overlook had better views. I could see as far as Sugarloaf in the distance, at the other end of Frederick County.

I would return here. Although it would be hard to beat the laurel bloom for timing, it would also be nice to visit once the leaves are off.

Overall, this was 9 miles round-trip, with about 1,250 feet of elevation gain. (It did turn out to be much less rocky than the Standing Stone section to follow, however, but that's another story.)

A short hike in Ohio

T and I travelled to Cincinnati recently for a family occasion. We did not have much time for non-family activities, but we did stop at Newlin Falls on our way home for a little hike.

It's short - we saw both falls in a mile of walking. The falls themselves are small; we saw them at what was probably their best, after days of rain that had led to flood advisories. But it sure made a nice change from driving on the interstate!

Schaeffer Farms white trail

Even though it is very close by, I have spent virtually no time in the Schaeffer Farms area of Seneca Creek State Park, as it is designed with bikes in mind. (Albeit open to hikers.) So I set out to do a straightforward loop on the white trail - it's one of those areas with trails simply named for the blaze color.

It wasn't a long hike. I did add on a bit of mileage by detouring down the Seneca Ridge Trail to Black Rock, which added elevation gain on the return. 

The entire area is "just woods," as in, no real viewpoints, streams, etc. It does pass some farmland, and there are modest elevation gain changes. Overall, it is a trail that is convenient and a change of pace, but not a real destination in and of itself.