Hike 41 – Ryerson Station State Park – 5.3 miles

Looking for another adventure together, my wife and I set out for the trail at Ryerson Station State Park. This trail is further from Pittsburgh than it appears on the map. I took almost two hours to get there, and what we got was hardly worth it.

The trailhead was easy enough to find, but the parking area was crowded due to a birthday party in the pavilion adjacent to it. Since we were obviously not on the invitation list for the celebration, we received more than a few odd stares as we unloaded our hiking gear and tried to contain our highly-excited dog, who apparently thought he was the birthday boy. Sorry, pup. Not this time.

The first loop of this figure-eight trail was fairly easy to follow. We progressed into heavy forest and kept an eye out for the “Wolf Tree.” There is a full-page illustration in Thwaites’ book of this tree, thought to be over 300 years old. It is so named because it was able to grow with no obstruction to the sunlight, and as a result spread its branches out in all directions. Well, we saw the sign, but the tree is no longer standing. So much for that.

There was a scenic view after less than a mile of hiking, accompanied by a bench for admiring the view of the lake below. After a brief interlude, we hiked on. The trail was pleasant and soon descended back to the river and meandered through a field until we crossed the Iron Bridge. Proceeding through the meadow, we reached the end of the visible trail. I searched in vain for the Pine Box Trail that the book directs the reader to follow, only to find nothing. Tired and frustrated, we retraced our steps to our car.

I was disappointed that we were unable to complete this hike as described in 50 hikes, but even more distressed by the number of ticks that we nearly brought home with us. My wife and I nearly had simultaneous panic attacks as we examined each other (and the dog) for the vicious bloodsuckers. Fortunately, the dog had been inoculated with flea & tick repellent – we had not. After de-ticking ourselves, we headed home – tired, unnerved and hopefully not infected with Lyme disease (we were not).

This is, sadly, my first negative review of a hike in Thwaites’ book. Perhaps the trail has not been maintained as well as it should. It is no joke that more volunteers are needed to maintain and preserve Pennsylvania’s footpaths. That being said, if you do decide to hike this one, late fall and winter would be best (to avoid the ticks) and stick to the first loop. Don’t let it get you down. I won’t

Hike on.