An Ode to Tussey's Plants and People

 

One of the many views from Tussey Ridge

Okay this trail has truly proven itself as Pennsylvania’s “wildest” trail. Tussey Ridge has been reminding this hiker just what it’s like to hike in the mountains. And our mountains, that is. I have been sorely reminded over the last few days that the last long trail I hiked was entirely flat and never reached an elevation above 250 feet – the Florida Trail. I am out and about on a regular basis, but nothing, and I mean nothing, prepares you for hiking for days on end with a heavy pack, but doing just that. Tussey Ridge has had respectable steep climbs – and I’m not talkin’ switchbacks – straight on up. 

A climb onto Tussey Ridge

Sometimes carefully picking your steps over slabs of loose rock and sometimes forgoing your sticks to use all your limbs to climb. The top of the ridge is like a rocky spine, sometimes with long pointed vertebrae, other times with just a jumble of rock and you wonder if by the time you’re done, your spine might just resemble that: all misshapen and crooked. 

Walking along Tussey's spine

But enough with the hard stuff. Tussey Ridge is alive with plants. I foolishly thought that all this rock would make for a barren landscape. Quite the opposite. The plants thrive here – those hardy rock-loving natives and strangely enough, those adaptable non-native weedy plants too that one would usually only find down below amidst civilization. How on earth they came to inhabit this perch is unimaginable to me, considering I can’t envision people ever living atop this rugged cliff. My only theory is perhaps the many birds that frequent this ridge deposited seed collected from the lowlands. And the trees – oh the flowering trees – so many. So let’s get onto the good stuff: the plants.

My first long stretch on Tussey – 16 miles from Rainsburg Gap to the town of Everett – was by far the most vibrant. It was here that the non-natives truly ruled. However native trees also called this perch home and have persisted along the length of the ridge thus far. Garlic mustard was all prevailing – a weedy pest of a plant – it has the ability to not only claim space that our natives would inhabit but it also releases chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of other plants. Although, it tastes mighty fine. And for a hiker lacking fresh foods, it was pretty wonderful to just hike along and periodically pluck a flowering cluster from the tip of these plants. Garlic mustard is related to broccoli and before its flowers open, its cluster look just like a little broccoli floret. The whole plant tastes of garlic with a hint of bitter. Deelish.

Garlic mustard florets (Alliaria petiolata)

Then there was the chickweed. This stretch of Tussey was grassy and green, especially green after the steady rain that had come the night before. But sometimes there was more chickweed than grass. It grew like a carpet at my feet and around the bases of slabs of rock. Chickweed, as I mentioned in the last blog – and which I featured on my video with the Delaware Highlands Conservancy www.facebook.com/delawarehighlandsconservancy – is an edible non-native plant. One can eat any of the above-ground-parts. It is sweet and crisp and rich in nutrients that feed the glandular system. Medicinally it is considering a cleansing, cooling plant. It is also just what the hiker ordered when used topically for bug bites.

Common chickweed (Stellaria media) - a daily occurrence on the Mid State  Trail

Ground Ivy was prevalent as well. This non-native plant is a member of the mint family and its leaves emit a strong aroma when crushed. However, its fragrance is different from mint, unique onto itself. Leaves and flowers may be steeped in hot water for an infusion that is a powerful diuretic and also helpful in clearing the sinuses.

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

And mullein. How of earth did mullein find its way up here? This is typically a plant that enjoys roadsides, old pastures, and construction sites. It really like railroad tracks. When mature, this plant can reach six feet tall with slender spikes of yellow flowers, however I saw only the fuzzy rosettes (first-year plants) on the ridge. Their leaf arrangement truly is a rosette. Mullein’s leaves also make a tea helpful in clearing the bronchial passageways and lungs.

