cliff posted the route:
I'm not used to attempting records, but since after two minutes of Google searching I can't find any known record on the Old Loggers Path in Loyalsock State Forest, I figured I should post here to pronounce my attempt at finishing it (and thus setting the record).
Since the weather looks good for tomorrow (Nov. 26), I'll be heading out early to give it a go. My goal is ~ 5 hours, but since I've never been on the trail before, I'm not sure what I'll finish in.
For those of you not familiar, the Old Loggers Path is a 27.1-mile trail in North Central PA.
www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/recreation/hiking/stateforesttrails/oldloggerspath/index.htm
Note to area runners: the Old Loggers Path is an awesome place for a trail run. Most, if not all of it is runnable, if a little muddy. But plenty of water, some nice views, and the loop trail with a dividing forest road makes for a nice early out if you need one. This should be runnable in four- to seven-hour range for capable runners.
One further note: If you go, you should know the bridge out of Ralston off Route 14 is gone. To get to Masten and the trailhead from Williamsport, drive through Ellenton on state Route 1014, then take Ellenton Ridge Road in. You only have to deal with ~1 mile or so of a semi-crappy road to get to Masten. Note that the bridge connecting Masten with the other side of the river is also out...the only way to cross it is by foot.
Note that cliff attempted the route (11/26/2011) but stopped at 20 miles due to injury. Then, mwwarren01 reported running the route self-supported in 7h19m (8/1/2015). After that Scott P reported running it on 5/3/2016 in 6h55m. Unfortunately none of these people have given their full names.
Comments
Going to attempt Old Logger's Path tomorrow morning. Hope I don't get washed out with thunderstorms.
Gilbert Balliet and I will be attempting on Sunday 3.22.20. I ran it in 7+ hours in the heat of the summer two years ago with getting lost 3 times or so. Looks like the weather will be awesome and running it together should help. ~Kip
Kip, Sarah and I are looking forward to possibly seeing you and Gilbert out there. We've been thinking about giving this a go for a little bit. It looks like we were all keeping an eye on the weather and how to get outside this weekend! Have fun! Â
Tomorrow, 3-22-20, Sarah Morris and I will be making an attempt as an Unsupported Mixed Gender team. Neither of us have been on Old Loggers Path before. We're looking forward to checking it out! We'll be tracking our progress using our COROS GPS watches. We'll also have tracking enabled on a Garmin inReach MINI. This gives us a couple points of reference in the end.Â
Good luck. See you out there hopefully.Â
You guys too! Likewise!
Tomorrow on May 31st, 2020, Michelle Benshoff and myself, Jonathan Scovell, will be attempting the Mixed Gender unsupported FKT.
5:51:25 Independence Day, 2020.
Course is very runnable but is "chippy" with roots and rocks. Very hot temps and many of the springs/seeps were dry. Overshot a couple of turns where I was cooking on a logging path and zoned-out.https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/5188647520#
I took a stab at this a couple weeks ago and ran a 4:27, after blowing up around mile 23 and hiking it in. https://www.strava.com/activities/3873606199
The "traditional" way seems to be following the DCNR map, which goes CCW from Masten. This is probably un-reachable in the winter.Â
http://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=1741648&DocName=sf-OldLoggersPathTrail_fd20.pdf
There's a rhododendron forest on top of the plateau around halfway which slowed me down greatly - I often couldn't see my feet for all the bushes! Earlier in the year might be better for this course. It seems to stay quite dry for the most part.Â
There's some very fast running, but a lot of variety as well. I had no major issues following the blazes. A faster time is certainly possible, but 3:55 is no joke!