We've only been in Kennerdell for a few days, but we've quickly fallen in love with so much that it has to offer. We love the outdoors and there's plenty of outdoor stuff here, and at this time of the year pleasant temperatures to enjoy doing it in. I meant to bring a fishing rod, but in spite of my sister in law Debbie's reminders, I forgot to pack it. We debated bringing bikes but decided against it since we're not sure of our next moves after Pennsylvania and Michigan. If we run across a canoe/kayak rental nearby there is a good chance we'll do a little paddling on the Allegheny River. We're just getting started!
What we did come armed with are two lawn chairs and a couple of pairs of shoes for hiking the numerous trails. So far we're putting those items to good use. The lawn chairs have been put to use for social distancing visits with Ben in his back yard, as well as for sitting in the shade watching the river flow by.
We've done a couple of hikes along the Allegheny River Trail. This flat, well maintained, paved trail is a part of the nationwide "rails to trails" program. The thirty two mile, hiking and biking trail runs from Franklin to Parker. Additionally, it is part of the not yet completed Erie to Pittsburgh trail system. When completed, the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail will be 270 miles in length. In the future we'll branch out to other trail heads and explore different sections.
Butterflies and wildflowers are plentiful along the trails.
Our house is on a privately maintained single lane road that is about two miles in length. Along the road there are around twenty or so homes overlooking the river. We've met a few of our "neighbor's" as we've walked the road and they have all been super friendly. At the end of the road there is a small path that gives us access to the Allegheny River Trail. Our access point is at the fifteen mile post, pretty close to the center of the trail. Turning right onto the trail we walk towards Parker. Turning left, we are heading towards Franklin. There's an added attraction to turning left onto the trail, the Kennerdell Tunnel.
We had read about the Kennerdell Tunnel prior to our arrival and were excited to give it a try. The tunnel was built in 1916 by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Given it's central location, it's the centerpiece of the Allegheny River Trail. At 3,300 feet in length it is the longest of the two tunnels on the trail (the Rockland Tunnel is 2,868 feet). It is currently listed as the thirteenth longest pedestrian/bike tunnel in the world!
A unique and somewhat frightening feature of the Kennerdell Tunnel is that there is a curve near the middle. This means that for a few minutes hikers and bikers are immersed in total darkness with no evidence of light in either direction. Thankfully we had read about this portion of the trail and were armed with a small flashlight to keep us on the path.
After about a minute of walking in complete darkness Beth assured me that one trip through the tunnel and back would be enough for her during this lifetime. As for me, I'd doing it again but there's no way I'd do it by myself! There's rumors that not only is it long and dark but that its also haunted!
The exit is near........."Go To The Light"
