Solo Backpacking Allegheny National Forest

Fall is here! This was one of my favorite trips I have ever done for sure. It wasn't the longest adventure or the most breathtaking trail I've ever been on, but nature managed to turn this into an unforgettable experience.

Overall, this was only a nine mile overnight loop. I left work early on Friday and drove three hours to the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. I arrived about 90 minutes before sunset at the Morrison trailhead and knew I'd have to hurry to find a suitable campsite. There is a hike in/boat in group campsite about four miles in, but with the traffic at the trailhead I knew I didn't want to stay at a group camp. I also probably wouldn't have made it before dark.

Luckily, I stumbled upon a nice campsite about two miles in and called that home for the evening. I still managed to have enough time to build a decent fire and relax for a bit before bed. Day two of this backpacking adventure starts off with me sharing some new ultralight gear I recently purchased. I briefly go over my new Toaks 750mL cooking pot, BRS titanium stove and my new Sawyer Squeeze. For those who are wondering, no I am NOT replacing the Grayl!

Day two was awesome. It started off with some creek walking and we shortly ended up at the Allegheny Reservoir and the Morrison Campground. The lake was absolutely stunning and I stopped for a short snack and took in the beauty of the water and the changing leaves. The wind was ROARING but the windscreen on my microphone ended up doing a good enough job blocking it out.

Overall, the hiking is pretty easy here, but I started the hike out of the valley with a 1,400 feet climb. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching leaves rain down from the sky and being comfortably cool in the strong winds. The rest of the trail blessed me with some amazing fall colors and some large rock formations. Despite being short and not the most breathtaking trail, this ended up being one of my favorite backpacking trips ever!

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