Solo Hiking the Black Forest Trail - Hammock Camping Trip - 3 Days , 42 Miles
Join me for 3 days of Hiking, Hammock Camping & Backpacking on Pennsylvania’s Black Forest Trail. GPS Data at www.sintax77.com
For this adventure, I’ll be doing a 3 day, 2 night solo backpacking trip in Pennsylvania’s Tiadaghton State Forest. The Black Forest Trail is a 42 - 43 mile loop (depending on where you park and start from) with a total elevation gain of 8,550′.
For an easier read, check out my full blog post here: www.sintax77.co...
GPS Data for this trip and many others can be found on my website's Trip Data Page. Includes full track data for each day, and way-points for campsites used / observed along the loop.
I also highly recommend the Black Forest Trail Guidebook and Map.
amzn.to/2MXpUSQ
I found the mile by mile information provided and overall quality to be great and very helpful.
For a detailed look at all of the gear used on this backpacking trip, check out my 9 lb ‘Stealth Backpacking Gear List’ post / video. • Stealth Backpacking Ge...
Trailhead Used:
Pine Creek Rail Trail Access Area behind Wolfe’s General Store - 41°28’15.6″N 77°30’05.8″W
Trailhead is on the other side of the auto bridge, behind the Hotel Manor inn / pub. Parking immediately at the trailhead is for day use only. No overnight parking is permitted in the hotel’s parking lot by the actual trailhead.
Day 1:
Park at the Slate Run Rail Trail parking lot
Head over the auto bridge and make a right.
Begin the loop at the Black Forest Trailhead, located in the lot behind Hotel Manor.
Head Counter Clockwise on the Black Forest Trail
Setup camp at an unestablished spot about a quarter mile past the crossing of Dyer Branch
Day 1 Mileage: 16 miles
Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 2,989′
Day 2:
Continue Counter-Clockwise on the Black Forest Trail
Setup camp at an establish spot along Naval Run creek.
Day 2 Mileage: 15 miles
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 3,182′
Day 3:
Continue Counter-Clockwise in the Black Forest Trail
Return to the Slate Run Rail Trail Recreation Area Parking Lot
Day 3 Mileage: 13
Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 2,953′
Backpacking Gear List for this Trip:
Backpack:
GORUCK GR1 Backpack, 21L www.goruck.com...
Shelter:
Hammock Gear Dyneema Fiber Hex Tarp (Cuben Fiber) with Zing-It guy lines
www.hammockgear...
Tent Spikes, Titanium amzn.to/2tHPGEB
Sleep System:
Dutchware Gear Half-Wit Hammock dutchwaregear....
Dutchware Whoopie Hooks with Kevlar Tree Straps dutchwaregear....
complete-suspension/
Hammock Gear Burrow 40 Top Quilt www.hammockgear...
Hammock Gear Phoenix 30 Under Quilt www.hammockgear...
Storage:
Bear Bag Line (25′ guyline and small carabiner) amzn.to/2EhrwkS
Bear Bag - 13 gal trash bag
Zip-lock Bag - Sandwich
Zip-lock Bag - Gallon
Cooking & Eating:
Toaks 450ml Titanium Cup amzn.to/2GLboZV
Cookset Stuff Sack
Esbit Folding Stove amzn.to/2IIzB55
Matches - Waterproof amzn.to/2q3neIB
Sea to Summit Alpha Light Spork, Long amzn.to/2uyl5GJ
Spoon, Backup, Disposable
Lighter, Disposable
Water Treatment & Storage:
American Red Cross Steripen Ultralight UV Water Purifier amzn.to/2qQ139e
Forty Below Expedition Water Bottle, 1L www.40below.co...
