Grass Mountain

Fall is such a lovely time to go for a hike, and if you're looking for a nice reward, without too much effort Grass Mountain fits the bill.

This is a shuttle hike, which made it ideal since I had a partner with a car hiking with me. We parked her car at Alan Seeger Natural Area and then drove my car to Penn Roosevelt State Park.

Park in the day use area of Penn Roosevelt and head uphill past the 4-H camp on Thickhead Mountain Road, a gravel road. After a bit you will pass a gate and continue on Thickhead Mountain Road, which is a forest road/jeep trail at this point. Have fun going up and over the "moguls", as she called them. They're actually runoff control for when it rains excessively, to keep the road from washing out.

The road makes a wide u-turn and at the point of the "U", look for Long Mountain Trail on your left heading uphill. (Red blazed)

This trail heads up the steep eastern end of Grass Mountain. It is a bit of a climb so take your time. The reward is that when you attain the top, you will cross a wide, grassy, gas pipeline. On the far side of the pipeline follow a short side trail 100 yards to a campfire circle and gorgeous view of Slate Ridge to the south.

After you've enjoyed the view, return to the red blazed trail and continue west along the spine of Grass Mountain. You will gently descend along a grassy jeep trail that is used to access the pipeline for inspection and maintenance. Be careful as you reach the lower end of the trail, it is part of a Penn State research area and many of the trees are blazed in a variety of colors. These are to code them for the researchers, and not additional trails to follow.  

This trail forms the southern boundary of Thickhead Wild Area. According to the DCNR website, "...these 4,886 acres provide an extensive, undeveloped area of mixed-oak forest. Thickhead Mountain Wild Area surrounds the Detweiler Run and Bear Meadows Natural Areas."

Staying on the trail, you will come to the gated junction with Stone Creek Road. Turn right and walk along the road to return to your car.

4.6 miles

689 ft. total elevation gain
2 hours 40 minutes 

Trying new things - Rock climbing at the YMCA

As we all know cross training is good for us. I love hiking, especially in the mountains of central PA, (rocks and all:).  With a big trip on the schedule for next summer, I've really tried to step up my training as we head into the winter months.   Nine weeks of weight lifting and cardio at the local YMCA are already in the bag for me.

Yesterday, the kids had a random day off from school, and I was looking for something to do to get my workout in, and get the kids to do something other than stare at screens. As I scrolled through the schedule at the YMCA, I saw a listing for Open Climb.

Well, I figured I could drop them off to climb and go do my workout. It all went as planned, I even got my poor, tired husband to come with us.

As I  dropped them off in the climbing gym I noticed that there were a number of women wearing the red and blue shirts emblazoned with "climbing instructor". They were all fit, confident and friendly. They wore their climbing harnesses with extra rope, carabiners and a sassy bag of chalk, and clearly were comfortable hanging around.

In the way that thoughts slowly percolate, and physical activity brings enlightenment, it occurred to me, why shouldn't I try climbing too? I mean, at my age, with two kids (one a teenager), I have a choice. I can either be the mom that sits on the bleachers holding the coats and water bottles, or I can be the mom out there, climbing the wall, trying new things, conquering fear. And with that, pumped from the workout, I made my decision about which mom I most want to be.

When I returned to the climbing gym, the rest of my family was at various stages of scrambling up the pitches available.

I stood at the back, not sure who to ask for help, or what to say, until my husband came back down, flushed with excitement and smiling. With courage I'd never had before, I told him I wanted to try it too.  An instructor happened by and within minutes I was strapped into a harness that didn't seem nearly complete and led over to the beginners area. He walked me through the basics and stepped back to allow my first attempt at a wall.

Now keep in mind, I can't do a pull up, and I've never been know for my balance. Yet, up I went. The instructor calling advice from the floor below. Miraculously, I made it all the way to the top. About halfway up I briefly thought about my fear of heights and my greater fear of falling, but I pushed through those fears, even to the controlled fall back down as I was belayed  (?) down. 

After a brief break, I tried another route, this time a corner.  It was more challenging, but I conquered that one as well. The instructor complimented me on using a more advanced technique. I don't remember what she called it, but basically I pushed off one spot to get to the next spot.

So now I'm hooked. I want to try more routes and learn more skills. Maybe even take a class, we’ll see.  And who knows, maybe I'll eventually add mountaineering to my repertoire.

In any case, I will definitely be back