where you gonna camp? there are some sweet spots between ashfield rd. and lehigh gap, specially if you take the north trail.
Stopped here for lunch today on a 16 mile hike from Lehigh Gap and back. No shelter register and a fair bit of trash. We picked up what we could to carry out. There was a lot of trash in various campsites south of Ashfield Rd. My hiking partner carried out two large plastic sheets that were left in one site, and those are now at my house where they'll be used for drop cloths for some future painting projects.
Yeah, sadly their are some homeless around that area ... Could be the remains of them you've packed out ... as a local i thank you for your efforts .... i try also to carry out what i find ... the knob shelter is one of the worst i've seen on the trail ... i wouldn't stay there ...
Too much trail accessible parking. The locals use it as a weekend drinking destination.
I wouldn't stay there either.
Sadly, Bake Oven Knob Shelter gets more than its fair share of abuse. It's a tiny shelter by today's standards (this one was built in the 1930's), and it IS too close to the parking lot. BMECC does its best with this one - and we thank you guys for picking up all of that trash. The other year, I went in at the end of the season, and I personally carried out several bags of trash PLUS some old carpet padding that had been used (apparently) as a foam sleeping pad by someone (homeless, perhaps?).
Over the years, I've seen the same kind of abuse at other shelters that were too easy to reach (notably the Outerbridge Shelter). Decades ago, it was standard practice to build shelters close to the roads so that the maintainers could get in and out easily, but that causes problems with the party crowd and vagrants, so now the prevailing wisdom says to locate shelters no less than 2 miles AWAY from roads. Of course, with a wheelbarrow and coolers on wheels....
Thanks again, guys.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning how to dance in the rain!
M&M and I plan to hike to Bake Oven Knob shelter this weekend, hopefully the shelter area will be in good shape. Just in case it is not I will take a couple garbage bags with me.
Pootz 07
I'm planning on overnighting between 309 and Lehigh Gap Saturday and Sunday, so I'll be at Bake Oven Knob on Saturday night. Maybe I'll see you both there.
It should be in very good shape, BTW, since shelterbuilder and and the BMECC crew just put a new roof on it last week. I'm looking forward to the brand new picnic table, myself.
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
Well, there was NO TRASH in the area when we left on Sunday...but you know how these things go!Originally Posted by Strategic
We still have to get back in and stain the table top and seats (these were made of untreated lumber, while the legs and braces were P.T.), and I need to take a chalkline and a saw and straighten out the ends of the top (I tend to be a wood-butcher instead of a cabinet-maker when it's hot and I'm tired), but enjoy the table -- it's certainly better than the old one. We had intended to simply repair the old table, but that was based on an inspection that was over 3 months old. By the time we got in last weekend and looked at the poor thing, we knew that it was destined for firewood.
BTW - feel free to use the "leftovers" from the old table as firewood, if weather conditions are suitable for one. The pressure treated lumber has been removed for disposal - all that remains is untreated wood.
The 2 upper springs are dry, but the lower one (Craig's Spring) was still running well last weekend.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning how to dance in the rain!
Just back from my overnight. The shelter was very clean (no worries there shelterbuilder) and the new roof was lovely.
I'm afraid it's not enough to get people to actually stay in the shelter, though. I was there with Rockfight (he's doing Harper's Ferry to Katahdin) and the two of us hung our hammocks in the small campsite right by the shelter. When I rolled in Saturday evening, a group of four (sectioning SOBO) had just decided to keep going and look for a campsite a bit further on, since there was also a group of four up at the campsite on the other side of the AT and with Rockfight and I in the near campsite there was no room for them to pitch tents. Six of us there, four more moved on, and only Rockfight and I used the shelter at all.
But the picnic table is a thing of beauty.
By the way, two other developments of interest. First, I read in the register that some bonehead killed the black rat snake that's lived there for quite a while last week (just after you guys were there, shelterbuilder.) Can't imagine what possessed the idiot, but now a shelter that was mouse-free may not be so in the future. The second thing is that apparently the local rabbits have taken the snake's demise as license to be bold and brave. Rabbits were everywhere, including under the shelter (one hopped out of the hole in the wire under the steps while I was eating breakfast at that new picnic table.) They also had no fear of people at all and would just sit there three or four feet away and eat as you walked by. I've never seen wild rabbits this bold, it was pretty funny.
