After camping overnight at Trough Creek State Park, I set out Saturday morning for what would prove to be one of the most memorable SOTA activations I’ve done in Pennsylvania. This was a 9-mile RT strenuous hike from the Juniata River valley up to an Appalachian mountain peak through beautiful and varied scenery across 1800 feet of elevation gain. This is what hiking and SOTA should be (sometimes)!

I ascended Jacks Mountain via the famous Thousand Steps Trail, a segment of the Standing Stone Trail. The name is quite literal. The hike begins with over 1,000 hand-laid stone steps climbing steeply up the southern face of Jacks Mountain (there are actually more than 1000 steps, fyi). Built in the early 1900s as a construction route for a logging and silica mining railroad, these steps have become an infamous Pennsylvania hike. The SST is well-marked with orange blazes, though access from the Rt 22 parking spot is via a yellow-blazed and rocky spur trail.

The morning was perfect for the hike. The first hints of autumn color were showing in the leaves. Every 100 steps are marked, so you know exactly how much you have left. This stair climb is about a half mile long, but involves 800 feet of elevation gain. It… was tough!

Once past the initial stair climb, the trail rewarded me with a much gentler grade. There were also very few hikers that continued past the Dinky Shed, so there was a warm feeling of earned isolation. The path winds upward through pleasant switchbacks, passing the Dinky Shed where seasonal workers would sleep while working the railroad. A short ways up was the Ledge Quarry Vista with a spectacular view of the valley I had just climbed out of.

The following section of trail was a welcome change of pace, allowing me to catch my breath and enjoy the forest. The trail passes through thick stands of mountain laurel, which must be absolutely stunning when they bloom in late spring. These long switchbacks were a bit of a slog, but I eventually was rewarded with the Mill Creek Quarry vista. I had been hiking with a couple from Harrisburg, PA through this part. They were both surprised that I was going to keep climbing after this vista, but when I explained it was for amateur radio, they surprisingly knew exactly what I was talking about! Turns out, they’re friends with an TikTok “hamfluencer” who does POTA on the regular in northern PA. I wish I had written down this ham’s callsign! They said I should get a TikTok, but I told them I write a blog, and one said “I respect that old school method.” These folks were my age, by the way!

As I climbed into the activation zone, the character of the forest shifted noticeably one final time. The understory opened up into a broad, mature forest with a beautiful carpet of ferns covering the ground. The summit area sits right on the boundary between State Game Land 112 and Rothrock State Forest, and the peaceful, open woodland made for a delightful operating location. I stopped just short of Shorbs Knob, which looks like a great operating point inside Rockrock SF. I doubled back to SGL 112 to activate a new POTA reference.

I had a successful activation too, lingering to enjoy the breeze through this magnificent forest, while working 36 QSOs. I did have to cut it shorter than I would have liked, since I had a first activation on the docket for the afternoon hike. SGL 112 might be the most interesting game land for hiking in the entire state! This is an absolute classic hike and I am seriously considering making this my MG summit. That’s still a long way from now, but I can’t think of a more interesting (and literally breathtaking) site. 🙂

• Trailhead: 40.391979, -77.914790 : Parked at Thousand Steps Trailhead off to side of State Route 22. There is a portable toilet at the parking area, which is nice!
• Map:  [AA3TZ SOTA] [SST Map 5 – Jacks Narrows]
• Route: 9.0 mile RT hike along the Standing Stone Trail; ~1800 feet of total elevation
• POTA: Two options: US-8811, PA 112 State Game Land; US-5474, Rothrock State Forest