#52hikechallenge2018 Week 3
I got lost in Pinchot Park
For our third weekend hike of the year we chose trails close to home. I had to work in the morning and we wanted to be home and showered early enough to make it to our 5:30 pm church service. Therefore, we opted to trail walk with the dogs at Pinchot State Park near Lewisberry, PA.
It is ironic that I can bushwhack my way back to camp when in the middle of the Colorado Raggeds, and can find my way along marked trails in the Nationals Parks, but I have never successfully followed an outlined route in Pinchot. (insert thinking emoji here). Pinchot has only 18 miles of trails, each marked with a post that has confusing signage. Which direction is the new trail number: left, right or straight? And which way do I go when both directions have the same trail name or number? Am I to assume that if turning right and going straight have the same number, the trail must loop around to return to the point where I stand? I carry a map and compass when I am completing a long hike or weekend backpack trip, but not while walking in local parks. I planned a route based on the Pinchot Map but made many wrong turns along the way. Good luck following my actual route. I am not sure that I could recreate it without staring at my phone map for help.
All jesting aside, Pinchot is a lovely park. The trails are very well maintained. Many of the pathways are wide enough for me to walk with 3 of our 4 labradors side by side. The warmer temperatures and rain at the end of last week, followed by single digit temperatures caused ice in various sections of the trail. There were a few times when I barely escaped falling. At one point, the 3 dogs attached to my waist each slid in a different direction, and I miraculously remained standing!
Our hike
We started our walk on the Oak Trail, looped around the Pinchot Trail, trekked on the Old Farm Trail and ended on the Lake Trail, with a wonderful view of icy Lake Pinchot. Here is the link to the Pinchot State Park Trail Map. I suggest taking a glance at the map to recognize some of the trail names and then just get out there, walk and enjoy!
Maps of our day trek: All Trails Map
PDF version of the map
