Larry A. Smail's Blog

Box Turtle

The fog was moderate to heavy all morning. I was planning to go fishing in the back waters of Crooked Creek, but decided I needed a nice long hike.    

My destination was to hike the Baker Trail beginning at Cochran’s Mill and going until I decided to turn around. The Baker Trail is a trail beginning near Aspinwall, Pennsylvania and ending in the Allegheny National Forest. The trail is 132 miles long.

Turtlehead…a native flower.

The hike followed the hills and hollows near Crooked Creek for the most part. I walked along some very high cliffs through wetlands and big forests and  even along some township roads. These are all part of this section of the trail.   

The first wildlife specie I found was a box turtle. The reptile allowed for a few photos as I continued on. At several sites I saw deer. One deer, at least, sported a rack. The antlers didn’t appear to have been rubbed at all although this act of rubbing trees will occur very soon. I saw a lot of grey and fox squirrels. I, also, saw a rabbit and a Sharp-shined Hawk. I saw a bear on the trail, but the bear was in the underbrush before I could get a photo.

Crooked Creek

Eventually, the trail came onto a wetland area. The trees had been harvested and the trail was covered with much vegetation. The trail, at this point, was nothing more than a deer trail in width. Needless to say I was soaked from above the knees and my feet were becoming wrinkled like a prune I am sure.

Pine Run

Some areas has big oak trees and other areas has big pines and hemlocks.

Eventually, I came across several large trees down and blocking the trail. I elected to go down over the hill to Crooked Creek. I came onto this water near a site known as Robb’s Fording. This  site is not far from the actual Crooked Creek Lake and park. I decided to walk along until I came onto Pine Run and walk up the creek. Remember I am already soaked! I had crossed this run, earlier, while following the trail. Here I saw a Great Blue Heron and a Red-Tailed hawk.