The trail mostly runs along the spine of Laurel Ridge, one of the western-most ridges of the Allegheny Mountains. It seemed to us that the hiking would be fairly flat once we got on top of the ridge. But first, we had to get to the top. For the majority of the first day, we climbed at a steady pace, stopping a little to catch a glimpse of the deep, lush Conemaugh River Valley. It didn’t take long before dark and ominous storm clouds began blowing in. The winds from the southwest pushed the dark gray clouds right toward us. Distant rolls of thunder followed us as we continued our upward progress.