Then I began what was the highest climb of this hike so far, along Hemlock Run. I had remembered from the first hike that this was beautiful, and my memory was right. Even if I was going uphill, it was awesome. The trail climbs 700 feet, almost all of it beside this stream.
You might recall that this is the Allegheny National FOREST, so I wasn't even rewarded with a view at the top. But that's OK, because I did get a mile or so of nearly level trail. Then there was a mile of gentle descent on an old rail grade (can't identify the line). But look at the greenery on the edges. That is all mountain laurel. This is going to be an amazing walk for a couple of weeks this spring.
When the serious downhill began (right back down 700 feet) there were more amazing rocks. There really isn't any way to show the scale of these without some people beside them. This was the closest thing to a view, and seeing the far hills in back of the rocks shows their size a little bit. That humpy one on the right was like a small hill all by itself. There was also a line of rocks that hadn't fallen down the hill- a cliff. This makes me think this must have been part of the Allegheny Plateau and the big rocks broke loose and tumbled down the hills. But so far, I haven't been able to find out why they broke off.
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York all have these kinds of big rocks in the unglaciated areas. (And all three states have places on the trail named Rock City!)
I finally got a better view of the Kinzua Reservoir. This is Sugar Bay.
I just have to share one of my favorite examples of North Country picture.
The details are always as good as the large-scale scenes. Moss that looks like layered ferns.
A lonely shoreline scene. I like the texture contrasts.
Tomorrow is a rain day, so I'll be taking it off. I hope for some resting, but I do have things to do. Today was short again because of a lack of access points. Ditto for the next hiking day.
Miles today: 12.5. Total miles so far: 1674.3
 | See Kinzua on a Spring Day |
6 comments:
Beautiful! And you find all the beauty to enjoy, even the "small" things like the moss and rock patterns. Thank you again for sharing your adventures. I am awe of your hiking stamina and ability.
It sure is a beautiful area.
Wow - what a pretty area! Rivers and big rocks are always great points of interest. I love that you include all the photos to bring us along. After all those hills, enjoy your rain/rest day, Joan. April
Ellie- I'm thrilled to share this trail I love
Ann- Glad to show you some of it
April- that's part of my purpose in this hike- to show people how beautiful this trail is.
Beautiful trail toda
Lulu: "That looks like such a great place to hike! Dada says he remembers that kind of terrain well although it's been a long time since he was in it. Also, I think I caught him playing air guitar when you mentioned 'Rock City' ..."
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