All in all a good trip and I'm glad it worked out that I spent the night.
Oh, one other thing to burden shelterbuilder with (actually, I hope not, because I hope it's someone else's responsibility.) The shelter may be clean, but the amount of trash at the lot on Bake Oven Knob road is terrible. It looks like a bunch of bagged trash was left there and then torn into by animals and scattered. It's literally piled up beside the trailhead up to the Knob. I'm hoping you'll know who that needs to be reported to for swift action.
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War.
Thanks for the good grades on the table!As for the snake, some folks JUST DON'T THINK. (BMECC has a locked cabin near Rt. 501, and we have several black snakes-in-residence; I always tell club members to leave the snakes alone - they are nature's mousetraps. I hope that another one moves in and not a rattler/copperhead.
Glad that you enjoyed the place. As for the trash at the parking lot, I'll pass along the bad word to the Game Commission (which is not in the trash-business, but MAY be able to send out a crew). We've cleaned up at this location before, but remote areas with easy access tend to have these kinds of problems.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning how to dance in the rain!
Many people don't like my ideas, but the time may have come long ago for a gate. Some don't give a damn about respecting laws designed to protect resources.
Why make our treasures available to people who don't appreciate them and despoil some of the best places which remain?
My wife and I were there just a couple hours ago, It was nice and clean.
Me and a friend of mine are hiking from bake oven to hawk mountain in two weeks. Neither one of us has hiked in quite a while. We have been talking about it for a couple years and now we're finally able to. I'm pretty excited and found this site while searching for info. After reading about the shelter I had to go check it out. Like I said the shelter was nice and clean. I was surprised at how many people were there, everyone seemed to be hanging around the lookout. Mostly young kids in jeans, t-shirts and sneakers smoking (cigs & pot) and playing on cellphones. Only saw one guy and his sons with packs on.
Thanks for your report. Hope you and your friend enjoy your hike from Bake Oven Knob to Hawk Mountain.
Be advised, if you take Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's Skyline Trail from the A.T. to North Lookout, it may be difficult to negotiate with anything more than a small day pack.
Last edited by emerald; 10-10-2010 at 22:01.
Thanks for the info.
We are starting at bake oven road and ending at hawk mountain road. If I measured correctly its about 15.5 miles, we didn't plan on taking any side trails...
Is there a forum for asking questions/talking about hiking or planning for a hike in Pennsylvania???
Thanks
Aaron
Ordinarily someone just starts a new thread in the General or Straight-forward Forums. You may want to try searching for the information you seek since most topics have already been discussed multiple times.
ATC's Hike the Trail and ALDHA's Companion available at the link below may be helpful. You may also email BMECC or me directly for assistance.
Last edited by emerald; 10-10-2010 at 23:13. Reason: Added link.
Hey aaron, welcome to whiteblaze! .... As a local, i've hiked all of PA and know it rather well ... if you have any questions you're welcome to send me a message or if i see any posts i'll look too answer the best i can .... 2 words to begin, "Cumberland Valley".
Emerald,
Thanks again for the info.
Darkage,
Thanks for the welcome.
Whats with "Cumberland Valley"?
I will be making a post shortly in the General Forum with questions on Time & Distance, Water, etc. Would appreciate and thoughts or info....
I moved the photo and broke the link in my post above so I'm reposting it.
Hiking Pennsylvania's A.T.
If you intend to do more than a short day-hike a season, it would be money and time well spent to buy and read Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. All the essential information you need is provided and you can't get better maps which are especially important in Pennsylvania despite what you may read here.
Furthermore, I would like to seize this opportunity to encourage you to participate in a BMECC hike or two which appeal to you and to ask any and all questions that cross your mind as you walk.
Last edited by emerald; 10-13-2010 at 16:56.
I just bought the guide book and map set for PA and the 2010 data book yesterday afternoon at Nestor's.
I will look up info on BMECC and check it out.
Thanks
BMECC's schedule
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
