So we finally were able to pull away from our busy lives and head out to do some exploring/camping a few weekends ago. We packed up the truck and headed east towards the Allegheny National Forest in Warren and McKean counties. We had a general idea of where we wanted to stay but I had never been to the area so the challenge of finding a place to camp was in the back of my mind.
Headed east towards Corry, PA on Rt 89
After driving through Warren, PA the roads became less and less familiar. I was kind of driving aimless towards the last spot I had seen on my iPhone Google map and was headed towards Kane, PA on Rt. 6. Of course as one would know when you get out into the middle of nowhere cell phone GPS no longer works! And I had forgotten the paper map I had printed earlier in the day. So now the thought of the unknown was starting to sink in. Where were we going to be staying? Would we make it to camp in time? Once I got to Kane we got cell service back for a bit and I was able to find a spot on the map that I had camped at before called Tracy Ridge. Goal. We headed north on Rt. 321 and lost cell service, again. It was definitely time to install my Nexus 7 tablet with GPS. Next trip! We were really wanting to settle in somewhere and relax. We got closer to a National Forest campground and decided to check it out. It was entirely full. And not exactly what we had in mind. So back to the original plan of camping on Tracy Ridge.
We continued heading north, my adventurous side longing to explore every unmarked dirt path we passed, but I knew we needed to find camp. Sleeping in the back of the truck was slowly creeping into my mind as I drove for what seemed like forever. Eventually we came up to the Rt. 59 and Rt. 321 junction. Wait, I could've taken Rt. 59 from Warren and saved an hour? Hmm. Low and behold on the corner was a National Forest Ranger Station. Finally! A place with some maps. I pulled into the lot and grabbed every map of interest I could get my hands on. Now we were getting somewhere.
We found a sheet that listed dispersed camping suggestions off of forest roads and decided to try 176. So we were off! Turning onto the marked gravel road now all we had to do was find a good spot off the road. After only about 10 minutes and not seeing a single soul, she spotted a place on the right. That'll do!
We were starving and decided to make a quick dinner after we set up the tent. It was getting dark quickly underneath the forest canopy.
Quesadillas!
At this point we couldn't see much so we tried to build a fire but no can do. The awesome amounts of rained we had received over this summer soaked everything and it wouldn't stay lit. Scratch that idea! We decided the best thing to do was get in the tent and settle down for the evening. Just in time for the rain to start. And it rained and stormed the entire night. Finally after a long, sleepless night the morning came! We were able to see how awesome our campsite really was!
I made breakfast while she decided to try out the Helio to take a shower. I cooked up some spicy sausage, scrambled eggs, added some cheese to a tortilla and voila! Breakfast burritos.
After breakfast and a shower we decided to explore the creek. It was pretty awesome having that right in our camping spot!
Theresa checking out the creek
We washed up our dishes and decided to pack up the truck and do some exploring. The humidity was high and the flies started to become vicious.
Using the Helio to wash dishes
Truck (as we call him) getting loaded up
We took off and I wanted to explore some more of the forest roads
Theresa became an awesome navigator this trip
