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  1. #1
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    Default Black Forest Trail, Pennsylvania, September 2017

    Day 1
    Thursday, September 28, 2017

    My alarm was going off. It was 5 am and still dark outside. I was excited. Instead of a long commute to work, a backpacking trip. The Black Forest Trail.

    I hit the road. The Black Forest Trail trailhead in Slate Run is roughly 3 hours from my house, so I stopped at local Sheetz and picked up breakfast. Two breakfast burritos, a glazed donut, and a hot coffee later, I was back in the car and listening to a podcast that would last the entire drive.

    Arrived in Slate Run and found the trailhead without a problem. The trailhead and parking were well marked and easy to see from the car.

    A short walk down to the BFT proper and I signed into the trail registry. At this point, I was pretty amped up. I had first learned about the Black Forest Trail during a Penn State Football weekend while shopping at a local outdoor equipment store called Appalachian Outdoors. They had a copy of Chuck Dillon's guide amongst their hiking/backing supplies and I picked it up out of curiosity. It was an impulse buy... four years ago.
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    The stars had finally aligned and I was in Tiadaghton State Forest. But I was hitting the trail solo, which was also unusual. So yeah, I was also amped for a solo trip.

    I decided to hike the BFT counter-clockwise and started the hike with a climb out of Slate Run. The climb was pleasant enough, but after maybe 500 feet of elevation gain, a murder of crows started cawing at me. No big deal, right? But these particular crows followed me, cawing the entire time, up to the top, past the vista, and then on for another half mile or so. What an inauspicious start to my hike!
    Eventually, the crows lost interest and I could enjoy the pleasant terrain. The trail was marvelous. Compared to the AT in my part of Pennsylvania, this was a moss-covered superhighway. Very few rocks. Some leaf litter. Sometimes a narrow cut trail, other times an old logging road. Only when descending into or out of a run did the trail get rocky, but even then, marvelous.

    The first decent, into Red Run, was the first experience of such rocks and there were lots of them. Traveling down them was somewhat slow going, but it was beautiful so I hardly noticed or cared.

    I had lunch at a small waterfall on Little Morris Run. The map suggested that there was another climb, so I drank a bunch of water and continued on. The climb up and out was completely different than the previous descent. The climb out was a combination of dirt roads, bridges, and steep trail. The most impressive part was a long steady climb on what the guide calls the Chestnut Ridge Trail. This trail was an old dirt road that climbed 600 feet over a half mile. It was a straight climb up and up and up but was also very beautiful.

    After the climb, the trail and terrain provided some opportunities for fast moving. I stopped at a vista or two and sent out a text to my wife. "ALL IS OK". Most of the vistas provided cell reception along with their fantastic views. Cell reception was otherwise extremely limited.
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    Back on the trail and moving fast. Too fast because I ended up within a poles distance to a big timber rattlesnake. It was tucked away in some brown ferns on the edge of the trail. Its head was facing me and it seemed to notice me as well. I manage several steps backward before it began to rattle. I was thoroughly impressed with the size of this snake, the biggest rattlesnake that I have ever seen in person.

    After a short snake detour, I climbed up onto Pipeline Road found the intersection of the Sentiero DiShay Ski and the Black Forest Trails. The two would follow each other for the next mile or so.
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    Shortly thereafter, I crossed Route 44 and watched four Harley's cruise south with music blaring.

    Took a longer water break at the first signs of the County Line Branch. Swapped socks and let my feet air dry.

    Hiking along the County Line Branch was very nice. By my count, I crossed the stream a total of 20 times. The guide says 19, so I probably lost count. None of the crossings required wet feet. At least not in September. But there was clear evidence of higher water.

    I reached the point where the Black Forest Trail leaves the County Line Branch and starts uphill. It was just past 4 pm and I had covered 16 miles. There was a fantastic looking camp there and I was extremely tempted to call it a day. Instead, I decided to grab some water and delay dinner for the vista at the top of the climb.

    The vista was OK. Sun was in my eyes. The warmth felt good, but the glare made photos tough. The vista was small but contained a few nice rocks to sit on. Out came the cook kit, which contains way too many pieces. Chowed down on rice and beans.

    The trail continued on through some hardwoods and I ran into a pair of pheasants. I love the booming sound of their flight. From hardwoods to a surprise clearing and marshy wetlands. The trail in this part was extremely narrow and surrounded by low grassy growth.
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    I descended down to a small stream and found a campsite there. It was 6:15 and the next marked campsite was at least 4 miles away. Pitched tent, washed up, changed, and hung my first PCT-style bear bag. The hang itself was easy, finding an appropriate branch was a little harder.

