On Oct. 18 Kathy and I took Amtrak to Pittsburgh to start our hike, a 325 mile hike on 2 trails. We found the western terminus of the Great Allegheny Passage at 10.20PM and started our walk. By 1am we had found our way to Pittsburgh's south side. After crossing the Hot Metal Bridge Kathy decided we needed to get a room in the hotel right there. We had covered about 5 miles along an urban trail that was not easy to follow in the dark. The GAP isn't really ideal for hiking as the legal camping places are few and far between. Many nights we camped along the side of the trail wherever we were when it got dark. The trail is a rail trail so it's almost like a road walk, ideal for bicycling. Each day we were past by many cyclists, some locals out for a ride and some loaded down to do the whole trip to Washington DC or Pittsburgh. We did spend a night in a hotel, for showers and laundry, in Connelsville, in a hostel in Rockwood, PA and in Cumberland, MD. That's where the GAP and C+O meet up.About 100 miles into the GAP my left knee started hurting just when we were starting to get our trail legs. By the time we got to Cumberland it was hurting quite a bit. We spent 3 nights in a hotel there in Hope's my leg would stop hurting so much. It didn't but we set out on the C+O anyway. 2 days and about 21 miles later I had to call an end to our hike as the pain was too much. We walked back to a road crossing and I called a bicycle shop in Cumberland for a shuttle back to town. Then all that was left was a day of train rides to get home. A doctor visit, X-rays, and an MRI turned up a stress fracture in my left tibia bone. I'll be measured for a custom leg/knee brace next week. Oh well. I guess there won't be any winter hiking or camping for me.

I'll try to get some photos up before too long.

We did see a good amount of wildlife.
There were a lot of deer everywhere.
We saw 3 bald eagles, I consider that something special. We also saw and heard a number of hot owls. There's nothing like falling asleep to the sound of wildlife. As far as other birds there were a bunch of varieties, wood peckers, blue birds and more. One day while looking down the trail as we walked there was a group of 3 small raccoons walking in the same direction as us. We slowed down so we wouldn't catch up and scare them. They seemed interested in every stick and leaf they came across. It was a joy to get to watch them investigate their surroundings. Eventually they left the trail and headed down hill toward the river. Another day there was a flock of about a dozen wild turkey. There were lots of turtles, ducks, and some geese on the 20 miles of the C+O canal we hiked. Some of it has water and some doesn't.

rhjanes
I don't think I saw Mischief on the trail.

Scotty
The only 2 urban areas were at Pittsburgh, PA and Cumberland, MD and in both those places we were stayed in hotels. Along the rest of the trail there were a number of towns, some bigger than others. We camped between towns even though that isn't allowed really.

In the time we were out we only came across 2 other hikers. 1 who was hiking the GAP from Cumberland to Pittsburgh, 150 miles, and the other hiking the C+O from the town of Hancock to Cumberland, about 60 miles

I'm gonna try and post some photos............


Point State Park in Pittsburgh where 3 rivers come together. We started the hike at the beggining of the GAP at 10:20PM.


Leaving Pittsburgh's south side. it looks like a road because it's really a bicycle trail. Made for easy walking...until my leg bone cracked.


Breakfast under an overhang on a rainy day as we went through the town of McKeesport.



The Great Allegany Passage is a rail trail, but these rails were left in place.


The yellow building is the visitor center in the town of Boston, PA. We went around the corner to eat real food in a restaurant. Don't tell Matt_C.

The western end of the GAP was the route of the Pittsburgh + Lake Erie Railroad


Stealth camping along the trail

Geology that's very different than Long Island


Benches with a small table in the middle.


More geology called "mailbox" formation


Sunrise


An old railroad signal


An authorized, legal camping spot.

There was old, and modern, railroad infrastructure everywhere.


Remains of a hillside filled with old Coke ovens. What is coke you may ask. Well it seems that when coal is burned in a sealed oven it produces what is called Coke which burns very hot, hotter than coal, wood, or charcoal. This part of PA was the coke capital of the U.S.


The trail passed right through the middle of a KOA campground. We stopped in for a lunch of real food and found ourselves so full we didn't want to hike anymore that day so we paid of a site in their hiker/biker area.


Where the trail enters Connelsville. Right on the side of the trail there are a few shelters. privy, and a supermarket is just a short walk across a parking lot, so we resupplied.


The trail crossed any number of old railroad bridges.


Signs like this were at every town

I'm out of time, gotta go. Maybe I'll post more tomorrow.

Let's see if I can add more photos.


A river view

Beware of cyclists on the trail

Lots of rock hillsides the old railroads blasted through.
That black line in the middle is coal.

Through the tunnel we go. It was built in 1911.

A sign telling about the history of the area

A few days before Halloween

Wind turbines above where we camped 1 night.

The river wasn't always smooth and easy

The windmills made 2 different low frequency noises simultaneously. One was a wushing sound of the blades in the air and the other was a mechanical noise of the internal machinery . If I remember correctly a sign said the blades only turn at 16 to 18 rpm. That is then increased internally to whatever rpm the generator has to spin at. Neither noise was loud, but enough to keep me awake for awhile. It was almost like a vibration as I could feel it as well as hear it. I wouldn't want to live near them.

Scotty, I never felt unsafe but we never camped near a town, always in between. What TJ described above is the town/city of Connelsville. There we stayed in the nearby hotel so we could shower and do laundry.