Horse-Shoe Trail - Weaver Farm to Water Tank

Sunday, June 7, 2020

Hi Blog!

We've done several easy hikes along the Horse-Shoe Trail and felt it was time to buy the guide book and map set so we could explore further. With guide book in hand, the first thing we learned was that we were spelling the name of the trail wrong. It is NOT the Horseshoe Trial, it is the Horse-Shoe Trail. The two guys that started the Horse-Shoe Trail Club, Henry Woolman, a horseman, and Charles Hazlehurst, an AT thru-hiker, devised the hyphenated name "Horse-Shoe" to represent both the horseback riders and hikers that use the trail.

Started in 1935, the trail connects Valley Forge Park with the Appalachian Trail north of Hershey. The 140 mile trail, traverse five counties - Chester (33 miles), Berks (29 miles), Lancaster (27 miles), Lebanon (18 miles) and Dauphin (33 miles). As the iron industry in this part of Pennsylvania developed, many furnaces and forges were connected by trails leading through the charcoal forest. Portions of these trails survived and became part of the Horse-Shoe Trail.

We had always speculated that the Horse-Shoe Trail must pass somewhere near our campground. We had seen several yellow blazes on our coffee walks, but could not determine the exact route. With guide book, map and coffee in hand, we were able to set forth right from our rig. With a quick check on Patty the Patio Tomato Plant, Paul the Pepper Plant and Herb -- well, he's just herbs -- it was time to find the trail.

Of course, the whole reason for hiking is to stop and smell the roses. These beauties mark the entrance to Shady Grove Campground.

In less than a mile, we reach the entrance the the Weavers' Farm where the trail crosses Muddy Creek Road.

The trail follows their driveway along a grassy lane with a hedgerow on one side and a vegetable garden on the other. Not much is growing except for some berry vines; most of the asparagus has already been picked.

Leaving the driveway, we entered a mature woods. There was even an old tree swing if you were brave enough to try. There was a sign: "Use at your own risk." We decided not to risk it.  From the swing, the trail entered the woods:

All of the land on which the Horse-Shoe Trail traverses is private property. There are several tracts that have since been turned over to the state, but for the most part, this trail exists because the owners of these properties allow total strangers to use it. One must be careful using the trail in hunting season.

These folks have the most impressive hunting blind we have ever encountered.

The powerline easements offer impressive views down into the valley below.

One of the most disconcerting aspects of hiking this trail, is ignoring the No Trespassing Signs. We've spent so much time hiking out west where most of the trails are on public lands. When you see a No Trespassing sign, it usually has fine print that says trespassers will be shot! We just had to take it on faith that as long as we followed the yellow blazed trail, we could ignore the No Trespassing signs. So, we marched right through Dutch Cousin Campground and out the other end.

We felt better once we saw the sign pointing to the trail passage, even if it was spelled wrong. Here Dave is searching to see where the hyphen went.

After leaving Dutch Cousin Campground, we had a lovely walk in the woods between the properties of Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Huyard. As we reached the height of land, we named the knoll Huyard Hill. Along the way, we passed several of these beautiful trail signs.

It is a shame it's not berry season. These power line easements are just teeming with berry bushes.

The trail guide mentioned a sanctuary just off the trail to the right. We were not sure what this meant, but when we saw this little circular stone enclosure with a cross, we figured this must be it. By this point, we had reached the three mile mark and were getting hungry for breakfast. However, the guide mentioned there was a water tank just a few tenths of a mile further down the trail, so we put off breakfast.

The guide made us think we would be hiking right next to the water tank, but we actually had to bushwhack a short way to get this photo. We were sort of expecting something a little more romantic like the old style water tanks on stilts that we often see out west.

The sanctuary provided us pleasant sanctuary from the days heat. As we ate our bagel, egg and cheese sandwiches, a group of hikers passed us on their way to Adamstown (which is just past our campground the direction from which we'd come). We assured them that they would not encounter any spider webs for the rest of their hike. They thanked us and went on their way.

Breakfast tastes particularly good when you defer it to 10:00 am after 4 miles of hiking:

We were joined by this curious little fellow -- which started a fascinating conversation on how to tell the difference between a centipede and millipede. Millipedes belong to the class diplopoda, which in Latin means "double foot." The name refers to the two pairs of legs millipedes have on each of their body segments. In contrast, centipedes have only one pair of legs per segment. Centipede legs are also a little longer. We named her Millie the Millipede!

Before long, we made it back to Dutch Cousin Campground. This campground is smaller than our spot, Shady Grove Campground. It also doesn't have a pool or fishing pond. The one couple we talked to come each weekend to relax and get away from everything. We can certainly understand.

As we return to the Weavers' Farm, we noticed this trail marker by the side of the trail.

The recent stormy weather brought down a number of branches. Here is a beautify tulip poplar flower.

While we may not be able to hike all 140 miles of the Horse-Shoe Trail, we are looking forward to getting out and exploring different sections. Until then, stay safe my friends.