    It was dark early, at 7:15. I had no cell reception and no one to talk with. The solo aspect of this hike really sunk in. I started a small fire to keep busy, studied the map preparing for tomorrow's trail, and took some notes for the day.

    Day1 highlights
    18.25 miles
    0 other hikers
    1 rattlesnake
    2 pheasants
    3 climbs
    Last edited by DrL; 10-09-2017 at 23:25.

  2. #2
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    I enjoyed reading your well-written, detailed review with nice photos. This trail sounds like it's worth a visit. Glad you had a great experience and thank you for sharing.
    Happy Lifetime Sectioner!

  3. #3
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    Nice write up. I just finished the BFT with my daughter yesterday. Awesome trail with some amazing views.

  4. #4
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    Day2
    Friday, September 29, 2017

    It was a cold morning. I woke early in the morning, well before sunrise, and found that the cold air had settled into the valley and collected around the nearby stream. Instead of venturing out into the cold, dark morning, I bundled up with my fleece hat, down jacket, and sleeping bag to review the day's hike.

    My preplanning goal was to reach the summit of Hemlock Mountain and the reportedly beautiful camp there. That camp was 11 miles away from my current campsite, so I pushed my goal a little further out. I had seen some pictures of a beautiful campsite in the Little Slate Run. This camp was 17 miles out, a more challenging target considering there were several thousand feet of ups and downs between my current camp and Little Slate Run.

    I retrieved my food bag (untouched) and prepared a big cup of coffee. The sun was up and peeking through the trees, but it was still cold. I stuffed my hiking shorts and shirt into my down jacket so they would be warm by the time I hit the trail. That sort of worked. My clothing was warm, but my hands and legs were still complaining about the cold air. Thankfully I had a good climb out of the valley to warm them up.

    I found a Tyvek groundsheet near the intersection of and the BFT. What's the best policy for finding lost items on the trail? I almost always leave them in the same spot. Sometimes I move them to a more prominent spot, hoping that the owner will retrace their steps and find the item. But this groundsheet appeared to be there for quite some time. It might have been better to consider it trash and pack it out. I left it in the middle of the intersection.
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    I crossed Route 44 again and worked my way through gentle terrain and many (at least six) hunting camps including a very nice looking cabin on Trout Run Road. The trail passes right through its driveway before climbing up and over to Big Trail Road and a nice view.
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    After a couple of moments on the dirt road, the BFT turns sharply and begins to descend down into Callahan Run. Very nice meandering decent with a combination of rocks and trail cut through a pine plantation. I ate lunch at a nice camp before the climb back out of the run.

    I passed two backpackers on the way up and out of Callahan Run. The first people in almost 28 hours. Two guys, one with a yellow cotton "Don't Tread On Me" T-shirt and Adidas track pants. I stopped, leaned on my poles and said a welcoming "Hello!". They said "Hello" as well, but kept their heads down and rushed past me. Did I smell bad?

    The climb out of Callahan Run seemed a lot more challenging than previous ascents. I was glad that things mellowed out for a little bit before climbing up to the summit of Hemlock Mountain. The view from there was amazing and so was the camp. The only major problem with the camp was the lack of water. I kicked off my shoes and socks to lounge in the sun.

    The hike down Hemlock Mountain and into Naval Run was very pleasant. Partially because I ate an entire bar of sea salt dark chocolate on the way down. The first campsite, near the intersection of the Black Forest and Naval Run Trails, looked amazing. Someone had stacked a pile of 4-inch diameter logs for the fire pit.

    I continued on and then up, climbing out of Naval Run. There were lots of woodpeckers on the way up. Do woodpeckers form flocks?

    About 1000 feet of elevation gain later, I was following a wide, straight trail (perhaps an old dirt road) that brought me to two fantastic vistas. Shortly thereafter, the Black Forest Trail reached an intersection with a sign for Little Slate Run indicating 1.5 miles.

    I was making good time and reached Little Slate Run in time for dinner. While preparing a dinner of peanut butter curry ramen, I took inventory of my food bag. I typically bring more food than required. For this trip, I packed for 3.5 days at 1.6 pounds of food per day. Plenty of food.

