Top 10 of 2013: One Thousand Steps

Number 5: Thousand Steps Cache
Brady Township (Huntingdon County), PA
233 Favorite Points 

For those willing to pay $30/year for a premium membership on the Geocaching.com website, it’s possible to run queries on geocaches. This is a really popular way for geocachers to maintain lists of nearby geocaches that fit the characteristics of those they like to find. This geocache (along with a few others it had inspired nearby) had been sitting on the very edge of my State College query the entire time I had lived in State College. On a cold March day, we decided to take it on.

Truthfully, we had a million reasons to back out—mostly weather related. But we stuck to our guns. Now, 1000 steps may not sound that bad to anyone in at least average fitness. But I must point out, these are not perfectly measured and formed stairs like you’d find in an office or apartment building. The steps are made out of rock found nearby and can be anywhere from 3-4” in height to about 18” high. You can’t get into a good rhythm going up or down them because each is a little different. What is a godsend is that about every 75-100 steps, there are level areas where you have to walk a hundred or so feet over to get to where the steps continue.

These steps exist because this area was mined heavily in a not-too-distant past life and these steps were the mode of commuting for the miners (I bet they all had nice legs and firm bottoms!).

The first half of the steps weren’t so bad, we even encountered two other hikers who were already on their way down. But after we cracked 500, the fatigue really set in. To complicate matters, at about 750 it started to snow. But we persevered, pausing to take in the stunning beauty and views the hike provided us with when we believed we were out of breath or our legs would not carry us one more step.

Immensely enjoying step #500

We got to step 1000 (every 100 steps is marked with what hundred it is) to discover that “1000” is really just rounding, there are actually 1,043 steps on the main trail to get to the top. But then, to get to the vista where this geocache was placed, there’s another 50-75 steps further down the trail from the top. Mercifully, by the time we made it to the top of the 1,043 steps, our legs were numb to the pain and despite the snow we were anything but cold. Frankly, I’d suggest doing this hike in colder conditions. It’d be a lot more comfortable than doing it on a warmer day (such as was the very gross and sweaty hike up Mt. Nittany).

There are actually several geocaches at the top, and each has a very high terrain rating (it is something of a badge of honor in the geocaching community to rack up lots of very high terrain rated geocaches). We eagerly tackled many of them, though we left some to be found on a future visit. But we couldn’t leave without this one: this was the oldest one on the trail and the one that clearly captured everyone’s hearts.

The descent was more difficult, though faster, than the ascent. As our jellied legs threatened to betray us, Chris and I managed to get into my car and drive the five or so miles to the Sheetz in Huntingdon. In celebration, we treated ourselves to the best prime rib in central Pennsylvania, the Whistle Stop, that evening.

Heading down the steps

This is the third most favorited geocache in Pennsylvania.

Blowing in the Wind

One of the greatest benefits to going to a school like Penn State are the opportunities both offered to students and the opportunities students are able to leverage not only because of the university’s name but because at a university as big as Penn State, you can always find a small army of people with the same interest. One such example is a tour of the North Allegheny Wind Farm arranged by the Engineers for a Sustainable World student organization at Penn State. That said, on what felt like the coldest, most miserable morning of February, a small army of students gathered to convoy to the top of Cresson Mountain.

The North Allegheny Wind Farm is comprised of 75 wind turbines atop Cresson Mountain. Indeed, traveling U.S. Route 22 between Pittsburgh and Altoona will take you along the northern boundary of this wind farm. From the road it is difficult to fully appreciate the size of a wind turbine. But the noise you hear from the turbines while traveling the road is indicative of the noise generated by these behemoths.

Looking up to the blades of the turbine from the base you realize how massive these turbines are. From this vantage you also realize that they sound exactly like the wind. The only difference from the wind itself is that the sound does not cease unless the turbine is not operating. But I will be the first to admit, I would not want to live next to or among them, but a mile or more away would likely not differ from living a mile or so away from an industrial facility. In fact, here are two YouTube clips (one and two) of noise generated from wind turbines and you'll hear a significant difference between the two.

Looking up from the base of a turbine

Aside from the turbines, it was also incredible to see how healthy the land was. The streams between the turbines and along the service roads were crystal clear. The vegetation was abundant and the wildlife was described as being abundant, although that was not demonstrated on such a chilly day.

This wind farm could power much of Blair, Bedford, and Cambria counties and occupies land unable to be used for virtually anything else. In this case, the land is a former strip mine and is not close to homes. The fact the noise never ceases, even though it sounds just like the wind, could be a problem for people. I can also imagine that the buffeting may be unsettling if people lived terribly close to these turbines. But if kept a few miles from where people live and considerations are taken for wildlife, wind turbines are a fossil-fuel alternative to power generation.

At the base of a turbine at the North Allegheny Wind Farm