Warrior Trail - Pennsylvania and West Virginia

The Warrior Trail is a 67-mile long trail that crosses east to west, the south-west corner of Pennsylvania, and the northern West Virginia panhandle, starting from the Monongahela River and finishing in the Ohio River.

The trail runs from Greensboro, Pennsylvania on the Monongahela River in the east to the Ohio River in West Virginia. In prehistoric times it was used to obtain supplies of flint from the Flint Ridge area in Ohio and conduct commerce. From the eastern terminus at Milepost 0 on the Monongahela River the trail is generally east-west about 5 to 6 miles north of the Mason Dixon line, passing over 1-79 near the new Kirby Welcome Center. It extends 45 miles westward across Greene County to the border with Marshall County, West Virginia. In Marshall County it extends for an additional 22 miles to the western terminus on the Ohio. The trail follows the divide between watersheds. There are no streams to ford. It is blazed with yellow dots on posts and trees along the trail and on both sides of any road crossing. It can easily be located and entered at any one of these crossings.

Trail guide documents are available upon request; the guides consists of descriptions of significant points of interest along the trail and a series of detailed topographic maps. Information on contacts, access points, and shelters is also included. These guides were originally written in 1988 and was updated in 1999. For additional information, contact: Warrior Trail Association, P O Box 103, Waynesburg, PA 15370-0103.

Reccomended hikes:

1. park right next to the road going over I-79 where the trail crosses over. Hike east for about 11 km and back. Crosses wild sections in state gameland. Hike on sunday when there is no hunting.




2. Park very close to the West Virginia border, and hike west 10 miles and back. Terrain is forested and deeply cragged and sloped. Trail maintains even altitude by staying on the ridge line.






3. Park in Windy Gap church parking lot, then hike east for 5 km, to PA Road 3012 (I would not hike the next 3 km, since they are basically next to a road...)



4. Park in Windy Gap church lot and hike 4 km west and back.











Going West from the PA/WV border, and staying on the ridgeline separating the two water basins





Trip Report








from a newsletter:
I always wanted to see the 1852 tunnel in the valley below. The tunnel had been blocked closed when abandoned but that kids had knocked a hole into the block. Darn, I didn’t bring a flash light. I easily found the tunnel. It was a fine example of 19th century stone work with some 1909 repairs. I climbed inside. After looking around I realized that yes, there was light at the end of the tunnel. There was a hole at the other end, 1253 feet away. Tempting. After some hesitation I started through. It was pitch black in the middle and I couldn’t see my feet, but I figured that if I kept my left hand on the wall and felt for holes with my feet before stepping forward, I could inch my way to the other side. I made it about half way and I was doing fine. Then the water started. First it covered my boots. That wasn’t too bad. Then it was up to my knees. Cold but not too bad. And by now I was getting close to the end and I really didn’t feel like turning around. Then it was time to take my wallet out of my shorts and put it in my hat. But I was getting really close. By the time I made it to the exit hole the water was up to mid-chest and my legs were tingling. I was ready to get out. Brrr, but what an adventure! I popped out to a sunny day. I drained my boots and wrung out my shorts before eating lunch and heading home. I have thoroughly seen the Welling Tunnel.

Orienteering at Deer Lakes

A beautiful sunny day in Deer Lakes county park where the Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club had its September meet. The green course was 5.7 km long with 260 m elevation.

(but then, using Gmap Pedometer, the distance covered is being calculated to be 6.9 km. In fact, with the gmap tool, the "bird's eye" distance seems to be 6.1 km, and not 5.7 km as reported on the clue sheet given out at the meet. Later, with map at hand, and measuring with a ruler the distance, it seems to be 5.95 km).

The area where control 1 was located had several parallel streams. Placing the control on the second stream was a good idea to stump those that went looking for it in the first stream.
Control 2 was located at a stream intersection in a thick vegetation underbrush area. Followed the stream to the clearing, which I noticed didn't have any tall grasses or weeds, so ran across the clearing and went head-on into the underbrush, often zig-zaging in the vegetation and ducking my head under fallen logs and low branches. Stayed a bit high above the stream, and then, by intuition, started descending towards the stream, and got pretty lucky, seeing the control right away once I got to the stream.


