Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania

     They call it the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.  The correct name of this natural geologic formation is Pine Creek Gorge.  At a depth of 800-1450 feet and a distance of about 4,000 feet from rim to rim, it doesn't hold a candle to the real Grand Canyon.  Calling it Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon was a genius piece of marketing.  That marketing made us curious enough to go there.

This is the observation point on the east rim in Leonard Harrison State Park.  The Pine Creek runs at the bottom of the gorge.  Between 1838 and the early 1900's, just about all of the trees in this area were harvested and floated down the Pine Creek to the Susquehanna River and onward to the Chesapeake Bay, where they were used for ship building.  Floating logs and breaking up log jams was dangerous.  Toward the end of the 1800's a rail line built along the edge of the creek moved the logs.  By the early 20th century, the area contained nothing but dried out stumps.  Between the fires and the floods, most of the animals in the area died, and it became known as "the Pennsylvania desert."  In the last 100 years, nature has regenerated the forest.       

We saw these kayakers.

At first we took one of the park's easy trails.  

There was a pump along the trail.  It took a little work, but the water eventually flowed. 

Mike took advantage of this well placed bench to rest and enjoy the view.

The sky couldn't have been a prettier shade of blue.

There were many stands of birch trees.  Unfortunately, this one has fallen and is returning to Mother Earth.

All of the big pine cones were screaming, "Take me!"  That is probably against the rules, so I reluctantly left them on the ground. 

I liked these pieces of hollow tree trunk.

Issue a warning like this, and I interpret it as a dare.  I HAD to hike down and back.  Mike wisely passed on the experience.  

Yes, it was steep.

Yes, there were hazards - roots, rocks and loose leaves, and wet spots.

This series of water falls made it worth the trip.  Pretty. 

Oh yeah, there were lots of steps.

I made it to the creek, and I have a canyon floor selfie to prove it.

     What do you do when you climb back to the top?  You do a victory dance, of course.