Mullein rosette (Verbascum thapsus)

But let’s get onto some of those natives. The non-natives diminished some as I made my way toward Loysburg. Two of the most prominent trees I spied along Tussey Ridge thus far were Serviceberry and Black Cherry. Serviceberry is presently in flower with long floppsy white petals. Come roughly June, this tree will bear sweet edible fruits that look like a reddish-purple blueberry. The trick is to get to them before the birds do.

Serviceberry (Amalanchier) flowers.

Black Cherry ruled the mountain for sure. Young saplings stood spry and flexible and mature trees stood stunted yet strong. The inner bark and twigs of black cherry were historically used in cough medicines – hence while so many of our cough syrups and cough lozenges are cherry flavored. The bark is a powerful anti-spasmodic and anti-tussive. But be cautious. Cherry contains cyanic acid (think, cyanide), and although the bark is safe in moderate doses, the leaves and pits are not and could prove fatal if ingested.

Mature, but stunted black cherry trees (Prunus serotina)

 Young black cherry leaves and immature racemes preparing to burst with flowers

And oh, the polypody ferns and rock tripe that called these giant slabs of rock home. I am not familiar with the uses of polypody fern if there are any, but it is a darling fern that perches in clusters atop boulders and in soil amidst rocky woods. Another name for it, most appropriately, is rock cap fern. In summer, its sori (which contain its spores) are particularly prominent and look like perfectly round, brown, fuzzy circles on the underside of the leaflets. 

Common polypody (Polypodium virginianum)

Rock tripe, on the other hand, is that lichen that looks like wet leaves on its upper surface and like anti-slip paper on its underside (like what you’d put on stairs). It is technically edible but it must be boiled to death and is really considered a survival food. Considering lichen takes so long to grow, it’s really better off left to be.

Rock tripe (Umbilicaria) - a lichen, which is not a plant but an organism that is produced from a symbiotic relationship between an algae and fungus.

Now an ode to Tussey ridge would not be complete without the very special people I have met in its valleys thus far. In Everett, I enjoyed a night at Tenley Park and was greeted in the morning by Debra Dunkle – long time Everett Region trail manager, although she's now passed the torch, or should I say the pickaxe. Deb was so sweet to sweep me away to Marteens for breakfast and she gave me a good scoop on what I had ahead of me. I also had the pleasure of meeting Jake, her 12-year old pooch, who adores a day on the trail. Thank you Debra for your assistance and company!

With Debra Dunkle at Marteens Restaurant in the town of Everett

While in Everett, I quickly learned that Sheetz is the place to be. I chatted with Renee who had helped out a hiker last year with a home-cooked meal and a place to shower. I also met Curtis, lifelong resident of Everett who just couldn’t figure out how on earth I was going to get to State College given the direction I was headed. He made for good company as I devoured my disgustingly large and incredible delicious cheesy burrito stuffed with tater tots – that’s right, stuffed with tots – and he had his evening cup of coffee.

Along Yellow Creek - a popular fishing spot - here, a man had come with his horse and buggy

 to do some fishing. Follow this gravel path into town and to the the Loysburg Mobile Home Park and Campground.

Loysburg, too, proved to be a lovely stopover. I hit some really good plants on the way down the mountain, but I'll save those for the next post. I enjoyed a stay at the Loysburg Mobile Home Park and Campground thanks to owners Randall and Gloria Smith. There I was blessed with a shower with hot water, a place to charge my electronics, and a lift from Terry to and from the Dollar General and Subway, which mind you, is up a very long, steep hill. Terry has been coming to this park for fifteen years to fish in the creek. I also met Audrey, who has been coming here since her children were little – they are now in their forties. It is these moments of kindness, conversation, and generosity that can make a day a good one. I was awfully tired when I rolled into this campground – and Everett too – but these seemingly small gifts from these kind strangers kept me afloat. Thank you, Randall and Gloria, Terry, and Audrey!

In the last few days I have gone from wearing all of my warm clothes to sunburned and sweating. Who knows what’s next. One thing’s for certain, Tussey Ridge continues.

