Welcome to the first post of Pushing Boundaries, where each month I will explore life in our six-county region (Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin, Cumberland, Adams and York), sometimes maybe even pushing beyond the county lines. Part of my goal with this blog is to encourage not only readers, but also myself, to get over our invisible barrier and to explore something new, even if it might be 30 to 60 minutes farther away than we’d normally go.
Soon after I first moved to Hershey 25 years ago, I remember asking a friend to meet me for lunch at the now closed Passage to India along the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, just off Route 83. She had grown up across the river near Mechanicsburg and still lived in that area. She wavered at my invitation, saying she wasn’t sure she knew how to get to Passage to India.
I was shocked at her hesitation. Hershey was my seventh city/town in 14 years. I was used to finding my way around in new places. I couldn’t fathom limiting myself to just the town I lived in. I wanted to get to know the whole area.
Since then, I’ve come to understand the geographic hurdle the Susquehanna poses. It’s not just the traffic on the I-83 bridge; it’s somewhat cultural and territorial as well. People seem to forge identities based on where they live. They are loyal to local businesses.
I’m here to help you explore the world beyond your hometown. Since I love outdoor activities, and I’m hoping to push my own boundaries with those, a lot of my adventures will involve activities like cross-country skiing, hiking, biking, kayaking and more. I also love authors and books, so some months I’ll report on author visits and other book-related activities. I might introduce you to a new cocktail bar or a great place to hear local or national music acts. I’ll welcome your expert suggestions for new places to visit as well.
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It’s my first blog, and I don’t want to lose your readership, but I need to make a full disclosure. For the past 43 years, I have been under the assumption that I have a state park record acquired through some teenaged shenanigans. Let me explain.
When I was a freshman at Shippensburg University in 1980, several friends and I decided that rather than hit the frat parties, we would take part in a healthier Friday night activity. We drove to Pine Grove Furnace State Park—which lies on the border of Cumberland and Adams counties— where we parked, strapped on backpacks and began hiking. By the time we returned to the car, it was dark, and a park ranger was waiting for us.
She told us that we had broken many park rules including being in the park after dark and parking illegally. Oh, by the way, what was in those backpacks? Yes, alcohol was prohibited in the parks, and weren’t we underage? There were a myriad of violations. “I could throw you all in jail,” she said with some glee, “But instead, I will write these up and send it home to your parents, AND, if you are ever caught breaking a rule in a state park again, all of these violations will be brought up against you.”
I think I might have preferred jail to calling my parents about the promised letter in the mail. It was not a pleasant call, but thank heavens I had warned them because she did indeed follow through to send the incident report home to parents.
One night hike had turned me from a trail keeper into a felon. Prior to that unfortunate escapade, I had spent two summers working for the Youth Conservation Corps, helping rangers to clear trails, build dams, and keep our state forests pristine. Now, I had a state park record.
Since then, I have shown nothing but respect to our state parks. Pennsylvanians are fortunate to have 124 beautiful state parks strewn across the state offering not just nature trails, but activities including fishing, boating, biking, horseback riding, camping, hunting, swimming, sunning, picnicking and trails for winter sports. Our state parks truly are a treasure.
Since it’s January, it’s winter sports season, so this blog will focus on cross-country skiing at some of my favorite state parks.
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To start off my cross-country skiing explorations, I returned to the scene of my crime—Pine Grove Furnace State Park. As I was wrapping up a little exploring around 5 p.m. with dusk approaching, I saw a park ranger pull into the parking lot near my car. I asked her if I could ask a weird question. She raised her eyebrows and agreed. When I told her about my college experience in that park and asked her whether she knew if I would still have a state park record, she burst out laughing, saying she wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t wait to tell the other ranger my story. And, oh by the way, I had eight minutes until dusk when the park would be officially closed. Wouldn’t want another rule violation added to the record, right?
Now, I really wanted to know. Did I still have a record? I sent an email to the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks, describing what had happened and asking if I did indeed still have a state park record. After receiving a response from a ranger operations specialist, I can proudly report that I am no longer a felon. He wrote that no park record would remain from that act of “youthful exuberance.”
