what we have here is a failure to communicate

Now that I’m working, a day off is a special thing – doubly so when it coincides with the day off of a friend. What grand adventure can be cooked up in a hurry? Well, yesterday afternoon you would have found my friend and I on PA’s highest point.

Of course, where I just moved from (the Cascade Range in OR), the passes were at 3,000 ft or higher, and I lived at 3,623 ft – so Mount Davis’ 3,213 ft didn’t impress. Without the observation tower you wouldn’t even get much of a view from this gentle crest, a hump along the 30-mile ridge line known as Negro Mountain.

The view of the surrounding PA countryside with it’s crazy-quilt of woods and farmland, autumn touched, was limited by fog and rain clouds yesterday, to my mild disappointment. I’ll have to go back someday for a proper panorama.

I was thoroughly satisfied with the several miles of Forbes State Forest that my friend and I hiked round in, however. There were big ol’ glacier-smoothed boulders strewn liberally about, lots of odd mushrooms, and plenty of fall foliage. I picked up the leaves of a dozen or more types of deciduous trees, to ID and then press and save for future crafty projects – finding the best ones was every bit as fun as beach combing…!

Happy Sarah

Leaves, leaves, glorious leaves

This boulder wants to fist-bump you!

Like I said – weird mushrooms. These eyeballs were begging for the rest of their face

It was nice to get out of the city for a day, and a pleasure to knock an easy high point off my list. I’m not much of a “highpointer”, with only 4 notches on my record (Mount Katahdin, ME/Guadalupe Peak, TX/Spruce Knob, WV/Mount Davis, PA) but any start is a good one. I’ve got many more high point hikes in my future, and plenty more lovely, rainy, autumn days. And I’ll be back to Mount Davis in the spring to see the rhododendron and mountain laurel in bloom!