McCafferty Run Trail, Cornplanter State Forest

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.

Solo Overnight at Cornplanter State Forest

October is lingering long.  I love it.  I'm not sure when I've seen the trees hold onto their leaves this late into the fall.  Maybe it's due to the very dry weather.  See how low Oil Creek is running on the day before Halloween...

I was in the neighborhood, so I stopped by the park office at Oil Creek State Park and told the lady behind the desk that I had a single night to spend alone in the woods, but it has to be ALONE.  She said, "Sorry, we've got 4 sites reserved at one of our campgrounds and 5 at the other."  (These are just small backpacking campgrounds--no car-camping.)  And so, I went to Cornplanter State Forest.  It's only about 5 miles from my house.

I felt a little creeped out to be doing a solo backpacking trip again--the night before Halloween.  Have I even done a solo trip since a guy tried to murder me on North Fork Mountain in 2022?  (For that woeful tale, click HERE.)  That was 4 years ago...  But I'd scoped out a remote sight, far from view, and got there shortly before dusk.  There was a bowhunter with Vermont plates in the woods, but we paid each other no heed.  I thought to myself, "If it were PA plates, I might feel a little uncomfortable that he knows I'm spending the night alone here...but Vermont plates?  He's harmless."  It was a beautiful thing to have the night close in around my little encampment.  My last visit to Cornplanter was so disappointing that I didn't think I'd ever go back.  Huge swaths of the forest had been cut down and sold, and many tree trunks still littered the ground--which they will still be doing 30 years from now.  I was mad.  Cornplanter was never an exciting place, but it was pleasant and close by.  But...I went back on short notice because I thought I knew an area of the forest that had been spared the saw.  It was really great to spend a night alone in the woods again.  Coyotes and barred owls sang into the night.

And I slept like a baby till 4:30am, after which I slept fitfully.  It got down to 32 degrees overnight, but all was well.  My new philosophy of life is to keep my backpack ready to go at all times.  I leave it completely packed with food, water, toiletries and everything.  I attach a note telling me what I need to add--like bear mace or a hat.  Then--as happened just yesterday--when I get the spontaneous urge to take off, it's ready to go.  It's been a good psychological trick for me.  It makes me feel as if there's one less hurdle between me and a night in the forest.

It's a glorious thing to wake up to the sunlight in the October trees and the earthy smell of fallen leaves.  I might go back to Cornplanter with the sole intention of scouting out a few more places where I could do a quick overnight without any preplanning.

Minister Creek 6-Mile Loop

I took so many pictures at Minister Creek today!  Rarely do I get a Sunday off, and I wanted to make good use of it, so I headed for one of the most popular destinations in the Allegheny National Forest.

I was aware that on a Sunday in October, the trail was bound to attract a lot of day-hikers.  And truly, I've never seen the parking lot so full of cars--or the campground so empty.  

I'm not sure why they left some of the old oil works in this region standing when they created the national forest.  Some they left, others they tore down.

It has always felt like a real gap in my knowledge of this forest that I had never done the entire 6-mile loop at Minister Creek.  But I have this weird thing where I avoid anything that seems popular or trendy.  Not sure why I do it.  I've spent my whole life avoiding crowds, and this is perhaps just an expression of that.

I've even put off watching some really excellent movies and TV shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Ted Lasso" because everyone loved them, and I don't like to follow the crowds.  

Up here in the Northlands, the only trees still holding onto their leaves are the beeches and oaks.

I came here in part because I follow a YouTuber who hosted a big get-together here for a bunch of other Pennsylvania hiking YouTubers.  He called it "The Minister Meet-Up," which of course made me think, "Hey, this guy's a minister, too!"  Then it turned out that it was only so called because it took place here at Minister Creek.

I briefly asked myself why I hadn't been invited.  Does the once-respected name of Snowbelt Parson no longer carry any heft in the world of outdoors exploration?  But then I remembered that no, of course it doesn’t.  My popular blog is a thing of the distant past, and I never graduated to YouTube.  This current blog is open to the public, but few read it. I mostly just keep it for myself.  And also, it’s a blog in a day of TikTok and YouTube.

If you don’t have a drone filming you from 30 feet above your head, you’re not part of the outdoorsy club. But I think it would be soul-draining to film myself, and talk to myself, and edit videos.  

I realize that videos give you a fuller experience...but words.  I love words.  I love them more than most other things...except birds, and trees, and all the stuff I'm taking pictures of.

So, I continue keeping a record of my treks with this antiquated blog...

The boulders are truly one of the best reasons to do the entire loop at Minister Creek.  Plus, there's a kinda scenic vista and some really pleasant camping spots at the northernmost end of the loop.

I did lose the trail in one spot, but there's no losing it where is passes between rocks the size of public buildings.

The clear blue skies, the cool temperatures, the fragrance of autumn leaves.  It was a good day to be in the forest.

I passed many other hikers today, but it didn't bother me.  Hikers tend to be likeminded; most of us don't come to the woods to make friends, but we sense a kinship with anyone else who loves what we love--like a handsome hemlock.  I did the 6 miles in just under 3 hours, and would have done it a lot faster if I hadn't stopped to take so many pictures.

Endeburn Hill, Clear Creek State Forest

I love rural church buildings.  This one is a "Global Methodist" church.  What's that?  It's the new splinter sect that broke away from the mainstream United Methodists a few years ago because the UMC finally began welcoming openly gay people.  Which is to say, I'd snoop around this church when there's no one about, but I have no interest in hearing anything that's said inside on a Sunday morning.

