It wasn't the best day to tackle the windy summits of the Laurel Highlands at Ohiopyle State Park, but it was the only day I would be getting, so I gave it a shot. This is the view from Baughman Rocks, looking east into the valley of the Youghiogheny River.
I didn't know just how snowy it would be up in the mountains. I had originally intended to hike the McCune Trail loop, but the roadways were buried, and there was nowhere to park. Besides, the wind came screaming over those peaks at bone-chilling speed. I ended up settling for a lower trail through the valley of Meadow Run.
Just a solitary path through wintry mountains. What more could a guy ask from life?
I'm not sure why I've never hiked Ohiopyle before. It's THE name in outdoor adventures in the Pittsburgh region, and it's only an hour and a half from home. I guess I was saving it for a special occasion.
The little borough of Ohiopyle is surrounded by the park. It caters very much to the hiking-whitewater-mountainbiking crowd. My guess is that it's largely a summer destination.
And yet, despite all the many open-air restaurants (closed for the season) and whitewater kayaking outfitters (closed for the season), there's a gritty quaintness about the place. It's a typical mountain village with large clapboard houses along the main street, a pleasant riverside park, and at least one pretty church, Methodist.
This is the Great Allegheny Passage as it crosses the Yawk in the borough of Ohiopyle. I'll definitely be coming back when the weather breaks.
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