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Bilateral TKR The Historian - recovery diary

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My trip was delayed a couple of days by my sore back, but I felt fine on Thursday and headed north. The first stop was a trail and vista known as Bake Oven Knob, not far from Hawk Mountain, and about an hour north of Reading. The trail to the overlook is a half-mile long, but like with Hawk Mountain I was stopped near the end by the rockiness of the path. So I turned around, head hung low, and walked back to the car.

I continued north to Interstate 80, then west. As I passed Williamsport I turned north into the Endless Mountains, headed towards Canton. I arrived in Canton about six, located a Dollar General - DG's serve as grocery stores in small town PA - and asked directions to my planned campsite. I was given what sounded like solid directions to County Bridge Picnic Area, and headed out for it. But in the gathering dusk and dust of forest roads I became lost. As night replaced day I found my way back to the rollercoaster road Rt 414 and began driving over its hills and hairpin turns looking for a place to camp. Outside Morris I found a truck stop that allowed me to park out back with the big rigs. So I pulled my KIA next to the 18 wheelers and set up my "sleeper" - the bed.

I found sleeping in the back of my car worked better than I hoped. I had to move the driver's seat forward, but aside from my feet hanging off the end of the bed I could stretch out. Keeping the windows lowered a crack allowed ventilation. It helped I was using two camping pads, and brought full sized pillows.

No unusual joint problems worth recounting. I had cramps in my hip at times while driving, but aside from the usual end of day soreness nothing to mention.
 
On the second day of my trip, I woke up to find most of the trucks gone. It was seven, and the drivers were on the road. I got into the driver's seat, and headed down the road to Wellsboro, stopping at a mini-market to use the bathroom and get breakfast.

This day, like the first, turned out to be largely devoted to driving. I went through Wellsboro's gas-lit streets to Ansonia so I could visit Pine Creek Outfitters and pick up a camping permit for the state forest. (PCO is allowed to issue them by the Tioga State Forest Office.) I arrived early, so I took a drive to Galeton, on Route 6, and spent some time in their town park.



I headed back to Pine Creek Outfitters, spoke with the woman at the counter, and had a permit for the next three nights at Bradley Wales Picnic Area, deep in the state forest and on the West Rim of the Pine Creek Gorge. I drove into Colton State Park and up the climb to the overlooks.



By now it was 10:30 AM, and I was getting tired. Fortunately one advantage of camping IN your car is that you can always crawl in the back for a nap. So I did just that... after driving to a parking area where I'd not be disturbed.

On waking up, I realized if I was going to be camping in the deep forest, I'd need supplies. Water, for instance. Also I wanted to visit my favorite place for lunch and explore PA's Bikw Route G, which runs from the NY border into Wellsboro and the Pine Creek Rail Trail. So I drove out, had lunch, stopped at a Dollar General for water, food, and other items, and then drove Rt. 287 to Lawrenceville on the border.

I'd planned to ride across PA north to south in 2011, and I'd selected Bike Route G as the flattest, but I was unprepared for just how little elevation change there was. I was reminded of roads in Delaware, except that on either side of the road were mountains. This is Bike Route G passing by Tioga-Hammond Lakes.



Supplies and exploring done, I headed back to find my campsite. After driving nearly an hour into the forest I came to Bradley Wales Picnic Area....



For a free campsite, it was wonderful. There were permanment pit toilets, spotlessly clean bathrooms and picnic area, and no one else around. I settled into the back of the car and dreamed of what I would see and do tomorrow....

No problems with the joints worth mentioning.
 
