Stony Point Overlook

As I trekked off into the depths of the forest again--after so much time away--I felt that old, old peace coming back over me.  It's a peace I discovered here a decade ago, one that I've known too little of in recent years.  Ah, but it was there, waiting for me in the trees like a faithful friend.  I didn't know whether to laugh or weep, so I tried to do a little bit of both, with varying degrees of success.  I wanted to cast myself on the mossy earth and shake with loud sobs of gratitude, sobs of real joy, and tears of genuine pain for all the time I've lost.  But if you're a man in his forties, then you know that tears just don't come, no matter how much you might want them to.

In the top photo, you see Stony Point.  It appears on all the maps of the Allegheny National Forest, but there is nothing to indicate what it is or how to get there.  In fact, go look at your map right now.  Find the hamlet of Kellettville, then look due south a few miles.  There you see the words "Stony Point."  I decided that since I couldn't make it to the mouth of Lamentation Run, I'd at least discover the mysterious Stony Point.  And with the help of a geocaching website, I found the place.  Beautiful, isn't it?  And I'm sure the views are even more spectacular in less leafy seasons.  The top photo looks due north toward Kelletville, though the little town is not visible.

Overlooks are relatively rare in this forest.  Of course, you've got overlooks at Jakes Rocks and the exceedingly lovely Rimrock, but not many others.  I recall a small overlook along the Twin Lakes Trail at Brookston, but Stony Point is one of the least-known and least-visited overlooks in the Allegheny National Forest.  The people who do come here usually make the trek on horseback.  And yet, it's an easy walk from the spot where you have to park your car along Forest Road 212.  At some point FR 212 becomes FR 211, but it doesn't matter.  Just go to Muzette, PA, and find Lewis Road--about a mile west of town.  Lewis Road doubles as FR 212; follow it north until you reach a traffic gate.  Park your car and follow the road.  There is a horse path through the woods that makes a bit of a shortcut, pictured here, but don't be bothered with that.  For one thing, any rain at all would make it impossibly muddy--horse hooves really tear up the trails.  Eventually, you'll reach an old rock quarry with gas works where FR 212 / 211 becomes a grassy little lane to the left, and the more prominent FR 484 continues to the right.  Follow this as it gets narrower and more overgrown, all the way up to the overlook, about 3.5 miles from where you parked.

The big blue sky looms like an army of angels through the forest canopy.  You can feel the land falling away through the trees to the open sky beyond.  It's a magnificent sight, and it's guaranteed that you'll have it all to yourself.  O healing forest, restore my soul!  Remember that I'm your child, though long-since strayed.  You cured me once before.  I've been too long in the land of traffic jams and noisy neighbors.  I've spent too many years away, in a place of gadgets, and devices, and appointments, and screaming highways, and achievements, and reputations, and duties, and demands.  I can't even tell you how tired I am, and God knows I never wanted to leave.  Visions of you give me hope.  Joyful memories of you gather round my bed, where I-79 howls like a tormented spirit, and they sing to me the song of the exiles.  You can't fix what's wrong with me now, but I'm sure you could give me the strength to endure it--if only I could get here more often.