Hike #3: Old Forge to Swift Run Road to Hermitage Trail, 10 miles
This loop contained all the elements of a state forest hike - remote trail, logging road, cabins and camps. Of note today was the announcement that COVID vaccines will soon be made available to front line health workers, seniors, and first responders - something to mark the significance of today's AT Day Hikes During COVID series as I walk the AT in PA through this pandemic.
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| A long steep climb up the AT to start |
I parked at the end of Rattlesnake Run Road at the upper end of Old Forge and began the day's hike on the AT, crossing Old Forge Road at the bridge over Tumbling Run and continuing on the AT northbound past the Tumbling Run Shelters and camping area to the steep climb up to the ridge. All the exposed rock is Quartzite, metamorphosed and highly resistant sands, sandstones, and beach cobble formed 500 million years ago. This is the predominate ridgetop rock type through Michaux State Forest.
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| Coarse-grained cobble Quartzite |
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| At the Chimney Rocks overlook |
At Chimney Rocks you can really study the way quartzite fractures and weathers and this gives some hint as to the very cool columnar and rock city formations at the center of today's hike at the Shaffers Rocks climbing area. Amos scrambled and sniffed under all the ledges. The Waynesboro Reservoir was visible in the vast forested landscape below.
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| Amos enjoying rock scrambling on Chimney Rocks, 1900' |
We continued following the AT northbound along the ridge of the South Mountain range which extends southward into Maryland. This is young forest as forest age goes, replanted by foresters in the early 1900s and later by CCC men who lived and worked in the first state tree nursery and numerous camps throughout Michaux in the 1930s. I was really impressed by the miles of young forest understory growing beneath the mature trees as the next generation of forest gains hold on the mountain. Disease and fire has impacted these woods, however, as standing dead, dying, and fallen trees are everywhere and the windy ridgetops seem to have a concentration of tumbled gypsy-moth killed oaks rotting away to soil.
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| Looking back at the South Mountain range |
We came upon a drag where a hunter pulled his harvested Whitetail Deer along the AT to a road crossing ahead. The gut pile was still fresh but it had already been well scavenged. We came upon a fresh, shimmering twist of Weasel scat left prominently on a rock to mark its territory. Amos was less impressed with the scat than he was with following the hair and blood trail. He never has shown an interest in predators or scavengers, always alerting to prey animals like rabbit, groundhog, deer, and bear. The coonhound hunting tradition includes those big coonies who can tree Black Bears and Amos seems to come from that line. Whenever we come to a "bear-in-the-air" I keep him on short lead. As we followed the drag along the AT, a flock of American Crows descended on the gut pile behind us as well as a lone Turkey Vulture.
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| A hunter dragged out his harvested deer while... |
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| ...a hungry Weasel loved the gut pile he left behind (2" across) |
We came down off the ridge and turned west on to Swift Run Road for a few miles. There are a few active logging access roads that feed on to this gravel road, so beware of the logging trucks during harvest time. We passed a hunting camp decorated for Christmas.. It was a nice leisurely walk until a horse and rider came on to the road from a log landing which made Amos loose his mind. So he pulled me all the way to the busy trailhead at the Hermitage Trail. Lots of climbers and hikers here but horse not allowed on those trails! Too bad, Amos.
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| Swift Run Road at the trailhead parking. |
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| Shaffers and Monument Rocks |
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| The Hermitage cabin, managed by PATC |
We spent a bit of time just wandering around the rock city where fracturing and erosion has formed tall "monuments," columns, pillars, and narrow passages between. Then lunch on the little bridge that crosses Tumbling Run on to the Hermitage Trail until it connected with the AT. I'm really enjoying these loops as ways to hike the AT
and explore the areas near the trail. As an AT hiker so focused on hiking just the AT in the past, I missed so much else that the old roads and blue-blaze trails reveal. These loops have been really fun ways to explore the wider landscapes of our beloved AT corridor.
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| Tumbling Run along the Hermitage Trail |
Snow is on the way and the next loop may well be in the white stuff. Time to dig out the ice spikes, crampons, tall gaiters, snow shoes and two hiking poles instead of one. My favorite time of year to hike! Thinking of all my first responder friends and family. Light at the end of this dark tunnel and hoping that my next hike marks another milestone in emerging from this pandemic.
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| Old Forge AT /Swift Run Rd/ Hermitage Trail Loop |
Notes:
The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maintains 42 historic cabins along the AT from Virginia to Pennsylvania. COVID has had an impact on rentals and use, however. But reading about their history and knowing how to rent one in future makes a nice winter afternoon's reading/planning/dreaming. https://www.patc.net/PATC/Cabins/Cabins.aspx
As a long-time forester I hate to tell you that those forests were not re-planted, they regenerated naturally after the heavy cutting of the iron furnace era and forest fires were controlled. You might want to confirm that with the Michaux State Forest office.
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