The Clarion County Chapter of the North Country Trail Association held it’s December 2010 monthly hike on Sunday, December 5, 2010. In all 17 hikers and a little dog named Molly showed up for what turned out to be a beautiful hike in a very fast developing snow storm.
The Hikers For The Day
It was decided to hike a section of the trail through Cook Forest State Park. The chosen route was to walk from the Cook Forest State Park fire tower Northeastward to the North End of Forest Drive trail head. Standing in the Cook Forest fire tower parking lot, there was a light covering of snow on the ground and the wind was bitter when you were standing still. The consensus was to take the group picture during or after the hike rather than before so that the group could get moving down the trail and warm up. We departed Cook Forest fire tower parking lot at about 11:15 AM.
The walk between the fire tower and Route 36 was a prelude to the beauty of winter that we were to be treated to the rest of the trip. White, snow covered hillsides dotted with massive boulders, pine trees, hemlocks and snow covered rhododendrons galore was the story of this first section.
After crossing Route 36 and Forest Drive at the South End of Forest Drive trail head, the trek along the North Country Trail in Cook Forest State Park started off with crossing 2 bridges over Tom’s Run. After crossing Tom’s Run we found ourselves ascending into the famous “Forest Cathedral” while the skies unleashed ever increasing amounts of snow. The snowfall continued to complement the fabulous scenery already found along this beautiful section of the North Country Trail. In the “Forest Cathedral” the hikers saw monstrous hemlocks and white pines across a white landscape.
After descending from the “Forest Cathedral”, the hikers decided that it was time for lunch. Some ate their lunch by the memorial at the bottom of the hillside while others sat on the porch of the Environmental Learning Center. Everyone began to talk about how much it was actually snowing. Some hikers were not happy about the distance they would have to drive in the snow after being overjoyed at the views it was providing for the hike.
Lunch!!!
After eating, the hikers pushed onward on the last part of the trip. From the Environmental Learning Center, the trail follows along Tom’s Run. Hardwoods and Rhododendrons dotted the hillside above the hikers as they headed Northeasterly along the trail. This section includes a series of small bridges and a very wide trail from all of the traffic that the trails in Cook Forest receive in the warmer months.
Toms Run from bridge
Once reaching the bridge over Brown’s Run, a group picture was taken and the group pushed onward. Shortly, the group arrived at the awaiting snow covered shuttle cars. We all loaded up into the vehicles and took the trip back to the parking lot at the fire tower. That is when, for some of us, the “fun” began. On the drive out, some of the hike participants had trouble getting cars up a steep section of Fire Tower Road that had basically turned into a sheet of ice. To make a very long story short, after some planning, patience and a little bit of pushing and pulling, everyone was able to get up the hill, out of the area and on their way home.
It was a very beautiful day on the North Country Trail in Clarion County.
Some very good pictures by Tammy Veloski are available at: http://butleroutdoorclubphotojournal.shutterfly.com/1448
Hope to see everybody again at the next hike in mid-January.
