So, I took the weekend off because I had a visitor and wasn't spending that much time with my computer. Little Miss Laura, my college roommate, made the drive up from Lancaster County to enjoy the Pennsburg hospitality.
On Friday, the most exciting thing we did was go to Wegman's. THAT'S EXCITING!!! Have you seen the international foods section of that store? We actually had a fun time walking around the store discovering lots of interesting foods and, of course, getting the items on my shopping list. We also got lost on the way to lunch, but that's not a very interesting story.
Saturday, we drove up to Hawk Mountain to go for a hike. Our trail began going down down down to a rock field. It was lovely, but all that down meant a whole lot of up. When you look at a map and see a 175 foot increase in altitude over a mile, that's a lot. The beginning of the trail wasn't that bad, but as we continued, it continued...to get steeper and steeper. Since Laura and Jordan are both in better shape than I, they were up the hill 5 or 10 minutes before I made it, but I made it (and identified a couple flowers along the way).
Getting to the top was a relief. We rested for about 10 minutes and then headed out along the Skyline Trail. Lovely views and lots of rocks. Near the end, we were having difficulty finding the blue blazes (haha!). That's when we realized they were going straight over the top of 15 foot rock faces. "Rock face" may be an exaggeration, but there was definitely climbing involved.
As we were clambering over various rock formations, I was still carrying my flower ID book. I tossed it to a rock further on once and it came to a rest, waiting patiently for me to retrieve it. The second time I tossed it, the book tried to make an escape down a hole between two boulders. Immediately ready to give it up for lost, I shouted to Laura and Jordan that I lost my book. They were not so easily daunted. Jordan spotted the bright green cover and Laura wriggled her tiny body into the crack to get it. The book was rescued and we moved on.
Shortly after that, we arrived at the North Lookout, also known as the end of the Skyline Trail. There we found a sign that read: "Skyline Trail: Most Difficult. Rocky and rugged throughout, need to climb up or down rocks, MUST HAVE HANDS FREE. Stay on trail." Not only did we finish the most difficult trail, but I did most of it carrying a book!
We were all famished after our three-hour tour, so we took the nice, easy touristy trail back to our car to get our lunch, which we ate at the South Lookout, where our hike had begun. It was the perfect day for a hike. I saw new flowers, Jordan saw new birds, Laura rescued my book. We had a great time.
Next time, though, I'm taking my backpack...and maybe an easier trail.
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