First Backpack Trip of the Year
My first trip of the year was the Elk Trail in PA. It is a 16 mile linear trail, with the east end near Dents Run and the west end close to Benezette PA (both towns are just off PA Route 555. I did a short day hike on the trail last fall (See last years hikes for more on that day hike). This trip has a number of memorable moments, but none caught on camera (unfortunately). Here is what the KTA book ("Pennsylvania Hiking Trails") says about the Elk Trail: "Elk Trail is a little-known long distance backpacking trail through Elk State Forest , routed specifically to enhance viewing of the area's elk population." Compared to other trails I have backpacked on it is not a difficult one to hike, but because it is a linear trail the logistics are a bit more challenging.
Anyway, I started at the east end of the trail (the trailhead is a couple of miles from the very small town of Dents Run just off PA route 555 on a narrow dirt road). There is a small parking area with an information kiosk that holds maps and has general area information. I began the trip on a Saturday morning as seen in the video below.
The start of the trail is the same section I hiked last year so it was familiar. The only difference was the presence of a section of stinging nettles that were not there last year. Of course, as it was not raining like last year, the hiking was pleasant and enjoyable. At about noon I stopped for lunch on the edge of a clearing (by the looks of the down trees - cut purposely, this was a relatively recently created clearing). The video below is from this spot.
Moments after I took this video and was about to resume the hike I spotted three elk about 200 yards away. There was one full size elk, a calf and one midway in size between the other two. I got out my phone to take more video and was edging closer to them for a better look. The elk saw me and walked away into the woods. Just as I was about to stop taking video the phone shut itself off and did not save my video - so no video here of the elk, sorry.
After this break I resumed the hike eventually reaching the stream known as Dent's Run. I mention it because it is a bit sizable with no bridge and no obvious way to get across, say on stones, without wading across and likely getting my boots and feet very wet. I looked upstream and about a hundred yards or so there was a downed tree going across the stream. I bushwhacked to that point and scooted across on the tree and kept from getting my boots from getting wet (yay!). I then bushwhacked back to the trail. But, after this crossing came the main steep part of the hike, a fairly long slog up to the top of the plateau. From here the footway of the trail is not always obvious and watching the blazes is important. Only a couple of times did I need to pause to make sure I was going the right way.
Finally I reached the intersection with the equestrian trail, which in mountain bike parlance, is best described as 'doubletrack'. It makes walking easier (and faster), but it is also out in the sun and therefore (on a summer day) hotter which made me sweatier. After a couple of miles of this I needed to look for the last section of the hiking trail that split off from the equestrian trail to go to the western terminus/trailhead. Unfortunately, the turn was not obvious and I missed it. The blazes (widely spaced due to the 'doubletrack' nature of the trail) indicated I was on the equestrian only section so I backtracked and eventually found a single obscure Carsonite marker (grass and leaves were covering it up) indicating the hiking trail turn. I took this turn and the trail headed for the bank of the stream known as Trout Run. The trail followed the stream right to the western terminus with views of people's summer camps/homes on the opposite bank. By the time I reached the western end of the trail (just outside the small town of Benezette) it was after 5pm and time for dinner. I took the below video at the western trailhead.
After eating my dinner I decided to hike back in the opposite direction until 6 pm before making camp. I did not want to make camp close to town due to the possibility of bears (another hiker, via a website entry, mentioned that occurrence on their hike of the same trail when they camped close to town). So I hiked back in the direction I had just came for the next 30 minutes and reached a spot I had noticed on the way in that looked promising. So I set up camp and took the video below.
