Pittsburgh Trip - Day 5

Last day in Pittsburgh...  This morning, I woke up (without an alarm) at 0630 and started teleworking immediately.  I stayed online until about 0800 and then went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Staybridge Suites (Pittsburgh).  Following my meal, I worked out for 20 minutes in the Fitness Center (biking, 4 miles).  After returning to my room (0845) I resumed teleworking.  At one point, I received a call from Mollie so that interrupted my work day to catch up with her.  Also during the lull, I set up some laundry to wash (free at my hotel!).  I continued teleworking until 1300, when I started loading up my car.  Outside, it was partly sunny and very warm (60s!).  After thanking the hotel staff for the late checkout, I drove a short distance to a nearby Panera to pick up lunch (tuna sandwich) I'd ordered earlier.  I ate my food in the restaurant and then (1330), departed from the Summit Park area.  Initially, I followed I-376 towards the northwest - along the way, I crossed the Ohio River.  Before long, I got off the Interstate (at PA-51) and continued northwest into the village of Chippewa (Beaver County).  By 1400, I'd arrived at my new hotel, the Microtel (Beaver Falls) and was able to check into my room quickly.  Even though my work week was already mostly over, I got online to make a final check on my work emails (I was also receiving text requests from colleagues during this time).  After about 35 minutes, I completed my telework day and week.  It was a relief to log off my computer and have some free time for fun!  Yesterday was the 46th Birthday of the North Country Trail and social media had reminded me to search out hiking zones near my new hotel.  Armed with some good intel, I left the hotel (1445) and drove a short distance into the nearby town of Darlington (arrived at 1455).  Once I found a place to park, I explored the historic area in town and also located the blue blazes of the North Country Trail.  With a rare opportunity to follow the trail through an NCT Trail Town, I followed these blazes towards the north (Vermont Bound).  Seeing that the trail continued on pavement at the corner where Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church was located, I decided to turn around.  It was 71 degrees by this point!  As I began my backtrack towards the south (North Dakota Bound), I passed several historic sites and old "downtown" buildings.  I was in a residential area until the NCT crossed the North Fork of Little Beaver Creek - from there, I followed the blazes into the woods.  Initially, the trail followed the bank of the river and I kept encountering waterlogged areas.  Before long, though, the terrain began rising and falling (dramatically in some places).  Along the way, I encountered a lot of bird!  At one point (near Georgetown Road), I passed through a pretty cemetery.  Just after that, I crossed Constitution Boulevard and then continued walking through farms and woodlands until I reached Louthan Road.  At that point, I started my backtrack, hoping to have a good location to resume from when I next wanted to hike the NCT nearby.  It was still very warm and I started sweating - for this reason, I very much enjoyed the nice breezes on ridges I crossed.  During this three mile section, I only encountered two other people - they seemed to be hiking NCT sections like I was and had some good suggestions for future hikes.  By the time I arrived at my car (1715), my pedometer indicated that I completed six miles of hiking through what I later learned were State Game Lands.  Hoping to log some more NCT miles, I drove north on PA-551 (Hollow Road), continuing to follow the blue blazes.  Before long, I switched to Echo Valley Road and followed that to PA-351 (Crescent Drive).  Then, after crossing a major railroad junction on a flyover bridge, I used Houston Road to reach Scott Walker Road, which I followed into Lawrence County.  I passed friendly locals (some were toting hunting rifles) had no trouble on one-lane bridges or muddy tracks as the road continued deep into the Beaver Dam area.  Eventually (1740), I found another North Country Trail Trailhead just north of the North Fork of the Little Beaver Creek.  Since there was a gate there (and limited parking), I called it a day.  This drive yielded another five miles of NCT.  Using PA-351, I made my way back into Darlington (via New Galilee).  After that, I mostly backtracked towards my hotel.  Hoping to get some dinner, I got off (Old) Darlington Road and got on Constitution Boulevard.  Almost immediately, I spotted an interesting place called Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe and decided to stop there for dinner.  Just after I got inside, I remembered that it was a Friday in Lent so curtailed my original plan of getting some hot dogs.  Fortunately, they had some good soup and sides - I got broccoli and cheese soup, cheese fries and a milkshake.  The food was good!  Afterwards (1830), I returned to my hotel, which was very close, and was faced with the normal dilemma: be productive or relax.  Before departing for my hike, I'd had all kinds of ideas about getting things done in the hotel room.  In the end, though, I took a bath (to sooth my sore muscles and joints) and, after that, felt so relaxed that I only wanted to watch movies and read.  My workout definitely made me feel sleepy earlier than normal but I didn't go to bed until 2230.  It's been a good work week - another site has new hardware installed!  Very glad to have taken advantage of the amazing, unseasonable weather - hopefully, I can get some more good NCT miles this weekend...  North Country Trail Today = 8.0 miles / Grand Total NCT = 108.3 miles