by statesofminds

Created on: April 09, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

The darkness seemed oppressive, keeping me from finding the trail I needed. It was August in the Pennsylvania Wilds state park region and I was attempting to find part of the Qeuhanna Trail, which is a moderately sized but difficult rated trail stretching anywhere from 16-75 miles, depending on the exact path taken.

My plan had been to be dropped off by a friend at dinnertime, leaving me a couple hours of daylight to hike a few miles then set up camp so I could get a full first day's hike. I planned to hike about a 50 mile loop in three days during this adventure, so I had my work cut out for me.

Unfortunately, it took much longer to get there than I anticipated due to rough forest roads. The sunlight was fading too fast and we managed to miss the drop-off point, causing me to improvise. My friend was concerned about finding his way out of the maze of forest roads, so I found a compromising solution that would enable easy directions for my friend, but would require me to hike the road a couple miles to connect with the trail.

I thought I had packed light, carrying the minimum of lightweight equipment and supplies, but I also carried a heavy separate camera bag across my chest, which I hoped would help balance the weight of my backpack. I began to wonder if I hadn't brought too much crap before I even hit the trail-never a good sign.

The next bad sign I found was a trail blaze alongside the road; the blaze was fine, I could see it easily enough-it was the invisible trail that was the problem! Even after rechecking my maps and confirming that I was in the right spot, the trail remained elusive in the fading twilight.

Having few choices, I decided to cut across the forest in a direction that would take me directly across the trail. Obviously I paid close attention to landmarks along with the time and speed I was walking to estimate distance. Within fifteen minutes I stumbled out onto the trail-as wide as a wilderness superhighway! Feeling slightly foolish and wondering how in the world I could have missed this, I heard an animal a short distance up the trail.

Curious, I went to investigate, when I got another ominous sign-the animal stepped out of the thick bushes ten feet away, and I immediately recognized the distinct black and white pattern of a skunk!

I decided it would be best to backtrack a bit to make camp, and made a note to secure my bear-bag an extra distance from my camp! Even so, I had a couple inquisitive visitors that first night, including the skunk,

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