Cabins for Rent at Raccoon Creek

           It takes a little while for the forest to begin its healing work in a person's spirit.  Today, when I parked and began the uphill hike toward the connector path that joins the Camp Trail to the Heritage Trail, I found myself resisting the very thing I needed.  I didn't like the way the woods felt.  It was unexciting, drab, sinister.  Despite the fact that I look forward to Wednesdays all week long, I found myself wanting to get back in my car and go home.  I was like a starving man who can no longer endure the very thing that can make him well.  Fortunately, I know all about that initial resistance, and I know that you have to push past it.  Whether you're hiking, or meditating, or even taking a swim in cold water, there's always that initial adjustment when your lazy self wants to go back to its easy ways.  In a few moments, all is well.

          Today's trek was a 4.3 mile loop in western Raccoon Creek that begins at the Heritage Trail, runs awhile on the Buckskin Trail, and returns by way of the Camp Trail.  The stretch of forest along the Heritage Trail was unfamiliar territory, which is always a bonus.  Plus, I got to poke around the "modern cabins" that the park rents out year-round.  I don't know if the old CCC-style cabin in the top photo is still available for rent, but this pleasant little cottage with the wraparound porch sure was calling out to me.  Too bad my dissertation is finished; this would have made a perfect writing retreat in the heart of winter.  These cabins don't have fireplaces, but there are few things I like more than a wraparound porch.  Note to self: Cabin # 6 is the most isolated.  In "non-peak" seasons, it's $55.66 per night for a PA resident, from Sunday through Thursday, if I understand the byzantine price listing on the PA DCNR website... An interesting old CCC camp is rotting back into the forest in the area just behind the modern cabins.  Though remote today, this was once the center of the old, original park that the federal government created here.  

           I know what you're thinking.  I do.  And you're right.  Raccoon Creek State Park looks just like the Allegheny National Forest.  I mean, upon closer inspection, there are more beeches, hemlocks, and maples up north.  And the trees tend to grow taller up there, making a denser forest with a higher, heavier canopy.  Down here, there's way more poison ivy and far fewer ferns, too.  But really, if you were from Thailand or Turkey, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two, especially in February.  Then why can't I forgive Raccoon for not being the Allegheny?  It just takes time.

          A person from Washington State or South Florida would look at these pictures and think, "Bare branches, snow, tree trunks, so what?"  And yet, I can't get enough of places like this.  I've begun treating Raccoon in the same way I treat the ANF. I deface my maps.  I use different colored highlighters to indicate various treks.  I write the mileage for each trek and the estimated number of hours and minutes needed to complete the trek.  I make note of territory that I've covered and the areas that still remain unknown. The planning and the intentionality add to the sense of anticipation.