I left in the morning and took a few hours to get to Lancaster County to find the trail head for Kelly's Run and the Conestoga Trail. I had been on part of this one before, but today I was taking the longer looped route. I got my pack together and set off down the trail.
It was mainly wooded at first, but I soon descended on Kelly's Run, a flowing stream that gave my hike a pleasant, babbling soundtrack. There were a few places where I had to cross over small rock hops. The rocks were still a bit wet all over from early morning rains, so I had to take it easy and step carefully.
When I got to Pinnacle overlook I remembered the view quite well from the last time I was here. It's a nice view down the Susquehanna River. After this came the steep descent that I would curse on the way back.
Another mile or so down the trail I stopped and grabbed a seat on some rocks to have my lunch. I had picked up some trail mix at an Amish market on the way in and was enjoying that along the way, but my sandwich was delicious.
The rest of the hike took me along more streams and small waterfalls with crossings over several wider parts of the water that took a bit more planning to keep my feet dry. I managed to go back and forth with nothing more than some mud on my soles. The scenery was beautiful and I only saw a handful of people along the way. Nice and secluded.
The trail wrapped around and followed the same path back past Pinnacle overlook, taking me back up a very steep, very long section that left me huffing and puffing and leaning on trees. The payoff is always nice, but when you're halfway up and you can't see the top it feels endless. I took a different trail back to the car and munched on the rest of my trail mix as I headed back to Jersey.
To break up the drive I stopped at the disc golf course in Pennsville just over the bridge to play a round. There was another guy playing by himself so I joined him and played the nine holes. It was a fun round and I shot well. I went and took some shots over the water as the sun was setting then finished the drive back home. The rest of the night I spent lounging.
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