Black Forest Trail, PA

“Tried finding the previous threads about this weekend's trip but couldn't find 'em...so here is a Black Forest Trail thread for future TT reference. Anywho...

Trail Info...
Local Weather Links.
TopoZone Map showing trailhead parking.
BFT Trail Info
More BFT info
Even more BFT info.

I should be at the Trailhead Parking by 3pm...at the latest!”

“Buddur's been busy! BTW the previous thread is Penn Grand Canyon Hike-Fall, or something like that. Thanks for the links. Also doing the West Rim Trail Oct.19.”

“I think we will be there on or before 1:30. So we will see you guys at the camp friday.”

“What plans do y'all have for camping Friday night? I'm thinking it might be nice to make Hemlock Mountain, or at least the 1940' bump before it, to set up camp. It'd be nice to get the steep hike up Callahan Brook out of the way and not have it staring us in the face Saturday morning. Any thoughts?”

“Beings I won't have a trail map till I get to the area (I can print maps from TopoZone, though), and that I may be geting there later than y'all and hiking in alone, AND that i can't find Hemlock Mtn (I've found Callahan Run) on any maps I can get my hands on...will someone divulge more clues as to where Camp1 will be?”

“Another BFT Local Weather link.”

“Sheesh, I was emailing everyone so that the exact campsites would be unknown to the bugazillion lurkers out there. Now Bin Laden will know where we are.”

“Huh?...The more the merrier!

Anywho, since my homepage is TT, it's much easier for me to check the thread than my Email. And...that's what this thread is all about!”

“Buddur - Hemlock Mountain is about two miles uphill from the campsite at Callahan Run. Campsite is at junction of three streams about three miles in from road, downhill east from Big Trail Road. Trail makes a sharp left and heads back west uphill for a mile along Callahan Run to a saddle, then turns east again onto a knob, which might be a nice high and dry spot. It's another mile down into a saddle and up to Hemlock summit. Total distance from trailhead to summit would be about 6 miles, including a mile-long steep hike and a couple of short less steep uphills. Does Hemlock seem like a place you could make it to, given the hour you'll be starting out? There is an old cutoff trail shown on the map, from Big Trail Road up to the knob, which would knock about 4 miles off the hike, if you're pressed for time.”

“The West Rim Hike looks like three days two nights (Fri-Sat) and thirty miles (relatively little elevation change). I did 8 miles with M&M last week with 1000 feet gain in 2 miles, and found that I could have gone further, so I think that now I can handle the 30 miles over three days. Just have to handle the possible blisters. So far I haven't had any with my Hi-Tec Altitudes. Great boots for rocky hikes. And M&M is great to hike with, except for the fact that I needed a hearing aid or she needed a megaphone, since she is a strong hiker and was usually waiting for me to catch up.

Now the BFT is 1000 feet of elevation gain in only 1 mile. That will be hard work.”

“I say we camp high. Buddur can make the mileage even if he gets in late. I'll bring the wine.”

“I'll be there...come heck or high water! w/Lot'za wardur (that's PA slang for "water") in tote!”

“So, what's the consensus? I'll prolly be the first to hit the trail, which isn't to say you guys won't catch up with me! Should I press on to the summit of Hemlock and scout out a site for us all? How many tents are we looking at space for? I'm outa here about 3 PM Thursday, so let me Know here or email me.

See y'all sometime Friday.

Should I bring a flask of brandy to zip up late night cocoa?”

“Definate on the brandy!!!

Scout something out. I don't need any room at all - I have a Kelty Clark which is a bivy on steroids. I'll fit anywhere.”

“Wine is fine, and brandy sounds dandy, too!

Speakin' of Pa slang...Anyone warsh their kellers in cold wardur?”

“As they say in Pittsburgh, the kellers don't need warshed. If I can remember enough of it, I'll trade Balamerese for PA with you.

Brandy it is. You're on your own for the cocoa.”

