Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail – PA Rt. 56 Trailhead to PA Rt. 271 Trailhead - February 15, 2013 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail – PA Rt. 56 Trailhead to PA Rt. 271 Trailhead |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Pennsylvania |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | February 15, 2013 |
| Duration: | 1 day |
| Trail Conditions: | Fair |
| Trail Traffic: | Light |
| Trip Weather: | Cloudy |
| Trip Winds: | Light to Moderate |
| Trip Precipitation: | Snow |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 21-30, Low: 11-20 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | Got up at a decent hour, loaded up on some caffeine and calories at the complimentary continental breakfast, and then headed out to shuttle Jer-bear’s car to the PA Rt. 271 trailhead. There was a little snow on the ground, but not enough to get excited about. After dropping off Jer-bear’s car, we all piled into Obie’s truck and drove to the PA Rt. 56 trailhead where there was barely any snow on the ground. As we were gathering our things to get out of the truck, Jer-bear and I in the backseat, he proclaimed he was putting his car keys in the seat pouch so everyone would know where they were. We all agreed this was a good idea. Since there was barely any snow on the ground, and the forecast was only calling for a few inches, we opted to leave the snowshoes and cross country skis in the truck, and headed out. With the exception of all but approximately the last quarter-mile, the hike to the PA Rt. 56 Decker Avenue shelter area is an uphill climb, starting at approximately 1,300 feet and maxing out around 2,700 feet. As we climbed, the snow deepened, and at about three and a half miles in, everyone started thinking and talking about how nice it would be to have the snowshoes and skis, but it wasn’t worth turning around and adding another seven miles to the trip to go get them. It was at that point Jer-bear had a revelation. It’s not a good idea to leave the keys to your end-of-hike shuttle vehicle in your beginning-of-hike shuttle vehicle. After some blank staring, and then some mumbling and groaning, followed by some ribbing, laughing, and joking, and finally, some sobering up, we decided to break for lunch, and develop a game plan. After much deliberation, we jointly decided Jer-bear and Obie would stash their packs and head back to get the keys. Metro and I would carry on to the first shelter to put up the tarps, gather and split firewood, and get the fire going. This seemed like a much better idea than taking a chance on hitch-hiking a ride back to Obie’s truck at the end of the hike, not to mention the time this could all potentially take, and the dangers it could potentially pose. Metro and I continued on, and within one half hour, it began to snow pretty hard. We made pretty good time to the shelter, and were able to get the tarps up and gather up and split a mother load of firewood, for which we were later thankful. When we first arrived, we set the Dale’s Pale Ale and Honey Velvet in the snow to chill, but hated to crack either open, knowing that Obie and Jer-bear were still on the trail. This was by far the hardest part of the trip for me, staring at those ice-cold beers, but not being able to crack one open. If Metro and I made good time, Jer-bear and Obie made excellent time. It wasn’t long before they rolled in and we went straight away to sitting around the fire drinking some brews and having a good time. We kept the fire stoked all through the night and into the next morning, while the snow continued to fall outside. |
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