My easily-achievable goal today was to hike the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) from the Tanbark Trail all the way to the North Loop of the Minister Creek Trail--about 3.8 miles one way. The Tanbark ends where it joins the NCT at Mayburg Road, just south of the disappeared village of Dunham Siding.
This quadrant of the forest is close to Hearts Content and the Hickory Creek Wilderness. And let me tell you, it's a fantastic area for viewing wildlife! No joke: passing near the parking area for Hickory Creek, a young black bear bolted across the road about 50 feet ahead of my car. I didn't have time to get a picture, but it was a beautiful creature. Then, in the woods, a dark brunette fisher darted across the path. Finally, on the road home, a fat porcupine was scrambling along the roadside on Cobham Hill Road, bottom photo.
It was a lovely day to do a 7.6 mile out-and-back in the autumn-scented forest. Cool, partly cloudy, and perfectly sentimental. It tugged at old cords in my heart. Being in the woods today made me feel as I felt hiking this forest in my 30s--young, forward-looking, in search of adventure. Let's just say that I felt like a 30-something for the first 4 miles... The remaining miles were uphill and a little footsore. It rained here recently, and the woodlands smelled rich and wet and spicy. It smelled like my grandmother's old tin spice cabinet. The best day I've had on the trail in a long while. The trees, the sights, the scents, the animals.
I did indeed arrive at the northernmost point on the North Loop of the Minister Creek Trail. There's a beautiful campsite where the trails meet, right on the banks of Minister Creek. Some Boy Scouts from Cleveland were working on the bridge over the creek, which prevented me from lingering long.
A rusted old saw blade leans against a tree at the campsite, just to remind you that you might FEEL like you're in the boreal forest of Alaska, but this is still Pennsylvania, where most of the wild places used to be industrial sites.
The hemlocks were lovely with the sun breaking through--as they are in every season and condition.
This is a perfect little camp on Cobham Road. Today the woods reminded me of a long-ago trip to Vermont in October--where I saw my first wild porcupine, and the woodlands smelled like old fashioned spices, and cottages appeared along narrow country lanes, and I felt young...thinking I was no longer young and not really knowing that I still was.
Of the three lovely woodland creatures who graced me with their presence today, only the porcupine stopped to pose for the camera.
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