{"id":12052,"date":"2020-06-04T14:23:08","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T14:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=12052"},"modified":"2020-07-03T17:38:05","modified_gmt":"2020-07-03T17:38:05","slug":"notes-from-the-road-16-31-may-2020","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=12052","title":{"rendered":"Notes From the Road — 16-31 May 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NOTES FROM THE ROAD<\/h2>\n
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< more recent<\/a> | 16-31 May 2020 | older ><\/a><\/p>\n

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Quick Stop at Hickory Run…<\/h5>\n


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A visit to Bolder Field…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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31 May 2020:<\/strong> Left the Bald Eagle State Forest in the morning to begin the return to New York, but made an afternoon stop at Hickory Run State Park for a short hike around a favorite place. Boulder Field was very crowded (as was the whole rest of the park) as people were out enjoying the great weather. Did a loop in the forest surrounding the open boulder field where there are plenty of boulders in the natural woodland setting along the edges of the open area …
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Around Bald Eagle State Forest…<\/h5>\n


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Checking out more trails…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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30 May 2020:<\/strong> Another day of exploring trails in the northern and central sectors of Bald Eagle State Forest, with a few short hikes in between…
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Forest Camp off Spruce Run…<\/h5>\n


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Back in the woods for a few days…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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29 May 2020:<\/strong> Did some exploring around the forest roads and checked out a few Jeep trails before setting up camp in a nice spot off Spruce Run. Yesterdays thunderstorms left everything a bit muddy, and another round of storms hit just around dusk, lasting into the night. The storm meant an early bedtime, but near impossible to sleep with the whippoorwill outside continuing its call until around midnight…
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Somewhere Over the Rainbow…<\/h5>\n


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A stormy day ends with a perfect rainbow…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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28 May 2020:<\/strong> Last day at the Nature Inn was a stormy one. Spent the morning exploring “old road 220” and a hiking trail on the state game lands, and as the rain started coming down heavier it was time to watch the storms from the dry comfort of the Nature Inn terrace. Amazing rainbow a little before dusk…
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Quiet Hikes…<\/h5>\n


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Lesser traveled trails in the park…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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27 May 2020:<\/strong> With so many people taking advantage of the outdoors it is hard to find a quiet isolated trail, but there are a few good spots around the Nature Inn where it is possible to enjoy some solitude…
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Bald Eagle State Park…<\/h5>\n


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The view from the Nature Inn…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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26 May 2020:<\/strong> A heavy fog hung down in the valley by the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park in the morning, but by afternoon it lifted and there was a chance to get out and do some short hikes…
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On the Trail in Bald Eagle State Forest…<\/h5>\n


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Taking the slow road…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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25 May 2020:<\/strong> Broke camp at Reeds Gap State Park and headed to Bald Eagle State Park via some of the forest roads, with a few detours to check out some trails in the larger Bald Eagle State Forest. It was a beautiful day for exploring outdoors…
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Trail Repair Class…<\/h5>\n


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Learning trail expedient fixes…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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24 May 2020:<\/strong> An incredibly useful class for anyone who is leading trail runs, guiding trips, or doing remote off-road expeditions, the Trail Repair workshop led by Kyle Buchter from Offroad Consulting is a new advanced training offering. Designed to cover trail expedient fixes for some common types of mishaps the course also goes into useful “hacks” for getting a damaged vehicle back to the trail head or paved road…
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Early morning in Amish Country…<\/h5>\n


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Driving the backroads in PA…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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24 May 2020:<\/strong> Up early to get to AOAA for a trail repair class, and ended up behind a horse-drawn buggy on a narrow winding road that headed up a mountain. Not sure what the protocol is for passing in this case…
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Reeds Gap State Park…<\/h5>\n


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A wet welcome…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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23 May 2020:<\/strong> Heavy rains during the first part of the drive, with things easing up right around the Hickory Run State Park exit on I-80. The sun came out for a little while, and after arriving at Reeds Gap it stayed out long enough to get the tent up before the next downpour…
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Roadtrip Time…<\/h5>\n


