The previous post about the brilliant Thousand Steps Trail up the side of Jacks Mountain seemed woefully inadequate. And so I decided to add a few more pictures. Here is the view from the eastern and less heavily visited overlook. The town in the distance is Mt. Union. I had this vista all to myself for about half an hour, and I never encountered anyone on the trail to or from it.
The path up to the more popular western overlook passes behind the old railroad building. I thought it made a curious spectacle on the mountainside.
Although there was very little snow left on the lower reaches of the mountain, there was still plenty at the top. This is the much-visited western overlook, which is in the same location as the old rock quarry whose employees used to trudge the Thousand Steps on their way to and from work. The town seen here is Mapleton. These little mountain towns are curious places. I drove into Mt. Union just to look around. It was a decent enough place with those big old Central Pennsylvania houses, a Dollar General, a McDonald's, most of the standard religious franchises--including one very Russian-looking onion dome. The main street didn't have a lot of empty storefronts, which is always a good sign. I liked the town.
As I explored the unmarked old railroad grades that crisscross the upper reaches of Jacks Mountain, views like these were always visible through the trees. In the summer, there wouldn't be much to see, but it was a rare pleasure to catch an eyeful of distant country through the bare branches. It made for a dramatic backdrop to my regular woodland thinking.
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