October and November: My two favorite months stand side-by-side as neighbors. And though they have similarities, they're so very different from each other. One is garish in its beauty, while the other is understated, almost stark...but still lovely. I like late stage autumn for its cool, gray days, the scent of fallen leaves, and the sense of an ending that lingers in its deepening shadows. I also like the way the oak trees cling to their leaves, some of which display rich--if muted--tones of copper, burgundy, and red.
This is McCafferty Run Trail at Cornplanter State Forest. It's possible that I've written more about Cornplanter Forest than anyone else on the Internet, including the folks at the PADCNR who manage and publicize the place. Cornplanter interests me because it's the bit of wild public land closest to my house up in the Northlands. I also like the fact that you can usually have the whole place to yourself--at least in the largest tract along Jamison Run Road.
Cornplanter Forest is divided up into about half a dozen non-contiguous tracts in Warren, Crawford, and Forest counties. The biggest tract is between Tionesta and Pleasantville. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is forever reminding visitors that "state forests" are not the same as "state parks." A park enjoys some protections against drilling, and fracking, and tree-harvesting. A forest is subject to all of the above; it's what they call "a working forest."
And so, they put out a few picnic tables, put signage along the trails, and maintain a kiosk with brochures and maps...then they clear-cut the forest into absolute oblivion. Google informs me that only 10% of Cornplanter has been lumbered in that past 20 years, but I find that hard to believe. Also, the areas where they've chosen to destroy the trees and install oil wells tend to be right along the most popular trails. Don't even bother with the Jamison Trail. It's an industrial zone, as seen in the photo below...crisscrossed by dirt roads for the drillers and decimated by ugly clearings with noisy oil pumps.
The largest tract--the one closest to my house--is over 1,000 acres in size. If 10% of it has been logged and another 30% is an oil industry hellscape, that leaves about 600 acres for the forest to be what forests are supposed to be: a community of trees, living creatures that seek life and wellbeing just like you and me.
A YouTuber tipped me off that the McCafferty Run Trail is actually the sweet spot where Cornplanter Forest is most intact. (You'll see alternate spellings and pronunciations: McCaferty, McCaferdy, and even McCaffrey.) That quadrant has also been heavily logged, but not in recent years. This far-flung woodland borders a neglected piece of the Allegheny National Forest--a fearsomely steep terrain which, unlike most of the ANF, is west of the Allegheny River.
Look closely at this grove of bare trees. They've all got the same moss or lichen growing harmlessly on their bark. It makes a fun visual effect.
I'd guess the McCafferty Run Trail is about 2.5 miles in length, and much of it is an old forest road, seen here. It passes through scenic and peaceful woods. A few years ago, in summertime, I spotted my first scarlet tanager at the place pictured here.
I came out here yesterday with a mission: I wanted to find a few hidden areas where I could pitch a tent on short notice without much planning. I did camp out here last week, and it was really nice, but the hilltop spot I picked was not ideal. There is exactly one very large campsite where you can car-camp along Jamison Run Road. I saw a big group camped here over Memorial Day weekend. But I have no interest in camping beside a road, and you have to get a permit to use this spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment