I contemplated not going on this trip. Like many other backpacking trips I had been on, the weather forecast, at least for the first night, was dreadful. Rain, rain and rain. If the rain I was driving through on the way to Pennsylvania was any indicator, I was going to be in for a very wet night. I left home much later than I had originally planned for, but I usually believe that things work out for the better in the end. Surprisingly,
they did again. The rain stopped about an hour before I reached the campground where I was going to be spending the first night. Once I got to the campground and met up with the rest of the group I would be hiking with, I set up my tent on a firm patch of ground. Despite all the dead wood being soaking wet, we got a fire going and spent the evening hanging out, telling our tales of other backpacking trips. It felt good to be there and I was looking forward to the rest of the night since it had been slightly over a year since the last time I was on the trail. I slept mostly soundly during that first night except for the two “bears” I heard. They gave me no concern at all when I discovered they were carrying flashlights and making their way from nearby tents to the campground latrine.
I usually wake up with the rising sun, and Saturday morning was no exception. There was a light fog, glowing yellow in the early morning light. The birds were singing their songs of a new day. The cool, fresh morning air was a delight to breathe in. I took some time getting out of my comfortable sleeping bag. Once up, I made my way over to the picnic table where a couple of other people had already started to make their breakfast. I took out my canister stove, boiled some water and made coffee using the pour-over method. All together, it was a fantastic start to the day.
We started hiking about 8:45. The terrain was easy, especially since we started on top of a ridge. The trail we took led us west towards the Allegheny Reservoir. When we got close to the reservoir, we took a trail heading south. The reservoir was to our right and provided a nice view rather than the usual walk in the woods. We had to do some minor stream crossings where the runoff from the previous day’s rain was flowing nicely. At one of the stream crossings, there was an abandoned jogging stroller. That was a strange discovery considering where I was. The terrain wasn’t suitable for a jogging stroller to have made it that far. It’s condition didn’t suggest that it had been washed down the drainage to that location either. It was probably the most out of place item I’ve seen on a trail. Further into the hike, I came across a wide stream crossing. Nearby there was a beautiful campsite that had great views down the shoreline of the lake.
I reached the night’s campsite much earlier than expected. Shortly after, the wind swung around to the northwest and the skies started to clear. A stiff breeze developed. I put on a jacket to guard against the chill. It was obvious a weather front had just moved through, clearing out any remainder of the poor weather from the day before. I set up my tent with the opening facing the water. With a view of water instead of endless trees and green "stuff", I felt like I was living the dream that all backpacking magazines represent. That evening, I had a nice dinner and then went to the gravel beach to watch the sun set over a ridge on the other side of the reservoir.
Sunday morning I was up early - around 6:30. It had gotten cold enough overnight that I grabbed clothing and put them inside the sleeping bag to warm up before putting them on. I had my morning coffee and a quick and easy breakfast consisting of a cereal bar. By 8:20, I was on the trail again. A little over an hour into the day’s hike, I came across another impressive campsite, this one nestled into one of the reservoir’s coves. There was a nice beach, two fire pits, a rope swing and even a clothesline. Anyone hiking by this campsite could imagine how fun it could be to spend a night or two there.
At 10:55, I came to a trail intersection and passed the North Country Trail. At 12:16pm, I reached Marker 4 which is the intersection with the trail that encircles the campground where I spent Friday night. I could go right or left and would end up back at the parking lot where my car was. I decided to go left since it was slightly shorter and I wouldn’t be missing anything interesting by not going right. 4 minutes and 0.09 miles later I was at Marker 3. 3 minutes later I was at Marker 2. Then it took 18 minutes to make it to Marker 1, which was essentially where my car was parked, ending my trip. I didn’t keep close track of the distance, but I believe the entire hike was about 17 miles, much less than the 23 we originally thought we were in for.
When I think of grand backpacking, I think of high mountain peaks, lakes and views for miles and miles. You know, like straight out of a magazine, right? However, Pennsylvania continues to impress me as a relatively close to home backpacking destination. Tracy Ridge is a place to remember, and perhaps, visit again.
All images copyright 2020 Mark Funkhouser. Images may not be dowloaded, reproduced or otherwise used without written permission.
