Mike Breiding's Epic Road Trips: 2024

July 17-18-19-20
The Wilds of Pennsylvania

Introduction

From the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, I was going through what I refer to as my "Rail-Trail Craze" phase.
Prior to and during that period, I was deeply involved in Rail-Trail development in the Morgantown WV area, which included Monongalia, Preston, and Marion counties, while volunteering, serving on the board, and then serving as Vice President of the Mon River Trails Conservancy.

I was also involved with the West Virginia Rails-to-Trails Council. WVRTC was trying to develop a website that would be an information resource for Rail-Trail developers in West Virginia.

To this end, I and sometimes Betsy were traveling far and wide to ride Rail-Trails and document the technical aspects of how surfacing, road crossings, barricades, bridges, drainage, signage, and amenities were handled by any particular trail manager.

One of the trails I heard about that was definitely worth riding and seeing was the Pine Creek Rail-Trail in North Central Pennsylvania. This Rail-Trail followed Pine Creek, which ran through what is now referred to as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.

In 2003, I made a trip up to that area and planned a ride from Waterville to Wellsboro a distance of 52 miles.
I spent a full day taking photos and taking notes, poking around, and enjoying the spectacular scenery in the Grand Canyon. Eventually I made my way to Wellsboro and the Penn Wells Hotel, where I spent the night. In 2003 (21 years ago as of this writing), a single room was $35.00. Now, in 2024, the price would be $155.00. How did this happen?
When I arrived, I was a bit tuckered out, but I still had to eat some supper. I looked around and settled on something easy and cheap—a Subway sandwhich and a couple of beers.
The next morning, I got my gear together, got in the saddle, rode the 5 miles on the road back to the trail, and headed south, taking more photos along the way.

That was a wonderful ride: the weather was perfect, the scenery was inspiring, and the Pine Creek Rail-Trail was a real treat to ride.

In 2006, Betsy and I visited the same area and added hiking to our cycling fun.

When planning this most recent trip back to that area, we found out it is now referred to as "The Wilds of Pennsylvania."

This map shows the 13 county area that makes up "The Wilds of Pennsylvania." This area has over 2 million acres of public land, and it covers about a quarter of the state's territory but is home to only 4% of its population. The area is home to 50 state game lands, 29 state parks, 8 state forests, and sections of the Allegheny National Forest, and is largely forested and rural.

Here is how the The Wilds of Pennsylvania came to be.

In 2003, state and local partners began working together to establish this rural 13-county region as a premier outdoor recreation destination under a new brand, the PA Wilds. The influx of visitor dollars could help grow local businesses and diversify the region’s economy, improve quality of life, inspire stewardship, attract investment, and help retain the region’s population.

In 2013, the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. was founded to help spearhead the partnership work around the PA Wilds regional strategy. Today, PA Wilds Center serves as the primary convener for the PA Wilds regional strategy, working closely with state and regional partners and local stakeholders.

Source: pawildscenter.org

This area, like so many others, ended up impoverished once the timber industry collapsed. This article 'Boom to Bust': How the PA Wilds Survived tells the story.

"There are few places in the East where the natural beauties of mountain scenery and the natural resources of timber lands have been destroyed to the extent that has taken place in northern Pennsylvania."
– The U.S. Geological Survey, 1900

"By 1900, our beautiful mountains were barren and ugly. An estimated 350,000 acres per year were decimated by erosion and wildfires that ripped through stumps and scrub brush. The PA Wilds became known as 'the Pennsylvania Desert'."

Source: pawilds.com

But this story of devastation had a happy ending. The forest has recovered, the streams run clear, and bird song is everywhere. And the wildlife is abundant, including elk.

According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission:
"Pennsylvania's elk herd is located in the state's northcentral region, primarily in Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Clearfield, and Centre counties. The herd can number as many as 1,400 elk and roam across 3,000 square miles. The elk are descendants of those released by the Pennsylvania Game Commission between 1913 and 1926."

And that explains the official logo for the PA Wilds.