Water Bottle Holder / Insulator
Tools:
Compass, Brunton Classic amzn.to/2EhOoR3
Kershaw Emerson CQC-5K Folding Pocket Knife amzn.to/2s7rdoz
First Aid / Fire Starting:
First Aid Kit
(Adhesive bandages, 1 gauze bandage, superglue, neosporin in
straw tube, tealight wax candle, 6 doses benedryl, 10 doses
ibuprofen, spare water bottle cap, needle & thread for mending
gear)
Sunscreen - 30 SPF in 10ml bottle
Wetfire Fire Starter Tablets amzn.to/2IMTxaQ or DIY firestarter
Light My Fire Mini Fire Steel amzn.to/2vYlBgG
Picardin Lotion Bug Repellent amzn.to/2s2SwRE
Clothing (Packed, not worn. For spare, sleeping):
Underwear - Synthetic (1 Pair)
Shirt, Long Sleeve -Lt Wgt
Hat, Beanie - Lt Wgt Fleece
Wool Socks - Lt Wgt (1 pair)
Lighting:
Headlamp, Olight H05 Headlamp amzn.to/2H8zD6g
Toiletries:
Toilet Paper
Toiletry Kit
Wet Wipes
Hand Sanitizer
Пікірлер: 241
I know I'm not the first one, but you should make a second channel where you review all the post-hike burgers...
@effendyhamzah7582
5 жыл бұрын
Cheeseburger... Hhmmm...
@RigSquad
4 жыл бұрын
WOW! its like fate haha i literally just finished watching the Indian loop video and thought the same exact thing and as i go to comment its the first one i see!! SINTAX77!! please start doing burger review videos!
@RigSquad
4 жыл бұрын
and it doesn't even have to be a separate channel it can just be a series on this channel.
Still gets me when I watch this video that you did this with a GR1. One of my favorite trails of all time!
Excellent Video!👍😀 I stayed up late to watch this one. This video brings back some of the older Sintax videos. Ooops! 1:10:54 was day 2 again! I've made a few mistakes in editing and missed correcting them. It looked like a good challenging area for a backpacking trip. Thanks for taking us along! Bob
the bird sounds like a Killdeer. The mother will feign injury and draw your attention to her in order to lead you away from the eggs, which are usually nearby on the ground
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Very interesting! That certainly sounds like what I experienced.
Glad you stayed safe... even with the bear encounter!
I've done the same - created an ultralight loadout, good for multiple days and minus 3c, all fits in a small 400 gram, G4free backpack which cost me £20 on Amazon. literally 0 compromises, totally storm proof and bug proof, Exped synmat ul 7 xl. love it.
Love the BFT! It was my first ever backpacking trip back in 2006. Have been back twice since where friends and I ‘ran’ the trail in a day. It’s no joke with it’s 8550 elevation gain.
I went there in the early 1980's for peak fall leaf color and remember the tough climbs and awesome views. I recall going over a quarter mile stretch of car size boulders too. Thanks for the cool vid.
“It’s getting scrambly” lol. How can you drink coffee at 8pm before dinner and right before you go to sleep?? The audio book I get,especially on the trial because that’s a go to for me but no coffee or caffeine after I’m done hiking for sure.
“Scrambly”. Another Sintax linguistic creation! Fantastic video and really cool trip. The greens and colors really came through and your minimalism is impressive.
Nice to see an old school syntax solo hike video awesome thanks for another awesome video Bro!
Yee haw! Finally another video from you. I've been having sintax withdrawals.missing Sarah. Hope she is doing well. Love ya man!
sintax77, I found your channel yesterday when I searched for backpacking food tips. I found your video useful (bringing along some Snickers and olive oil on an upcoming 5 day trip!) and it's very cool to see you just uploaded another vid shortly after
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Hi, Henry. Welcome to the channel! :)
Nice trip, thanks for posting. I had a wild black duck pretty much climb up my boot one time to distract me from her ducklings escaping into the brush along a small pond. She played the broken wing trick (along the trail I was taking anyway) until I was far enough away that she was comfortable to fly back. Maybe your bird was doing the same thing.