During the night I heard a nearby pack of coyotes making noise several times. And then there was the occasional loud motorcycle from the distant road (I don't think people realize how far into the woods a loud motorcycle can be heard [its on the order of miles] and that its the only motor vehicle that can be heard more than say 1/2 mile from the road - its very jarring to be in the woods at night and be awoken by someone's motorcycle rumbling down the road). Anyway, it got a bit chilly over night so that by daybreak it was a bit daunting to get out of my sleeping bag to get dressed and pack up.By 7:30 am I was ready to go and pushed off down the trail. Because the trail in this direction had a lot of uphill sections (shared with the equestrian trail here) it was nice to hike it while the conditions were cool (unlike the previous day). After a bit of hiking I stopped for some breakfast and took the below video,
After this break I resumed my hike and set a pace that would, I hoped, get me back to my vehicle early enough in the afternoon to allow me to drive back to my mom's (my base of operations during PA hikes) by dinner time. The only nagging concerns I had at this point were the crossing at Dent's Run and the area coming up where the footway wasn't very visible . These were both minor concerns and I was enjoying the pleasant hiking conditions. As it was, the crossing at Dent's Run was okay, I took off my socks before crossing as I thought I might get the boots very wet and wanted dry socks afterward (wet socks make for a higher chance of blisters). I found a little downstream from the trail a place I could step on rocks and get my boots only a very little bit wet.So this turned out not to be a big deal at all (I wasn't relishing the thought of finishing the hike with wet/damp feet). After this I knew it wasn't long before I reached the spot I had lunch at the previous day (and saw elk) so I pushed on until I reached that same spot even though it meant delaying lunch a bit. I took the video below at this location.
Knowing that after lunch I had only about two hours left in the hike I pushed on and did not linger or rest for lunch. Not long after this resuming of the hike I reached the equestrian trail junction. Like the other equestrian trail sections this is 'doubletrack' with a grassy middle portion, i.e., grass in the middle with dirt tracks on either side. About five minutes after reaching the equestrian trail I saw a dark spot in the grassy section, but didn't have time to even think about what it might be (usually it means a fallen branch and I was keeping a quick pace). Well, just as I stepped near it I realized (a) it was a rattlesnake and (b) it was hissing very loudly at me. Of course at my pace and with the quick shot of adrenaline from the scare, I was away very quickly, but looked back to see the snake assume a coiled position. This gave me pause (and I very very briefly considered stopping to take a picture but thought it a bad idea as any picture to show the snakes true nature would put me too close to an already upset snake ready to strike). So I kept walking wondering about the snake, when, as I approached Shaffer Draft Road, I saw another rattlesnake crawling very slowly to the woods on my right (it did not see me or react). But seeing a second rattlesnake so soon really made me nervous. I had now tripled (I had almost stepped on a non-moving rattlesnake during my Chuck Keiper Trail backpack about five years ago) my hiking/backpacking rattlesnake sightings in a matter of minutes! I immediately wondered if there was a den of snakes nearby and what that might mean to future hikers or even worse, people on horseback (imagine a rider on a horse that is spooked by a hissing rattlesnake!).
So I kept my eyes open for more snakes and was thankful that the trail was either on fully dirt 'doubletrack' or in the woods where there was no grass to hide a snake. Close to 30 minutes later I briefly saw a small four legged animal (it was too far away to get a good look) with brownish fur. It ran away so I never figured out what it was. A minute later, right on the trail, was a small piece of deer leg (or so it seemed from the look and color of fur on the leg). This made me think the animal I had seen was gnawing on the leg and was probably some sort of predator. With the extra adrenaline I made even better time the rest of the way back and got back to my vehicle by 2:45 pm. There was another car in the parking area with two men (one middle aged and one elderly). They spoke only briefly to me, the elderly gentleman seemed impressed by my having hiked the entire trail twice in two days, but not the other fellow ,who even seemed nonplussed by my sightings of rattlesnakes. Anyway, the video below is my final video of the trip back at the start.
A post-script to this. One week after this hike a man at a family camp less than 10 miles away from this location was bitten by a rattlesnake and, very unfortunately, died from his injury hours later. This was apparently the first death from a rattlesnake bite in more than 25 years in PA.