Spring Flowers in the Snow: Our First Miles on the Mid State Trail

 

Bot, House the Cat, and Amos at the Mason-Dixon line - the trail's southern terminus

Thanks to the weather, we have had an epic start to the trail. What started as a brisk morning at home in Milford, PA, gradually turned into a blustery, bone-chilling day as temperatures plummeted. It seemed with each pit stop we made on our nearly five-hour drive, it only got colder. As we drove onward, too, the mountains only grew larger, until we were quite literally driving through tunnels cut through the mountains themselves. When finally we wound down a narrow valley road cradled between rolling green pastures and looming ridges, we could just about taste the trail, and when we reached an intersection on Black Valley Road with a sign that read: Welcome to Pennsylvania, we knew we reached the trail’s start. Scott, my dad, Amos, and myself spilled from the car. It was a quick goodbye due to the temps and poor lil Amos’ legs were shivering in the cold wind as I strapped on his modest backpack. I kissed my love, Scott, goodbye - a hard one for me given that we have hiked the last two long trails, the Long Path and Florida Trail, together, but I knew it would only be roughly a week and a half until I would see him again.

Hittin' the trail

As we walked PA 326 and turned onto a gravel lane, what I thought were flower petals from the blossoming trees danced on the wind, then I realized they were snowflakes. We dropped packs so that my father could dig out some gloves. As he rummaged through his pack, I took in the scene – a sweeping valley adorned with redbud trees in bloom and lime green smudges of trees bearing young leaves. Up the hill was a big ol’ barn and farmhouse, a Mennonite woman in a dress and bonnet walking through the yard. At my feet were the pink mouth-shaped flowers of henbit and those blue and lavender ones of ground ivy, purple dead nettle too. Spice bush flowered at my shoulder, its twigs wearing tutus of yellow blossoms. And, all around me the snow blew. A little tabby cat wandered up to us, rubbed up on my father and walked right on up to Amos, touching noses. A good omen indeed.

A fearless and loving tabby cat - a good omen indeed

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) - edible raw or cooked

Spicebush flowers, aka feverbush (Lindera benzoin) - twigs make a delicious tea, helpful in raising body temperature

That night and the next were bitter cold and we awoke to snow both mornings and wind that blew so hard that little piles of dry flakes had collected in the corners of my tent. Amos rocked it like a trail dog champ and kept warm in his jacket and sleeping bag (rated to 32 degrees) and we snuggled tight together. My father took to his hand warmers and every article of clothing he’d brought. He has a tendency to overpack – but this time he was grateful for it all.

Amos wrapped snug in his sleeping bag

The start of actual trail through Buchannan State Forest was lovely and free of the many rocks that I know this trail holds. The trail was a bed of dry dense moss lined with mountain laurel – Pennsylvania’s state flower and from what I have seen so far, could be deemed the Mid State Trail’s official flower too, although they have yet to blossom -  blueberry bushes with clusters of bells at their twig tips, and wintergreen were scattered throughout. 

Young blueberry leaves and flowers (Vaccinium)

Wintergreen aka Teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens) - so much to say about this one, let's start with edible minty-tasting berries

Walking along Tussey ridge was beautiful, the sun shone bright at least giving us the semblance of warmth, and the trail was grassy and wide. Sassafras trees lined our path, each one just beginning to burst with yellow blossoms. This is one of my favorite trees. It’s roots and twigs are medicinal, excellent as a diaphoretic and digestive aid, Native Americans considered it a blood purifier – an herb to enliven the body – and it makes one heck of a tasty tea. Sassafras is also one of our ol’ time rootbeer plants – a tea was made using sassafras roots and wild sarsaparilla roots, then sweetened with black birch syrup and fermented, and there you have it, truly root beer.

