Overlooking Sinnamahoning, Elk National Park
Getting ready for TransGA........is a little hectic. I did not leave much time to prepare when I decided to do this, & along with actually getting some gear I need I also need to learn how to actually USE it!!
Enter the chance to do a nice, long, exciting overnight bikepack trip just west of upper central PA area...LOTS of forest here! yikes, I am pretty clueless but have wanted to try this out for awhile, so I gather up what I think I'll need and what I think I can carry, JP helps get my bike ready of course with some new parts and off I go. Leaving Friday evening for the drive & covert car sleeping just shy of the trailhead parking.
Wake up early to meet my weekend guide, someone I just recently met but has years of experience with bikepacking & is happy to show me some of the ropes. Chomp down our breakfasts while packing up our bikes, he looks over my pack set up being intrigued by the new fangle dangle way kids do things these days as his set up is very different....old school:-)
Our loop is set for 70+ miles day 1, primitive camp overnight, then 30ish back to the car day 2.
I really have no idea what terrain is in store, but overall it ends up to be a perfect mix of gravel forest road, old barely used but well blazed multiuse trail, big climbs, power line, train tracks, and a tad of pavement. Plans include 2 possible gas station stops if needed for emergency, but basically we had other options for getting everything we needed, including new water.
We start at Quehanna trailhead in Parker Dam State Park, head out through Moshannon forest, in a round about way we hit the valley into Sinnamahoning, up through Elk State Park, get camped, & the next day continue thru Elk back thru Moshannon, and back to Parker Dam. At Parker Dam there is sneaky access to some showers so it's a great start/end spot.
Along with the miles on day 1, there were a few stops along the way, including waterfall, some popular swim hole spots, & the Elk Lookout Overview. But the most important stops were for cool flowing springs that seem to be pretty prevalent. I learn how to sterilize the water using the Steripen option & glad to say I survived without getting sick on this first outdoor water trial!
Once at the overnight destination, I was a little freaked out. It was extremely wild, overgrown, and secluded. I was super nervous of snakes and whatnot, and bears smelling our food. The guide was not nervous at all, showed me how to tie food up over a branch, and the spot had a flowing natural spring (no pipe) for us to get extra water needed to cook dinner/breakfast. We eat a little distance from our sleep areas to avoid getting food smell near our beds. Chit chat & rest until dark, then time to check into my new sleep bivy. Now this is new, and a little different than I thought. My bivy choice is very minimalist, super light, it is basically a waterproof/breathable bag you put your sleeping bag right into & there is a little space for a few personal items inside.
Getting settled was fine, but once trying to actually fall asleep I noticed some issues which caused me quite distress and not a great night of sleep. I zip up the bag, intent on keeping any creepy crawlies from entering my domain. First as I am trying to fall asleep I am tired as can be, but can't relax. I try to tell myself I am just nervous, but I soon notice my breathing is very strained & suddenly I start to panic......I grope for the zipper & get it open...I NEED air! I take a few breaths of fresh air & feel better. Holy cow....I am getting clusterphobic!!! This has never really happened before so I am shocked. Now, the bivy does not have a screen option, so the only method to vent it is to leave the zipper open......this is something I have conflict with.....creepy crawlies!!! I struggle for what seems hours, getting fresh air, then zipping up, then trying to leave open just a few inches until I would get too scared then zip it up. Geez, I think i am not going to get ANY sleep in here!!
Then it really gets different, it starts to rain, slightly then harder, then a pretty hard steady pour. Well, time to test out the waterproof claims of this sack. Overall, the waterproof was pretty decent, the zipper seems to let a few drops in I noticed. The only actual fail was that again, to vent it and leave the zipper open the storm flap really isn't enough to keep water from entering so got a tad in when upzipping but nothing too awful.
The worser thing is when it rains it slams the bivy right down on you! No matter how you lay, the bivy is right up against your face!! And even if you have the zipper open, the crushed bivy blocks the air. Oh lord, so I struggle for hours again keeping a stream of fresh air coming in.
Suddenly I see some daylight beginning. Oh no, I haven't got a wink of sleep & the trail today is more singletrack & hike bike I really needed some good sleep!! Working my way out of the bag, it's still drizzling & attempting to keep rain out of bag while getting out is tricky. Also, it leaves you NO privacy for dressing, etc. Gee, who thought of bag idea!!! My guide is already up, dressed, tent packed, and starting breakfast. Oh brother, this is gonna be a long day!! I crawl to the breakfast area, get my hot water for some coffee & start munching bagels while changing and packing up. Again, in the drizzle so everything getting wet.
Finally, after some trouble with my new fang dangle bikepack bag, we are off to the long 10 mile stretch of multiuse, but barely used, blazed trail leading us through Elk National Park. We see no Elk. In fact, we see no wildlife except a bright orange newt & some huge hawks. The trail section is super cool, the uphills are hiking & our pace is slow with the walking and the heavy bikes. After a few more issues with my bag, & the guides instance of broken derailleur, we hit a small town and some pavement & the rain seems to let up. So, the home stretch!!! Gravel, gravel, gravel up through the next stretch of forest, & it's sweet to see the car and know a well needed shower is just moments away!!
Overall, my first wilderness bikepack was cool & fun! The riding felt long/hard for me but good practice. The forests sections were sweet, and I learned a lot already in just one day:
-if unsure where a good spring will be, always take the chance to buy a water when available!!
-before heading to final camp, rinse in a creek....otherwise you will die from your own stench!!
-get a bivy with good venting!!(if not minimalist, a 1 person tent is super cool)
-some extra things are well worth the weight-esp bungee/string!
So, busyness coming up, but hopefully someday again soon I can get in some more overnight trips and start to learn my way around better!! For now though, gotta go figure out a better pack & sleeping method for GA or I'm gonna die:-) Thanks Jeff L. for this trip, and a few pics are posted in the album here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=228051&id=621536207&l=91667abf33
