MarkWhittaker.com

I spent about 2 1/2 hours at Moraine State Park this afternoon, despite the chill and drizzle.

I walked the Sunken Garden Trail, which is about three miles, and the Pleasant Valley Trail, which is another three miles. Both trails are near the southern entrance to the park and the park office.

The Sunken Garden trail starts off along the lake shore and then turns south toward Route 422 before winding back to the Pleasant Valley parking area. The PV trail essentially follows the same track as the road the circles the southern part of the park. Both paths are mowed and wide, and probably could be easily walked in sneakers. The Sunken Garden trail has a few mucky spots close to the lake. And both have some uphill stretches, but nothing too strenuous.

It was chilly — in the 40s — and drizzly so I made sure to layer. A nylon jacket I have kept me dry, and kept gloves and a stocking cap on most of the time to stay warm.

There weren’t many people around, but there were some. I came across three or four couples who were out walking their dogs, despite the gray weather. There was one unusual event. A park ranger drove up to me and asked if I knew the park closed at sunset and that there was no camping allowed. When I responded that I knew when the park closed and wasn’t planning to camp, he responded that when he noticed my knapsack he thought I might be thinking about camping. Uh huh …

This was my fifth consecutive weekend hike. I hope I can keep the streak going!

Because I am entertaining notions of hiking into and out of the Grand Canyon, I’ve started to get some hiking practice around here.

In late September, I went on a nine-mile hike at Moraine State Park with the fine folks from Venture Outdoors (see previous kayaking post). Then last Sunday, Oct. 12, I hauled myself out of bed and got to McConnells Mill State Park by 10 a.m. to tackle part of the Slippery Rock Gorge Trail. I put in five miles, walking along a short Hell’s Hollow Trail, then along Hell Run, and back.

Yesterday, Oct. 18, I went back to McConnells Mill and started at the opposite end of the park, along the Alpha Pass just north of the old mill. I trekked all the way to Walnut Flats and then back, about eight miles, I figured.

All three hikes wore me out. Both the McConnells Mill hikes were spectacular. The first was under a clear, blue sky, with the temperature somewhere in the mid- to upper 70s. The leaf colors were bright and beautiful. The second was a partly sunny day and much cooler, in the 50s. The colors were less vibrant, and leaves had started to fall. In fact, my quiet lunch break at Walnut Flats was occasionally interrupted by the thud of giant oak leaves landing on the water or on the rocks on the creek bank.

The toughest hiking was actually between the old mill and Eckerd Bridge. The trail is fairly flat, but parts of it are rocky and I needed to watch my step. It was especially tough on my way back because my legs were very tired by then. See the entire album of my photos here.

The signs at the Slippery Rock Gorge Trail announce that it’s physically demanding, so I was pretty proud of myself for doing as well as I did! I’m planning to keep at it, even as the weather gets colder, but I’m going to look around for some loop trails that are more like five or six miles.

I’m not in Grand Canyon shape yet, but I’ve got a better idea of what it will take to get there.