I decided to take some detours on my way to Knoxville, Tennessee. My BFF, Bob, lives there and we are heading down to the Orlando area for a bit of theme park time. I decided to stop at Camp Michaux on the way and I must say I’m glad I did.
The GPS headed me in the right direction and was very accurate. I took the roads and was really surprised at how remote Camp Michaux really is. It is on the Appalachian Trail in Gardner, Pennsylvania. The road started off as two lanes and paved. It became narrower and narrower and turned into one lane, then became a one lane gravel road, and narrowed from there. I became very concerned as it became more and more remote which really didn’t surprise me given the fact that it is a former POW camp but I wonder why someone would make that spot into a church camp.
I wondered if I was in the right area for Camp Michaux. There were some site markers there and a parking area. The markers coincided with a guide I found online. The Cumberland County Historical Society created a self-guided tour guide to make it easier to explore the site. The guide is well laid out and I highly recommend it. I decided not to take the trail because hiking is not in the cards right now with a torn meniscus and didn’t want to end up alone and needing help.
https://www.historicalsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CampMichauxInteriorWeb.pdf
I must say it is a lovely area , albeit very remote and it was difficult because I lost signal. Luckily I’m good with directions and was able to get myself back out. If you do take this hike, please be careful. The Cumberland guide outlines the perils of some poisonous snakes and poison ivy. Make sure that there is someone that knows where you are,in case of emergency and have a check-in time.
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