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Interesting. That may have been it for me too. She was _fired up_ , haha
Glad you made it out to the BFT!
If you are a backpacker, you have gotten lost. I actually loved the minimalist aspect of this trip. Good video Shawn.
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks, Doug. It was a fun trip and great trail.
Used to mountain bike the george b. Will trail and the one they named after his wife. Also santero de shay trail. Went out one day to ride, and 16 foot fences marked off acres of forest, including right through the middle of state financed (read taxpayers) forest land trails. So commenced the beginning of fracking. If your are stepping on wildlife, in the middle of a well worn trail, that is an indication to slow down and look around a little bit. Very entertaining videos. I can relate to getting turned around a little when bushwhacking...in the time of map and compass...gps wasn't around then. Especially in spring and summer... next time it might not be a bird... Eastern kangaroo mouse. Operate at night. They love campfires. They have real long hind legs and a long tail with a bushy frond on the end of it. Lucky to have seen one! Later,
Thanks for the video. Was planing on doing this loop myself in August before the Fall semester starts so your timing was excellent.
Good to see you back out on the trail, wow super lite setup
What a gorgeous place to Waltz your Matilda for sure, love the video keep up the great work.
My stomping grounds... only we hit all the forest roads in my old Willy’s Jeep. I will be doing some hammock camping up there this summer/fall for sure... first good vid I’ve seen of the BFT. Thanks for taking us along... Yeah lots of BIG rattlers up there!
You know what AT through hikers say PA is know for. Rocks,roots and,rattlesnakes. Glad you made it through with no problems my friend.
@williambranham6249
5 жыл бұрын
I did the AT in'98. The only place I saw a rattler was in PA. Smallish. He didn't want to move off the trail.
Am I the only one that got the “Predator” vibe at 29:44?? ... Awesome video!
Yay, your back. Your videos motivate me so much. I have been rewatching your videos for a while was hoping for a new one. Thanks.
Sin, good vid as always! The way they blazed this trail was kinda wack, though. On double blazes that indicate a turn, I have always experienced that the bottom blaze is centered and the top blaze is painted either halfway right or left of the bottom one....thereby indicating which direction the trail turns. On the North Country Trail all through Northern Lower Michigan where I live, and all the many hikes in Michigans UP on the NCT, this has rang true. Bunch of rookies down there!! :) This technique surely makes it easier to navigate.
The red blazes you saw that were mixed in with the orange blazes that had you a little confused were from a connecting snowmobile trail on the dyer branch grade. I wish they had it marked just a little better! What a great hike, I live in the neighborhood!
Badass solo hiking . always better. No one sucking your spirits dry .nice video
Black Forest Trail is my favorite trail. Many great memories from trips there. You didn't say you saw a rattlesnake. There are some there. Thanks for the video!
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Thankfully, no rattlesnake encounters. I had my eye out for them though.
Woooohooo clicked like for 665 and so glad I'm not next....LMAO sintax!!! Anyway, always love watching you guys.
Funny, just saw the same trip done by an young lady, solo, nearly similar......interesting how different the two impression are and the vids as well. Frankly : your‘s better stuff! Thx from Germany 😊
Great hike! Glad to see others get screwed up sometime when following the trail, you've made me feel better about some of my own mistakes that I've made along the way. Keep living the dream, man.
Nice. This is on my to do list
Out standing, You said it, living the dream.
Nice.. looked like a fun trip. Thanks for the video
Nothing like a solo high mileage trip..good stuff bro..you need to put out more vids man..PA is my backyard..good stuff nerding out on the guide book and the size of the pack..
@williambranham6249
5 жыл бұрын
If you'll edit, I'm sure he would do more!
Great video. I just finished my 2.5 day solo of the BFT today. It was “weird” retracing your trip...Your video came to mind and gave me a laugh once or twice as I was remembering it. Tough hike and you made it look easy. I don’t know how you backpack and take such awesome video. Keep them coming! Can’t wait to see Zion NP
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
That's awesome! Glad you had a good trip out there as well!
