Camping Season is Coming Soon!

And everybody is "gearing up", including Lucy. Yes, this is a dog size sleeping bag, and she loves it. Caveman of Ohio called me yesterday from Oil Creek State Park, where there is a very nice 25 mile backpacking loop that M and I did a few years ago. Temperatures were a bit cold for his liking, but luckily, it's one of those state parks that provides fire wood at the shelter areas. M and I are hoping to get out a little bit, once our finals are over. I know my parents are looking forward to star-gazing at Cherry Springs again this year. And Pete and Meg and Lucy already have several trips planned out for the summer. Especially now that I have been living in the city for a couple of years, I am eager to get out and wander through the woods a little bit.

The Pennsylvania state park system has ample car-camping opportunities, and many parks have such amenities as hot showers and flush toilets. If you would like to try out backpacking, I recommend Oil Creek and Raccoon Creek State Parks, which both have loop trails - I found Oil Creek to be a bit more challenging in terms of elevation. If you can do a car shuttle, the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Trail is awesome, and amazingly quiet except right near the road crossings. And no, I'm not saying you should attempt all 70 miles at once! The shelters are nicely spaced about 8-10 miles apart, and aside from about 6 miles at the southern end of the trail, it's almost all along the ridge, and not too intense in terms of elevation. Go before the leaves come out to maximize the views. And a word of warning, almost all of Pennsylvania's state parks are open to hunting, so exercise caution, no matter what time of year it is.

Anybody else planning camping trips or can recommend a favorite spot?