What got us thinking about a trip back to this area? I was talking to Craig Mains, that is, the Craig Mains of "Poking around in..." with Craig Mains.

His wife was doing a gig there as a visiting Hospitalist at UPMC Cole Memorial, a critical access hospital in Coudersport, so we planned our trip to visit when they were in the area so we could have fun hiking and sightseeing while his wife worked. Lucky us...

Betsy and I planned a three-night stay at the Lindy Motel. It is not really a hotel but is what used to be referred to as a tourist camp—a small place with five cabins.

The setting was convenient; it was close to both the Potter County Beverage store ("Where your thirst is our #1 priority!") and the hotel where Craig and Chain were staying. But unfortunately, Route 6 which passes through that part of Pennsylvania has now become an industrial truck-hauling corridor, primarily an endless parade of tanker trucks servicing the fracking industry.
These trucks run night and day and go through every little town along the way, clogging the downtowns with their heavy traffic, noise, and air pollution.

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Day 1 - Wednesday July 17
Hiking the Turkey Path with Craig

We left Morgantown around 8 to start the 5 plus hour drive to Colton Point State Park. Craig was going to meet us at the parking area for the Turkey Path trail, this was the same trail Betsy and I hiked in 2006. There is a route map for the Turkey Path trail here.

We are ready to go! But not before we tarried a moment to enjoy the enchanting call of the Hermit Thrush. Note the "WARNING" on the sign. There were lots of warnings all the way along the trail. The trail is steep and slippery in places and hiking novitiates must take care. But not us. We are hearty hikers!

Three ferns in one blurry shot. Far left: Marginal Wood Fern, Top center: Maiden-hair Spleenwort, Center: Polypody fern.

This interesting looking lichen may be in the genus Peltigera, possibly (Peltigera rufescens)

Hanging out under the overhang - 2024

Hanging out under the overhang - 2006

On our 2006 hike Betsy got totally freaked out by this enormous spider, but it was busy eating a small bird and paid no attention to us.

Ahhhh... Although the hike was all downhill it was very warm and muggy and the waters of Pine Creek felt mighty good.

Here is Betsy the Water Sprite in 2006. Note the water level. It was much higher in both 2006 and in 2003 when I first visited.

Craig enjoys a quiet moment while soaking his tootsies in the cool water. Note the bridge on the other side; that is where the Rail-Trail is and where Betsy and I would be on the morrow.

Shortly after this, everyone put their clothes back on, except me. It was too dang warm! So I hiked the trail back up in just my undies. It was a wise choice, as it turned out, because it rained most of the way back up out of the canyon.

When we got back to the car we parted company. Craig, Betsy, Chain and I would all meet the next day for supper after our Pine Creek Rail-Trail ride.

 

Before we went on to the the Lindy Motel we decided to check out an unusual Sycamore tree I had heard about.

In 1971, Apollo 14 astronaut Stuart Roosa carried with him a variety of tree seeds: American sycamore, redwood, Douglas fir, loblolly pine, and sweetgum. It was an experiment to see what effect, if any, the weightlessness in space would have on the seeds. When they arrived back on Earth, the seeds were sent to National Forest Service laboratories in Placerville, California, and Gulfport, Mississippi, where they were planted. Some seeds germinated and survived; some did not. One that did was American Sycamore. Through the efforts of retired Susquehannock District Forester Robert Lewis, a Sycamore seedling was given to the city of Coudersport to be planted in the Coudersport Area Recreation Park, where it stands today.
The plaque shown above was place in
The Lions Club presented the plaque for the tree in 2011.

Here we have a 74 year old Betsy and a 52 year old American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis).
Sycamores are a long lived and sturdy tree and hopefully this one will be here for many years to come.
You can read more about the Potter County Moon Tree here.

We then made our way to the Lindy Motel, checked in, unloaded and settled in on the porch for our Happy Hour. Then it was a tasty meal of homemade potato and chicken curry. Not long after that Betsy was snoring.

