Hike 5 of 52

September 9, 2017

Hike: Pulpit Rock
Location: Hamburg, PA
Distance: 4.2 miles
Elevation: 928ft

My brother, TJ, and his girlfriend, Becca, came to visit for the weekend, so we decided to hit the trails on Saturday. We packed up our gear and Rue and headed towards Hamburg, PA. Sam and I have hiked Pulpit Rock/Pinnacle Trail 4 previous times and each time we never continued to the Pinnacle (2nd vista). We were hoping to do it this time.

The trail head parking lot was full as usual, but I snagged a spot and we laced up our boots, leashed Rue and dawned on our packs to hit the trail. The first section of the trail is a gravel road that continues to the top where an observatory sits on private property. The Appalachian Trail runs through Pinnacle/Pulpit Rock Trail, so there are often thru hikers along the way. We veered into the woods and onto the dirt trail. It’s a gradual elevation gain with some areas that are quick to gain. The trail is mostly dirt with rocks and boulders strewn throughout. Since the trail is used more, it seems to be well maintained.

I was having some breathing struggles with my asthma and my brother and Becca were hiking faster than I am use to, so Sam and I stopped a few times to hydrate and make sure Rue was ok.

Near the Pulpit Rock vista, there is a boulder scramble where you are walking up a hill of boulders then hike down it to a quick dirt path that opens to the vista. There were a few groups sitting on the ledge eating snacks and chatting. We sat back and had some apples and granola. A few younger hikers were laughing and a couple with a golden joined the vista crew. We took a few pictures and decided that, since we had a late start and took longer than we anticipated that we would head back down instead of pushing further to the next vista.

We took the gravel road past the Observatory, it becomes very steep at points and your thighs are engaged, however we veer off onto a Red Blazed Trail that makes it easier than being nearly horizontal on slick dirt road.

It was a fun and beautiful day, it felt like fall with the weather and occasional breeze. A solid 5th hike on the books.

Until next time,