Grand Canyon (of Pennsylvania)

I picked up brother-in-law Walt at his home in Spencer, New York back in early September. We had long planned to get away for a long weekend, and GoJoe's rolling homeiness provided an extra incentive. The destination was a last-minute choice as we had neglected to call around to see where campsites might be available. But this turned out to be a good thing -- Pennsylvania's somewhat unheralded version of the Grand Canyon proved to be just the ticket. It was a remote world of steep terrain and cool green surroundings. Somehow we forgot to take pictures of each other, so these photos of what we saw will have to do.

We pulled into Leonard Harrison State Park on the canyon's rim and set up camp in the very last spot available. Shortly after, we hiked down into the canyon via a precipitous footpath marked by a number of wooden staircases and cascading waterfalls. Going down was fine, but the slow climb back up took its toll. :) At the bottom of the canyon, Pine Creek riffles along, slowly carving the canyon even deeper. The canyon floor is about 1,400 feet below the rim at it's deepest, a mere quarter the depth of the "real" Grand Canyon, but spectacular in its own way. The plush blanket of trees makes it somewhat less dramatic than its western counterpart but allows for cool forest hikes.

Walt and I spent the rest of the weekend hiking other trails, going into nearby Wellsboro (a gem of a little town worth revisiting), or sitting by our campfire, cooking meals, talking, and watching the night sky. It was a great "guys" weekend.