Bear Run Nature Reserve

 Bear Run Nature Reserve belongs to the uber-cool Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which mostly owns and protects wild places in the western half of the Commonwealth.  But they also also maintain Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, "Fallingwater," which he designed for the Kaufman Family, who used to own a chain of department stores in the Pittsburgh region.

Bear Run Nature Reserve is the forestland adjacent to the Fallingwater.  It's located in the Laurel Highlands, which basically are to Pittsburgh what the Catskills are to New York--or used to be.  There are some 5,000 acres of wild land at Bear Run, traversed by several mountain streams and a network of steep trails.  It's a pretty place, and it's the first place I ever backpacked--with all my new gear!  My friend and I made the mistake of setting up camp at Site #5 without first laying claim to it on the board at the trailhead.  Some guys came down from the city just at dusk, expecting to camp there, and they were none too happy that we'd taken the spot without making note of it at the trailhead.  I would have up and moved to another spot, but my friend stood firm, and they camped in the woods nearby and made noise all night.