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And a little
above the cemetery is this cool campsite along Rausch Creek
before it runs into Stony Creek. You'll understand the water
coloration in
a minute.
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 At Rausch Gap, the AT
intersects an old railroad grade
. You can find
lots of information about the railroad and surrounding areas
in the link on the previous page, though this sign gives
you a little idea.
It's amazing to see the pictures of
what was Rausch Gap and what's not anymore. In the woods
there's some evidence of what used to be there, but it's
hardly enough (besides the cemetery) to even take a picture
of.
GPS Coordinates: N40 29.963
W76
35.863
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Though
signs of civilization are long gone,
the remnants of the area's industry still remain. The water
coming down the mountain is contaminated with acid mine
drainage. To combat that this limestone diversion well (the
first of its kind in the US in 1986) was installed. The water
above the well averages pH levels around 4.0 (highly acidic),
while downstream of the well they're above
6.0.
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The bridge was built in 1850. High waters
last fall have washed out the base on the left
side.
When Jeff and I were here in March of 1998, we
were miserable by the time we got to this bridge. We
started high up on the ridge above about 6 - 8 miles
away. On top it was snowing. In the valley it was cold
rain. We walked forever in the rain to this bridge where we
decided to take shelter and try to eat something. On that
little ledge on the right above the water, we
huddled with CJ and a stove that took forever
to boil water. Once our bellies were full, we headed back out
into the rain to finish the last 3.6 miles of
that miserable
hike.
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From the bridge, the trail winds up to the
top of Sharp Mountain where it follows an old stagecoach road
that ran from Dauphin to Pottsville in the 1800's.
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As cool as an old stagecoach road might
sound, it's boring as hell. The scenery doesn't change
much and it's just not that scenic, though I know all
around hidden by years of recovery, there's evidence of
life and industry long ago
gone.
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Halfway
to our destination, there's a side
trail to an upstream part of Rausch Creek. It was the
perfect spot for lunch.
Notice
Gretchen's pack? Technically I guess it's (was) CJ's, though
he's too old for it. She did really well with it. She never
seemed to notice.
GPS Coordinates: N40 29.261 W76
38.270
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Cute photo of
Gretchen.
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Lunch and a
nap.
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Even Gretchen
napped.
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- More
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