See you in the morning, everyone...
Mike and Betsy

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The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania
Day 2 - Thursday July 17th
Biking the Pine Creek Rail-Trail

Before the white man's footprints, wagons and steam engine locomotives made their way through the Pine Creek Gorge, it served as a major route of travel for American Indians, including use by Iroquois warriors on their war raids to points south.
Lumbering in the area started in the late 1700s, and by 1810, there were 11 sawmills in the Pine Creek watershed, and by 1840, there were 145. By the early 1900s, the vast virgin forest of the area was stripped, the forest was denuded and barren, and creeks and rivers were muddied and lifeless.

Fast forward to 1996. The Jersey Shore, Pine Creek, and Buffalo Railroad, which began operating in 1883 and transported timber and coal along the Pine Creek Gorge to sawmills and northern markets for over 100 years, was abandoned in 1988 and the tracks removed.
Then, in 1996, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources converted the right-of-way into the Pine Creek Rail-Trail, which opened in stages. The final section of this 62-mile Rail-Trail was completed in 2007.

Now the "Pine Creek Path" of the Native Americans and the canyon through which it meanders are once again heavily forested, and the waters of Pine Creek and its tributaries run clear and cool.

Here are a few maps for orientation.

The big picture showing the location of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, and the Pine Creek Rail-Trail.

Here is a closer look at the 62 mile Pine Creek Rail-Trail.

 

This shows the section of Rail-Trail Betsy and I rode today - 26 miles out and back.

When we arrived at the trailhead in Blackwell around 10:30, there were lots of people coming and going and we joined the crowd.

This photo was taken just a short distance up the trail from the Blackwell trailhead. Our turn around point will be Turkey Path. Note Betsy's trike in the background.

The first of many fine views of the canyon. The dead tree on the right is an American Ash (Fraxinus americana) that was undoubtably killed by an emerald ash borer infestation. Since the borer's arrival in the 1990s it is estimated over 100 million ash trees have been killed.

It is July now and this far north the goldenrod is coming into bloom.

There were some sections of the trail where the views reminded us of the Greenbrier River Rail-Trail in south eastern West Virginia.

Ferns! Bead ferns, to be exact. They were growing quite nicely in this section of wet ditch. As has been said, "They like their feet wet.". But not always.

Oh, dear. This recently fallen oak tree was a bit difficult to get around. But Betsy persitisted and onward we went.

This is one of my favorite summer flowers - Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus). The genius name Helianthus is derived from the Greek helios, meaning sun, and anthos, meaning flower. Two well know members of this genus are the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) and the widely planted Common sunflower (Helianthus annuus).

 

This is a plant I associate with rail-road grades and sometimes highways. The name is Soapwort (sometimes called Bouncing Bet)(Saponaria officinalis), and like some of our other common roadside plants (Chickory and Queen Ann's Lace), it is native to Asia and Europe. The three are ubiquitous, but not particularly weedy. And I would miss them if they were gone, even if they are not native plants.

Soapwort leaves and roots when crushed and rubbed vigorously with a small ammount of water produce a lather that acts as a gentle soap. I have tried this and it works.

Here we are at the crossing of the Turkey Path that we hiked yesterday. If you look at the shoreline on the other side of the creek, you can see the open area where Craig, Betsy, and I enjoyed a nice soak.

We then made our way back down the trail to the van, loaded up, and headed back to the Lindy Motel, stopping first at the Potter County Beverage store. Then it was off with the bike clothes, a quick clean-up, and on to the hotel where Craig and Chain were staying. Craig fixed us all a very nice salad that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Tomorrow it would be off down the road to an old growth area Craig had previously visited.

But, wait! There's still more! Below are some photos of the Pine Creek Rail-Trail I took in 2003.

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Pine Creek Rail-Trail: 2003

Photo: 2003

I mentioned previously that my first visit to the Pine Creek Rail-Trail was for the purpose of documenting the technical aspects of surfacing, road crossings, barricades, bridges, drainage, signage, and amenities. And, of course, to enjoy some very pleasurable riding. That is why I took the photo of the above sign, so I could show others how a first class Rail-Trail designed and installed their signs.