Sassafras flowers (Sassafras albidum) elegantly supported on twigs resembling a candelabra

Martin Hill was a doozy, however, and I wondered if I might be in North Carolina or Tennessee as I looked out at the layers of mountains behind me as we climbed switchbacks up the mountainside. Martin Hill is the highest point on the Mid State Trail – 829 meters (roughly 2700 feet) high – and, according to the guidebook, higher than any point on the Appalachian Trail from the Shenandoahs to Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. Impressive, indeed. Here we snapped some pics in victory and staggered about for a good bit trying to find just where the trail went.

View from Martin Hill - highest point on the Mid State Trail (829 meters)

Bot and House the Cat on trail on Martin Hill - how many 75-year old men could climb that beast!

A steep descent carried us into Sweet Root Natural Area – a stunning holler through which Sweet Root Run carves its way. Here, I found some of the largest witch hazel trees I have ever seen. The edges of the creek were rife with edible and medicinal plants as were its mossy rock tops – wild anise, chickweed, mayapple, violets, and liverleaf to name just a few. Periodically, like great guardians stood towering yellow birch trees, their snaking roots reaching out over rock and water. Mountain laurel persisted, as did spicebush, and then appeared rhododendron in the rockiest part of the creek’s path.

Liverleaf (Hepatica americana) - historically used in the treatment of liver conditions in accordance with the doctrine of signatures (the lobes of the leaf are shaped like a liver) - however there is no scientific evidence that it is effective in healing the liver. 

Chickweed (Stellaria media) - so much to say about this greenie too, but most importantly, it is delicious raw

However, at Rainsburg Gap, I had to reluctantly say goodbye to my companions. I decided this trail is wild indeed, and as much as I wanted Amos to carry on with me, I knew sections two and three were notorious for its gnarly rocky terrain. Scott came to swoop him up and my dad decided to go along for the ride and make some gear changes at home before returning to the trail. My pack has been filled to the brim with nearly a week of dry food and a couple cans of wet (every hiker’s nightmare), and although I bought some of that fancy dehydrated stuff, Amos wouldn't have it. I have learned, in fact, when Amos hikes, he requires wet or he’ll just go hungry and pout. So although, I will miss my companions badly, I will most certainly have a lighter pack! And, in roughly a week, Amos will return to me. At least I got another bonus visit with Scott.

Amos in Scott's truck - all ready to go home - he looks a lil bummed though, doesn't he?

Tussey Ridge, here I come! These next couple of sections are allegedly quite challenging, strewn with rocks and lacking water for many miles. But that's alright, I got this. Better that my men be safe at home anyway - I am certain none are all too disappointed to be missing it! Here's to discovering Tussey all the more.

A Thru-hike on Pennsylvania's Wildest Trail: The Mid State Trail

Amos, my trusty companion on this upcoming hike, at a campsite in our Pennsylvania woods

As many of you know, I have been in the throes of publishing my third book, Love and the Long Path. This book has been a project in the works for over the last three years. With all this time and energy spent before a computer screen, I thought it was high time to get my feet in the dirt again. I will be continuing to promote my new book, but from yet another lesser traveled trail.

The Mid State Trail's northern terminus on the border of New York

I am excited to announce I will be thru-hiking the Mid State Trail (MST) or what is also called "Pennsylvania's Wildest Trail" starting April 21st. That name alone was enough to lure me in! But it was while thru-hiking the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) and its six branches that I first learned of this trail. The Crystal Hills Branch which begins at the main Finger Lakes Trail in South Bradford State Forest, travels south, roughly 47 miles, to the northern terminus of the Mid State Trail. I remember well standing at that northern terminus sign on a dirt road and wondering just what it might be like if I continued southward. While hiking the FLT, I got to know Peter Fleszar, Regional Manager for the Tioga section of the Mid State Trail, and he suggested I look into thru-hiking the MST one day. The idea was alluring, especially given that this was my home state's long trail and the idea stuck. But with trails, like many things in life, you'll know when the time is right. Now is that time!