“I think we are needing six tent sites. My tent is 3' X 8'. We were hoping to stop at Callahan Run at the foot of the climb for dinner, and then hike up to tent. It is real dark at 7PM in NJ, so we want to be quick about it. Rich, M.Siver, M&M and myself are starting out together no later than 1:30, and Steiny will leave earlier, Buddur will leave a little later. So meeting at Callahan Run should not be a problem. Hopefully Buddur will get to the dinner site by 4PM. The rest of us will be finishing up by then, and can help Buddur so that he can be ready to go by 4:30-4:45. It will be dim when we get to the campsites, but not too bad since we'll be at the top. Then we can pitch our tents and crank out some hot and/or explosive drinks.”

“So...y'all'r hiking down Nasal Run, down Pine Creek to Callahan Run, and up Callahan to the 3-forks campground where dinner will be waitin' fer me?

I shouldn't be too far behind y'all, but don't wait fer me...and I'll be makin' ma own dinner, thank you!”

“We wouldn't think of making you dinner, Buddur. But I really wish that you had a map. Make sure that you park near the rest of us, okay?”

“I did some homework...I'll be stopping at Wheary's Country Store in Waterville to get a map, Slate Run has a few stores (Wolfe's General Store, Slate Run Tackle Shop, Country Ski & Sport) that sell 'em, too.

Thanks for your concern. Sweet dreams...see you tommorrow.”

“I'm finally home. Lots of rain. Hope you guys made it home okay.

Thank you guys - I had a great time! Good company - good hiking!

BTW Stieny - I have your rope - will send it with the programs”

“I guess its to late to join up”

“I agree, excellent hiking and best of all great company. Hope everyone had a safe trip home.”

“Finally back home, via my parents house. Was great meeting y'all Mr.Steiny, Mrs.LyndyS and Mrs.m&m, and seeing both you two (three), Mr.RichB, Mr.MSilver & Sparky again.

An awesome hike with great folks!!!”

“Hi guys - Back home safe and sound after a nice drive through central NY. M&M - what rope? Did I leave my clothesline behind?

Had an awesome view of Hemlock Summit and the backside of our campsite on the way out to my car on the Old Grade Trail.

Had a great time. Was good to finally meet some tters and their dogs. Am definitely up for the West Rim with any who can make it. Be good to see y'all again.

Gotta go do laundry and make myself a beercan stove. Later, dudes.”

“More: Got a chance to check out Rich B's Hilleberg. Awesome little tent. Gotta start saving my pennies.”

“I agree about the Hilleberg Nallo, what a great tent, 4 LBs and big enough for two. They're dropping the interest rates again. And we are supposed to stimulate the economy, and Hilleberg is made in the USA.

What a great trip! Hike way up, then hike way down, then way up again and then way down. M. Silver saw a mama bear and two cubs on Sunday. First night we had a beautiful high camp at a vista. It was raining, but it stopped long enough for us to pitch our tents, eat, and have some nice campfire talk before the rain started up again. Saturday afternoon cleared up and we had a long ridge of vistas after one long steep climb on switchbacks. After a Saturday night camp next to a stream deep in a hollow, we hiked back to the cars on a totally gorgeous crisp fall day. M&M and I took a pretty drive along Pine Creek to a parking lot where we hiked in a little to the creek where I lost my filter cap (which M&M found, YES!). Then we drove off in search of coffee and food. We made the long drive home making lists of all the stuff we had to do when we got home to our families.

The dogs on the trip, Buddur's golden retriever and M. Silver's border collie were great to have along. They kept us company, and Buddur, Tom's retriever, was always in search of some patting and scratching.

Everyone had a different camp setup, a different packing system, different cooking system. I learned a lot from all of these very warm, friendly people. And RichB even gave me a pepsi can stove that he made, along with a simmer cap, so I can try it out.

Pine Creek is beautiful. Not only am I going to do the West Rim Hike on Oct. 19, but I want to bring my family out with the bikes to do some of the bike trail on the otherside of the creek/river. The whole PA grand canyon area is beautiful. The leaves were more colorful on Sunday than on Friday, due to two cold nights.”

