By Charlie McTiernan, Allegheny Group Outings Leader
Hello Sylvanian Readers! On October 26-27 I (Charlie McTiernan) and my fellow Outings Leader Cortny Kennick led the first (first in a long time, anyways) Sierra Club-organized overnight outing on the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT).
For those who may not know, the LHHT is a 70-mile trail that stretches from Armagh to Ohiopyle, crossing through multiple state parks and game lands. The Sierra Club and the PA DCNR have a long history of helping to plan and support the LHHT. Indeed there is a nice 125 page book titled A Hikers Guide to the Laurel Highlands Trail published by the Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club PA Chapter in concert with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy that describes the LHHT geology, flora, fauna, and lay of the land. You can purchase the guide from Sierra Club online at www.sierraclub.org/pennsylvania/allegheny/trail-guides
The trail is extremely well marked with yellow blazes about every 100 ft, and several campsites with tent space and Adirondack shelters about every 6-12 miles. Tent sites/shelters must be reserved through the DCNR Laurel Ridge State Park, and sites have pit latrines, wood for fires, and non-potable water. Fall is an awesome time to maximize leaf viewing here, and as the leaves fall, the lay of the land, ridges, and Youghiogheny River become visible. Indeed we pretty much hit the peak of colors during our outing; many pleasing views were had.
The concept for this outing arose from a training for overnight trip leaders put on by the Sierra Club at Black Moshannon State Park in September, which was the first of its kind in many years. This two day training (expertly organized by Amy Kwasnicki, Seth Bush, and Sarah Corcoran) sought to sharpen outings leaders’ skills in planning outings, leadership, and outdoor stewardship. The goal of this renewed overnight leaders training was to prepare a cohort of outing leaders capable of safely and effectively organizing longer, multi-day, away-from-the-car outings that offered greater exposure to the environmental treasures we all value and cherish. The ultimate purpose, of course, being to support outing participants in becoming stewards and voices in support of Pennsylvania’s increasingly threatened wild places.
I had first multi-day hiked on the LHHT over thirty years ago. Recently, I spent several weekends on the LHHT while training for a multi-week hike this year in California. So, in planning for the Allegheny Group’s first overnight outing in many years, I immediately thought of the LHHT as a trail for which I had some familiarity and a good sense of its physical challenges and opportunities. Nonetheless there were planning challenges: how many people would want to come? What distances and terrains would hit the sweet spot between backpacker wannabees and wizards? Considering time of sunset, how long can we hike to reach shelters on day one? Where can we start, and how do we get there, seeing that this would be a one way hike? Do people have a good sense of what they need to bring for equipment and food? How do we supply those short of equipment? How will we handle adverse weather and communications for emergencies (hike was largely in cell reception voids)?
Pre-hike communications with attendees and park personnel were essential. Leaders shared suggested equipment and food lists, determined what the leaders could share, arranged to loan equipment, and found a shuttle service to take us from the endpoint to our desired starting point. Discussion between attendees and leaders helped to assess what distances would be challenging yet enjoyable. We reserved more than enough tent/shelter sites. The threatened rain was largely a mist on day one, and only accentuated the brilliant leaf colors. Day two was rain free and an extremely pleasant hiking temperature.
The Adirondack shelters have an awesome fireplace in the front, and gathering around the fire to eat together and share stories became a highlight of the trip. We saw deer (and hunters) on the way, but what was best was what we did not see: almost no trash whatsoever along the trail or at the campsites. Pack it in/pack it out appears to be alive and well on the LHHT. Disappointingly (or not), we could not add support to our shuttle driver’s claim that Pennsylvania has the highest number of Sasquatch sightings In the US, but we were OK with that.
We finished our last break on day 2 with cries of, “To the Pub!”, and we finished the 12 mile adventure with lunch and beers at the Falls City Pub in Ohiopyle.
All in all, the trip went very well, and I look forward to participating in more and longer overnight outings. As a Sierra Club leader, I enjoy getting the opportunity to strengthen my leadership skills, but more importantly, to share my enjoyment of the outdoors with like-minded people, especially those just at the cusp of building their skill set and confidence in adventuring outdoors. As mentioned, I value the outdoor opportunities I have. If you value something, you probably seek to both share it, and protect it. I am grateful that the Sierra Club offers me an opportunity to do my part to share and protect the outdoors. Hoping to see some of you on a future outing!
Charlie McTiernan has been leading outings with the Sierra Club in Western PA since early 2019, and he recently hiked the entire John Muir trail in California. He lives in Mt. Lebanon near Pittsburgh.