Route: Flat Rock Trail, Colonel Denning State Park (PA)

Submitted by Andes James on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 06:57am
Location
Pennsylvania, US
Distance
4.7 mi
Vertical Gain
1,318 ft
Description

Colonel Denning State Park in Newville, Pennsylvania is the location of this challenging, technical Up & Down. Colonel Denning wasn't even a real Col., he was a Sergeant. Pretty hilarious. These are some of the best mountain trails that PA has to offer, as it is part of the Tuscarora State Forest and the Appalachians. Beginning at the TH just before the campground, the FKT route is an out & back of the Flat Rock Trail to Flat Rock Vista (you must go to the lookout point.) *CAUTION* this trail gets very icy in the colder months.

GPS Track

Comments

FKT admin altered this route. it is not the route i submitted. what is going on?

i want to thank and congratulate Julia for setting the first FKT on this route. anyone who can get up&down that trail quickly in one piece is a really good mountain athlete and deserves to be recognized as such. awesome!

i submitted the original route for this FKT (w/ a different ascent route on the blue trail) along with my time more than a year ago, but was not validated as the admin decided the more popular, prominent ascent was a better route. i disputed the issue. FKT admin did not see things my way. they didn't see mountain the way i did.

my mental health had been declining for some time, through the pandemic and after my FKT not being recognized, things got worse and worse and worse and worse... after going inpatient for alcoholism and mental health issues during the second half of '22, my life is on the mend. i live closer to the mountains now.

Julia has inspired me to return to Col. Denning and i plan to crush Flat Rock before the end of June. i know it's a bit early to announce my plans, but i caught wind of Julia's FKT and just needed to post a comment on here and say something positive.

the Flat Rock Trail really means a lot to me.

it's all about the descent.

it's all about leaning in...

& letting go.

 

 

 

plan to make my unsupported attempt Juneteenth.