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06/18/2008: "Pennsylvania Vacation, Day Five, June 3, 2008"

I slept in until 9 AM on Tuesday. I surprised myself a bit, but apparently I needed the rest.

After breakfast, Randy, Katelyn and I went back to the waterfall, and this time we walked back beyond the falls to where Heather and I had found them a couple of days previously. I’m amazed at what just twenty yards down a stream can do to change the scenery. I wore my boots, and that gave me sure footing through the ankle deep water in the creek.

We found “Randy’s Island,” and stopped to chat for a while about life and childrearing. Randy entertained Katelyn by making boats. They were nothing more than pieces of bark with ferns as “people” on them as passengers. We put them in the stream at random points just to see what would happen when – or if – they hit the mini-rapids, and eventually the falls. Although that is a lot of fun, you would be surprise how educational it is. Getting something to float downstream is not quite as easy as it sounds.

Recently, Randy’s father told him that if we had continued upstream for about twenty more minutes, we would have come across a brick chimney standing in the middle of the forest – a remnant of an old house or building. Randy said that it would be a great place to stay the night. So, we already have plans for Summer 2009.

Do you see the grass in the picture below? I find it amazing that weeds and grass can grow absolutely anywhere they are given a chance, even in an isolated dry spot in the middle of a stream.

After lunch, Heather needed to head into town for some supplies. Randy, Dylan, Katelyn and I headed off to Job Corps Road looking for hiking and adventure. He knows the area from years of hunting, and took us to a high plateau area that is free of trees. We spent some time walking around, I schooled Dylan in the shot-put, and Randy and Dylan took turns throwing rocks at a dead standing tree. It was just nice to be out in the open.

We found another side road, and spent time hiking back along the old logging roads. We were amongst maples nad cherry and pines. All were tall and lush. The hiking was easy, and the exercise was great. Randy really knew where to take us.

We finally dead-ended, so Randy and Dylan took out their knives and started whittling down their hiking sticks. It was fun, it was something to do.

On the way back, Katelyn came upon a tiny frog, and befriended it immediately. It broke her heart when it was time to let it go, though. However, she was a brave little girl to set her first frog free. It would prepare her for what was yet to come in the afternoon.

Randy took us on another hike at one of his very favorite hunting spots. While he and Dylan were walking through high weeds, Katelyn transformed herself into a Fern Fairy of some sort. Again, Pennsylvania can spare a few ferns for the play of little girls.

On our way back to the vehicle, we came across a really large frog. Katelyn was a really big girl, and let him go a few minutes later without fuss or a tear.

We enjoyed a dinner of BBQ sandwhiches and canned fruit. I spent much of the evening reading my book, and looking at antique contour maps of the area that Randy’s family have in the camp.