Dayhike
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/A_view_of_France_Brook_as_it_winds_through_the_forest_in_Allegany_State_Park.jpg
“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous” -Aristotle
I want to vocalize something right now that I find hard to put into words. It’s about a moment, an experience, that is intangible and hard to catch. I don’t think that everyone is sensitive to this type of feeling, but I could be wrong. I only know that there are a few memories that I have that contain a certain quality about them that is hard to explain; maybe an example will help me.
I was deep in a forest. The weather was cool and wet; it had just rained. My mom and I had planned a back-packing trip to Allegany State park after my first visit to Penn State as an accepted student. For the last two days I had sat through countless lectures, panels, and educational videos. This heavy load had settled on my shoulders as I faced one of the biggest decisions in my life and a choice still wasn’t clear to me. But now, I was with my mom whom I love. I was in a beautiful, lush, old growth forest. Still, stoic trees towered above us and dewy undergrowth just barely moved in the wind. Perhaps a bird called a ways off in the canopy.
I carried everything I needed on my back and desired nothing more than this. Life had jumped from chaotic and demanding to simplistic and meditative. As I walked through the forest, I felt my body, my mind, and my breath become one. I felt peace and comfort, stillness and nostalgia for the present. There was joy of being alive in my bones. I felt real and pure. This is the character of these moments that I love and hold dear.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Allegany+state+park+images&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=575&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwip44DG9_3LAhXEsxQKHfxeCagQ_AUIBygC#q=Allegany+state+park+images&tbm=isch&tbs=isz:l&imgrc=83o_M2noyjdulM%3A
It is this feeling that I wish to you. I don’t think that it’s possible to manufacture a feeling so true, but I know, for myself, that I often stumble upon these moments in the great outdoors. With the wind in my hair and the sun on my face, I feel the most free. Yet, if you have your own passions, chase them. Know yourself and find your own moments. Here, on this blog I only share the way I know to find these precious instances.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Fall_Brook,_Salt_Springs_State_Park,_Susquehanna_County,_Pennsylvania_(16_March_2008).jpg
This last bit of school we have is a stressful one. I am swamped with papers and projects, final exams and research. I can feel everything piling up, just waiting until it reaches its breaking point to crash down on my head. What I propose is a few hours of your day spent outside. The indecisive Pennsylvania weather is almost to point where it’s a bearable spring climate and Mother Nature is calling you outside. So, let’s plan a little trip!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Black_Moshannon_State_Park_Wetland_NicholasT.jpg
Let’s say that this short hike is a Sunday morning affair. Perhaps you even let a few of your friends tag along. Black Moshannon State Park is the place to be this beautiful, imaginary Sunday. Black Moshannon is a lovely 3,394 acre park about 35 minutes from State College. The 250 acre Black Moshannon Lake is fed by clear springs and small streams which feed the bogs that stretch in most directions from its shore. The park gets its title from the native american name “Moss-Hanne” (which means “Moose Stream”). The term “Black” comes from the park’s tea-colored waters that have been dyed by sphagnum moss.
Black Mo has 250 picnic tables spread across the park and swimming open from late-May to early-September. But you know I go for the hiking and the vistas. Black Moshannon has 20 miles of hiking. The shortest trail is .3 miles and the longest is 7.7 with the entire range of trails (and in fact the entire set of trails) manageable for a day hike. The map on the DCNR website is super helpful for any planning.
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I’m planning this hike as a 2 1/2 hour hike with a lunch stop in the middle so 3-4 miles is probably appropriate for the pace at which I expect this lazy, Sunday hike to go. My favorite trail at Black Mo is the Ski Slope Trail (2 mi). This path is some of the park’s most difficult hiking and covers the greatest change in elevation because it is literally an old downhill ski slope. This trail gives hikers amazing spring views of budding and flowering trees on the slope of an adjacent ravine.
My second favorite trail is perfect for this time of year because it is the prime spot for viewing spring wildflowers. It’s called Sleepy Hollow Trail (1.2 mi and super cute name, right?) and it is a similar level of difficulty as the Ski Slope Trail. Hikers walk through a hemlock-birch forest and woodlands of cherry and oak.
I also advise anyone who goes to Black Moshannon to walk on the Bog Trail (.3 mi). This super short trail consisting of board walks through the bogs gives hikers a look at the park’s namesake bogs.
So, if you’re a craving an escape from pressure and frustration, go to the woods. See what she has in store for you.
Ciao!
Audrey
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One Response to “Dayhike”
Audrey- this is a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing some of your dearest moments. Your writing is so eloquent and I felt myself reliving similar experiences that I’ve had outdoors. My dad and I love to go to hikes, and it is some of our most valuable time together, so I can definitely relate to the experience you shared with your mom. I think spending time outdoors is the best way to relieve stress, so thank you for reminding me the importance of this! I love reading your posts!!