View Full Version : Round head, Shower steps in PA ...
Ok, so i'm out this past thursday for a few nights in this blistering heat and come accross shower steps ... ONE sign at the top, so i began to climb down the mountain .... i followed the trail down this OBSCENELY graded decline and only ended up back at 501, where the hell was shower steps? I was so HOT and mad that i couldn't swim to cool off i called for a ride and left .... Did i miss a second side trail? The trail was marked all the way with a pretty clear path that just went to 501 ... At the boulder's was i supposed to go left? Path went straight ... I'd like to know so when i go back i can get there this time .... that decline was just stupid. Wish someone would of told me, had my puppy with me ... lol
There is nothing to see anymore as you discovered other than the monument at its base. In my opinion there is little point in maintaining the trail and it should be abandoned as it has outlived its purpose.
Since this question comes up from time to time, I will provide a brief history of Showers' 500 Steps. Then at least there will be something to link when the inevitable questions arise. When I am able to put my hands on an article in my files by Danny Hoch published in Historical Review of Berks County, I will provide more detailed information.
In short, Lloyd Showers of Bethel was disappointed the A.T. alignment did not take in his beloved Round Head and the vista it offered of Berks County's farmland. He determined to rectify the situation. His efforts were a labor of love and gift to Berks County and those who come here to visit and hike its trails to which he dedicated himself over many years. By the time he had finished his work, he created a blue-blazed trail from PA 501 to the A.T. which incorporated Round Head.
In his will he provided BMECC a bequest the intent of which was to maintain the steps in perpetuity or at least as long as practical. The steps were reconstructed several times, maybe not well, and continued to be unstable. The funds were depleted years ago. Sadly, his steps are now little more than a memory onto which some older club members and local hikers cling.
As a result of amendments in 1978 to the National Trails System Act authorizing NPS to secure a publicly-owned corridor the A.T. was realigned to include Round Head. In a way, Lloyd got his wish. Unfortunately, the view from Round Head Lloyd so loved no longer exists due to maturation of the timber on its summit.
Next time try taking a hard left at the double-blaze. You might also benefit from purchasing a copy of Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania.
I know the trail itself continued that hard left, i always carry a copy of the thru hiker's companion ... i was told there was a body of water there you could swim at .... was it after the hard left? ... see i was led to believe it was "down" the shower steps .... Thats what i was trying to find ....
bronconite
07-19-2010, 11:05
The body of water you were looking for is the old power dam, which is just a few hundred yards south of hertlein campsite, on a blue blazed trail. If you started at 501, Round Head (locally known as Round Top) is about halfway to the power dam.
Blue Mountain Electric Company operated from 1906 until 1927 when it was acquired by Metropolitan Edison Company. When it filed paperwork for incorporation in 1906, I believe Lloyd was listed as its president.
I'm sure you are well aware the name Round Head is derived from the German Rund Kopf and is more accurate historically. Painting a name on a barn no doubt some time after the turn of the 20th century does not a name change. Some people from Bethel insist upon employing place names I don't accept and with good reasoning.
Toolshed
07-19-2010, 19:39
So I am curious. It looks like the old AT departed from Hertlein, following the Southbound AT, Just after you left Hertlein - AT turned left and up the hill, whereas the OAT (Old AT) went straight up the mountain on an old well sunken in tote road. I followed that old tote road for a couple of miles to the top of the mountain and then where it started to turn north. I realized thsi wouldn't bring my back to 183, so I bushwacked south and thought I was completely lost when sunset was coming, I decided to take a breather at a large rock and think about spending the night, then I looke up and saw a white blaze on the tree next to me, Turns out I was on the old AT, it lead to where it was closed off just before you get to round head. Any old timers familiar with that?
I'd like to recommend against calling attention to old A.T. routes in cyberspace generally. It was rerouted for a reason. Old maps and clubs hikes are fun and sometimes include exploring old routes where appropriate.
The new A.T. route is superior in many ways and will far outlast the older route particularly if BMECC could gather the manpower necessary to dig in proper sidehill treadway.
The old route is actually shown on the current map. Since I had been on it previously we took it on a kids backpack last year to shorten the distance. It wasn't worth it in that context due to kids tolerating lack of clearing less well than an adventurous adult dayhiker.
Compared to the new route the old route is shorter, less rocky, less scenic, and has significant drainage issues, and blazes are very faded, discontinuous, and in places blotted out or totally imperceptible. Taking it on a backpack hike, long section, or thru isn't like taking the Creeper north of Damascus, it will waste more time in wayfinding and getting scratched up and muddy vs. the current route.