Hiked the Heritage Trail through the valley of the south branch of Traverse Creek, in the westernmost reaches of Raccoon. A few autumn leaves were still in business, but only a few. They say that a lady always knows when to leaf...
The transition from October to November seems to be complete: gray skies, forty degrees, barren branches with a few leathery oak leaves still clinging and rattling. I met a domestic cat on this trail that turned tail and ran like hell when it saw me. I kept catching up with it, and it would run again. I don't know what it's doing this far into the woods.
If you leave the Heritage Trail and head uphill on the Buckskin Trail, you can look back to get a sense for how high you are climbing. In summer, when the trees are in leaf, you would see nothing but greenery.
The state park maintains an educational area--known as Pathways--on the site of the old Doak Farm. They offer programs in outdoor living. This is a cheater's wigwam that makes use of fiberglass beneath the thatching. I thought the local tribes mainly lived in longhouses anyway.
The dark November countryside has a spooky cast to it. I wasn't the only one who felt it. I scared up a whole covey of ringneck pheasants as I entered the lawn of the educational center. There's a large grassy space behind this cabin where a few hunters were already scoping things out.
Click on this photo to enlarge it. It tells about the old Doak homestead, dating back to 1772. A nice, two-hour hike is to begin at the Nichol Road parking area, just off PA168. Leave Nichol Road to turn right onto the Heritage Trail, and follow it alongside Traverse Run. Turn left onto the Buckskin Trail spur, then left again to stay on the Buckskin. Ascend the wall of the valley and emerge onto the Pinto Loop, which brings you back to Nichol Road and back to the parking area just off PA168.
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