QUEHANNA

This Christmas brought another long drive to Pennsylvania to visit family. It also provided me with another opportunity to explore the Quehanna area in north central Pennsylvania. I have enjoyed a couple of hikes there in the past, and I was eager to see more of the area. Quehanna is known for its tremendous wildlife, including elk, and for very few visitors.

Christy wanted to spend the Sunday before Christmas with her family, so I took Saucony with me on the 45 minute drive from her parent's house. It was kind of novel to get to the trailhead so quickly. I hadn't even finished my morning soda when I reached the parking area.

There was a bit of snow in the parking area, but the ground was only lightly dusted. Saucony and I hit the trail and hiked down to Meeker Creek. From there I went downstream towards a viewpoint listed on the map. Along the way I got my boot stuck in a muddy section of the trail. The view was rather disappointing, so the short side trip was rather regrettable.

I backtracked to the main trail and hiked through the "dry marsh". The map was half -right. It was certainly a marsh, but it was anything but dry. Luckily, the trail was elevated, which kept me from getting wet. That is, until the rain started. The forecast had called for rain to move in late that afternoon. Apparently the storm was a little ahead of itself. With temperatures in the 30's, I hurried into Gore Tex. A few minutes later I reached a nice overlook of the Mosquito Creek Gorge. It was still clear enough to enjoy the view. I even stopped for a brief lunch.

I was eager to get down to Mosquito Creek, but the weather had me concerned. It looked like it could turn to sleet or snow at any time. Reluctantly I abandoned my original plan to loop down to Mosquito Creek. Instead I attempted a shorter loop. However, some confusing trail signs accidentally left me half way around the loop anyway. By that point I could have just done the whole thing. On the upside, my mistake in navigation took me through a beautiful open forest and a series of wind swept meadows. Along the way we spotted a deer (which I briefly hoped was an elk) and 3 grouse. Pretty soon it was getting late though, so I headed back to the car. Fortunately I had no more navigational misadventures, and reached the car by 4pm. It was another nice hike, despite the unpleasant weather. I did see a single boot print in the snow along the way. That's the closest I've come to encountering another person while hiking on the Quehanna plateau.

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