When we first got into RVing (about 16 years ago), we often camped at the Yogi Bear Campground near Quarryville, PA. One of our traditions was to hike the short path that entered the woods near the lower pond. The girls were still very young and it was a very easy walk for all of us. It would end at the top of this very large rock overlooking the stream below. There were some steep paths down to the water but we were usually content with the view from the top. I’m not sure we realized that there was a nature park on the other side of the stream.
Today was a brisk but sunny day so we decided to look for a place to hike other than our neighborhood. Karen found a park nearby called Theodore A. Parker III Nature Area which was both a short drive and would meet our 2 mile per day walking commitment (it has a single trail that basically follows the stream for a little over a mile). Being such a nice day, we decided to take the back roads and enjoy some new routes we had never been on knowing that at some point the GPS would get us back on track to our destination.
We arrived at the trail entrance and were surprised to find only one other car (we expected it to be busier on such a nice Saturday). The trail starts at a higher elevation with a slight downward slope that was only a little rocky, so we assumed the rest of the walk would be fairly easy. Less than a quarter of a mile in we started to climb up and down over big rocks and roots with the occasional view of the stream which was a good distance below. As we got closer to the bottom, there were a few sloped sections that could have sent you into the stream if you were not careful.
About half way through, we recognized the rock ledge (on the other side) that we used to stand on when we were camping. I think that if we had known about this trail back then we definitely would have forged the stream on a few occasions. The last half of the trail stayed next to the stream and was flat and well groomed, but a little muddy due to the recent rains. At the end of the trail was a small unmarked parking area and we had completed over a mile of our commitment.
We thought about walking the road back to the car but knew we would rather be in the woods so we backtracked through the same route we had just traveled. It may have been the same hike but the reverse perspective gave us some new views to take in. All in all it was a great day and provided a few good picture opportunities.
