Photos: The TT, Northern End

c) Andrew Carter, 2022

There are about 100 miles of the Tuscarora Trail from Hancock, MD to the northern terminus on Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania near Carlisle.

At first, the trail follows the C&O Canal towpath for 8 miles, then local roads for several miles more, before turning back to trail and climbing Tuscarora Mountain in Pennsylvania.

It’s in Pennsylvania where the “fun” begins. That means at least 25 miles of hiking over rock piles spread out over the last 80 miles of trail, with the ratio of rock to trail increasing as you head north.

We’re not talking a rocky footpath, rather a rock obstacle course. Dangerous in dry weather, slippy in wet, absolutely scary in the snow. And yes, there was snow due to an April 18th snow storm.

I knew from hiking the Appalachian Trail 45 years ago that Pennsylvania could be rocky, but not like this. Part of the problem is that the Tuscarora Trail tends to stick to the ridge crest where rocks are the worst instead of slabbing along the side of a mountain where there might be fewer of them.

More important, there’s little to no warning on the TT website or in the TT guidebook where these rocky sections are, which is how I found myself on the rocks in the snow desperately trying not to break my leg.

I survived and made it to the end, but I would not recommend the TT in Pennsylvania to anyone. It’s the first time in my life when I was desperately happy for a hike to end.

C&O Towpath

The canal with water. The towpath beside it.
No water
Trees and brush in the old canal.
Dirt towpath.
To the right is the Potomac River.
Gravel towpath
Here, the canal (to the right) is a lake.
Towpath mile marker.
The C&O Canal is 184 miles long.
It stretches from Cumberland, MD
to Washington, DC.
Remains of a stone structure which
allowed a creek to pass under the canal.
Lock on the canal
The lock master’s house.

Trail Photos — the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

What a lovely trail.
Even in the snow.
But add blowdowns?
The trail on forest roads.
Now add rocks.
And snow.
Up
Down
A classic view of Pennsylvania rocks.
Yes, that’s the trail.
More rocks.
Watch out in the snow
Come on.
You’re kidding me.
This is dangerous

Views

A hang-glider launch deck.
In the the snow. There’s a state park
on the other side of this lake.

Shelters

The Tuscarora Hilton?
Definitely a room with a view.

Flora

Fauna

Yes, that is a porcupine.
He was huddled by the trail on a very cold day.

Signs

No Red Trail or Green Trail?
It’s always farther in metric.
This is all about hunting, which seems
to be a religion in Pennsylvania.
Don’t you dare hunt on my property.
The “Lincoln Highway” is US Route 30.
On my TT hike, I also crossed US Route 40
and US Route 50. US 30 begins in Philadelphia
and heads west. US 40 begins in Baltimore.
US 50 begins in Washington.

Odds and Ends

Snow
Me in the snow
My shoes at the end. 35 miles of road walking destroyed the right heel. Roots, branches, and rocks destroyed the toes of both shoes.
Me at the end.
Glad to be done, glad to be going home.

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Andrew Carter

I just completed a multi-year thru hike (MYTH) of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). It took three years. I hiked 1840 miles in 2021, 733 miles in 2022, and 122 miles in 2023. The only reason I had to hike in 2023 was a wildfire closure at the north end of the PCT in 2022. During the past two years, I've also thru hiked other, shorter US trails. I hiked the Benton MacKaye Trail (GA, NC, TN) and the Tuscarora Trail (VA, WV, MD, PA) in 2022 plus the Ozark Highlands Trail (AR) in 2023. I hope to hike the Long Trail (VT) next year and the Colorado Trail at some point in the future. Please note, all content on this site is copyright.

2 thoughts on “Photos: The TT, Northern End”

  2. I felt the same way after doing mahoosuc nothch, the arm and the so-called “trail” in southern Maine. Que the “Doors”, “Five to one, baby, one in five, noone here makes it out alive…”

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