Raccoon Creek State Park, PA Backpacking - Part Two

In part one, I had left off with our tired party just arriving at the Pioneer Camp area. Pioneer is located off of the Appaloosa Trail, which is what the Forest Trail is called once it crosses the bridge on Nichol Road. The spur trail for Pioneer leads you into an open area surrounded by different group campsites.

We dropped our packs and took a look around. Pit latrine, check. Water pump, check. Shelters... shelters... shelters... shelters... Since we didn't have a Simone handy, there was no one to explain to us where the shelters were. No obvious signs pointed to where they may be located. We looked, walked the perimeter of the camp area, we even wandered down a nearby path. Nothing.

Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

 (in case you didn't get the reference.)

Disappointed that we had not found the shelters we headed back to the water pump to top off our containers so we could snack and have some water before setting up camp. We huddled in a ring about the water pump. It was an old rusty affair, that at one time had been painted green, and it made an unearthly racket in protestation of being used. First I, then W and the brother-in-law pumped. Nothing. Pump-pump-pump. Nothing. We stood around looking at each other. What now? This site, like sites at Zaleski, was located on top of a hill. There were streams around and I did have a water filter with me, but it would be a long hike to get water. No shelters, no water. I was starting to feel the dread of a failed trip creeping upon me, made all the more acute by the knowledge that I was the one that planned this trip.

Ok... well the shelters were not a HUGE issue. Sure, W and I had not brought tents because we both figured on sleeping in the shelter, but my sister-in-law and her finance had their tent. I had a tarp, W had a Gore-tex bivy cover for his sleeping bag. The water was a bit more problematic, but still, there was water around, we'd just have to work harder to get it and conserve what we did have. W and I, having resigned ourselves to sleeping on picnic tables and making a long haul for water, picked out one of the group camp areas and started to unpack.

It was at this time that I needed to use the facilities. As I was exiting the latrines I noticed a small brown vinyl  marker with the symbol of a backpacker and an arrow upon it pointing toward the trail that I had earlier walked part way down in search of the shelters. Keep in mind, this marker really isn't on a trail, it's just planted outside of the latrines. Curious, I headed down the trail and kept going past the point that I had been before. Several hundred yards past where I had previously stopped, I spied through the bare boughs one, then two, then more shelters. Hallelujah!! One issue, at least, was solved.

I dashed back and gathered the crew and our gear and we headed off to claim our shelters. The Pioneer shelters are extremely nice. Again they are, like the bridge I mentioned in the last post, the results of Eagle Scout projects. The campsite is located in a bowel shaped draw below the ridgeline and is centered about a fire pit. Arranged around the bowel facing the fire pit are five, three walled elevated sleeping structures with tent camping sites located behind them. The structures for the most part are far enough from each other to give you an element of privacy. The fire pit has two picnic tables and a pole for hanging food.

We picked out the two shelters nearest the trail and quickly unpacked. W and I arranged our sleeping pads and bags in one shelter, the sister-in-law and her finance actually set up their tent in another. I didn't ask. Sometimes it is best not to.

Redundancy, because that is how we roll.

We were thinking about making a late lunch when we heard a clamor approaching from down the trail. It's a sound I was familiar with, having at one time been one of the clamorous myself. A scout troop with about four adults and a dozen boys came trudging into the camp.

This is where the reservation/drop box system showed its inherent weakness. We had picked the two shelters closest to the trail and it just so happened that one of those shelters had been reserved by the scout leaders. After a brief conversation and apologies all around, my group picked up our stuff and moved to another pair of shelters. By the end of the night all five shelters were being used. I was hoping that we wouldn't run into the situation where someone showed up with reservations for our shelters. I really didn't want to sleep on a picnic table.

Better than a picnic table.

We finally made our late lunch and gathered wood for a fire. The rest of the evening passed mostly uneventfully*. After a pleasant evening of watching both a crackling fire and the antics of the other campers around us, we turned in for the night.

I didn't mention it before, but Raccoon Creek State Park is not only just west of Downtown Pittsburgh, but it is JUST west of the Pittsburgh International Airport. Just so you know, you will hear airplanes. I was aware of them all through out the day and was concerned about sleeping that night. Either I was sufficiently tired, or the jets quit running because I don't recall hearing one all night.

In the morning we made a not so quick breakfast of cranberry pan biscuits. They were super good, especially with honey. We cleaned up and packed up and got ready to head for the parking lot. We conferred with the map and the female of the group. Since she had a rough time of it the previous day we decided not to abuse her by hiking back the way we had come. We found an easier looking route back to the car and after we filled up our water bottles at the water pump (The Scouts had informed us that the pump does indeed work you just can't give up on it. Thanks to their valiant effort and youthfulness and most likely a deep seeded desire to try and break the thing, they got the pump primed and drawing water from it was easier the rest of the weekend.) we started to walk the service road back to Nichols Road.

The walk out was much easier than the walk in. We followed Nichols Road back down into the valley and crossed the bridge where the Forest Trail turns into the Appaloosa. We kept following the road until it turned and started climbing out of the valley. At this point we picked up the Wetlands Trail. True to its name, the Wetlands Trail parallels Traverse Creek as it winds its way through a swampy area that is home to countless cattails and at least one family of beavers.

Traverse Creek and marshlands along the Wetlands Trail.

The Wetlands Trail eventually leads you past a small reservoir and dam before dumping you out upon the main park drive. We walked the drive back to the car. It took less than half the time to hike back to the car as it did to hike from the car to the campsite.

All-in-all I had a very good time on this trip. I felt bad that the sister-in-law didn't enjoy the first day's hike as much, but she survived and I was proud of her. I don't think this, her second backpacking trip is going to be her last. The other guys with me had a good time as well. I'm looking forward to going back to Raccoon Creek some time soon, possibly as a solo trip. I think it would be a good practice for doing other, more remote areas solo.

* There were a couple of events that occurred on Saturday night that I will relate in a future blog post. I did not include them in this post because they really have nothing to do with this review. They are worth mentioning though and my friends would let me know if I didn't embarrass myself by telling the stories. Keep an eye out for Raccoon Creek - Appendix A.