Awesome video, thanks for sharing 🤗🤗🌺🌺🌳🌳
Been waiting for this! Going on my first backpacking trip on July 6th!
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Nice! Enjoy it :)
@explorersofthewild
6 жыл бұрын
bushcraft&camping settle down princess. I’m sure if you yell upstairs mommy will make you another sandwich. Oh trolls
@jcmoell84
6 жыл бұрын
bushcraft&camping why are you here?
@Someonece
6 жыл бұрын
bushcraft&camping I watched Joe for a few months and he’s pretty good, but it gets dead boring after a while. He doesn’t really do anything. He just goes out into the woods of flat Ontario, finds a place to camp, and the video is just an hour or two of him sitting at camp talking... Sintax’s videos are the best and just as informative gear wise.
@KaiMirra
6 жыл бұрын
bushcraft&camping You have your opinion and I have mine. I have learned many things from both Joe and Sin. Sintax has been an excellent resource for backpacking info.
Old School in the house! Liked how you filmed the road crossings on this one. Your always one to do multiple styles and succeed at them all. Enjoyed the video sir. Cheers.
Something good to watch tonight! 👍
@uptrail7169
6 жыл бұрын
If you get bored check out my new Porcupine Mountains, MI video. kzread.info/dash/bejne/qaintsWKkqqXh8o.html
@gamerfan81
6 жыл бұрын
uptrail71 I watched yours...very good
@uptrail7169
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks! I'm now getting ready to do the 42 1/2 mile lakeshore trail at Pictured Rocks in a few days.
@gamerfan81
6 жыл бұрын
uptrail71 how many days would that be?
@uptrail7169
6 жыл бұрын
3 days 2 nights and we will be starting this Friday.
Good times. Lovin' the notch hat. I love mine
We ran into an Eastern Timber Rattler once in Letchworth Park in central NY. Very similar situation, Rocky ridges along a revine. Something to be cognisant of when hiking in areas like that. Good point to bring up. Black Forest looks like a great areas. May need to check it out someday.
DId the BFT in 2016. Highly recommend it ....
Glad to be watching another awesome video ...can’t wait for the next trip
Thanks for putting this out. Hiked this trail over the last few days and your video was a great resource
I wanna get out there for the BFT. Looks killer, I'm actually hitting up the Pemi Loop this weekend, I've watched your video on that about 10 times lol. Love it!!
Great vid as usual... I got that "Blair Witch" vibe with those rock sculptures...
Yeah man keto is no joke.. I dropped a solid 40lbs over 8 months. On trips I now live it up and bring dogs and burgers, cheese and packets of salmon, fish or spam. Trail mix and jerky for snacks.. So glad I can justify not eating mountain house anymore (not a fan :) Only down side is I require a fire for cooking the burgers. I don't get hungry nearly as often as pre-keto. Worse part is if you get tha keto breff! Breakfast is usually precooked bacon and hard boiled eggs. If I'm on a multi-day I'll begrudgingly take some MH and save it for day 2 and 3. ..You do look quite svelt now a days sin! Been gone for a while and getting back in the mood for fall 'packing. BFT is my neck of the woods :) WOO!
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing it:)
I love this trail! I also love my Goruck packs. Never thought it’d be practical to use one tile the BFT! Im impressed! Do an event some time, they’re top notch!
The long day hiking depleted your glycogen stores.the mountain house meals were probably just enough carbs to restore your bodies stored glycogen. Another great video. Wish I had more free time to hit a nice trail like this.
Great trail! I shall add it to my list. Thanks for the vid. Goodstuff.
Thanks you guys! I learned about forgiving breakfast to get going on the trail and to definitely research and pay attention to where were going and what e're doing. Kudos! Tell Mike: intelligis. Gratias tibi!