Photo: 2003

I have seen and used a lot of outhouses in my day, but never one this fancy.

Photo: 2003

All the comforts of home.

Photo: 2003

This will give your an idea of the Pine Creek water level in 2003. This year, 2024 we could have walked across it and barely got our calves wet. I would not have tried that in 2003.

Photo: 2003

Horses are permitted on the parellel trail between Ansonia and Tiadaghton, including these covered wagon tours.

The Ole Covered Wagon Tours is a family-owned and operated business in beautiful Tioga County, Pennsylvania. Come take a tour with us through the wondrous Pennsylvania Grand Canyon on a horse-drawn covered wagon.

The tour guides are fluent in the history of the Canyon going back to the 19th century. They will tell the tale while the horses wind their way on the Pine Creek Rail Trail. Take a jump into history while enjoying everything the canyon has to offer.

Source: Ole Covered Wagon Tours

Photo: 2003

There was some mighty pretty scenery to enjoy and for most of my 2003 ride I had the trail to myself.

Photo: 2003

The location of this impressive old trestle may be the one over Marsh Creek.

Photo: 2003

A sign with good advice every user should take to heart.

Photo: 2003

What a glorious day it was!

Photo: 2003

I took this photo to show a pruning method that did not require a heavy duty brush hog. This method of "limbing up" is slow and expensive but the results are much more in keeping with the natural beauty. The cutting looks severe but in just a few years will barely be noticible.

Photo: 2003

A beautiful colony of the New York fern (Amauropelta noveboracensis)

 

That ends the photos for the 2003 visit. Now, let's jump to 2006 and the highlight of the ride.

Photo: 2006

This part of Pennsylvania is well known for their Timber rattlesnakes Crotalus horridus and Betsy and I were very fortunate to see several of these beauties.

Photo: 2006

The rattler in the previous photo was right along the trail. This one, and several others were basking down in a leafy low area next to the trail. What a treat!

Ok! That's if for the PCRT!

Tomorrow Craig, Betsy and I will get into some serious tree hugging.
Join us, won't you?

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The Wilds of Pennsylvania: July 2024
Day 3 - Friday the 19th
Forrest H. Dutlinger Natural Area

Craig picked us up at the Lindy Motel in Coudersport around 8:00, and then we were on our way to the Susquehannock State Forest and the Hammersley Wild Area, wherein lies the Forrest H. Dutlinger Natural Area.

Like most of the roads in the area our route was lightly travelled and heavily forested.

The Pennsylvania Wilds region is over 2 million acres (3,125 sq mi) and within that region is:
 ⋄ Susquehannock State Forest - 265,000 acres which is home to the
 ⋄ Hammersley Wild Area - 30,253 acres which contains the
 ⋄ Forrest H. Dutlinger Natural Area - 1,521 acre
that is surrounded by the Hammersley Wild Area. The 1,521 acres Forrest H. Dutlinger Natural Area contains 158 acres of old-growth forest, mostly Eastern Hemlock and White Pine.

The Hammersley Wild Area was last clearcut around 1900 and is a mature second growth forest today. That means most of the trees in the area are over 100 years old. Trees this age are not easy to find, but the Hammersley Wild Area has lots of them.

There is a small parking area along Hammersly Road, a dirt road that eventually turned in to two muddy tracks—the result of decades of vehicles driving into their camps and cabins.

Our route up to the Dutlinger Old Growth area - 4.5 miles out and back. The slope on the west side was very steep, and one can only imagine what it must have looked like after being clear-cut. The now clear and cool Hammersly Fork we followed would have been a mud - and debris-filled mess.

Craig takes the lead; he had been here before and knew we would enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the old growth area.

Craig and Betsy picked crossings so they would not get their feet wet. I was wearing my Chacos as always, so I crossed without concern for keeping my feet dry.

A mighty fine White Pine along Hammersly Fork.

