Today I hiked another 7-8 miles, this time on some of the trails at Raccoon Creek State Park, which is west of Pittsburgh in southwestern Beaver County.
The trailheads are a little more difficult to find that at Moraine and McConnells Mill, but once I got to my intended parking area, I managed to discover the entrance to the Forest Trail a short distance from the gravel lot. The Forest Trail morphs into the Appaloosa Trail, which I followed both toward the Heritage Trail.
And that’s where I got a little lost. The blue blazes were easy to follow for a while. The narrow trail follows a small, well-shaded creek that had the feeling of a small glen. But once away from the creek, some fallen trees blocked the path and I completely lost track of the blazes. I doubled back, and the last 90 minutes of my trek followed Nichols Road, a sometimes gravelly, sometimes grassy road that led back to my car.
Along the way back, I encountered a group of eight horse riders. Meaning it as a compliment (I think), one of the riders told me he hoped he was hiking when he got to be my age! I figure he was somewhere in his 30s, and it didn’t occur to me until about 10 minutes later that he was calling me “old!”
All in all, it was another challenging day. I left the house just before 10 and hit the trail a little after 11. I got home at 4, just in time to watch the Steelers lose to the Giants. The trail had its share of hills, but they were more gradual than along the Slippery Rock Gorge. My legs are about as sore as they were after last week’s hike.
Next weekend I’ll shoot for something a little easier just to change the pace. The path around North Park Lake is about five miles. That’s next on the list.