Pennsylvania Hiking and Star Gazing In the winter 2019 edition of UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY, you might remember reading about a camping adventure of four USC moms to French Creek State Park in September of that year. During that trip, the group didn’t have much luck seeing the nightly stars because of a full moon and cloud-covered skies. This past May, Katie Perrotti, Ashley Collins, and Kerry Turner, were joined by Claire Cass on a similar camping trip. But, with a new moon and clear night skies, the star gazing in rural Pennsylvania was spectacular! The campground was basic and didn’t have showers. But, for four moms in a tent for two nights, it was perfect! The days were filled with hiking and exploring. The evenings were meant for lying in the fields Blue Run Rock hike, where the group and watching shooting stars. found a hard-rated geocache One of the highlights this year was a visit to Colton Point State Park, a 368acre park in Tioga County on the west rim of Pine Creek Gorge, a 47-mile gorge known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. After taking some pictures with the TODAY magazine, the group left the park and drove to Blue Run Rocks hiking trail, a 3.5 mile trek suggested to them by people who follow and post on the Hiking and Backpacking Pennsylvania Facebook page. The difficult hike pushed them and was rewarding! Knowing they were going to see rock formations, they were mesmerized when, through the trees after Kinzua State Park still shows signs hiking more than a mile, views were like something out of an Inof tornado destruction diana Jones movie. To top it off, while exploring and climbing the rocks, they found a really hard-rated geocache that hadn’t been logged on Geocaching.com since 2014. The final adventure (and on the way home) was a repeat stop to Kinzua State Park in McKean County. During the group’s last visit, they braved the skywalk bridge. Having more time to spare on this trip, they hiked down Pine Creek Gorge, the Grand to the valley below the bridge and walked amongst the mounds of debris. Canyon of Pennsylvania “Feeling so small, it was awesome to observe what destruction Mother Nature can do (and a 2003 tornado did) to this man-made structure,” said Kerry. n
Discovering History Koreshan State Park, in Estero, Florida, offers a window into the lives of a religious pioneer group and maintains 300+ acres as a discovery park and memorial. The Koreshan Unity Settlement was founded in 1880 by Dr. Cyril Teed of Moravia, New York. In 1984, it moved its original group of 200 (mainly from Chicago) to Florida along the banks of the Estero River to develop their utopian community. The group, who shared a commitment to Christian communal living and a belief that the universe existed on the inside of the Earth, operated a store, bakery, sawmill, boat A drawing of Cyril and Fidelia Teed is placed in works, printing press, and machine shop. Educafront of Planetary Court, a house built in 1904 tion, science, and art all played a major role in where seven members of the governing council shaping the community. lived, including Fidelia. After the death of Teed in 1908, and without his strong leadership, membership declined. In 1961, and with only four members left, the group disbanded and deeded the land and assorted buildings to the state of Florida. Today, visitors can experience the past with tours of the encampment, as well as enjoy hiking, canoeing, and tent camping in a natural setting. TODAY was interested to learn about this commune A hiking path, surrounded by bamboo trees, of people in U.S. history. n follows the meandering Estero River, which was the main means of transportation during the settlement’s early days. 84
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For more information, visit floridastateparks.org or call 239-992-0311. Fall 2021
Gopher tortoises make their burrowed homes on the grounds of the park.