Most of the cabins along Hammersly Fork were rough and unkemp looking. Not so this one, built by "The Young Dutchmen" in 1952—the year I was born.

"The Young Dutchmen" had built a two-holer. It was clean and well maintained.

It is hard to say the age of this chimney, but it could very well be all that remains of a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp that was here in the 1930s. The camp's designation was S-133-PA and it was named Tamarack. The camp opened on May 30th, 1933, and was closed three years later. Opposite the chimney and on the other side of the creek was a faded stone monument inscribed with "CCC S-133.".

Craig found an aerial photo of CCC Camp Tamarack at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum and sent it on to me.

The area had been clearcut just 30–40 years prior, and I was surprised to see CCC Camp Tamarack was surrounded by dense forest by the 1930s.

Considering the number of buildings in the above photo, I was curious about how many men were enrolled there. I contacted Joshua Fox, Curator of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, and he kindly replied with this information.

"...a camp was home to one Company of men. A Company at full strength was 200 men. Now men would be coming and going so the exact number would vary but at full strength the camp would have 200 CCC Enrollees."

Source: Joshua Fox, Curator of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum

Joshua also emailed me some photos of the camp that are in the collection of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum.

I assume these were the barracks were the men stayed.

These men are out in the middle of the wilderness, away from family and friends, and yet there are mostly smiles here. I am sure the comradery was strong, and the assurance of "three hots and a cot" helped keep these fellas smiling.

This photo shows the "Morning Flag Raising".

Is that the chimney we are now seeing on our hike? Based on the capstones, I would say there is a very good chance they are one and the same.

Here we are heading up into the forest, leaving Hammersly Fork behind and now following an unnamed tributary up the hollow.

The protected area was named after Forrest H. Dutlinger, a Commonwealth forester from 1908 to 1958, who had begun his career at a time of massive clear cutting of forests without any reforestation by the timber companies, along with rampant wildfires. Dutlinger became known for his efforts to revive the forests of the region, and he also attempted to ameliorate the spread of chestnut blight.

Source: WikiPedia

Thank you Mr. Dutlinger!

We saw a number of interesting plants on our hike up to the old growth area, including the largest population of Intermediate wood fern I have ever seen.

This showy sedge (Carex plantaginea) is known by several common names: carex plantain, plaintainleaf sedge, and seersucker sedge.

This is one of the species of turkey tail fungus (Trametes). There are about 125 species that are widespread in North America, with one or another being found in every state.

Here is something I rarely see: Commom polypody (Polypodium vulgare) growing as an epiphyte, not a lithophyte. Epipetric and lithophyte are both terms used to describe plants that grow on rock. Now you know.

The steep slopes of the hillside were covered with 1000s of Intermediate wood ferns (Dryopteris intermedia). I was awestruck, to say the least.

 

Photo: Craig Mains

Betsy and I were both mesmerized by this forest primeval.

Mighty hemlocks like this once covered most of the Wild Lands of Pennsylvania. But no more. In just a few decades, nearly all of them were cut for the financial benefit of just a few.

Speaking of things I don't see every day, here we see a mealy bug infestation on Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides). From a distance, this looked like bird droppings, and I was baffled as to what it might be. So, I collected a specimen, kept it chilled in a cooler, and when we got back to Morgantown, I took it to the WVU Extensions' Plant Diagnostic Clinic who identified these white, cottony threads as the protective covering for the eggs within.
  I know you want to see more—I just know it!!

And so ends our hike. The three of us were soaked to our psyches from all the forest bathing. Ahhh...

 

On the way back to Coudersport we stopped at two vista points on Rt 44.

#1 Water Tank Vista Point - Looking North East
I was talking to Craig about what we were actually looking at here and he had this to say.

I was also looking at some maps and had concluded that we were looking at the left headwater fork of Pine Creek (West Branch of Pine Creek)---one of the two that comes together in downtown Galeton to form Pine Creek. I found out that there is a trail from that overlook that leads down into the valley. It follows the switchbacks of an old logging railroad. Somewhere down there are the ghost town remnants of an old logging town called Corbett.