HI!
I took a bit of time away from the forum, but now I am back
I have FINALLY finished my marathon reading of your hikes, bikes and automobile travel!
Your pictures are outstanding and seeing all those rocky steep "trails" which are so prevale.nt in the Apps!
It was always my dream to thru-hike the AT until I did a section hike in ME. After 4 days hiking, bugs, mud, leeches, rain and falling over slippery rocks, I amended it to reading of others' travels!
The rocks of PA are legendary in AT lore. Usually I get jealous of folks out there hiking (my hiking is limited), but my feet KILL just looking at those rocks!
I am quite impressed that you are able to sleep in your car. I could never do it.
I have not had a great recovery.
I do not detect one bit of bragging on your part. I love doing my travel/hiking/biking through your posts and the posts of others who have done well. If a post makes me feel sad, I have learned to click away.
Keep on updating with your wonderful pictures and your travels!
I am caught up and reading!
Best,
Sandy
 
Look at you! That is soooo cool that you are out there doing these things. I hope that you are enjoying being out there and not discouraged because you cannot yet do more... Keep on going, and enjoying life more and more! and Thanks for including us in the travels... it makes me smile and think that maybe come spring I will be doing some hikes of my own
 
Neil, I posted the other day, but apparently, brilliant girl that I am, I failed to click Post Reply. Duh! All the pics are terrific as usual. I was particularly taken with the one looking out over the mountains with clouds covering the valley. So peaceful--an all's right with the world scene.

BTW, your crossing the "dangerous" bridge post got posted in triplicate. I have deleted the two extras---just wanted you to know.
 
I awoke early Saturday morning, and drove to the Bradley Wales Vista, a third of a mile from the campsite. I knew from past visits the fog sometimes burnt off early, and I was fortunate this time.



I was soon joined by a younger, fitter photographer. With the confidence of youth he climbed up on the fence to get a better shot.... and provided me with a nice photo as well.



We chatted as we took photos, and he led me to another vista a few hundred yards away. As the fog burnt off we both left, he north and I south.

I'd never been this far south on the West Rim before, so I continued to drive through the forest, heading towards Rt. 414 and the village of Slate Run. Once there, I headed towards my 2010 campsite at Naval Run. This morning I found a group of backpackers heading out and up the Black Forest Trail.



In the lower left hand corner of the photograph is the Naval Run Trail, which I hiked for a stretch until I came to a downhill and uphill scramble. I headed back to the car, and slowly drove up along the forest roads to Rt. 44, stopping for photographs along the way. In my roundabout way I made my course back north to the entrance of the canyon by late afternoon. I stopped at the Barbour Rock Trail, and hiked the 1.2 miles. I took the 'hiker's' branch on the way to the overlook and the "ADA" branch on the way back.









I then drove back to camp, ate dinner, and went to sleep with only two Tylenol to comfort me. Not that they were needed, since my knees were sore but not swollen.
 
Sunday I slept late, and was rewarded by an audience of backpackers watching me wake up. They were parking cars on either side of my metal tent. As if I didn't feel badly enough, one of them called me "Sir." I felt old, and not just because I was creaky. Fortunately by the time I returned from the bathroom the hikers were gone, and so was my old man attitude. I knew I was going to do something awesome today.

The night before I was flipping through the small library I brought with me. In 50 Hikes In Central Pennsylvania I came across a segment of a long hike on the canyon rim, using something called the Refuge Trail and part of the West Rim Trail. I headed towards the switchback trailhead and parked.





The Refuge Trail was described as "railroad grade" and possessing views of Colton Point. Well, the author was correct about the grade, but the views were completely overgrown. Still, it was a nice two miles on a cool morning.

I had to drive into town to get cell phone service, so I spent the rest of the afternoon at Tioga-Hammond Lakes and the surrounding area. I arranged to meet my friend Judy at the trailhead at Darling Run at 10:30 AM Monday. I then headed back to look for more vistas in the state forest. I found them, and spotted someone hiding. See if you can see him.



I settled down for a solitary night again at Bradley Wales, alone with my thoughts and my satisfaction. Today was the first time I'd hiked more than two miles in a day.... and once again, only soreness, no swelling.
 
Awoke the next morning to a fogged in vista:



I bathed and practiced photography before heading to Darling Run.



