Welcome back to the channel! It's been quite a while since I've released a video due to the high volume of work I've had the last 60 days. I finally got a chance to sneak out for an overnight backpacking adventure to Oil Creek State Park, Pennsylvania. This is the second time I've been to Oil Creek, but half of the mileage was on trails I haven't been on before.

I was joined on this trip by Zach and Celeste, this was their first time on the Gerard Hiking Trail. Overall, we hiked 16 miles total and stayed overnight at the Wolfkiel shelter area. Oil Creek State Park has a 36mile backpacking loop with two different shelter areas where you can rent out Adirondack shelters. Alternatively, you can do what we did and stay at the primitive tent sites.

Both sites have a pit latrine, running water in season, Adirondack shelters, four primitive tent sites and a fully stocked wood pile under a leanto. Oil Creek makes for a nice beginner friendly backpacking trail, or a spot to stay nice and warm if you're backpacking in the winter. While there may not be enormous scenic vistas like some of my trips, Oil Creek still sports a nice diverse forest. Oil Creek itself is more like a river and there are some scenic views from the bridges along the trail. There are also a few clearings up on the ridges where you can look down at the valley below.

I got to try out some new gear on this trip, mainly involving food. I'm currently testing an Esbit stove and I must say, it did exactly what I needed it to do, even in colder weather. I also stole an overnight oats cold soak recipe from Celeste and had that for breakfast. In this video I review my sleep and shelter system, along with Celeste's and Zach's setups as well. While there may not have been anything magical about this adventure, it was still nice to get out and do some hiking and camping for the weekend. As always, thanks for joining us on our outdoor adventures and be sure to like and subscribe!

Here is a link to all of the gear I brought with me on this trip!
https://lighterpack.com/r/2v5oor

Here is a link to the GPX file if you want to plan a trip to Oil Creek!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sQiN...