Source: Craig Mains

Note how the distant mountain is flat.

#2 Cherry Springs Vista Point - Looking South West
This is looking back towards the area where we just hiked - our F. H. Dutlinger Old Growth Forest Hike in the Hammersley Wild Area.

Craig and I talked about how the mountain tops are flat and he mentioned this was a good example of what geologists call the Allegheny Plateau. Why are they flat? Tom Kammer - Emeritus Professor of Geology at WVU explained it to me with the following.

The Allegheny or Appalachian Plateau was once flat and was later uplifted and dissected by stream erosion. In the diagram below, an east to west cross section through Pennsylvania,
DiagramA is during the Cretacaeous about 100 m.y. ago. The Appalachian Mtns formed by plate tectonic collisions between 250-300 m.y. ago and were very high mountains, like the Alps or Rockies. During the Mesozoic Era (66-250 m.y.) they eroded down to what you see in A.
Diagram B shows gentle uplift in the early Cenozoic, around 60 m.y. ago.
Diagram C shows rejuvenation of the Appalachians around 30 m.y. ago.
Diagram D shows the modern Appalachians that are a product of erosion since the middle Cenozoic rejuvenation.

Our day ended with a planned dinner with Craig and Chain. Unfortunately, Chain had to stay late at work and could not join us.
And so, just the three of us dined at the China Garden in Coudersport. The food was about what you would expect from a backwater Chinese restaurant. Edible, but nothing special. Betsy and I split an order of Singapore Chow Mei Fun, and I think Craig has some sort of Thai noodle dish.
After dinner, we said our farewells, and then it was back to the hotel. Tomorrow would be our departure from the The Wilds of Pennsylvania. We had one more stop planned, and then it would be on to the Land of Lil and Lou.

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The Wilds of Pennsylvania - July 2024
Day 4 - Saturday the 20th
Farewell to the Canyon and Hello to some Dear Friends

We passed this overlook area on our first day into the Canyon and wanted to check it out. We were glad we did.

The views of the Pine Creek Canyon from this vantage point were more than we had hoped for.

One last look before we started the walk back to the car.

We have seen a lot of trees with a lot of Pecker holes but this one topped them all.
OK! Time to head on down to Stumville.

By way of introduction, let me tell you how we met Lil and Lou Stum. 10 years ago, Betsy and I moved from a winter rental in Green Valley AZ to a place on the west side of Tucson called "Tucson Estates" (TE). As luck would have it, the place we rented was just a few doors down from Lil and Lou, who just happened to be from Pennsylvania.
It was not long before we met them and got an invitation to join them at the "Eastern Seaboard" dinner. This included folks from all over the eastern US and was a big social event.
And that, as they say, was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. But this past spring, Lil and Lou decided to pack it in. They had 20 wonderful winters in TE but now they would stay closer to home in the hills of central Pennsylvania.
As you can imagine, Lil and Lou had quite a job trying to figure out what to take back to PA and how to get it there. There were two very fragile items—a bird sculpture and a glass globe they felt they dare not try to mail. What to do? ERT to the rescue! I told them I would gladly pack the items carefully in the van and would provide safekeeping for them until we could arrange delivery. Now was that time.

We arrived at Lil and Lou's just in time for Happy Hour—imagine that! This was enjoyed on their front porch, where we all chatted away and shared the news about this and that.
Then, it was time for the Main Event: Lil's downhome and dee-lish cookin'!

And here we are enjoying a feast of scalloped taters, salmon patties, deviled eggs, coleslaw, and fresh fruit.
Lil knew I loved her scalloped taters, and I also mentioned how I loved the salmon patties my mom used to make when we were kids. Mom also made the same taters, so this was quite the trip down memory lane.
Thank you, Lil and Lou, for your friendship and the many good times and kindnesses you have shown us. We love you and will miss you in good old TE!

 

Until next time...
Mike and Betsy

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