The Mid State Trail travels 331 miles from the Maryland-Pennsylvania border in Bedford County to the Pennsylvania-New York border in Tioga County -  smack-dab through the center of the state. But if I put that distance into kilometers - I may as well start now - its 533 km in length. This trail is the only long distance trail in the country that measures its distance, including its elevations, in metric measurement. Planning alone has been a mental exercise, but I've gotten mighty good at converting kilometers to miles by now. 

The MST is the creation of Tom Thwaites, a fervent supporter of the metric system, and began as a project with the Penn State Outing Club back in 1969. He measured this trail by pushing a Rolatape measuring wheel along hundreds of kilometers through the state and is the author of the guidebook that I will be using on this hike. In 2014, Tom Thwaites passed away, but his memory and trail lives on. The Mid State Trail Association, founded in 1982, is now largely responsible for the trail, and ensures its protection in conjunction with the Keystone Trails Association, PA DCNR, PA Game Commission, US Corps of Engineers, and about two dozen private landowners that allow the trail's passage on their property. 

Rocky trail - what I imagine the MST may look like at times, likely worse

I tuned into the Facebook page a couple months ago, when the notion to hike this trail really started to gel and asked some questions about terrain. Memories of boulder fields and hatchet-sharp rocks on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania were still vivid in my mind and I hoped that this trail would not offer the same. Well, according to the answers I received...this trail will indeed be a rocky one, at times on par with the Appalachian Trail, at least for roughly half its length. But that's not stopping me. 

The trail is also known for its tremendous views, its remoteness, and the likelihood that one will "see more bears than people" when hiking it. If the numbers on the Mid State Trail Association's website (www.hike-mst.org) are accurate...only twenty-nine people have hiked the trail in its entirety and a mere four have thru-hiked it. I suspect there are more, hikers who simply didn't certify their hikes, but probably not many more. The southern half is reportedly more treacherous than the northern half, so I figured why not start with the worse of it and gradually walk into more rolling, less rocky terrain. I hope, too, that by starting in the south, I will be at the height of spring ephemeral season and continue to revel in these plants as I head north. 

Painted trillium (Trillium undulatum)

Speaking of the plants, as I have on all my long-distance hikes following the Appalachian Trail, I will be observing and studying the wild plants - with a focus on those that are edible and medicinal - that call this trail home. I am excited for the abundance of wild greens to enliven many a boring hiker cheese sandwich or pot of noodles and flowers to spy and sometimes nibble as I walk. Spring is a prime planty time and it has been a long time since I have been on trail in this season. 

Chickweed (Stellaria media) and cheese, anyone?

As time and internet permits, I will be sharing my findings online here at this blog and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/thebotanicalhiker and at www.Facebook.com/groups/midstatetrailpa. I will also be sharing weekly videos with the Delaware Highlands Conservancy to share on their social media. Find them at www.Facebook.com/delawarehighlandsconservancy. The Delaware Highlands Conservancy provides land protection for the Upper Delaware River Region, promoting quality of life for the region's inhabitants from fish to fowl to four-legged and two-legged creatures. 

My father and I on the Appalachian Trail - Blood Mountain 

And I will be in good company and support on this hike. My father, trail name - House the Cat, will be joining me for about the first week and a half. My father, now 75 years old, joined me for many hundreds of miles on the Appalachian Trail back in 2008 and has walked numerous miles with me on other long distance trails to boot. 

Wise Man and myself on the Long Path

My love and life/trail partner in crime, Scott, trail name - Wise Man, will be with me for roughly two weeks of the journey. He would have loved to have set his sights on the whole trail but alas work, guitar-building projects, and music-making, is requiring him to not step too far from the civilized world. He will, however, be meeting me about weekly on the trail to help with resupply and brighten my spirits. 

