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With
Maria getting heavier every week, this was the last "long hike"
for us
on the LT. Somehow, Mike later completed hikes of similar length and
worse elevation changes on the Black Forest Trail
when Maria was nearly three and weighed nearly 30 lbs.
Our starting point at the Long Ridge Fire Tower was not easy to locate
by car. The topo map indicated that we could get there by continuing
on Little Bear Creek Road for about five miles beyond the ranger
station
at mile 4.81. Hoping to avoid six miles of slow driving on a gravel
road,
Mike was successful at navigating a route from the vicinity of Genesee
Road
and Mountain Road not far from LT mile 15.41 and accessible from PA
Route
864 by turning north on a paved road at Huntersville, then left on a
gravel
road about a mile north of town but a little more than a half mile
before
the Y where Mountain Road splits from Genesee Road. This road made a
sharp
left curve nearly immediately, then continued past a T intersection on
the
left about a mile down, to a crossroad about 1/2 mile further. Turning
right at the crossroad takes you about two miles up a narrow steep road
until it ends at Little Bear Creek Road. At that point, we turned right
and reached the Long Ridge Fire Tower at the end of the road in about
1/2
mile. About 1/10 mile before the tower, the Red X trail RX-4
intersected
the road and continued along it to the tower. NOTE: The Red
X designation was changed in 2005. The trail is now blazed with
light blue circles
designating Blue trail B-3.
After parking, we continued beyond the tower on RX-4 (now B-3) for 0.35
mile
to its intersection with the LT at mile 13.53. Turning left on the LT,
we encountered an intersection with white trail W-2 at mile 13.08,
where
the LT turned left and began slowly descending into the valley of Big
Grand
Dad Run. At mile 12.54, we crossed the run at elevation 1820 ft, about
200
ft below our starting point. Following portions of the Big Grand Dad
Trail, Brushy Ridge Trail, and Little Grand Dad Trail for the next 1.21
miles, we
ascended 85 ft then descended 240 ft to Shingle Run at mile 11.33,
elevation 1660 ft. The next 1 1/3 miles consisted of alternating
ascents and descents that took us as high as 1860 ft before descending
to 1600 ft to cross Snake Run at mile 10.05. The lengthiest and
steepest climb of the hike then took us back up to 2040 ft in about 2/3
mile before ending up at the Red X intersection at mile 9.10, elevation
2005 ft.
This marked the lunch stop of this hike. For the return trip, Mike
plotted a route that stayed on top of the flat ridge to avoid the ups
and downs we'd encountered on the way. The LT topo map suggested
following RX-3
southward from LT mile 9.10 about a mile to a point where the trail
turned
right onto another trail. At that point, we turned left and followed
that
unmarked trail a little over 1/2 mile to an intersection with a woods
road. Turning right on the woods road, we followed it about 2/3 mile
where it
merged with RX-4, labeled as Old Barbours Road on the map, at a Y
junction. About a mile down RX-4, we reached the gravel road we'd
driven earlier and
completed the last 1/10 mile to our car parked at the fire tower.
Note: The side trails have been changed and this segment of RX-4 is no
longer blazed.
Of course, once
Maria got old enough to hike on her own two feet, then
long hikes became possible again. In October, 2006, Mike and
Maria rehiked this segment in the middle of a ten-mile hike which
allowed Maria to complete her last segment of the LT. When we
arrived at the mile 13.53 trail junction, we noticed that the Red X
blazes had been replaced with light blue blazes indicating Blue trail
B-3. Mike let Maria add her own entry to the trail
register at mile 12.54 near Big Grand Dad Run, well, actually he told
her what to write. "Today I finished my last segment of the LT
trail. Maria, age 11." The two of them stopped for a lunch
break near mile 11.75 and again for a snack near mile 10, to get some
energy just before climbing the 400 ft from Snake Run back up to the
ridge. The tree growing out of the rock near mile 9.75 was even
more spectacular now that it was ten years older and bigger.
Footnote:
This was the first time Mike took the bold step of following
an unmarked trail on the basis of the topo map. Aimee was not as
confident, but when we reached the gravel road via RX-4, she was
pleased we had short cut the way we did. Until then, even though RX-4
was marked with Red X
discs, she kept questioning whether we were going the right direction
on
it. Just short of 16 months old, Maria was able to identify the Red X
markers,
reinforced by Mike's singing of the Sesame Street song "X marks the
spot
... X marks the crossroads ... Two straight lines crossing over in the
middle
is the letter you must see to find the treasure or the clue ..."
Nowadays, with the unblazing of the former RX-4, a topo map is
definitely needed to follow the route we took in 1996!
|
 Mike and Maria at mile 12.54, October 27, 1996. The
arrow indicates the
LT makes a sharp left
at this point to follow and then cross Big Grand Dad Run. Maria is
alertly
staring at the water in the stream next to the tree. A mile plus of
hiking
is certainly enjoyable when someone else is carrying you.
|
 Maria found the hike both enjoyable and relaxing. At
mile marker 12, a half mile after the last photo, she was napping. The
only problem with sleeping in the backpack was trying to keep her head
from bouncing as Mike walked. Leaning slightly forward usually helped
her lay her head on his shoulder.
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 What a peaceful view of a sleeping Maria at mile
marker 11. This time, she's holding her head at a diagonal to rest it
close to Mike's neck.
|
 A still sleeping Maria at mile marker 10. How much
longer could our luck hold out? Only a 15-month-old could sleep while
being jostled in a backpack for over two miles.
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 By mile 9.75, Maria had awakened and was once again
experiencing the wonders of nature while hiking the LT in Mike's
backpack. Here, the two of them are posing in front of a large rock
formation that has a full size tree growing out of it. |
 On October 8, 2006,
this was the first vista we encountered along this segment and probably
the best one. This view is to the right along the trail just
before reaching mile 13, perhaps mile 13.02.
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 Left:
At mile 12.54, just before we crossed Big Grand Dad Run, we signed the
trail register. Maria wrote in her own handwriting, "Today I
finished
my last segment of the LT trail. Maria, age 11."
Above Right: Maria
near sign at junction of Big Grand Dad Trail, mile 12.33.
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 Just after turning
off of the Brushy Ridge Trail onto the Little Grand Dad Trail, Mike and
Maria stopped for lunch in the vicinity of mile 11.75. Mike had
been promising a lunch stop for a few minutes as they had already hiked
over 3 1/2 miles. It was just a matter of finding a convenient
log for sitting.
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  Right: Maria
using stepping stones to cross Shingle Run at mile 11.33.
Left: 11 year old Maria poses at mile marker 11 on October 8,
2006.
Yes, she did notice that she hiked past mile 11 when she was 11.
Mike noticed that she was a lot more awake than she had been 10 years
earlier when she was 1.
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  Left: Maria
poses in front of rock formation with large tree growing out of it,
near mile 9.75.
Right: Closeup of tree taken from below at base of rock formation.
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