Backpacking Trip 2009
Youth & Young Adult - High Adventure
In August of 2009, the youth and young adults of St. Vincent UCC went on a two day, 17 mile backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail (AT) north of Hamburg. Pictured above is a picture of the group as we prepared to leave the Eckville parking lot and head to the trail.
We began in Eckville and hiked 10 miles on Saturday, August 8. That night we slept in tents at the Windsor Furnace Shelter. On Sunday, August 9, after a morning outdoor worship service, we hiked another 7 miles, exiting the trail in Port Clinton.
The best breaks are those where we get to "drop pack" - take off our backpacks.
The Pinnacle is an overlook along the Appalachian Trail. It considered by many to be the best vista along the Pennsylvania portion of the AT. Below are some pictures from the Pinnacle.
With great weather, we were treated to a fantastic view....
Views from the Pinnacle, not only give us a sense of how far we climbed today, but also give us a wonderous view of the grandness of God's creation.
The Pinnacle is near the Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary. On this particular day, we were able to see a number of raptors riding the thermals in hunt of prey.
Among the wildlife seen on this hike was a black snake sunning itself on a tree branch at the Pinnacle.
Our last peak for Saturday was Pulpit Rock. After a short rest here, it was time to hike down from the ridge toward our campsite.
The Windsor Furnace Shelter is a three sided building for thru hikers to use along the trail. After ten miles of hiking, it was finally time to take off our boots and put on our camp shoes.
As nice as a break may sound, it's time to set up our tents, collect fire wood, filter water, set up the ropes for the bear bag, and prepare dinner....
With dusk approaching, flint and steel are used to light our camp fire.
As the fire comes to life, the rain begins to fall.
A string saw is not an efficient way to cut firewood, but it does provide entertainment for those watching you struggle.
As we sip hot chocolate, stories are told around the campfire. Lasagna in a can is the main course, which was delicious - especially after a long day of hiking. A sampler of other dehydrated meals completed dinner. We had raspberry chocolate crumble for dessert.
The rain that fell Saturday night, continued to fall Sunday morning, as we awoke for breakfast and morning worship.
Breakfast and worship took place at the Windsor Furnance Shelter. On a damp, rainy morning, smiles abounded. Coffee, hot chocolate, and hot oatmeal warmed our tummies. Our friendship and mindfulness of God's presence warmed our spirits.
Compassionate and fashionable leadership... One of our youth forgot to pack raingear, and so one of our adults gave up hers and donned a stylish trash bag as her poncho. Thank you.
One of God's friendly little creatures who enjoys the rain....
With a break in the morning rain, it's time to take down the tents....
During the night, some tents were a little wetter than others. Even in wringing out the sleeping bag, good spirits abound.
There is a trail journal at the shelter where hikers write about their experiences on the AT. We wrote an entry on behalf of St. Vincent UCC, and we we read some of the entries of other hikers.
Time for the camp shoes to come off, and for the blister pads and hiking boots to go back on.
How much can we put in this backpack?
With great enthusiasm we begin Sunday's hike.
Before leaving the Hamburg Water Reservoir area, we check the map to see where we are, where we came from, and where we are going.
In a short while, the forest darkens and the rain begins once again to fall...
It rained, drizzled, and poured off and on throughout Sunday morning. A short break in the rain gave us an opportunity for lunch.
The Pocahontas Spring will be our last source of water before climbing up the mountain. During the hike we used two water filtration pumps to make the water safe for us to drink.
Before heading up the mountain, it's time to double check the map.
The weather improved during the afternoon, as we hiked along the ridge line. The normally spectular views were hidden by haze.
One last break before beginning the steep descent into Port Clinton.
On Saturday, we began our hike at about 600 feet in elevation. With the Pinnacle located at about 1600 feet in elevation, we had a slow climb of about 1000 feet to get there, followed by a descent to 800 feet in elevation to the shelter. On Sunday morning we had a gradual climb to get to 1400 feet.
Our last descent is the steepest part of this two day hike. We will descend from 1100 feet to about 400 feet. Our previous ascents and descents have been gradual, rising and falling in elevation over the course of two miles. The path for this descent is less than half a mile. In the picture below, shock absorbing trekking poles are taking some of the impact normally absorbed by the knees.
We have leveled off at 400 feet. It is now only a little more than a half mile hike to the parking lot and our end car.
Once we had retrieved our cars, we had dinner at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Hamburg. After dinner we took one last group shot in the parking lot. Although the camera is dried out now, because of the rain, by the end of the day it had a lot of internal moisture - hence the hazy picture. The mountain behind us is where we were hiking earlier that day.
In parting, we leave you these words from the scripture read during that Sunday morning worship service....
"Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened [on Easter Sunday]. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them.... Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.... They said to each other, 'Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?'" (Luke 24:13-15, 31-32).