PA 7/31/04

[highpointersclub]

[Ed: Imported from Americas Roof ‘Summit Trip Reports’ forum]

[By: Steven Tursi on August 1 2004 at 10:56 AM]

[Link: http://www.network54.com/Forum/198362/message/1091372198/PA+7-31-04]

First of three highpoints (MD and WV followed). Left Rockland County NY at 6am, didn’t arrive in PA until about noon – it took a lot longer than I thought. It was an overcast drive and got excited at the sight of sunlight in harrisburg, but by the time we got there it was raining like hell – and it had just started. We waited in the car for a few minutes until I thought I saw a break in the rain and went for it. The walk to the highpoint from the parking lot is probably less than 200 feet. The break in the rain turned out not to be a break at all and we took cover underneath the observation tower, trying to keep my camera dry. Decided that we might as well climb the stairs and stand underneath the platform rather than wait for a break at ground level. My companion wasn’t thrilled with waiting around up this tower because he was afraid of heights. We finally did go up to the top platform and spent about 90 seconds there in the light rain. After this, we returned to cover underneath the tower and the rain really intensified so we waited about 15 minutes during the torrential downpour that followed. Finally, we had enough of a break to go shoot a couple of photos at the actual highpoint and at the sign (which you see above.) When we got to the car, our we summoned our resourceful instincts and found a ziploc bag that enclosed some NY/NJ TC maps that I happened to have left in the car – which was a perfect enclosure which kept my camera dry on the two subsequent highpoints of the day.

A quick warning: Beware of Amish buggies – they travel very slow and they’re sometimes concealed behind a hill or a curve, which will surprise you and potentially create a very bad situation if you’re driving too fast on these back roads.

We took I-68 to exit 24 and approached through Salisbury.

Photographs will be posted on this page in the next few days: http://turzman.com/projects/highpoints/pa.html

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