Garlic Trail- a small dayhike

Garlic Trail is a small connector trail in Buchanan State Forest. It's a part of the Pennsylvania Mid State Trail as well as the Greater Eastern Trail-a proposed long distance trail that want to give hikers an alternative to the AT. It starts at a small pull off area on Rt 326 S. It ends at Sweet Root Road- a hunting/forest gated road within the State Forest. It offers many creek fords (14 I counted) I made a 4.7 mile loop that used Garlic, Sweet Root, Boundary Line trails with Blankley Road and Rt 326.
Start: N39*51.991', W 078*30.773' which will take you to the trail head at the confluence of two small runs. There is enough space for two vehicles here. As an alternative, you could park at the crest of 326 and walk to the trailhead. Wear colors during hunting season. This place is alive with wildlife of both the furry and bite-ee. Bears populate the area as well and the occasional snake, but it is teaming with ticks, as are most of the areas around Western Maryland. DEET is good. Very Very good.
Start- ford the creek x 2 and follow the orange blazes. The surface is rocky and wet.
   0.35m- ford creek
   0.50- ford creek
   0.57- ford creek
   0.66,0.74, 0.88- all creek fords, at 0.88 there is a large tree down- skirt left to get around.
   ford the creek again at 0.94, and four more times around 1.11m. By this time, you should notice the creek is shrank to almost its source and it little more than a trickle. You leave the water behind and start treading on softer surface
  1.59- Garlic Trail ends at Sweet Root Road/trail. You could turn around and reverse here, but to make a loop, turn right and start up hill. Sweet Root Road is a gated forest road that was built in the days Buchanan was forested nearly bare. It provided access for hunters now.
   2.29- You can see Blankley Road and the gate from here, but turn right at the trailhead to Boundary Line Trail for a bit more woods. the path is straight and packed dirt. A few trees are down here as the winds this winter were something fierce.
   2.52- the trail turns left and begins a small uphill trend.
   2.81- arrive at Blankley Road gate and turn left. Notice there is another gated road across from here. That is Shaffer Road and we'll talk about it  on another hike.
   3.12- Overlook facing SE. It looks out over farmland and almost Centerville (home of Mom's One Stop and the awesome Will's Mountain Burger- yes it's a shameless plug. They have homemade cakes and gobs too- don't miss it)
   3.63- another overlook , this one facing SE. If you listen, you can here the creek you forded a billion times below you.
   4.06- Rt 326. You are across from the parking lot I mentioned earlier. turn right and head down the mountain. Wood trucks and construction crews populate the road here a good bit, so stay off the main road and on the side as well as you can- there are places where the shoulder is nearly or non-existant.
   4.66- back to your waiting vehicular containment unit. Applaud yourself on completing this easy loop. Notice across the road, the blazes continue up a hill and disappear. This is relatively new as a part of the Mid State Trail and GET.

Awesome women

List of awesome women and the outdoors they care about

My wife is awesome. She puts up with my sarcastic ways so you know she’s got power beyond the ancients. I’m surrounded by women actually- both home and at work. Being a father of six girls has its fun .... sometimes...

When my wife and I got together, her kids had never been hiking, didn’t know what a rail trail was, had never faced certain death sled riding down a hill on a metal circle, never gone geocaching.

Now, after six years, they live to get outside. The youngest of them, number six, was barely two when  I applied for the job of Dad. We owned the outside. We slid into huge piles of leaves. We searched for every shell we could find. We made the coolest pine cone feeders. We laughed at squirrels getting into the bird seed. The we showed her geocaching.

“You mean people just leave stuff places? “

We started hiking along the Elkala trail beside the resort at Blackwater Falls. We had already introduced her to hiking by then, and even at three, she was up to a mile ... almost.( the last few get were always on my shoulders, not that I minded...) She was excited about her first Geocache. When we got to the GZ, not far from the soft roar of the small set of falls behind us, I showed her where to look for hides. Was it under that tree stump? No? How bout behind that rock... no? Hmmm... she climbed up a small root ball and pulled out a ammo cam bigger than her head. She was beaming. It was child triumphant. Her roar of , “I FOUND IT!” was said to be heard across the canyon and above the larger falls of the Blackwater. Eagles flew. Behind us another couple of young hikers applauded. I let her, and only her as her sisters watched on, pick a piece of swag to trade for the hot wheels she brought with her.
She chose a bicentennial Quarter. Then proclaimed it to be the best day ever.

She has gone with me to several hikes and Geocaches since then. She even earned herself a few Geocoins from Geo-trails we have done. They rest in a box she keeps on her dresser. Along with the shiny bicentennial Quarter she earned that day. She takes it out every so often and asks if I remember when she found it. I tell her yes I do. It was the best day ever. I get a warm gushy feeling when she beams like that.

I have a reputation of being a crusty hard ass- sarcastic, blunt, take no shit... but ever since that first time we peered out the back window to watch squirrels raid the bird feeders, she turns me into a jelly donut- just gooey inside. And why not?

Road Music: Run-Boss Gremlin

I'll Tell the World About You- Joe Walsh

No idea...until...

I've no idea what to write first. My original idea for this page was to publish some quick step by step directions for day-hikes in the area. Then I got the newest issue of Backpacker. The gear issue. Don't get me wrong- I look forward to Backpacker coming in the mail every month. Must be nice to test stuff in Spain, or Denali, or India, or Turkey, blahblahblah… I however cannot go to those places- I think that most other can't either. I'd rather talk a bout the places nearer to me and my family- Monongahela, Buchanan, Green Ridge, Allegheny. We camp at places Backpacker  never speaks of- smaller (usually) state run places taking a huge family tent and the contents of my storage bin. It's like a college dorm without the togas.(Is that still a thing?)


Then there's the gear...

Oh God, the gear...

Here's an example- for someone on a budget no less- backpack- $160, tent for two-$150, sleeping bag $109, sleep pad $70, shoes (not boots)$120, One set of clothes (layer, shell, pants, puffy) $330- trekking pole-$40, camp stove $23, pot to cook in $20, filter $20, sunglasses really- $58,

that $1100 in gear, not including food

I get that gear is essential, and should last awhile, but dude- My trekking poles are six years old, cost $12 and came from friggin Wallyworld. My go-to hiking pants were $20 max (and I got then buy two get one free) so forty bucks for three pairs of breathable, comfortable, and best of all- fitting my fat ass- hiking pants. I have nearly a dozen wicking shirts that together cost less than $50. Thanks Ollies and Goodwill. My boots cost less than this dudes sleeping pad, and as of this writing, have 300+miles on them.

I'm sure these new pieces of gear are great for those who can afford them...but look at the title of this page. I have six kids of varying ages, an awesome wife and two great mutts. I am Dad Bod shaped. I love to eat and it shows. I also love the pursuit of a good beer- and that also shows. I work 30-50 hours weekly at a job I've worked for 20+ years. There are play practices, dance practices, food, doctors, vets. If I paid that much for hiking gear, my wife might hurt me... not a fan of that idea.

I involve the wife and kids in as much of the outdoors as possible. This also costs. Though it's a cost I'm more than willing to supply.

So Not a fan of spending money on shit I can get for less than half the cost, I hike with family in tow, I can't afford international (or even intercontinental) trips, and … meh... I can post the other stuff later...

road music: Cut Me- S.Line

For Your Life- Led Zeppelin

Green Ridge State Forest
Monongahela NF
Buchanan State Forest