I met Judy at 11, and we were rolling south on the trail by 11:30. I was riding my bike Roark, she her trike. This was her first experience with the 64 mile Pine Creek Rail Trail, and it was my chance to show it off. We rode the most representative stretch, in my opinion - the ten miles round trip from Ansonia to Four Mile Run. This trip allows you to see both the outside and the first few miles in the canyon, and aside from lacking any sizable bridges it is as scenic as any other portion.







After riding and a trip up to an overlook so Judy could experience the canyon from the air, we headed west, then south to Elk State Forest for camping at Hicks Run. Judy set up her "mega-tent", a six person beast she takes to historical reenactments so she has some privacy when camping. With it she provided a cot, just high enough that I could get off the ground. Judy slept in her van as I settled into the tent. The rain began, and I wondered what tomorrow would bring, since the forecast was for wet weather all night and all day.
 
You are absolutely just getting better, and better, and better. It sounds such a wonderful trip and the scenery is amazing. I occasionally see deer grazing in the soybean fields near the edge of the woods late in the afternoon like 2 long city blocks from the back of my property. Yes, I spotted the someone hiding. Love the spider web pic. I don't particularly care for spiders, but they spin amazingly beautiful webs---which glisten like crystal in the early morning sun.
 
I've refrained from any attempt at history of Pine Creek Gorge or its rail trail, but I can't write about the second stage of the vacation without a trip back in time.....

[Bonesmart.org] The Historian - recovery diary

The Eastern Elk, painted "from life" by John James Audubon in the illustration above, was last seen in Pennsylvania in 1863, and is believed extinct. The state game commission imported a herd of Rocky Mountain Elk in 1913 to Elk County, and they've managed the beasts ever since. The herd now numbers 800 head, and most of them make their homes in the forests and fields around the tiny town of Benezette. The town and surrounding region hosts 75K visitors each September and October as the mating season begins, and the for miles you can hear the disquieting bugling of the males. The PA Game Commission maintains seven different viewing areas, and the largest, the Elk Information Center, was our first stop on a rainy car tour. On the way out Judy slowed so I could snap a photo of a herd from the car....



After visiting a couple of elk viewing sites, we headed out to Kinzua Bridge State Park to investigate the new Skywalk. The century old railroad trestle was destroyed by a tornado in 2003, but the remaining bridge towers are now deemed safe and make a splendid vista of the Kinzua Gorge:






As rain set in once again we headed west to Kinzua Dam. You can see what happened when I crossed a seagull upthread. From there it was the Jakes Rocks overlooks of the Dam and lake. The trail was longer and harder than either of us thought, but I carefully advanced over rain-slicked rock and wet leaves. I hid from the rain under this rock...



I was very stiff and swollen as I lay down to sleep that night. Still, I logged two miles of hiking in less than ideal conditions.....
 
Wednesday was clear and cool, so we headed to Brockway, to ride part of the Clarion-Little Toby Trail. As you might guess, the trail follows both the Clarion River and Little Toby Creek. The dozen miles round trip was marked by good conversation, adjustments to my bike fit, and the swinging rope bridge I've posted photos of. Both Judy and I crossed it twice. As hard as it was to work up the nerve to get across the creek, I had a harder time getting to the span. The trail featured a steep downhill and then these steps to get to the bridge....



Note that top step is nearly as high as my lower leg is long. Still, after a couple of minutes of trying to finesse it, I finally said the heck with it, and lifted my body weight on my left leg. The knee held. The old one would have buckled.

After the bridge adventures, we had lunch on the trail, and rode back to the car at Brockway.
 
Thursday Judy left me for her husband. Still, we talked all morning as she packed. As she departed so I headed out to spend the late morning and early afternoon sightseeing. I reached the elk viewing areas around Benezette by five, and I saw crowds, but few elk. Then someone tipped me off that at the Information Center the males had been bugling since early afternoon, so I headed over. I knew something was up when I turned to the passenger window and saw this...



The parking lot was full.



I had heard the cows were extremely habituated to people, but I was unprepared for this scene....



This sweetie seemed to relish the attention.... whenever someone showed up with a camera, she posed.



