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| View to Pine Creek Gorge from Hemlock Mountain |
My brother and I don't do a lot of summer hiking in Pennsylvania. We prefer the late fall, early spring and winter months for meeting up in his neck of the woods for big day outings in the commonwealth. This year, however, we wanted to take advantage of a rare, cool and breezy mid-June day with low humidity to do a hike in the mountains around Pine Creek Gorge and enjoy the seasonal blooming of the mountain laurel. The one downside to not hiking in early summer is that you miss out on the optimal time to see the official state flower of Pennsylvania. But, as we soon found out, peak season for mountain laurel is also peak season for timber rattlers.
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| Mountain Laurel on Naval Run Trail |
It took an hour and a half to drive to the trail, which is the absolute max amount of one-way car time for a day hike that either of us can handle. Fortunately, we still managed to be geared up and on the trail by 7:30 a.m. sharp. Unlike most of our hikes, which begin by ascending, this one starts with a long, gradual descent via switchbacks. The Naval Run Trail is a grassy trail with easy footing leading down into a pleasant wooded canyon. The blooming mountain laurel was aplenty on the higher elevation ridge top, then gradually disappeared as we lost elevation, replaced by large swaths of stinging nettles. However, this loop hike contains multiple ups and downs, so the mountain laurel would appear again each time that we climbed back up to the higher elevations. It's been a long time since I hiked Pennsylvania in mid-June. Keystone State forests are diverse and beautiful at this time of year.
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| Waterfall on Callahan Run Tributary |
At the bottom of the ravine, we connected with the Black Forest Trail which makes a long ascent to the top of Hemlock Mountain. On the sunny rocks near the summit, a timber rattlesnake warned us of its presence so we gave it a wide berth, admired it from afar and made note to keep an eye out for others. I was in the lead and thought that I was being extra careful to scan the rocky trail ahead. However, I must have gotten lost in conversation at one point and suddenly heard my brother exclaim "snake!" I whipped around to see another rattler directly on the trail behind me. I had walked right over him. I don't have a fear of snakes, but coming that close to stepping on a venomous creature six miles deep into the forest had me, well, rattled. Lesson 1 of the day. Pay close attention in snake season. Lesson 2. Rattlers don't always rattle.
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| Big Sky on Big Trail Scenic Road |
After Hemlock Mountain, we traveled along the ridge to a campsite, stopped for lunch, and then descended again along Callahan Run. At the bottom of the valley, three trails and several streams come together at a very nice campsite within earshot of a small, picturesque waterfall. We made note of the spot for future hiking trips and then started the second of the two long, unrelenting ascents of the day back up to the higher elevation lands of the blooming mountain laurel. At the top, we ran into two hikers traveling in the opposite direction and chatted with them for a few minutes about the weather, their route and other favorite hiking spots in Pennsylvania. After bidding farewell, we set off on the Big Trail Scenic Road back to the car and quickly lamented our one mistake.
Should have warned them about the rattlers.
Destination: Hemlock Mountain
Distance: 11.4 miles
Elevation: 2,080 feet (2,533 feet gain)
Route: Clockwise loop, Naval Run Trail to Black Forest Trail to Big Trail Scenic Road
Conditions: Sunny, 60 - 80 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Timber Rattlesnake x2
