Goal Training Hikes
Rachel Carson Trail Challenge Saturday June 23, 2018
This series of training hikes is intended to prepare you to take on the Challenge on Saturday June 23. These hikes not only help you build your endurance, but they also allow you to field test your gear. Your new shoes or pants may seem fine on your ten mile hikes, but only when you approach 20 miles over hilly terrain do previously imperceptible problems become incapacitating.
- Everyone is welcome on these hikes; you do not need to be entered into the Challenge to participate.
- These hikes are strenuous. The objective is to train you to be able to complete the Challenge within the allotted time, so leaders will be maintaining an average pace of about 2.4 miles per hour or 25 minutes, 18 seconds per mile (25:18).
- There's no need to notify the hike leader of your plan to attend. Simply show up on time.
- Please bring at least a quart of water (more if the temperature will be warm) and some energy snacks (e.g. Powerbar).
- Minimum unaccompanied age is 12.
- We will meet at the hike end point and carpool to the start point, leaving a sufficient number of cars behind to carry people back to the start when the hike is over.
- Although dogs are wonderful, please don't bring them on these hikes.
- All hikes meet at 8 AM. Plan for later hikes to take up to nine hours (including sign-in, announcements, car shuttling, and so forth).
- The hikes are free. A suggested donation of $3 per person may be given to the hike leader on the day of the hike.
| Sunday April 22 Harrison Hills Park Bobwhite to Bull Creek Road | Leader: Tirzah Griffin 206-265-1684 | 7.3 miles 03:01 duration | Climbing 1454 ft Descending 1685 ft |
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| We begin in Harrison Hills Park at the start point of the Challenge and meander through the park. Then we climb, and soon hit Burtner Hill, one of the more infamous hills on the Trail. The last 1.25 miles to Bull Creek Road is on road. | Meet at the parking area at the intersection of Bull Creek Road and Ridge Road. Directions: Take Route 28 to Exit #14 (Tarentum). Turn north on Bull Creek Road for a very short distance, turn right on Ridge Road, then immediately turn into the parking area on the right. Map | ||
| Sunday April 29 Freeport Road to Emmerling Park | Leader: Tirzah Griffin 206-265-1684 | 8.6 miles 03:38 duration | Climbing 1840 ft Descending 1777 ft |
| Starting near the Springdale Veterans Association Hall in Springdale, we get in some road hiking and then come the hills, including Log Cabin hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. Then we'll end in Emmerling Parl. | Meet at the Emmerling Park lot. Directions: Take Route 28 to Exit #11 and follow Route 910 (Yellow Belt) west about 4 miles and turn right on Cove Run Road. Travel about 0.5 mile to park entrance on the right. Map | ||
| Sunday May 6 Bull Creek Road to Freeport Road | Leader: Tirzah Griffin 206-265-1684 | 8.9 miles 04:04 duration | Climbing 2407 ft Descending 2450 ft |
| On this hike we start at the Bull Creek Road checkpoint location in Tarentum and quickly encounter a steep uphill climb followed by even steeper ups and downs - including Crawford Run hill and Murray Hill. We pass through Agan Park and end in Springdale. | Meet at the Springdale Veterans Association Hall parking lot in Springdale. Directions: Take Route 28 to Exit #11 (Harmarville). After exiting onto Route 910 head towards Harmarville, turn left at the third traffic light onto Freeport Road and travel about 4 miles through 9 more traffic lights. The Springdale Veterans Association Hall entrance will be on your left just past the last light. Park on the far side of the lot. Map | ||
| Sunday May 13 Crawford Run Road to Emmerling Park | Leader: Doug MacPhail 412-606-5998 Tim Weese 412-310-7287 | 12.7 miles 05:27 duration | Climbing 2819 ft Descending 2739 ft |
| We start near the Sheetz in Creighton and head west where we'll encounter a plethora of hills: impressively steep Murray Hill, Agan Park, Log Cabin hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. Then we'll end in Emmerling Park. | Meet at the Emmerling Park lot. Directions: Take Route 28 to Exit #11 and follow Route 910 (Yellow Belt) west about 4 miles and turn right on Cove Run Road. Travel about 0.5 mile to park entrance on the right. Map | ||
| Sunday May 20 Log Cabin Road to North Park Harmar | Leader: Doug MacPhail 412-606-5998 | 14.3 miles 05:59 duration | Climbing 2944 ft Descending 2604 ft |
| This hike begins at the Log Cabin Road checkpoint location and covers Lefever Hill and Rich Hill. We'll glide through Emmerling Park, then through Hampton and Crouse Run and into North Park, ending at the Harmar Shelter, the endpoint for the Challenge. | Meet at the Harmar Shelter in North Park. Directions: Take I279 north to the McKnight Road exit and travel 6.4 miles north. Take the North Park/Ingomar Rd. exit east and turn right at the third traffic light onto Babcock Blvd., then take the next left onto Hemlock Drive, then left again into the swimming pool lot. Follow the perimeter drive all the way back and bear right. The Harmar Shelter is ahead on the left, behind the guardrail. Map | ||
| Sunday May 27 Eastern Terminus to Crawford Run Road | Leader: Tim Weese 412-310-7287 | 14.0 miles 06:04 duration | Climbing 3214 ft Descending 3617 ft |
| This hike starts at the eastern terminus of the Rachel Carson Trail, a part of the trail which Challengers never see. We'll hike through Harrison Hills Park, past the Bobwhite Shelter, then over Burtner Hill and down Crawford Run hill to Creighton. | Meet at the parking area behind Sheetz in Creighton. Take Route 28 to Exit #13. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right and in about 30 feet turn right again into a gravel parking lot surrounded by a low chainlink fence. Map | ||
| Sunday June 3 Freeport Road to North Park Harmar | Leader: Doug MacPhail 412-606-5998 | 18.9 miles 07:49 duration | Climbing 3743 ft Descending 3326 ft |
| On this hike we'll cover the second half of this year's Challenge course. Starting in Springdale near the Springdale Veterans Association Hall, we'll hike through Springdale then hit Log Cabin Hill, Lefever Hill, and Rich Hill. Then we'll stick the landing in North Park. | Meet at the Harmar Shelter in North Park. Directions: Take I279 north to the McKnight Road exit and travel 6.4 miles north. Take the North Park/Ingomar Rd. exit east and turn right at the third traffic light onto Babcock Blvd., then take the next left onto Hemlock Drive, then left again into the swimming pool lot. Follow the perimeter drive all the way back and bear right. The Harmar Shelter is ahead on the left, behind the guardrail. Map | ||
| Sunday June 10 Harrison Hills Park Bobwhite to Log Cabin Road | Leader: Doug MacPhail 412-606-5998 | 20.7 miles 08:56 duration | Climbing 4659 ft Descending 4854 ft |
| This hike was specifically chosen to be the final, longest and most difficult hike prior to the Challenge. We begin at the Bobwhite Shelter in Harrison Hills Park and wind through the park. Once outside the park, we pass through a horse farm, then up and down hills - including Burtner hill, Crawford Run hill, Murray hill, and Log Cabin hill. We end at the Log Cabin Road checkpoint location. | Meet at the Log Cabin Road parking area. Take Route 28 to Exit #12. Turn right at the end of the ramp, then right at the stop sign onto Little Deer Creek Road (aka Russellton Road). Travel about 1.5 miles and turn right on Log Cabin Road. Park about 100 yards ahead on the right. Map | ||