A Snowy Walk on the Appalachian Trail in Michaux State Forest

On Sunday, Michael and I got out with two friends for a relatively easy 11 miles on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania. We started at Shippensburg Road and hiked south to Caledonia State Park. Sunday was the beautiful: clear, mild (in the 30s), and a couple of inches of snow on the ground. We hiked north to south, which is probably the easier direction for that particular section. This little  section of the Appalachian Trail doesn't have clear vistas or amazing rock formations. What it does have is pleasantly rolling hills, tunnels of mountain laurel and rhododendrons, pretty streams, and few other hikers (at least in the winter). This is a hike for looking at the detail around you versus wide expanses on the horizon.

 Ice crystals on a rock.

A pretty stream near the northern end of the section that we hiked.

The Appalachian Trail at Birch Run Shelter.

Frost flowers along the trail.

Michael on the Appalachian Trail.

The afternoon light filtering through the trees.

Milesburn Cabin, which is owned by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (for those not from the area, they own a system of cabins that can be rented).

A rhododendron tunnel near Quarry Gap Shelter. If you click to enlarge you can see the white blaze on a tree in the middle of the tunnel.