Today I got up much later then I’d wanted to. It just feels so comfortable here on the east coast as the seasons are starting to change. Nevertheless, I knew if I didn’t get up and out I’d regret wasting the day. I decided to go back to French Creek State Park and explore more of the trails. This time I parked at the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site so I could walk through the old iron plantation and take in a bit of history before heading off on the Horseshoe Trail. The Horseshoe Trail is a 130 mile trail that runs from Valley Forge to the Appalachian Trail in Harrisburg, PA. Part of this trail passes through French Creek State Park with stops along Hopewell Lake and Scotts Run Lake. I followed the trail west until I reached a junction for the Boone Trail which would take me to the Ridge Trail and the Hopewell Fire Tower on top of William’s Hill. Not far from the junction I came upon some empty cabins. The cabins were not locked, so I went inside to take a look. Each cabin had some old metal bed frames, but nothing else. It was fun exploring around and even a little eerie. To add to my woodsy macabre adventure, I could heard gunshots off in the distance. However I knew those shots were coming from a nearby firing range and there was no need for alarm. After checking out the cabins, I continued on to the fire tower. I hiked up the Ridge Trail to the top of William’s Hill. There was a parking area here, but to my disappointment, I was unable to see the tower because it was blocked by all the trees. I found what looked like a use trail and followed it for a short while, but it was severely overgrown. I’ll have to come back in the winter when the trees drop their leaves and hopefully, I’ll be able to get a better view. The fire tower was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps/French Creek Recreation project. Oh well. Better luck next time. I headed back down the Boone Trail which seemed a little more rocky then the way I’d come up and looped back to the Horseshoe Trail passing by Scotts Run Lake then back to Hopewell Furnace. It was lovely, overcast day and an enjoyable hike coupled with some sight-seeing.
