A place will give itself to you anew when you're about to leave it. You'll see it again with fresh eyes... The forgiving lens of retrospect will give it a new glow, a new beauty.
As my time in Northern Pennsylvania grows short, I find myself approaching the forest as if with a "bucket list." That's to say, I'm finally undertaking hikes that I'd put off for years because they were too far from home, or too long, or just too undocumented. I feel the urgency to make the most of the time that's left.
One such "bucket-list-hike" was the ten miles of trails at Cornplanter State Forest, at the western edge of the ANF.
Cornplanter is 1,585 acres of public land with a good network of trails and--like all PA state forests--free backcountry camping. Someone clearly loves this forest because it's very well cared for. The trails are well blazed, well maintained, and they all start at a pleasant little ranger station and parking area where a wide array of maps and literature is available for the taking. Oddly, I had the whole forest to myself for almost five hours. It was the Saturday of Independence Day weekend, and not another soul chose to spend it at Cornplanter SF. I really felt like I should have loved the place... But I didn't.
An 8-mile hike through Cornplanter SF starts off like a movie by the Cohen Brothers. You think to yourself, "Okay. A little dull, but there are some promising features. Let's see if it doesn't get better in a few minutes." By the end of the hike (and the Cohen Brothers movie), you think to yourself, "Okay, now what just happened here?"
Don't get me wrong. If you dropped Cornplanter SF out in Kansas, it would be a treasure, a verdant little woodland gem. In fact, Cornplanter reminds me for all the world of
Mounds State Park in Indiana, a place where I spent a sad week of my adolescent years, trudging alone through the mosquito-infested woods.
But around here, there's just not much to distinguish Cornplanter SF. The topography is mainly level. Only two very small streams traverse the forest. There isn't much variety in tree species. There are no hemlocks. No interesting rock formations. No overlooks or vistas. It has the feel of a Midwestern woodlot. There are, however, some old remains of the oil industry, including the wreckage of this old house. The bed frame was sitting nearby, with a tree growing through the bedsprings.
A place will give itself to you anew when you're about to leave it. You'll see it again with fresh eyes... The forgiving lens of retrospect will give it a new glow, a new beauty.
As my time in Northern Pennsylvania grows short, I find myself approaching the forest as if with a "bucket list." That's to say, I'm finally undertaking hikes that I'd put off for years because they were too far from home, or too long, or just too undocumented. I feel the urgency to make the most of the time that's left.
One such "bucket-list-hike" was the ten miles of trails at Cornplanter State Forest, at the western edge of the ANF.
Cornplanter is 1,585 acres of public land with a good network of trails and--like all PA state forests--free backcountry camping. Someone clearly loves this forest because it's very well cared for. The trails are well blazed, well maintained, and they all start at a pleasant little ranger station and parking area where a wide array of maps and literature is available for the taking. Oddly, I had the whole forest to myself for almost five hours. It was the Saturday of Independence Day weekend, and not another soul chose to spend it at Cornplanter SF. I really felt like I should have loved the place... But I didn't.
An 8-mile hike through Cornplanter SF starts off like a movie by the Cohen Brothers. You think to yourself, "Okay. A little dull, but there are some promising features. Let's see if it doesn't get better in a few minutes." By the end of the hike (and the Cohen Brothers movie), you think to yourself, "Okay, now what just happened here?"
Don't get me wrong. If you dropped Cornplanter SF out in Kansas, it would be a treasure, a verdant little woodland gem. In fact, Cornplanter reminds me for all the world of Mounds State Park in Indiana, a place where I spent a sad week of my adolescent years, trudging alone through the mosquito-infested woods.
But around here, there's just not much to distinguish Cornplanter SF. The topography is mainly level. Only two very small streams traverse the forest. There isn't much variety in tree species. There are no hemlocks. No interesting rock formations. No overlooks or vistas. It has the feel of a Midwestern woodlot. There are, however, some old remains of the oil industry, including the wreckage of this old house. The bed frame was sitting nearby, with a tree growing through the bedsprings.
Do you have any more pictures of the remnants of the oil industry? I would especially like to see a picture of the bed frame with a tree growing through it. A good example of Mother Nature reclaiming the land! Feel free to e-mail me at Coffman@hotmail.com.
ReplyDeleteThanks!