From: "Adams, Victor"
Date: 24 Apr 1998
Subject: The Black Forest Trail

I didn't keep a log, but here is a summary:

We hiked portions of the Old Logger's Trail. According to the people at the ranger's station that trail is much less used than the Black Forest Trail. After 40 minutes of driving on dirt roads (a treat in itself!), we arrived at a suitable parking spot. Although probably not as scenic, we didn't see any other hikers. The only disappointment came from the fact that large portions of the trail network are apparently active logging roads, so we had to look at acres and acres of slash-style tree harvesting. It was a bit depressing. A true clear cut would have been better I think, since they force them to tidy up a bit when they're done. Other portions of the trail were more like what I expected. I was surprised at how the little the trees were leaved out, much further back than where I am from in southeastern PA. We camped on a vista (can't recall the name of it just now) Saturday night. About 50 yards from our campsite, sat a porcupine in a tree, apparently sleeping (I believe they are nocturnal). He sat there, head tucked, oblivious to our presence the entire evening. We was gone in the morning. At about 4 a.m. on Sunday, the rain started coming down. Breaking camp in a cold rain left us cold, and our gear got soggy and heavy. We hiked down from the mountain, to my truck, and waited for the weather to break. There was no relief in site, so we decided to head home. It was still a good trip, though. Saturday night was great, calm with a spectacular view from the mountain. On the way home, we picked up a detailed map of the Loyalsock trail from a small general store, thinking that we might try it later this spring or maybe in the fall.

Regards.

Victor Adams