golv: shades of death trail

Today was the Get Out Lehigh Valley walk at Hickory Run State Park. It was advertised as the Shades of Death trail, 2.8 miles with an option for another two. A lot of people came today including a whole Cub Scout pack. I think it was because of the weather. It was gorgeous.

I had planned on going alone, and then my friend Pam texted and asked if I wanted company. I said yes. It's a good thing she went. I'm pretty certain that I would have bolted had she not been there. This was probably the hardest hike I've done in recent memory. It was Hell. A beautiful Hell.

It's in an area of the park that used to be a CCC camp during the Great Depression. I wonder if this was where daddy was stationed. There was evidence of their work everywhere, especially at the dams.

The trail followed the stream. It went up and down. At times it was very narrow. At other times it was all roots. Sometimes it was muddy. Sometimes it felt like I was walking thru boulder field.  We climbed over fallen trees.

At one point we walked through the crevice of a split rock...with stairs.

And crossed two creeks with wet, loose, mossy rocks.

Eventually we found the road. Turn left and you returned to the parking lot. Turn right and you  walked another two miles. We were promised the worse was over and it was. The next section went thru a meadow (the CCC camp) over a dam, and down a mountain laurel trail.

I am shocked I made it. Every challenge I met, slowly and carefully. I held up the line on more than one occasion, but I did it.

52-hike challenge: 15/52
Miles/Steps:   3.5 miles and I did the whole thing. Clearly the measurement was off. We hiked three hours. That's about 1 MPH
Bathrooms:     I-3.5
$ Found:         3 cents
Weather:         high 70s. Sunny
Wildlife:          1 rainbow trout hanging out by the 2nd dam.
Extra:              I finally met a Boy Scout leader that leads. He was teaching the children trail etiquette and the reasons why. He didn't let them horse around. And he also told me he doesn't leave them build sky-high fires. Maybe there is hope.