View Full Version : Unauthorized white blaze trail south of Duncannon, PA.
santashelper
05-12-2009, 14:55
Called Mid Atlantic ATC office about a very bad spur trail coming into Duncannon form the A.T. They said it is and unauthorized trail. This trail is very dangerous and unfinished and should be avoided. There is a split in the trail at the top of the mountain just before you descend into Duncannon, PA. the right side is the bad trail. This trail is very dangerous (an accident looking for a place to happen) with loose dirt and rock and very steep. Any hikers reading this please take the left hand trail. The right hand trail is a straight thru and is white blazed but is not the A.T. Got a phone number of the club that maintains the trail there and talked with Paul. He said that trail is unauthorized and they will try to black out the blazes and block the bad trail but could not tell me when this would happen.
When you say "the top of the mountain", do you mean the very point of the ridgeline (i.e. above Hawk Rock in the woods); Hawk Rock itself; or the area below the talus field where you can either go straight to the recycling bins, or right to the bad bar?
Blissful
05-12-2009, 16:54
Seems to me I took a wrong turn here on my hike on '07. It sounds familiar and I recall the area was confusing.
santashelper
05-12-2009, 18:36
When you say "the top of the mountain", do you mean the very point of the ridgeline (i.e. above Hawk Rock in the woods); Hawk Rock itself; or the area below the talus field where you can either go straight to the recycling bins, or right to the bad bar?
This is at the top of the mountain just before you drop down to Duncannon (above Hawk Rock). The trail comes to a split. The right side of the fork goes straight goes through a camp area and then goes up for a ways before going down. This is the bad trail. The left fork which is the real A.T. path stars to descend to Hawk Rock. There is a single white blaze just before the fork which leads hikers to believe the A.T. goes straight instead of to the left. Both trails are white blazed but you have to go down both trails a ways past the single white blaze that is before the fork in order to see them.
So this is an actual unauthorized trail, not just a coincident white marked boundary line of SGL 170?
Pokey2006
05-13-2009, 23:54
You mean there's an easier way to descend into Duncannon??? I recall that being an extremely hairy descent. I'll be mad if that wasn't even the right trail...
Pokey2006
05-13-2009, 23:55
And if so, why has it been there for three years?
If it's what I'm thinking of, it's a stretch of about 30 yds and it's no big deal. Is it the "shortcut" right above Hawk Rock? Where you can go straight up and hit the trail instead of going off to the left and coming back to your right? Did I make any sense?
Some way below Hawk Rock there is a definite divide where the A.T. turns right and a herd path goes straight to the Duncannon borough recycling bins. A little shorter way into town NOBO and cuts off a PUD in the woods. (Like many PUD's it relates to a corridor purchase.) But you still need to go around the Hawk Rock "switchback" and traverse the lower talus slope. Where santashelper is talking about is above Hawk Rock and clearly not an easier way.
Hmmm.... I've been through there at least a dozen times and I'm not sure what he's talking about. I ought to look up every once in awhile...
sofaking
05-14-2009, 00:36
the trail down to duncannon sucks either way, but a cold one at dot's makes it worth it.
I was just there two weeks ago and dont know if i took the "bad" trail or the good one. either way the decent was fun with some slight challenge on my out of hiking shape knees no need to worry if you dont barrell down the mountain without watching your step like you should be. the person i went with always takes this approach and i expect to find him in a crumpled heap off the side of the trail one day yelling in agony
Phoenixdadeadhead
05-14-2009, 01:02
It wasn't a blaze it was smog from Reading that got stuck to the trees lol j/k
santashelper
05-14-2009, 12:53
The unauthorized trail has been there for three years because someone keeps taking down the signs that the Maryland trail club that maintains the trail keeps putting up. The A.T. was relocated several yeas ago so it does not go down to peoples backyards any more. Instead it comes down to the road. It is believed for what ever reason some local people want this unauthorized trail to exist and keep pointing hikers to it instead of the real A.T. I received authority from a representative of the Maryland club (Paul) to fix the problem. On 5-13-2009 I put logs and rocks across the junction of the unauthorized trail and the A.T., Painted extra white blazes at the junction and went down the unauthorize trail and painted out all the white blazes north and south with black paint. The trail club is due to come in June and make a more permanent fix. Hopefully the extra white blazes at the junction will guide hikers to a safer route (the real A.T.).
Oh, wait I think I know what you're talking about now. Hunters like to use that trail.
You mean there's an easier way to descend into Duncannon??? I recall that being an extremely hairy descent. I'll be mad if that wasn't even the right trail...
The trail I took off the mountain last year was a little testy but not difficult and ended in a gravel parking lot of sorts. Was that the AT ?
santashelper
05-14-2009, 15:21
The trail I took off the mountain last year was a little testy but not difficult and ended in a gravel parking lot of sorts. Was that the AT ?
No that was not the A.T. The A.T. goes down to the road the goes into town across the creek bridge. When you get to the road you turn left to go into town.
troglobil
05-14-2009, 19:17
the trail down to duncannon sucks either way, but a cold one at dot's makes it worth it.
I thought Dot's was in Damascus, that trail definitley takes you the wrong way!:eek:
saimyoji
05-14-2009, 19:27
I thought Dot's was in Damascus, that trail definitley takes you the wrong way!:eek:
sofaking the wrong way.
No that was not the A.T. The A.T. goes down to the road the goes into town across the creek bridge. When you get to the road you turn left to go into town.
The trail I took went down the west side of the mountain because I remember it dropping off to my left. After leveling of at the bottom I think I walked past a dumpster or someplace where some rocks, gravel or something was being dumped. Don't remember a creek bridge.
Hmmm, I guess I took the white blue blaze.
The trail I took went down the west side of the mountain because I remember it dropping off to my left. After leveling of at the bottom I think I walked past a dumpster or someplace where some rocks, gravel or something was being dumped. Don't remember a creek bridge.
Hmmm, I guess I took the white blue blaze.
What you did was to mostly take the A.T., including past the problem area on TOP noted in the original post -- but near the BOTTOM, the A.T. turns right on newer trail, to go back up a bit then down to avoid the borough's recycling bins and a few houses. (That's the PUD I referred to earlier.)
If you passed the bins you then came out on the end of a little street, Watershed Drive, and would have to turn left twice before the Inn Road Sherman Creek bridge. The "real" A.T. at the bottom comes out directly on Inn Road but further from the bridge.