Now that I’ve established that I am a lawful—if not exuberant—state park wanderer, it’s time to get cross-country skiing.
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Pine Grove Furnace does have trails marked for cross-country skiing, at the northeast end of the park off Cold Springs Road. The Appalachian Trail also passes through the park, which is the symbolic halfway milestone of the continuous path from Springer Mountain in northern Georgia to Mt. Katahdin in central Maine (the true halfway point lies several miles south in Michaux State Forest). An Appalachian Trail Museum is located next to the park office and is open seasonally.
Part of the AT in Pine Grove Furnace, just below the park office and parking areas, is paved and connects to a hiker/biker trail on Old Railroad Bed Road. This could be a great place to pull out skis.
Just south of Pine Grove Furnace in Michaux State Forest, several designated cross-country ski trails are accessible from a parking area at Bendersville and Piney Mountain Ridge roads. Further west, where Bendersville Road curves and meets Slate Quarry Road, cross-country skiing is also indicated.
A little further south in Michaux State Forest, sitting on the edge of Franklin and Adams counties, Caledonia State Park, offers 12.9 miles of trails, some of which might also be great for cross-country skiing. Starting at either the Hosack Run camping area or the park office area off Route 233, the Chambersburg Water Line Trail is a long, flat trail that could make for perfect skiing with enough snow cover.
I’ve also found through the years that school grounds, soccer fields and public golf courses make great cross-country skiing sites. Of course, skiers will have to carve their own trails, but the openness of these areas makes them perfect spots to ski around. The southern part of Caledonia includes the Caledonia Public Golf Course near Totem Pole Playhouse off Route 233 and 30. Golf course personnel said skiers would be welcome there as long as enough snow is on the ground and they avoid skiing on the greens.
The Gettysburg Battlefields could also make for fun cross-country skiing when decent snowfall occurs. Cross-country skiing is permitted on roads that are closed along with trails and unpaved edges of roadways in the national military park.
Closer to home, my husband and I head out to Boyd’s Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area off Fishing Creek Valley Road, north of Harrisburg. Because it’s a bit further north and heavily wooded, the snow doesn’t melt as quickly here. The hilly trails can be a bit challenging, but this terrain provides something for everyone on cross-country skis.
Heading east from Boyd’s Big Tree, Swatara State Park offers 34 miles of trails, some also designated for cross-country skiing. When snow cover is adequate, the 10 miles of the Swatara Rail Trail are perfect for cross-country skiing. Lying in Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, the park has different access points near Route 443 and Interstate 81.
Finally, remember, we are pushing boundaries here, and cross-country skiers know snow is more likely to fall and stay on the ground when traveling a bit further north. Moshannon State Forest in Clearfield, Centre and Elk counties (with a bit also in Cameron and Clinton counties) offers 56 miles of cross-country skiing on three separate trail systems. What’s even better for cross-country skiers is that many of these trails are also used by snowmobiles, which help to pack down and groom the trails, creating perfect ski conditions. Black Moshannon State Park lies within this huge forest.
My husband and I access the state forest northwest of State College off Route 504 near Benner Run Road and ski on the P.O.A. Trail, and we park at the Ray S. Walker Snowmobile Trailhead lot. Even when most of the snow has melted (or not even fallen) in downtown State College, this area has snow cover for much of the winter.
These are just a few of my favorite places, but it might be worth checking out any bike path, low-traffic back road, state park, state forest or recreation field to find other good skiing prospects.
Now, we just need to hope the Farmer’s Almanac and Old Farmer’s Almanac predictions for above-normal snowfall and below-average temperatures transpire, although Eastern PA is in the “frosty, flakey, slushy” zone for one and the “mild, snowy” zone for the other. Think snow!
For more information on cross-country skiing in Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests, as well as pdf maps, go to https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Recreation/WhatToDo/Cross-CountrySkiing/WheretoCrossCountrySki/Pages/default.aspx or visit https://crosscountryskipa.com/trails/
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