Really enjoyed the classic style syntax hike. That pack is insanely light and really does look incognito. I see you swapped the VW for a Jeep, looks awesome! Thanks for crushing all those miles and sharing the experience.
Love the videos! Keep them coming! I actually hike in a couple of the same areas as you do beings I'm located in south jersey right over the bridge from philly. Speaking of maps and pricing in this video, have you ever tried to order maps from mythopoetic.com? I swear by them, the map is fully customizable to the area you want, and they range from $9-$14 I'm pretty sure. I always get them printed on tear proof and water resistant paper. All you do is type in where your going and then highlight the area you will be going to for your trip. Then pic your options like if you want grid lines printed or not and what color, the type of map, scale, grid designation, basically anything u want. The biggest thing to remember is to make sure the type of map matches your hand held GPS if your using one. So if your GPS is set to USGS you select that when ordering your map. Like I said I swear by them and they even print your name on the map if that kind of thing makes you laugh. What I really like is once your account is set up and let's say your kinda going back to the same trails but taking a different route that's not completely on the map you already order, you just click and drag the map on the screen to where you want and that's it. Turn around time is 3-4 days for me but they do offer 2 day shipping. I did have a map come in wrong once, customer service was the best I have come across, they overnighted me the correct map and my next two maps were free. I do not work for this company I feel like I must add I am just truly happy with their product and service. Let me know how you make out if you do end up buying a map.
Got a trip coming up this weekend in blue ridge Georgia can't wait
I much prefer your solo videos. Thanks for this!
Great video, defiantly doing this trail soon. I NEVER do Keto when I hike. It's good to carb cycle or take a complete break from Keto sometimes, especially when you're burning so many calories hiking.
Finally, he's back on the trail! Hitting it hard! Good video, hope to see more!
Great video! I’m planning on doing this hike later this fall with my son. Lots of good information!
@sintax77
5 жыл бұрын
Thanks, Jim. Enjoy the trip! I bet it will be really nice in fall.
I really like this set up
I do keto as well and I like pickles with my cheeseburger and bacon! No bun of course. Thanks for the video!
Love it! I’m going to the same area to do a bucket list trail, the West Rim Trail at the Pa Grand Canyon soon. Thanks for the taste of what to expect. Great trip video.
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
That's awesome, enjoy it! I'm happy to have been able to share a little sample.
Great video, thanks for posting. I'm in lower Bucks and am always looking for trails.
Enjoyed it, subscribed
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed - welcome to the channel :)
Thank you for showing excellent video as usual very informative again and such beautiful scenery
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
thank you dude
Thank you! I love that area, the Hotel Manor is a great place. If you ever want to do a weekend get away with Sarah, they offer super cheap rates during the winter, but plan ahead, they're only open if people reserve. When did you do the Jeep Mods? Looks great. I still don't know how you got away with that little pack.
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks, Steve. I was thinking the Manor might be a cool place to go back to with Sara some time. Although, the cabin is only a handful of miles a way and it's dog friendly, haha. I put that bumper on after someone decided to run into my new jeep at the mall a couple months ago :o
Steripen: Wiping the bottle neck is supposed to be good enough. But after the water has been nuked, I squeeze the bottle to let the "safe" water wash over the bottle neck. Now that it has been rinsed with safe water, I'll nuke the bottle again, in case any contaminants were pulled back into the water. Yeah, paranoid and a waste of 1/2 the Steripen's lifetime capacity I suppose. But I really don't want gyppy tummy in the woods. Not a big deal, just takes another minute. I suppose any college bio lab could do a water test to see if it really makes any difference. That's something the folks at Steripen really "should" do, to show their product works as intended.
Great video sintax77 and thank you for taking us along! When will you be hiking with Mike again?
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks, Rich. I'm not sure if he's going to get out during the summer or not, but we've got a Colorado trip coming up in the fall :D
@rich196611
6 жыл бұрын
sintax77 Don’t get me wrong I love your solo hikes and always learn something and love your style!! I have yet to do a an overnight solo and hope to get one in this summer or fall. Looking forward to your next one for sure!