“sounds like you folks had a good time. that is a beautiful area. wish it weren't so far a drive for me. i hiked with HogOnIce. see my report and a few photos in the saint marys wilderness, virginia thread.

anyone get any pictures?”

“I really liked Rich's Hilleberg - but I want to start tarping.

Pictures are on the way. MSilver took lots.

I must say, I really enjoyed having the dogs with us. Very well behaved. Buddar walked with me alittle getting to saturdays camp.

I want to do the entire loop. Already called my hiking partner, and she is up to it in the spring.

hint hint”

“sounds like a good time, guys! Its been a few years now since I have been to the Gorge. Great place! hmmm...

Looking forward to seeing the pics. :o)”

“I talked to kleetn before the trip to see if the two of you could go - knew that he would be in the area. Did he ever make it? Too bad you guys couldn't do it. We really did have a good time.”

“m&m neglected to mention that Buddur ate an entire pan of butterscotch pudding that I mixed up for us Saturday night! Probably thought it was just another dish to lick clean. Aside from being great companions, I did discover that having a dog or two along greatly simplifies dishwashing. Gotta get Leroy a pack and get him into shape.

We met up with Carl from west of Philly on Friday night. He was already set up on Hemlock - a tarp thrown over a configuration of logs and bark slabs. Kind of looked like Robinson Crusoe the first night on the island, but it kept out the wind and rain.

Carl and I saw 3 does and 5 fawns run right through camp while we were waiting for the others to arrive. Lots of geese flying south all 3 days. I think they were trying to tell us something.”

“Can't wait to get out and do the West Rim Trail later this month. I like M&M's suggestion of doing the entire BFT in the spring since I never hiked the entire trail on one trip.

Lyndy, Hilleberg tents are made in Estonia and based in Sweden. The USA distributor is based in Seattle run by Petra Hilleberg. Very nice people to do business with. I've emailed them a few times and talked to them on the phone with questions before I bought the tent.
Glad everyone got home OK. Just got my things cleaned up and put away, almost as much work as getting ready. Hope to do some day hiking with MSilver since we both live in the same town.”

“Failed to mention the pudding on purpose. Didn't want to start another "Dogs on the trail" brawl.

I really liked having them there. We'll have the pudding next time. The popcorn was a treat though.”

“buddurscotch puddin!!”

“Yup, a great trip! So nice to meet more TTers face-to-face - Steiny, M&M, Lyndy. (And that Carl guy too.) And Rich - from my own home town! And to see Tom and Buddur again! The time was short, but the memories are long.

Lyndy, thanks again for doing all the behind-the-scenes work to pull it off.

Tarps and Hillebergs notwithstanding, personally I thought Lyndy's little toy tent was the cutest thing I ever saw.

I notice that M&M didn't mentioned her and Lyndy's side trip all the way down to Pine Creek ;-)

Okay, so I got my digital pics uploaded and shrunk to a reasonable size ...now what do I do? ...who do I contact to get 'em posted?”

“Tell Phil!!!

I have mine also - very dark. But I have a couple that came out well. I'll send them into Phil also.”

“m&m,

Thanks. Please excuse my naivete, but how does one contact Phil? I'm clueless regarding protocol here concerning these kinds of things.”

“M Silver - On the trailtalk page, look down the right to handy links. Click on Phil's Photo Page. His email address is at the bottom left of his page. Drop him a line first to see if he's interested and willing to post the pics. I'm anxious to see them - can't believe I forgot my camera.”

“You mean our side trip to see the waterfall? Yeah, I wish I could say that we did that on purpose.

Send the pictures to Phil at prrosenkrant@csupomona.edu. I haven't finished my roll of film, so I don't have pics yet. I've been too busy sleeping. I wasn't really tired until Monday morning. Then I felt drugged. But it was a great first backpacking trip. Now I wish I could do this every weekend.”

“(admit nothing)

We did that on Purpose! Really!”

