Pine Creek State Forest, Pennsylvania - October 3-5, 2008

What a great weekend!! 23 Happy Huggers spent the weekend at the Susquehannock Lodge in the mountains of Pennsylvania to do what we do best - enjoy ourselves! Our activities included road biking and mountain biking at Denton Hill, the downhill ski area just down the road. And all 3 days groups of people went hiking both along the West Rim Trail of Pine Creek and the complex of trails that stretch between the Lodge and Denton Hill - just scratching the surface of the hiking that’s available. One group drove to the top of Denton to hike a 5-mile loop and drive back to the lodge afterwards. Well, one of the most gratifying moments as a trip leader was sitting on the deck and looking up across the fields and seeing that same group emerging from the woods behind the lodge. Tired but smiling - they just decided to keep on going and hike the nine miles back. What a great day!

On Saturday a bunch of us biked part of the Pine Creek Rail Trail in the gorge next to the river, some riding up to 40 miles. The trail was active with many bikers and walkers, from Amish taking a leisurely stroll to back-and bike-packers out for the long haul. It was definitely the place to be on a beautiful Fall day. Many of us slipped in some sightseeing, exploring the quaint towns in the area, checking out the ski lifts and lumber museum, and a couple of folks set out to find the headwaters of the mighty Genesee and several other rivers with origins in the area.

One evening just before sunset I decided, for a little peace and quiet, to take a ride into town and asked one person if they wanted to ride along. Well! 30 minutes later, after a discussion of who did and didn’t want to go, whose vehicle to take, 4 trips to the bathroom and running up to the rooms to change clothes, 5 of us crammed into a car and headed out. It was hilarious. I love you guys! And last but not least was the eating and socializing!! The weather was so nice we sat out on the deck from late afternoon until dinner all 3 days, imbibing, munching and talking. Since we were located in 3 buildings, one of the activities was going on or giving a ‘tour’. I think one fellow gave 4 tours of his place up on the hill. He also offered the use of his shower to several folks! But that’s all I know........ The lodge owner dabbles in gourmet cooking and we had really good dinners every night. After dinner we gathered in the large comfortable living room around the fireplace to relax and socialize. No matter where we were or what we were doing, all around us were the mountains bathed in autumn colors, the golden leaves falling in the sunlight and the smell of fall carried in the breeze. This trip is definitely a keeper - I have it booked for next year!
- Mary E.