Those rock structures also indicate trails. You can add a rock to it for good luck.
What a great channel, and congrats on almost 100k subs 👍!!
Great video. Been researching BFT for my next solo trip too...our PA trails are rough!
THE PICTURE OF YOUR VIDEO IS REALLY GREAT THE COLORS POP!
I am 65 and in reasonable health retired and have a number of great provincial parks at my disposal I have decided to return back to camping my kids are all grown up so I will be starting out slow getting back into shape.... Ontario Canada has some great parks you should drive up and give it a try I am on lake Huron and with a little warning would love to put you up one of our crown jewels is the pinery provincial park and is 7 kl from my house . So if you are looking for a new adventure let me know Danial
Thanks for the Vid and all the hard work that goes into making it ready to air. it's appreciated :)
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
My pleasure!
Hi Mike, if I may, love the vid. Rock mounds (slate) formation at start - check out some gear we have this end - 9 standards, Wainwright coast to coast - bronze age. Story goes these guys mark a cusp. Waters flow opposing here, west and east. Love the woods you guys have, but can't get my head around your maps- amazed at how you guys get around on such. Maybe that's just British mentality. An island no more than 40 miles either direction to cost with maps which almost identity ant hills. Then you guys, hundreds of miles to anywhere with maps that baffle me senseless. Still..loving it. chin. Chin as we say over here :-) it's a toast, glass raiser, saulute, bottoms up, cheers - no wonder we're so confused over here where one thing means twenty, - this spiced rum is good :-) Dave
Very well done on the filming on this one, felt like I was right next to you! Also, what happened at 57:35? Love the vids! :)
Great video as always! I appreciate you leaving in the confusing portions...we've all been there...lol.
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Haha, thanks. It's funny to watch the footage back and see myself make such simple mistakes and interpret them as these huge mysteries at the time, lol.
Love it!!! I love testing myself with different gear loadouts!! Great vid as always.......from an old school subscriber haha :-)
Great video!
Great videos! Rocksylvania 😊
Awesome! Been watching for the next vid!
Thanks alot for good outdoor videos......👋✊👊👌
great trip.
Great video! Love the editing.
Whaaaaaaaat? You did the BFT? Man I grew up along Pine Creek. Did the BFT last year but kinda cheated the last few miles because the hills were absolutely killer. Quick pit stop at the Slate Run Hotel didn’t help. Anyway I’ve been following you for awhile - very cool!
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
That's an awesome place to grow up :) Such a beautiful area.
great video glade u finally made it out to the bft !!!!
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Thanks, I really enjoyed it up there!
I'm planning to do this trail over the Fourth in a few days! Thanks for the timely recon!
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Awesome! I can attest that the restaurant right next to the trailhead makes a solid burger for a reasonable price ;)
You were hiking in some great rattlesnake habitat 😀
Great video. Very nice looking area.
Awesome vid!! Enjoyed watching!!!
Great views. Thanks
Really wonderful 💟
You should check out the Fire's Creek Rim Loop. It's a bit of a haul down in North Carolina, and it doesn't have many water sources, but it's such and awesome loop
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Nice, thank you! I'll look into it. :)
If you ever get a chance hike the hoh river valley on the Olympic peninsula in wa. State.
This is on the docket for this September for me. Nice vid.
@sintax77
6 жыл бұрын
Awesome. I hope you get some nice colors.
Just awesome trip ;) And awesome vid :) :)
Glad to see you out again! Anything to share re: how-to gps wise? Creating tracks, routes, etc. i picked up an etrex and got the garmin basecamp. Total noob to it though. Would love seeing how you use it to plan or reflect on your trips. Thanks again for the post.
A Capcap should solve your "dirty" bottle lip issues with the steripen 🤙