“Okay, thanks folks. I sent Phil a request to post my pics. I selected 13 shots, including a composite I made of each person with his/her shelter. Hope he'll be able to get 'em all up - and soon. I'll let youans know if/when I get a response from him concerning this and/or when they'll be available for viewing.”

“Sounds good! I'll try to get a site to post photos on for the future. It will be good to have for the far-flung family, anyway.

Now to start planning future weekend trips.”

“Sent mine also. Told Phil just to pick what was okay with him.”

“Can't wait to see the pictures of the trip. I wish I took more.
Lyndy, I did that bike ride down the old railroad grade at Pine Creek in 1989 and it was nice although then the road was rough gravel. I think they improved the road in the last few years to make it suitable for cycling so your family would probably have a great time riding there. It's an easy ride too since there's no hills to go up.
I thought you did great on the trip. Your first backpacking trip? I would have never known.
I have to agree with Msilver, those little solo tents were really cool that you and M&M had.”

“Thanks, RichB, for all of the encouragement that you and the others gave me. And the pepsi can stove too! I've been playing with it today, and I can't believe how easy it is to use! I've been measuring how much alchohol it uses to boil water for coffee, to cook a meal, etc. Totally cool. I still have to try out the simmer cap that you made, and try it out on a windy day, really cold day, etc., but everyone should really try making one of these. RichB used tinsnips and mounted the stove inside a larger tomato can that he had cut so that it looks like a crown. The points of the crown (half inch wide) hold the cook pot over the pepsi stove. He used a punch can opener to put holes for air at the base of the tomato can. Works great! The simmer cap is the base of a pepsi can with a small hole in the middle the width of an awl, and side flaps to allow you to pull it back off the stove. Hope that I am explaining this right. It used one ounce denatured alchohol to boil 20 oz of cold water, in 7 minutes, for me at least.

The bike trail looked paved and quite a few people were on it, since it was a gorgeous day. Some weekend we'll make it out there for some bike riding and picnicking as a family. Glad you all liked my tent. It is light and I can sit up, so it works for me. I was able to borrow one first, from a friend, and I liked it enough to buy one. But I would like a Hilleberg Nallo someday, RichB's tent. Very strong and large, for just a little more weight.”

“Well, the wind kicked up, so I made a windscreen out of a cereal box and foil, and tried out the simmer cap. I burned the hair off my thumb, but the stove did do a fast simmer. I'll practice putting the cap in with the help of a long stick next time. It looks like 12 oz of alchohol is enough for one person for two quick breakfasts, four 20 oz coffee pots and two simmered dinners, plus some hot dish water, using a steel liter cookpot with a tinfoil lid.”

“Lyndy, Glad you like the stove. Sorry to hear about your thumb. I forgot to mention that I use a stick to push the simmer cap on the top of the stove. I use the small handles to place the cap on then the stick to push it down and get a good seal without the risk of getting burned. If you need to pull the cap off while the stove is lit to boil again you can. Just hold the stand the stove is mounted in and use the handles to pull off the cap. Be careful doing it and never wear synthetic gloves while operating the stove. Also clear away anything around the base of the stove that will burn. Once a gust of wind blew the flame into some leaves I neglected to clear away. You don't want to start a forest fire. It takes a little practice using these stoves, but once you get the hang of it they're great. Have fun.”

“Phil has acknowledged receipt ot the nine pictures I sent him from the trip, though he didn't mention when he'd get them up. He kind of hinted that about twelve images was enough for posting, so perhaps he may be doing a bit of editing with all the pictures he will have received.

Although I sent Phil only nine, I actually have 28 digital pics that came out good enough to share. Forgive my ignorance regarding these matters, but is there a place on the internet where I can post all 28 of them myself?”

“M.Silver, they were just talking about this on another thread, maybe the HTML thread. M&M was trying to post a picture, and they mentioned Webshots.com, maybe some others, as being free, for a certain amount of storage space. Photopoint.com was used by many, but they started charging on all accounts after a thirty day trial period. You may feel that the fee is not that great, or you might try Webshots. I think that Aero mentioned that he found it easy to set up.”