Black Forest Trail

I had a nice little 9 day vacation at the end of July and started it off with a backpacking weekend in central PA. My pal Matt and I made the boneheaded decision to begin the 5+ hour drive to the Black Forest Trail around 5:30 pm. We only had a vague idea of where the trail-head actually was, and when we arrived in the vicinity, it was well past 11pm and pouring. We waited out the rain and sought directional aid at a local establishment where we received the honor of meeting the town drunk, known only as “Dum Dum”.  (Thanks for the offer to stay at your house in outdoor bunk beds surrounded by wild turkeys, I am sure it would have been an unforgettable experience involving shotguns, whiskey, and gasoline fires,but we had a hike to begin – maybe next time Double D).

The rain let up just before midnight as we found the beginning of the trail. We hiked for a short while in the dark and camped out at the first site we came across which was right next to the flowing Slate Run. Up early and after getting off-trail a few times we made our way across the first stream crossing and onto the first ascent. This was a tough climb over 2 miles but we were rewarded with a couple beautiful vistas up on top of the ridge. We stopped at mile 3 of the BFT where there was a spring and refilled our camelbaks and took a break. We continued along the ridge and at some points the trail was overgrown with wild blueberries which were very tempting. Better judgment prevailed and I didn’t eat any.

At roughly mile 5 and again at mile 6 we got a couple spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. We ate lunch on an exposed ridge at mile 5, and things went downhill quickly from there (both topographically and otherwise!) A few bends around the trail from our lunch spot was where I startled the first of our six rattlesnakes on the trail. I didn’t see them as I passed by but you can not miss the distinctive rattling sound they make. Matt and I hurried forward and from there on out made sure to keep a much closer eye on the trail. The east timber rattlesnake (which I didn’t know existed in Pennsylvania until this hike) apparently isn’t lethal but a bite will still make you pretty sick. It wasn’t too much longer until I actually got to see a couple of these guys – I made a turn around the bend and was right on top of two of them! They looked like black unrolled tires but quickly coiled up and got into their striking positions. Matt and I booked it back the way we came as they rattled at us.

This is where things got goofy. The trail was very narrow, one side  a steep drop and the other a pretty slick vertical – no way around. The rattlers were also out of sight, right around a bend in the trail so we had no idea if they were still there. As we retreated, we came up with progressively funnier and stupider ideas on how to get by these snakes:

1) Climb into our sleeping bags (to protect our legs from bites) and hop on by them like it was a potato sack race

2) Bug spray + lighter = fire shield / clear the path

3) “I just want to get really drunk and run through and not care” – Matt

Luckily, cooler heads prevailed and we just waited a while and nervously rounded the bend to find the trail clear of snakes. This was a pretty nerve racking experience but looking back it was hilarious. At this point the trail begun to drop in elevation pretty quickly and we had to move forward slowly over boulders. I think this descent with a full pack was actually more difficult than the hike up. A little while later we came across a large pool of water near a small waterfall and hopped in to cool off and I felt immediately rejuvenated. One more strenuous uphill 2 miler and we reached our site on Chestnut Ridge – 10 miles out on the BFT. Of course, there was another rattler in the campsite that I offended while getting water, but at this point we didn’t care about them any more. It was late in the evening and a storm was rolling in.

I love thunderstorms, but after what happened on this night, I think I will be uneasy around them for a while. Thunder was rumbling to the north and west at distances of 5-10 miles, which was a little concerning considering we were on a semi-exposed ridge along the top of a mountain. I didn’t pay it too much mind as I ate my Chili Mac and Beef dehydrated meal (my favorite) until a lightning bolt struck the ground right in front of us!! I would say it was no farther than 50 yards away; the sound was deafening and we felt the energy/heat from the blast. Matt and I scrambled into the tent, I definitely had a panic attack, and placed our odds of survival around 50%. A couple other strikes sounded like they were pretty close, but after 30 minutes (which seemed like 30 years) passed the storm let up. I crawled out into the eerie yellow dusk, saw a hint of  blue sky in the distance, and finished my now watered down meal. A pretty bad night of sleep followed and we rose early to make our way back.

We covered the same ground on the way back in half the time. No snake sightings, fewer breaks. After 7 quick miles with 3 to go, we stopped to make lunch. No sooner than the stove was assembled, the beautiful weather turned gray and it started pouring without warning. We were up on a ridge again, and I heard some very distant thunder – too far off to be a problem, but I was done messing around with lightning. No lunch and rain gear on, I set a very quick pace as I wanted to get down to lower ground quickly. We made it back to the trail head in about 5 hours and had a very delicious lunch, climbed into the car, and headed home.

The Black Forest Trail (or the quarter of it that we hiked) was pretty difficult and I wish there had been more time to see more of it. I am definitely looking forward to attempting the whole 42 miles in the fall as it is a beautiful trail in a great spot. You can be damn sure I will be keeping an eye on the forecast next time.

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