While she seemed unconcerned with the annual rites taking place a third of a mile away, most people had a little more interest. When you see the crowd photo below, keep in mind Benezette is the only place east of the Big Muddy to see elk in a more or less wild state. The crowd spanned the length of the trail and included a couple who drove down from Toronto to see the rut.



My camera, and perhaps my eye, isn't as good as Judy's, so my photos are lacking a bit of drama. Still. here's some of what the audience saw....





Note the bulls with their heads down... they had just finished locking horns. The photo below was the closest that bull got to winning the heart of the cow... and the closest I got to shooting ungulate porn. She wanted little to do with him. Watchers made jokes about her wanting "alone time" and playing hard to get. I suggested she wanted to delay fawn-raising until she'd established a career of her own, but all that remark drew was funny looks and people moving their kids away from me.



As night fell the crowd of watchers grew larger, and I left. I drove back to Hicks Run and crawled into the back of the car, tired. I had another couple of miles of hiking, and again little soreness. I was more fatigued than normal, however.
 
My last morning at Hicks Run ended quickly, as I was soon on the move. I drove to one last elk viewing site, saw no elk, so I moved on. I took a side trip to Hyner's View State Park, which consists of a glorious overlook of the West Branch of the Susquahanna River.



But the rain looming down the valley and the prospect of yet another night in the back of the car weighed on my mind. I was tired. I was dirty. I'd not showered in more than a week. I was sick of camp food. I decided I'd had enough and I could drive the remaining four hours home. And so I did, with one side trip to one of America's most famous modern ghost towns.

In 1962 a town of a thousand residents had its fire department conduct a burn at the town dump. The fire spread into an abandoned coal seam beneath the dump, and soon enough spread under the town. A decade later the fire still raged, and people began to become concerned. The mayor checked the temperature in the underground tanks at his gas station and discovered they were at 172 F. A boy had a sinkhole open under him and was rescued from poisonous gas by a cousin nearby. By 1981 Centralia, PA, was national news. A decade later, after legal delays and studies to determine if the fire could be safely extinguished, then Governor Casey used ED to condemn all buildings in the town and begin to buy out residents. In 2009 Governor Rendell began to evict the remaining Centralians... all dozen of them. That said, even though they no longer even have their own zip code, the Borough Council still meets monthly, and the legal struggle to save the remaining homes continues....

Here is a street in the town.









Stop sign near a cluster of homes of the remaining Centralians.



Cemetery on the hill south of town. In this case down is Hell, since the mine fire is beneath, and smoke can be seen rising from land on either side of the plots. Behind is the former PA Route 61, which was moved because the road was unstable.



A couple hours after my trip to Hell, I was home. I showered, ate, and began to upload 600 photos. My trip was a success, and not just because I hiked so far or rode so many miles. I think I can do things again, and that's what's most important.
 
One drawback to the trip... I discovered my infamous peach-colored Crocs no longer fit. In 2010 they were a loose size 13. Now they are tight to the point of being a second skin. And the right foot suffered pain in the toes thanks to the drop foot I suffer from. Now to research a replacement and hope I recover in that foot.

BTW, I chose peach because they were discounted, size 13 isn't that common, and a bright color is easy to find in a dark tent at night.
 
Rough animal count for the trip....

- four bears
- one porcupine
- more elk than I can count
- a dozen wild turkey, and one domestic one.
- several deer
- turkey vultures and hawks
- backpackers
- and one attack seagull.
 
Neil,
What a beautiful trip you had. Thanks so much for sharing with us, I almost felt like I was there too. Wonderful pictures for us to share. And so glad you are able to do the things you want to do and it will only get better.
 
Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us! I was a hardcore backpacker, until just about 10 years ago. After the knee, etc, hubby and I bought a motorhome so I can get back outside.
I have taken copious notes, and am planning to do a 'road trip' similar to yours. Only, I'll sleep in a bed, not have to pee in the woods, and have hot coffee 1st thing every morning!
I am very proud of your recovery! You are doing so well!
Peach crocs???:rotfl:
Thanks for the accompanying history lessons!
Sandy
 
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