Two Sundays ago the Earthy Cowboy, Beauhemian and I drove to Jacks Mountain between Lewistown and Huntingdon, PA, to hike the famous "Thousand Steps". There are truly 1,000 steps that make for a hell of an ascent, though it is a pretty quick hike. Despite the tough climb, there were plenty of families and kids hiking.

The mountain hosts "abundant reserves of ganister, a Tuscarora sandstone used in the production of silica bricks, [which] led to the construction of three refractories and Mount Union's position as the 'Silica Brick Capital of the World.'" Ganister is an attractive stone, sometimes laced with pinks and tans. it reminded me a little of marble. The 2nd picture is what we think might be a fossil!

Interestingly, in 1936 a bunch of folks who worked for a company called Harbison-Walker built the steps and used them as a pathway to work in the Ledge Quarry. What a commute!

At the top, take a right and hike about a third of a mile down to a view of Mt. Union and a good place to rest and have a snack. The guys reminisced and told stories from their AT days. Good conversation, good company and a good day.

If you turn left when you get to the top, you'll arrive at an old, abandoned, stone building covered in grafitti. It looks like it may have been an old pub hanging on the mountainside. That, or a small jail.

On our stroll to check this structure out, a small prop plane was showing off his moves along the mountain.

The most exciting part of the day was on the descent when I spotted a large adult porcupine sitting in a tree! He was moving around and cleaning himself all in the glow of the sunset.