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Getting back to overlanding…<\/strong><\/h6>\n


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23 May 2020:<\/strong> Set off for a short overland trip in Central PA, a first step towards trying to parse the “new normal” and what it means for vehicle-based exploration. Packed up the usual camp gear in the Jeep and set off on the familiar NY to PA route …
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PREVIOUS NOTES FROM THE ROAD<\/a> ><\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n
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THIS MONTH:<\/strong>
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\nThe Trail Repair workshop with the Off Road Consulting group<\/a> at AOAA is a great opportunity to learn field fixes and hacks to get vehicles safely back to the road or trailhead…
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COMING UP SOON:<\/strong>
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\nAll public events have been cancelled across the country including several of those that USnomads had been scheduled to participate in such as the Texas Rovers’ April SCARR event, the May Overland Expo West and the June Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival. The annual Jeep Safari in Moab is cancelled and all camping in the area is temporarily prohibited. International travel has been disrupted as well meaning our upcoming travel to Paris has been put on hold and even the summer Serbia trip to help with the plum harvest is in question…

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\nThe 5th Annual 2020 Ladies Offroad Challenge<\/a> starts on May 4th. Ladies will participate in a series of challenge tasks that are built to educate and encourage stepping into some unknown territories. The Challenge goes on over ten weeks with participants striving to “Do the Best They Can” at each of the tasks. Ten Participants from the Challenge will be invited to the very special Top 10 Weekend hosted by Charlene Bower…

