Lake / Forest Trails Loop, Raccoon Creek

 What a perfect day to be back on the trails at Raccoon Creek, after such a long absence.  Intermittently sunny, blustery, chilly.  I've learned my lesson: it's nice to know that Hillman and the state game lands are still there, but Raccoon Creek is the only serious hiking destination within half an hour of the city.  

 I took a friend into the woods with me this time around--which is rare because I typically hike in order to get away from people.  But this is a guy who needs more wilderness in his life, and so I wanted to get him hooked on the subtle beauty of Raccoon Creek.  Despite living in Pittsburgh for more than ten years, he had never been there.  The best place to go if you want to give someone a brief overview of the park is the Lake Trail / Forest Trail loop.  It's four miles long, takes about two hours, and passes along the edge of the big lake, up into the highlands, and through some very scenic stream valleys.  There are several historic ruins hidden in the trees along the edge of the path, and for the sake of visibility, a clear March day is perfect for seeing them.  

 Above is a springhouse that's designed more like a holding cell for criminals.  It's made of poured concrete, so probably not much more than 100 years old.  This third photo is the cellar of some long-ago homestead.  I've probably photographed this thing a dozen times.  

But further west on the Forest Trail, I discovered this strange foundation-looking structure that I'd never noticed before.  It sits further from the path, and would be hard to notice in high summer.  It looks almost as if someone collected up many of the fieldstone blocks that were scattered about this part of the forest and tried to assemble them into a little shelter.  The walls are about three feet high, and precariously balanced.  The guidebook mentions the remains of a stone quarry, which this may be. 

It was kind of fun hiking with a companion for a change, but I don't think he really even noticed all the cool features at Raccoon.  Of course, I didn't either until after I resigned myself to the place.