From 2 to 3 simply climbed up the slope staying parallel to the stream and found trail, followed that to the control. Once passed the pipeline straight line clearing very close to the control, saw Dave Battista running back, towards me, and at that moment I thought he was either lost, or was running on a different course.
From 3 to 4 I followed a direct route, going straight downhill, and was met with nasty jaggers and really impenetrable cobweb of vegetation on fallen logs, trees and other flora debris. Sounded the retreat, climbed back uphill, ran level for a while, and as soon as I could see a "hole" in the vegetation downhill, went for it. Once reached the stream, gained the hill on the other side and got to the control. I later found out that Dave Battista was indeed on the same course I was, but he followed a different route (purple dots). Looking at that route, his was much better choice, avoided the jaggers, and stayed level without hill climbing.


From 4 to 5, went around the clearing (had tall grasses) and descended to the parallel trail below staying close to a reentrant nearby. Then, at the spur, left the trail and followed a spur going south, and while looking at the reentrant on my left, saw Dave Battista descending the hill. I then noticed the control was 90 degrees on my left, slightly uphill. Punched it, then ran downhill along the stream trying to catch up with the white shirt of Battista. He pretty much went on the route I intended: the paved footpath along the pond, and then between the pond and the parking lot. But as I was running and following, glanced at the map, and thought maybe a better route would be to stay on paved ground as much as possible for speed, and continue past the parking lot and to the corner of the fence around the playground, and from there, it would be a straight short distance crossing the creek and gaining the spur hilltop. That is what I ended up doing, and Diamond Jim was in the parking lot getting his mountain bike ready, and he saw me and warned me that "that is exactly the same route I ended up doing but I warn you there are some killer jaggers as you cross the creek". And indeed he was correct: with pain management in full effect, I forced myself across the tall grasses and thorny strands of whatever-plant-they-are-but-they-hurt, and quickly gained the other side of the creek and walked up panting and puffing to the top of the spur. Punched, and just in time when here comes Dave Battista, with a "where you come from?".
From 6 to 7, I followed a trail that often zig-zagged and sometimes event went downhill, and mentally directed myself to find a control that I thought was on the Green course, but instead was a control that I remembered from when doing the Orange course (green circle). I punched the control card, but afterwards realized that the surrounding terrain didn't look like what was shown on the map around control 7, and realized that I punched the card with the wrong puncher. So I ran uphill looking for 7, recognize the man-made object from a distance, and on my right, coming from 90 degree angle from me, the white shirt of Dave Battista came darting towards the control. He obviously followed another route, probably a better one (purple dots).


From 7 to 8, had planned before the run to follow a trail that I knew was pretty level, and that is exactly what I did.
From 8 to 9, again, stayed on the same big wide trail and once got to the clearing, went into the woods to find 9.
From 9 to 10, went uphill to find a trail that was going straight East, and followed that trail with numerous turns and intersection to the control (nice little cliff).
From this point on, I could not run anymore, my energy was sapped.


From 10 to 11, followed a trail for a little bit, then walked uphill in a underbrush vegetation to the summit where I could see the fenced water tank. Funny think is that I walked by the control, 5 feet away, and didn't see it. Then, stopped to consult the map, get my bearings and scouted the surroundings, and THEN saw the control, and I said: "I WAS THERE JUST A MOMENT AGO". Funny how orienteering is...
From 11 to 12, ran through the woods downhill to the stream below and then uphill, and ended up at the edge on a frisbee golf par. Followed trail, could see the opening up of the clearing and ran to it, punched.


From 12 to 13, crossed the clearing to the corner, walked in the woods with the thick grasses of a neaby stream, saw the evergreen trees, and the control around the spur. On the way back to finish, on the map it seemed logical to go on a straight line, but in reality it was much easier to go North a bit to where the stream bed is, and from there, cross the paved road and run across the open area to the finish.

Stackhouse Park Permanent Orienteering Course

Stackhouse Park in Johnstown, Pennyslvania, has a permanent orienteering course, prepared by the Western Pennsylvania Orienteering Club. A map can be picked up at the ranger station at the park entrance, and participants can go in the park and locate the signed stakes at the marked mapped features.

One interesting feature was a "stream split", as opposite of a "stream junction". A very small wet ground stream, probably fed by a perennial spring on a steep slope, was separated into two streams by a large tree, and stayed separated for the next 50 meters until they both joined the large stream at the below at the valley bottom.

ruin

spring

cliff, 1.0 m

cliff, 1.5 m

boulder, 1.0 m

a cliff nearby, 1.5 m

not a mapped feature, near a tree stand on the lower right corner of map