FKT: Karina Gates - Pinchot Trail (PA) - 2022-10-27

I ran the Pinchot Trail in Pinchot State Forest in Northeast PA on 10/27/2022, beginning at the Pinchot Trailhead parking area and going north counterclockwise. This trail piqued my interest because I was looking for a looped trail I could complete unsupported in under 8 hours and within an hour’s drive from my home. This trail seems to be popular with backpackers but it doesn’t seem to garner a lot of interest from trail runners. The challenge with this trail is not the elevation but the terrain. There are some glorious runnable stretches, but the rocks, roots and wet terrain (esp along Choke Creek) makes it difficult to get in a good groove. The weather was perfect, a cool & breezy fall day with temps in the 50s. I ran unsupported carrying 1.5 L of fluid in my hydration pack. I got off-trail and had to backtrack once, missing a sharp right before Tannery Rd. For the most part though, the trail was well marked with orange blazes and I also had the route downloaded in Gaia. I was planning on a distance of 21.7 mi, total mileage ended up being 23.2.