Me and Amos

And here's the cincher...our four-year old, 80+ pound, coonhound, Amos Moses will be along for pretty much the whole trek. Amos lives for the outdoors. He is my trail running companion, joins us on every day hike and has got a number of overnights in a tent under his belt (and many nights in a tiny travel trailer). He will be a joy and a handful - he hates taking breaks on the trail and it takes until about mile nine for him to finally lay down and take a snooze while I take off my pack and eat a granola bar. But it has been a dream of mine, ever since reading A Walk Across America at 16-years old to have a canine companion on a long journey. However, because of Amos, I am not planning particularly long miles on this hike and I am prepared to alter my preconceived notions as needed. His safety is my primary concern.

 I estimate our hike will take roughly five weeks to complete. I am eager to more deeply explore the beauty of my home state and to know its hollers and mountain tops. It is said in a memoriam to Tom Thwaites, found on the Mid State Trail Association's website, that "He described hiking and the pleasure we get from being surrounded by and moving through nature, as an activity that reattunes us to our deepest selves." My sentiments exactly. I look forward, more than anything, to finding that solace that can only be found on the trail. 

Mid State Trail, here I come! I hope you'll follow along as I hike through our beautiful state of Pennsylvania.

Amos on trail in Pennsylvania game lands near home

 

Coming Soon: Love and the Long Path

 

At the southern terminus of the Long Path in New York City

I am delighted to share with you that my new book, Love and the Long Path, is coming to fruition. It has been a long path indeed. Writing a book about a trail takes far longer than hiking it. 

On September 4th, 2017, Scott and I set out from the West 175th Street subway station, our hearts filled with excitement and our stomachs churning with nervousness. This would be our first long hike together and my first long hike that wouldn't be largely solo. From city sidewalk to rugged mountain top, farmland and country road, we walked for thirty-two days, totaling 358 miles when we finally reached the official northern terminus in John Boyd Thacher State Park. By January of 2018, I started click-clacking away, putting our story into words. Thankfully, I'd kept detailed journals of our experience and taken many a photo, and when I struggled to remember, Scott was helpful in filling in the blanks. 

We met so many kind souls along the way who helped us in our journey, from fellow hikers to townspeople, and as we walked we were graced by the autumn's plants. More than once precious, cool weather, wild greens like wood nettle and waterleaf made it into a pot of instant noodles, and plants helpful in first aid, such as birch and pine, appeared when we needed them most. 

Scott and I sometimes struggled to work out logistics together. There was the time I totally miscounted the miles to a particular shelter and he was pretty sure I was trying to leave him the dust. On more than occasion, I could hear Scott's obscenities echoing over the click-clacking of his trekking poles behind me. But we worked through it. Scott earned his trail legs and I learned to chill out...well mostly. And a love that was still rather fresh between us, deepened and expanded. 

Animals crossed on our paths on many an occasion, most often at night when, from the confines of our tent, we couldn't see them but we could sure hear them. Spikey ones, furry ones, howling ones. 

The Long Path is alive in every sense of the word. It is rife with vibrant plants, maintained and crafted by those who hike it and love it, and still a work in progress. One day this trail will likely stretch all the way to the northern Adirondacks. Good thing my book is coming out before the northern terminus changes! And if compared to the big three - the AT, the PCT, and CDT - it may be a shorter long distance trail, but good lord, does it pack it in. There's no wasted miles on this trail. Every day offered reward and most days you'll have the trail to yourself.

So just when will this book be available? The expected release date is June. A book is a living thing, too, with many hands and minds that help to shape it - thank you to all those that have lent a hand or an ear in making it happen. 

The book (print version) is presently available for pre-order on this blog (see upper righthand corner) and on my website: www.TheBotanicalHiker.com. I'm offering it at small discount to those who pre-order here and those who pre-order will also receive an autographed copy! Once the book is officially released, it will continue to be available at my websites as well as Amazon and most major online book retailers. 

If you'd like a sneak peak at Love and the Long Path, those who are local can pick up the latest issue of Dirt Magazine. Check out the "Yonder" section - you'll find an excerpt there!

Here's to the Long Path!

Aqua blazes mark the Long Path's route