The vibrant colors of October were just starting to fade when I decided to hold a grudge match with Endeburn Hill in Clear Creek State Forest.  I nabbed it this time.

Another beautiful day to be in the forests of the North Country.

The summit of Endeburn Hill is a bit...anticlimactic.  But I knew it would be.

My mother in Ohio is doing her "fall hospital tour," as my sister calls it.  So I had to do a little parental babysitting at my place up North.  My father really likes it there; the house is in the countryside very close to where his mother grew up--and had a pet skunk.  Is it true that death's approach makes us all turn toward whatever home we've known in this world?

We had a get-together with my aunt--my father's sister--and uncle and my one remaining cousin.  It was poorly attended, but I hadn't seen these relatives in close to 20 years, so it was time.

The teaberries--or wintergreen--were abundant on the summit, and very minty.  The leaves were soaked for a week and used as an ersatz tea during the American Revolution--when the British blocked all the ships  coming in from the Caribbean with real tea.

 

Clear Creek State Park & State Forest

Clear Creek State Forest is a beautiful place...and the adjacent Clear Creek State Park is equally beautiful.  The lazy, shallow Clarion River passes through both.  In fact, I've seen river otters here.

My goal was to bag a certain Endeburn Hill--a heretofore unclaimed hill in my peak-bagging club.  

But alas, it was not to be...at least not last week when I first attempted it.  I actually did end up bagging it just the day before yesterday.

This is where my grandma used to take us swimming.  She always called it "Clear Crick."

This is the so-called "overlook" at Beartown Rocks.  All it overlooks is the treetops.  

Vistas are rare in the Allegheny National Forest and in the adjacent public lands--though there are a few.

It was a perfect fall day, rainy and glowering, and the colors were at their peak.

But Beartown Rocks was the low-hanging fruit after Endeburn Hill turned me back.  (Beartown had already been claimed by 4 other climbers.)  My attempt to summit Endeburn Hill met with failure because my approach passed through dense thickets of beech saplings, which made the bushwhack a very wet struggle.  

Cooksburg, Sasquatch, Freewill, and a Link to Roaring Plains

This little Bigfoot stands just inside the woods near the open-air restaurant in Cooksburg--at Cook Forest.  He only stands 5 feet tall, which is smaller than I'd expect.  But you still wouldn't want to cross paths with a 5-foot tall Sasquatch in the failing light of evening among the hemlocks.  The tiny hamlet of Cooksburg consists of about 4 houses, all of which are grand Victorian mansions and one of which is currently for sale.  The shallow, lazy Clarion River meanders through it.  There's also a gift shop, the Cooksburg Cafe, and a cemetery on the hill above town--though the lane leading to it is misspelled "Cemetary Road."  Some people really believe in Bigfoot.  In fact, my college biology professor was a leader in Bigfoot research, which added very little credibility to the reputation of the 3rd rate college I attended.  What makes a person believe in Bigfoot?  What makes a person believe in anything?  Most beliefs are inspired by personal experiences and desires, I think.  We believe in the things we hope to be true.  On the other hand, there are a few beliefs we cannot shake even though we hope they're not true, like my unwelcome and unshakeable conviction that all things are predetermined.  It's good to pause every once in a while to take stock of your beliefs...about yourself...about the world.  You probably have fewer than you thought.  Did you pick them, or did they pick you?

A friend and I made a deeply philosophical 3-night trek into the Roaring Plains Wilderness of West Virginia, where we discussed the nature of reality and consciousness.  Click HERE for that visually stunning adventure.

Wildflowers of Early Fall

People, what is with me?  I lived 56 years and flowers never caught my attention.  Then just a few weeks ago, I saw the bushy round pinkish-purple heads of the Joe Pye weeds nodding along a rural roadside...  My conversion was instantaneous.  I stopped and picked a few.  Now I'm learning to identify them and dry them.  I've stopped picking them because I actually do have more than enough.  This low-growing plant is called heal-all.  I learned some years ago that it's used in herbal medicine to treat wounds, skin conditions, and sore throats.

I think this is white snakeroot, but it could be boneset.  It's blooming everywhere right now, even as the Queen Anne's lace and Joe Pye weed are fading.

No idea what this bedazzling creature might be...

The Joe Pyes are all fading to brown.

Asters and goldenrod.

And another kind of aster.

Jewelweed.  My brothers and I used to rub this stuff on our skin if we ever got stung by nettles.  It actually works!  Some people apply it to poison ivy.  They're wild impatiens that contain a lot of fluid.

I was surprised to learn that this is a wild sunflower.  Contrary to myth, sunflowers do not turn their heads to follow the sun.  My wildflower guide, which I bought used for $3, says that every part of this plant is edible except the roots.

Click on this photo.  Does it seem like this stuff used to be everywhere, and now it's not?  This is called smartweed.  No idea how it got its name.  When I was a kid, it seemed like it was in every lawn and green space.  Now I rarely see it.

Like I've said in previous posts, it amazes me that I can still be taking on new interests at my age.  But in a way it makes me sad to realize that I was missing out on so much beauty and joy for all these years.  Ah well, you could only have been who and how you were because that was the road that got you to who and how you are now.  True?

I mean...look at this weirdness.  I've got wildflowers hanging from the rafters of my basement up north.  After they dry, I spray them down with hairspray to keep them from falling apart, and in the winter I'll put them out in vases.  How did this become my life?  (Did you know they're still manufacturing hairspray?  It's used quite heavily up in the North Country...)