I just completed my first weekend backpacking trip (ever!) hiking the Old Loggers Path loop in Loyalsock State Forest in Pennsylvania. It was me and a friend and his dog Orvis. We had a great time and stayed dry for the most part, though the trails were very soggy (lots of standing and running water on the trail) and the creeks were full. I guess on the bright side, we never had to carry much water, since the next creek crossing was never far away!
Sleep setup:
Dutchware Half-Zipped, Marmot sleeping bag (unzipped), Snugpak Underblanket, Hennessy Hex tarp. This setup has convinced me to switch to full down UQ and TQ, since I could effectively halve my weight and pack volume.
Day 1
We arrived in the the area early Friday, but delayed our start as there was rain falling. We started around 11am, hiking counter-clockwise out of Masten (ghost-town trailhead). I believe this is the "classic" way of hiking the trail. Most of Day 1 was wet and gloomy, with low-hanging clouds and wet underbrush soaking our clothes and shoes. Our goal was the Doe Run shelter at around 10.5 miles, since we knew there was a strong thunderstorm forecast for the evening.
There are two recently built (2017?) shelters on the Old Loggers Path: One is at Doe Run, the other at Sprout Point Vista.
We hiked without stopping for most of the day (missed the Yellow RUn/Rock Run waterfalls and no views on our vistas due to clouds), but had a nice evening meeting some new friends at the shelter. We were able to enjoy a big meal around the campfire and we were happy we had committed to a "beer weight penalty"Dinner was the PackitGourmet Shepard's Pie and an Arrogant ******* beer.
I was the only hammocker in the bunch and I was able to set up in the shelter width-wise while the rest of the folks were on pads behind me. Everyone stayed warm and dry when the storm hit around midnight and lasted at least one hour. While I would have been fine under my tarp, it sure was nice to be dry and cozy in the shelter. The wind blew strongly throughout the rest of the night.
Day 2
Woke at daybreak and had breakfast of coffee and oatmeal. Packed and on our way around 9am. The weather for Day 2 and 3 was great: highs of 65 and not much wind. Even though we got a lot of rain, the underbrush was dry, and we only had to avoid the puddles and streams caused by the weeks of rain prior to our hike. My phone logged 12 miles, but it was probably more like 11. We got off trail one time when I missed a blaze and followed the flat path ahead of us, adding maybe half a mile to our day.
We crossed the infamous "No Bridge" creek crossing around 2pm and had lunch on the other side. I was able to cross on a fallen log, my friend forded the creek with his dog. Water levels were fairly high, hope you can see from the pictures.
Ended the day at mile 20.8 (approximately) and camped. WARNING: We camped in an established campground, but I advise skipping that campsite in the future as there were 2-3 big dead trees in the area. If we had been more aware, we probably would have moved on or doubled back. There are about 4 campsites in a 2-mile stretch around mile 20-22, so you have options. Plenty of wood to be found for campfires, but not worth it if a tree falls on your head at night... Dinner was good (PackitGourmet Austinacious Tortilla Soup, Arrogant ******* beer)
I slept well for most of the night but got a bit cold in the early AM. Ended up with my down coat around my feet and legs, and wearing all my extra clothing. I am generally a cold sleeper, so I need some improvements in my system before I can do any more fall/spring trips.
Day 3
Woke again at daybreak, repeat of the day before. It was a cooler morning, but the skies were clear, so the sun warmed us as we hiked. We had about 7 miles to get back to our car, so we were a bit leisurely in our pace, stopping to look at whatever caught our eye.
Sharp Top and Sprout Point Vistas are well worth the stop.
Sharp Top vista has a sign explicitly banning camping. This is probably because there is a road leading to the vista, so they get a lot more day traffic than Sprout Point. The second shelter is adjacent to Sprout Point vista which would be a good place to camp. Sprout Point also has fire rings and flat areas for tents right at the vista that look very inviting to camp. Probably 1-2 hammocks could hang right there, and certainly there are a lot of available trees around the shelter.
The last mile of the hike is flat, along a final logging path, then about a half-mile along a dirt road. Ended the hike at the Masten campground for lunch and then the drive home. Note: The Masten campsite would be great for larger hammock groups, but this is a very rustic campground, with only porta-potties for your facilities, and a creek for water.
Overall it was a great trip with good weather and we saw less than 10 total people all weekend, and most of those were day hikers around the vistas.
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