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Wolf Run Wild Area

    
Tiadaghton State Forest - Lycoming County - Cammal, PA

 Encompassing the headwaters of Wolf Run and Mill Run, this state forest wild area is among the wildest in Pennsylvania. Other than the Golden Eagle Trail and the Mid State Trail, which only grace the outer edges of this remote sanctuary, there are few discernable paths of any kind within its borders. When Kiley and I set out to hike into Wolf Run Wild Area, we fully expected the trails on our maps to be as well-maintained as the two stalwart routes gracing its boundaries. Instead, what we found was a few poorly-maintained trails, deer paths we thought were trails on the map, and lots and lots of old-fashioned bushwhacking!

 We set out from the North in the early morning on the Mid State Trail. The plan was to pick up another trail once we reached Peachtree Hollow, a tributary of Sebring Branch Mill Run, but this trail were not to be found. So, being the adventurer that I am, I decided we should bushwhack a little (Kiley hates bushwhacking). Eventually, we did stumble upon the trail I was looking for. To my surprise, it turned out to be a very well-maintained trail.

 We followed the trail as it wound up through Peachtree Hollow (Northwest) until it came to a crossroads with a grass-covered access road. When then turned left (Southwest) to head back into the heart of the wild area. This road quickly funneled into a trail and headed up to the top of the plateau. We had a very pleasant hike up to this point. The weather was holding out great; skies were blue, the temperature was mild. We stopped in a clear for a snack; granola bars and apples. While we were sitting there along side the trail, we caught a glimpse of a group of four deer bounding off into the distance, downhill to the Southeast, on the other side of the clearing from us.

 We pushed on up the trail. At one point, we crossed paths with a bow hunter who looked at us with as much surprise as we held for him. When we reached the Southern rim of the plateau, we realized that the trail ended. It seemed we had nowhere to go but back. We needed to find a place to set up camp where we would have a good water source, and I didn't want to hike back out the way we had come in, so I of course suggested an alternative route, to Kiley's dismay. My brilliant plan was to hike down a steep hollow cut I saw on my topo map to Sebring Branch Mill Run. This nearly turned out to be my fatal flaw, because it was such a hard hike down rough, rocky terrain that Kiley wanted to kill me by the time we reached the bottom. Not really. It wasn't quite that bad. I would do it again!

 It turned out that my plan came together nicely in the end. We had an excellent spot to camp and Sebring Branch was no disappointment. The water was crystal clear, the rocks and downed trees were covered in moss, and it was downright beautiful. No less than you would expect from any wild or natural area in PA. There was also a nice waterfall, as you can see in this picture on the right.

 The next morning, we hiked out following Sebring Branch on an old logging grade that eventually disappeared into thick brush just before joining the Mid State Trail at exactly the same spot we had entered the day before! We only had a little over 50-yards of bushwhacking between the old logging grade and the trail. Had I wandered on a more Easterly course the day before, we would have wound up on the logging grade and my store would probably be quite different. Oh well,.. It was an interesting adventure to say the least.

I did manage to come away with an excellent photograph of a yellow mushroom on a rotting tree stump though. Kiley refers to it as my "portable" mushroom (not to be confused with portabella). In trying to get a clear shot of it, I had to move stick that was obstructing my view. But when I move the stick, my mushroom fell over. It was a pathetic sight, but I recovered shot by placing my displaced fungal friend on a nearby rotting stump. As you can see by the photograph, it made for an excellent background and provided some interesting shadows and contrast.