WHITE CHRISTMAS
Christy
and I spent Christmas this year with her family in Clearfield, PA. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to bring
the dogs this time. We left them with a sitter, but it was sad not having them
with us for Christmas.
We
drove up on the Saturday before Christmas.
The drive was a nightmare. I-77
was bad, and 81 was even worse. Traffic would be moving along just fine, at
70 mph, and then it would come to a sudden halt for no apparent reason. This happened a
bunch of times, and on one occasion the guy behind us had to swerve onto the
shoulder to keep from hitting us. At
that point I’d had enough. We got off at
the next exit and followed highway 11, which runs parallel to 81. 11 was a quiet, pleasant drive. We eventually got back on 81, but bailed off
onto 11 two more times before finally leaving it for good in Winchester,
VA. The rest of the drive was pretty
smooth, though the final hour featured some 2 lane roads that were partially
snow covered.
After
that drive, I was determined to sleep in on Sunday. We spent the afternoon visiting friends and
watching football. On Christmas Eve I
got up early to go hiking. There was
still some snow on the ground, and I wasn’t going to miss the chance to hike in
it. I drove over to Black Moshannon State Park, which is only 45 minutes away. I parked at the Six Mile Run Trailhead of the
Allegheny Front Trail. The AFT is a 40
mile loop trail in and around the state park.
I’d
hiked Six Mile Run twice before, and found it to be one of the prettiest
streams in Pennsylvania. On those
occasions I hiked downstream from Route 504.
This time I would go upstream.
I
arrived at the snowy, icy parking area around 8:30. I crossed the highway bridge over Six Mile Run
and picked up the trail on the far side.
I ascended some steep, slippery switchbacks and ducked through tunnels
of snow covered laurel. I then descended
back down to the creek. I stopped for
photos at a couple of spots along here.
The stream is a beauty, especially when the surrounding trees (mostly
hemlocks) are draped with snow.
Eventually
the trail left the creek and climbed up onto a hillside through hardwood
forest. A white pine forest followed,
the mature trees planted in neat rows after the area was logged many years
earlier. The trail worked its way back
to the creek, and crossed it on a road bridge.
I then crossed Six Mile Run Road, but paused to consider my
options. It was still early, but I had to
be back by 4 to get ready for church. It
was before noon though, so I pressed on.
I climbed up away from the creek, passing through more hardwood
forest. The sun made a surprise
appearance, and I stopped in a clearing for lunch. Once again I descended back to Six Mile
Run. I passed some beaver ponds before
reaching Six Mile Run Road once again. At
that point it was too late to backtrack, so I simply hiked the snow-covered
road 4+ miles back to my car. Along the
way I passed Wolf Rock Camp, and old CCC camp.
It was a particularly attractive area with a few cabins and summer
homes.
The
road walk wasn’t bad, and I returned to the car a bit after 3. I headed back, and we spent the rest of
Christmas Eve at church and visiting family.
Christmas Day was relaxing, but I did manage to squeeze in a 4 mile run
between opening presents and eating a huge lunch.
On
Wednesday the next storm system moved in.
We briefly considered heading home early to beat the storm, but
ultimately decided against it. It was
coming up from the southwest, and I was afraid we would get caught in it on the
way. We toughed out the storm as nearly
a foot of snow fell. Late that afternoon
I went out for a walk in it. My intention
was to walk the railroad tracks behind Christy’s parent’s house. The tracks make for a nice “trail” as they
pass through a lovely forest along Clearfield Creek. The driving snowstorm slowed me down, and I
made it only as far as the train tracks when I heard a train in the
distance. I waited for the train, which
arrived about 10 minutes later. By the
time it finally passed I was wet and chilled.
I headed back, eager for a hot shower and coffee.
On
Thursday morning I ventured out again. I
followed an old railroad bed behind the house down to Clearfield Creek. I then hiked upstream along Clearfield Creek,
before following Roaring Run upstream. I
was treated to some great scenery, as all of the trees and laurel were shrouded
in snow. I also spooked a large flock of
wild turkeys, but they scattered before I could get photos.
We
headed home that afternoon, eager to get our dogs and to spend some free time
in our own house. It had been a nice
trip though, and of course it’s always nice to experience a white Christmas!
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