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\nFor the moment the August LON Convention remains on the schedule, as we are hopeful that the situation will be such that the event can go on. So as of now the plan remains heading to Michigan for the Ladies Offroad Convention<\/a>, an action-packed, interactive 4-day weekend educating, motivating, and guiding for offroad ladies. The 4th Annual Convention will be held in Grand Blanc, Michigan from July 30th to August 2nd. Ladies will have many hands-on opportunities to gain all types of offroading skills, learn and engage with others as they share their stories with plenty of laughs along the way…
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ABOUT HICKORY RUN<\/strong>
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\nHickory Run<\/a> is a 15,990-acre state park spread across the Pocono Mountains in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. With 44 miles of hiking trails, there are a variety of experiences available, but the park’s most notable feature is the huge boulder field located in the northeast corner. The boulder field can be reached via a graded dirt road or by hiking the 3.5-mile Boulder Field Trail from the trailhead on SR 534. The field comprises about 720,000 square feet (16.5 acres) in area and the top of the boulder layer is virtually level with the approaching path. The largest of its kind in the Appalachian region, the Boulder Field consists of a gently sloping expanse of boulders occupying the axis of a small valley. It is surrounded by a coniferous forest with stony loam soils. The Boulders are between three and thirty feet in diameter and are hard, gray-red, medium-grained sandstone and conglomeratic sandstone from the Catskill Formation which forms the adjacent ridgelines. There are two widely accepted theories about the formation of the boulder field. One theory suggests that boulder-size blocks are generated from the fracturing of an upslope bedrock outcrop by alternating freeze and thaw. As boulders accumulate at the base of the rock slope, periglacial ice-catalyzed heaving and sliding transports them downslope during cold climatic periods to form boulder fields. The second theory says that boulder fields are formed by the exhumation of corestones initially formed underground by the action of spheroidal weathering on jointed bedrock. Later, the weathered rock, which is called saprolite, is progressively removed by erosion from around the corestones to expose them as isolated boulders. In time, these boulders are altered and redistributed by the accumulation of unconsolidated soil and sediment; freeze and thaw; and perhaps by periglacial action or glaciation during cold periods to form boulder fields. The presence of glacial erratics south of the area of the Hickory Run boulder field indicate that this area has been covered by an ice sheet at least once. The most extensive ice sheet to cover the area containing this boulder field occurred prior to 900,000.
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BALD EAGLE STATE FOREST<\/strong>
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\nThe Bald Eagle State Forest<\/a> is located in central Pennsylvania, across Centre, Clinton, Mifflin, Snyder, and Union Counties. Bald Eagle shares a common border on its western extent with Rothrock State Forest and on its northern extent with Tiadaghton State Forest. Five Pennsylvania State Parks are contained within the forest: Poe Valley, Poe Paddy, R. B. Winter, Reeds Gap, and Sand Bridge, as well as two former state parks: Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area (formerly Snyder-Middleswarth State Park) and Hairy Johns Picnic Area (formerly a state park known as both “Hairy John’s State Forest Park” and “Voneida State Forest Park”). Named for the famous Native American Chief, Bald Eagle, it spans the high, sharp ridges of central Pennsylvania and features miles of pristine mountain streams and numerous tracts of old-growth forest. Bald Eagle forest district lies in the beautiful ridge and valley section of the state. From the limestone-rich Susquehanna Valley in the southeast to the Allegheny Mountains in the northwest, the forest district is dominated by a series of sandstone ridges, some of which reach heights of 2,300 feet above sea level. The confluence of the west and north branches of the Susquehanna River occurs on the eastern boundary of the district, opposite the town of Northumberland. Many streams within the area originate in its forested ridges and flow in several directions, eventually emptying into the Susquehanna River. Public watersheds comprise over one-third of Bald Eagle State Forest, making the wise management of this land essential. The Bald Eagle State Forest was actually formed as a direct result of the depletion of the forests of Pennsylvania that took place during the mid-to-late 19th century. Conservationists like Dr. Joseph Rothrock became concerned that the forests would not regrow if they were not managed properly. Lumber and Iron companies had harvested the old-growth forests for various reasons. They clear cut the forests and left behind nothing but dried tree tops and rotting stumps. The sparks of passing steam locomotives ignited wildfires that prevented the formation of second growth forests. The conservationists feared that the forest would never regrow if there was not a change in the philosophy of forest management. They called for the state to purchase land from the lumber and iron companies and the lumber and iron companies were more than willing to sell their land since that had depleted the natural resources of the forests. The changes began to take place in 1895 when Dr. Rothrock was appointed the first commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, the forerunner of today’s Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a piece of legislation in 1897 that authorized the purchase of “unseated lands for forest reservations.” This was the beginning of the State Forest system.
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BALD EAGLE STATE PARK<\/strong>
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\nThe 5,900-acre Bald Eagle State Park<\/a> is in the broad Bald Eagle Valley of northcentral Pennsylvania. The 1,730-acre lake laps the flanks of Bald Eagle Mountain, surrounded by forests, fields, and wetlands. With two campgrounds, boating, fishing, swimming, the Nature Inn, and diverse habitats that are excellent for wildlife watching, Bald Eagle State Park is a great destination in the heart of Pennsylvania. The Nature Inn, voted the #1 Eco-Lodge in the nation, offers sweeping lake views, comfortable modern accommodations and amenities, all within the natural setting of Bald Eagle State Park. Everything in and around the lodge was designed with the environment in mind, so it all blends right in. Throughout the inn, one theme resonates above all others \u2013 Birds. From the bird tracks leading you to our front lobby, to the Audubon and Ned Smith prints in each room where binoculars and birding books encourage visitors to get out and observe the birds — including a nesting pair of bald eagles just behind the inn in Hunter Cove.
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ABOUT OFF ROAD CONSULTING<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nThe Off Road Consulting group<\/a> is led by Kyle Buchter a certified International 4 Wheel Driver Trainer (I4WDTA), with over two decades of experience in guiding, teaching and recovery. Based in central Pennsylvania, Off Road Consulting provides training, guided rides, mapping, trail design and layout, obstacle course construction and consulting for a client base that includes the automotive industry, military, law enforcement, and utility companies in addition to recreational enthusiasts.
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