Friday, February 16, 2007

Pennsylvanians Pushing Trail Portions

A piece in the LancasterOnline web site by Lancaster PA Intelligencer Journal staff writer Dave Pidgeon on 15 February 2007 includes three notes about the Appalachian Trail.

Under the title "Tips, Sites for Winter Hikers" Pidgeon mentions, first, the Delaware Water Gap area, saying "If a foot of snow covers the area, try snowshoeing the 6.9-mile loop from the Dunnfield Creek parking area, following north along the Appalachian Trail to Sunfish Pond, a 41-acre lake formed by moving glaciers."

Later on down in the piece, he says "Hawk Rocks on Cove Mountain is one of the most underrated vistas in Pennsylvania and is just half-a-mile south on the Appalachian Trail from Duncannon.

"From the perch, hikers see a 180-degree view of the town, the Susquehanna River and the ridge-filled countryside rolling north of Harrisburg.

"For a 7.2-mile shuttle hike, start in Duncannon and follow the Appalachian Trail across a rock slide uphill. Continue past Hawk Rocks over the Cove Mountain ridgeline, reaching a view about 4.7 miles in thanks to a pipeline. The hike finishes at Pennsylvania Route 850."

He also mentions the Doyle Hotel ("famous" and "iconic") as a possible place to stop for a bite to eat after this particular hike. [By the way, who knew the Doyle had a web site?]

Then there's the Sunset Rocks hike in Michaux State Forest: "Start this hike from Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Cumberland County, following the Appalachian Trail southward until a juncture with the blue-blazed Sunset Rocks Trail. The Sunset Rocks Trail is where you find the boulder scramble and vista, and the pathway eventually returns you to the Appalachian Trail, which you follow back northward to your car."

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