Three days roaming through Bradford and Sullivan Counties in northern Pennsylvania should be suggested as a tonic for those with stressed mind and body.
Visited new-found friends Charlie and Barbara Gerlach at Berry Fields Farm for a day or so, on Sunday hit the Sullivan County Fall Festival in Forksville, complete with chainsaw carving, lumberman's competition, and of course, some of the best festival food anywhere-- turkey legs, cabbage rolls and haluski.
On Monday, the fall colors were peaking and most visitors had returned to school, so I drove to Worlds End and then Ricketts Glen State Parks for a full day of hiking and absorbing the fall colors. About 3,000 people had visited on Sunday, so I thought that on Monday, the park would be mine. Wrong. Apparently, you can't keep a place like this secret for long.
The 4.2 mile hike down and back up the glen is a rigorous one, not for those hikers afraid of heights, rocky ledges, slippery surfaces or steep grades. Or anyone in a hurry. On both Saturday and Sunday, park rangers rescued hikers who had slipped-- rangers beg hikers to wear hiking boots-- and had to be taken off the trail. And, rangers ask you to stay on the trails. Photographers can get terrific pictures here without putting themselves-- and the rangers who have to rescue them-- in danger.
But the view is worth the effort. Because it's a steep trail, I'd suggest NOT taking a tripod, or at least a very, very light one. There's always something around that can steady your camera enough for a decent photo. Take as little equipment as possible so it doesn't get in the way of the hike. A lens cleaning cloth will eliminate splashes. Take a bottle of water and maybe a snack.
Above all, don't hurry. Your camera will handle the sense of vision. Wander slowly enough to feel and smell the fall air, listen to the leaves fall and water splash. You'll thank yourself later.
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