Muddy Creek Access, PA to Otter Creek Campground, PA
section miles: 12 total miles: 93
It's difficult to imagine a more varied hike than the trail from Muddy Creek to Otter Creek. This section has it all - exploring several remnants of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal lock system, clambering around the islands of the Susquehanna, steep ascents to the ridge overlooking long stretches of the river, secluded creeks that tumble through sun-dappled woods, even more picturesque farmlands, and surprisingly rugged, rocky outcrops. I don't know how many times we stopped to admire a tranquil pool of water, remarking that it looked like a Japanese garden, only to find an even more impressive garden further on. In short, this is a very interesting and beautiful section of the trail.
From the Muddy Creek access point you head along the banks of the Susquehanna to the Lock15 interpretive park, where a nicely preserved canal lock is easily accessible and well documented. It's worth spending a little time here before heading up the river and onto Peavine island. The rocks on this island form impressive mounds of river-smoothed schist liberally studded with garnets, and required a bit of scrambling to navigate. Hiking across the island was a bit tricky - trail blazes were difficult to find, and flood debris in the lower elevations led to a bit of off-trail bushwacking, but we eventually found our way off at approximately the right point and rejoined the well-marked trail on the bank.
Once on shore, you pass a few more canal locks before turning west up the very scenic Mill Creek. Somewhere on this foray we were mindlessly hiking through a quiet wooded section when a sharp woof-bark-snarl brought us immediately into the present. We both instantly lept aside, hiking poles raised for battle, only to discover a big, fat, very pissed-off racoon glaring at us from behind a pine tree. I had no idea they could do grizzly-bear imitations. It was a good ten minutes before our heart rates returned to normal.
Beyond Mill Creek, the trail heads steeply uphill to some very scenic overlooks of the river and Holtwood dam. The trail drops down again to follow the river bank before heading up Oakland Run, another very scenic tributary, and from there you follow a long uphill slog through state game lands, emerging into wide-open farmlands. A few miles of scenic road walking brings you back to the woods, where you descend (steeply!) down Furnace Run and Sawmill Run to the Otter Creek campground on the banks of the Susquehanna. In a completely senior moment, we had no clue whether our car was parked upstream or downstream from where we popped out. We wandered up and down the road a bit, trying to recognize a landmark, before deciding to split up - Rene hiked up-river, I hiked down-river, and I eventually stumbled on the car. Lesson learned.
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