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by Matthew C., KTA Member
The Old Loggers Path, a gem of our State Forests, leaves a different impression on all those who visit. From the cascades at Yellow Dog Run to the breathtaking views of Sullivan Mountain, one can easily forget the woes that modern life often brings upon our souls.
Yet this trail is not the only feature that makes this unique part of Loyalsock State Forest special. This area draws many people. Maybe they came to see the famous Rock Run or visit the historic areas of Masten or McIntyre. Perhaps they came in the dead of winter to ski the many trails near Devil’s Elbow or cast a fly for wild trout in one of the streams. This area attracts many and it has been treasured highly. It is worth fighting for.
My experiences in the area include fishing, hunting, hiking, and exploring. My most memorable trip was hiking the southern portion of the Old Loggers Path with a close family friend. We started at the mouth of Long Run and continued on to cross Pleasant Stream where we met an older couple. They were having a great backpacking trip and were enjoying the trail, but were not sure where they were on the loop, so I offered them my map. With excitement for Sharp Top Vista, we continued on.
Upon reaching John Merrell Road, a bear broke through the brush and went running. Despite seeing many bears before, the excitement never grows old! We enjoyed a snack at the vista where we were shortly joined by some horseback riders. They had come up the roads from the Cabbage Hollow area. We remarked on the splendor of the view and chatted for a while.
The day was pleasant and the trail was scenic. After crossing Hillsgrove Road we enjoyed a snack at some highbush blueberries near a swampy area. The rewarding hike concluded at Masten, and will always be a treasured memory of a day spent in beautiful Loyalsock State Forest with a good friend.
It seems this area is being threatened by the very thing that we go there to escape from. We go there to appreciate nature and for the solitude. Development will ultimately alter these experiences. With gas extraction occurring at an incredible rate on private land and other areas of state forest, the OLP needs to be protected. Gas development has occurred on Loyalsock State Forest on the western side of Lycoming Creek and in areas near Loyalsock Creek. Enjoy this area before it is changed, but let us not forget to continue the fight.
Gas development presents problems other than those that deal with the recreational values. Forest fragmentation and the chance of water contamination potentially threaten the health of the land that the state forest was meant to protect.
One always had a good feeling that the Pennsylvania state forests were going to be protected. They should be managed for the responsible harvesting of timber to provide a renewable resource, while promoting the health of the forest. They should be maintained for recreational use by the public, and they should be managed to protect watersheds. Multiple use is a good policy, but when a special interest such as gas exploration begins to take the front burner, our priorities are wrong.
We have inherited a great gift by those with the foresight to set these lands aside. Let us not so recklessly throw it away. While it is impossible to know what his view would be on this issue, I think this passage from The Vanishing Trout by author Charles Lose, who was local to Loyalsock Creek and alive to see the aftermath of early logging, fits the situation perfectly:
“…The state now owns hundreds of thousands of acres of wild mountain land in this region. On this land the streams have their sources and through it they flow. This land will be reforested and will be lumbered for public and not for private gain… From a high commanding ridge they (an educated public) may look out over a vast mountain landscape. In June it is a sea of green and in October one of brown and yellow.
When they look down to the bottom of the valley below them they catch a gleam of water where a trout stream is dancing on its way to join another trout stream. It is all so wild, so lonely, and so beautiful that it can be duplicated in only a few places in the world.
It should be preserved for all time for the nature lover, the sportsman, the tourist and the people who love it. Its greatest menace, it seems to me, lies in the pollution of the streams and in the sources of this pollution.” |