Standing Stone Trail: My New Obsession

 It's been a long, long time since my last post. Sorry about that, faithful reader. Life of late hasn't lent itself to the freedoms I enjoyed in earlier times.  Work, family obligations, time constraints.  But I did manage to get a few hours of hiking done on the Standing Stone Trail in Central Pennsylvania.  This is the view from an area along the trail called "The Throne Room."  In the distance you can see several long ridgelines in the "Ridge and Valley Province" of the state.  In order of proximity, you see: Blacklog Mountain, the ominously named Shade Mountain, and Tuscarora Mountain in the furthest, mistiest distance.

 I've become obsessed with the Standing Stone Trail--see my last post.  And so, on June 24, a day of glowering skies and torrential downpours, I drove three hours to the center of the state to explore some of the trail's visual highlights.  On a clear day, the view would have been far better, but you have to make do with the day you're given.

 Planning a long-distance trek is almost as much fun as actually doing one.  In some cases, it's even more fun because you get to do it from the comfort of your laptop, without a thirty pound pack on your back and hundreds of yards of sharp rocks to scramble across.  And so, I've been planning a "through hike" on this trail ever since March.  But didn't make it back out here to check some things out until June.  I went to a hamlet called Barneytown and followed Jacks Mountain Road almost to a place where it joined the trail.  However, recent rainstorms had downed some trees across the road, and one of them I was unable to move.  So I parked at the blocked spot in the road and walked the rest of the way to the summit and the trail.

 This boulder field is known as The Hall of the Mountain King.  Aside from evoking vaguely familiar tunes from interminable Wagnerian operas, the area is hell on the ankles and knees.  It would be even harder to cross on a hot day with snakes on the rocks.  The Standing Stone runs 84 miles from Cowan's Gap State Park to Greenwood Furnace State Park, following the narrow summits of the several mountains wherever possible.  It does descend briefly into the little trail towns of Three Springs and Mapleton.  There's some roadside hiking involved, and legal camping is relatively rare along the way--not to mention waters sources.   

In other words, it's like a mini-Appalachian Trail.  Or maybe an alternative to the AT for people who don't like crowds and who don't actually want to quit their jobs in order to hike full time.  I think I could do the whole thing in 8 to 10 days.  Photos don't do it justice.  In any case, the Standing Stone Trail is part of the Great Eastern Trail--a lesser traveled and more scenic alternative to the AT.