    There was a big change in temperature as I was cleaning up my pot. It was noticeably colder and reminded me of the previous cold night down in the valley by the stream. The map indicated another camp about 2.5 miles away. This particular camp sat at a higher elevation and I was hoping it would provide for a warmer night, so I packed up my kitchen gear and set out for this next camp.

    The climb out of Little Slate Run went quickly and soon enough I was walking on a dirt road that bordered some recently forested land. Then it began to rain. I pulled out my raincoat and slogged onward, passing a porcupine, to my selected campsite. What a lucky pick too! The campsite was situated in a grove of pines, Hemlocks probably, that provided protection from the heavier rain. I set up my TarpTent in the rain and managed to bust one of my MSR hedgehogs. I was in a rush and started hitting the stakes with a rock. Lesson learned.

    Finding a good branch for a bear hang was a little tougher amongst the pines, but I found one. It was a little bit low, but I couldn't jump and touch the bag once hung.

    Then I headed back to the tent, out of the rain, and into my dry clothes. I snacked on some Peanut Butter M&Ms and reviewed the day's progress.

    19.8 miles
    0 bears
    1 porcupine
    2 backpackers
    3 runs (Callahan, Naval, and Little Slate Run)
    Last edited by DrL; 10-09-2017 at 23:20.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by fin1 View Post
    Nice write up. I just finished the BFT with my daughter yesterday. Awesome trail with some amazing views.
    Awesome, I had a great time, and I agree, the views were great. Debating whether I head back with a few friends or explore something else.
    Quote Originally Posted by Namaste View Post
    I enjoyed reading your well-written, detailed review with nice photos. This trail sounds like it's worth a visit. Glad you had a great experience and thank you for sharing.
    Thanks
    Last edited by DrL; 10-11-2017 at 21:39.

  6. #6
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    Day3
    Saturday, September 30, 2017

    I woke up early and made a big cup of coffee and ate a cold breakfast of GrapeNuts, chocolate protein powder, and raisins. A warm bowl of oatmeal would have been nice…

    Only 4 miles left, so I was dreaming about lunch at Wolfe's General Store the moment I hit the trail. The first few miles, down into and the out of Foster Hollow, went very quickly.

    I bumped into 3 backpackers just before the intersection with Foster Hollow Road. They were chatting merrily and smelled like showers. It's odd how quickly soap/deodorant becomes a foreign and powerful smell.

    Great views on the way to Slate Run Road. I stopped at one of them, savored the last moments on the trail, and sucked up some sun.

    I crossed Slate Run Road and felt another wave of excitement. The Black Forest Trail was almost done. Four years in the making and it was over 'like that'. I knew then that I wanted to return.

    Back to the parking lot by 10 am. There was a lot more activity at the parking lot on a Saturday morning, but I managed a private moment and took a chemical shower (i.e. a shower wipe) and changed into fresh clothing and flip-flops that I had left in the car.

    Grabbed lunch at Wolfe's General Store. The hot ham and cheese sandwich was tasty!

    Trip takeaways/learnings:
    Packing was good, nothing missing, nothing wasted. I fit quite a bit into the GG Kumo 36.
    Don't hit tent stakes with a rock, a gentle tap is safer.
    Replace the short piece of guy line with a longer piece so I can hang wet clothing when tree branches aren't readily available.
    Bear hangs were no problem. I'm going to invest in some lighter weight cord.
    Lips were chapped. It was a windy couple of days. Plus I was huffing and puffing on the hills. Include lip balm in FAK.
    Fuel used was 22.6 grams for 2 hot dinners and 2 big cups of coffee. Roughly 1.6 liters. Fuel consumption was 14 grams per liter or 0.5 ounces per liter.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by DrL; 10-11-2017 at 21:40.

  7. #7

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    Great photos and report.

  8. #8
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    Chuckled on the deodorant comment. How true that it is! It's been a couple years since I did the BFT. May have to make that my Thanksgiving day hike. Great write up.
    enemy of unnecessary but innovative trail invention gadgetry

  9. #9

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    I loved hiking this trail. Remote and challenging. We camped at the top of Hemlock Mountain and it was so worth it. Had an amazing sunrise to watch the next morning. Nice write-up!

  10. #10
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    You blitzed a difficult trail in a short amount of time. Well done.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by supertaco View Post
    You blitzed a difficult trail in a short amount of time. Well done.
    Thanks. I'm going to hike it a second time for sure.
    Part of me wants to hike slower in order to soak it all in. The other part wants to run the entire thing in 24 hours.

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