Camping Trip to Ricketts Glen: Sunday & Monday

Finally, the last of my camping posts!  It was quite the long weekend.  We had intended to stay to Sunday but decided to add an extra day so we could hike the Falls Trail again!


Sunday

We got up super early and ate some granola bars and protein shakes so we could save time.  We were on the trail by 7AM!  Because it was so early, the dew in the air and moisture still on the plants and rocks combined with the morning sunlight just made the falls look even prettier!

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The rocks on the trail were even more slippery this time because of the morning dew and run off.  We just took our time.  Also, we decided to go down the “hard side” (the west side of the trail) instead, traveling the opposite of the previous hike.

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Despite the rain the previous day, there was less water than on Friday.  While it made the falls less full, it let me climb over more rocks for fun pictures!

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I actually didn’t pose on purpose.  Rob was snapping so many pictures, I was just thinking “what, am I super model?  And start voguing.  LoL!  It came out cute!

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We also finally saw our first wildlife!  Rob spotted this little guy just off the path.

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We skipped the 3 extra falls at the base of the mountain and made our way back up.  It was MUCH easier going counter clockwise around the trail.  The only downside was once we were at the top, we had to still hike the Highland Trail to get back to the car.  It was 4 miles total and took us just under 3 hours to hike it.  As we walked into the parking lot, there was a huge group of families going for a  hike so we were glad we went so early.

After our hike, we drove back down to Dushore, PA for lunch and to grab meat for dinner from the grocery store there.  We ate at Mary Beth’s Westside Deli.  You order at the counter and pay and then they just bring your food out when it is ready.  This burger was seriously amazing!

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We still had time to kill so we decided to drive down some random back roads.  We both have a decent sense of direction so we weren’t worried about getting lost, but that is what Google maps is for anyway.  We ended up stumbling over another state park with a hiking trail and we decided to give it a go.  There was a spot called “The Haystacks” that was 2 miles out on the Loyalsock Trail so we decided to go there.

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We decided to take the actual LT trail since it lead to a waterfall, though there was an easier trail to the Haystacks.  We just stopped at the waterfall for a minute since we were pretty sick of them at this point.

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We had a choice to either walk the LT or along an old train track bed to get to the Haystacks.  We chose the easier track bed since we were tired from our hike earlier.  The views were pretty awesome, even though the trail was flat and straight.   The trees and greenery were just gorgeous.

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After the track bed, you follow an access road down (literally, downhill) to where the creek runs.  Then you have to follow the LT to the Haystacks.  The LT was pretty rough and rocky but we saw people walking bikes and coolers.  We were confused until we got to the end – apparently the Haystacks are the place to be!

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I had been dying to go swimming all weekend so I was pretty pouty I didn’t have my suit on where we got there!  The water was beautiful and clear and just asking to be swam in.  We hiked down a bit and then back up and went out on the rocks to check things out.

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Then it was time to hike back up and 2 miles has never seemed so looooong.  The access road that lead to the track bed was so steep and long (about a half a mile of incline).  The track bed was totally flat but like 1.5 miles long before a half a mile climb to the parking lot.  I was crying the whole way up!  Finally, we reached the top and headed right back to the campground for showers and dinner.  Total mileage on this trail was 4 miles in about an hour, so obviously much easier than the Falls Trail!

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Monday

Finally, it was time to head home and we were more than ready.  It had poured all night but luckily it stopped by morning so we could pack up our things without getting soaked.  4 nights had been just enough time for us in the area.  We got to see plenty without feeling rushed.

To save time, we skipped breakfast and found a place called Canteen 900 in Forty Fort, PA.  I just found it on Google Maps and it had good reviews.  The place was awesome!

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Click on the menu picture to see a larger version

I ordered the “Truffled Soft Scramble” since it sounded wonderful.

Three soft scrambled eggs, goat cheese, fresh herbs, caramelized onions, truffled mushrooms served with toast points

Yes, please!  The server also seemed excited when I asked about it too so I had to get it.

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I can’t even tell you how excited I was to see SALAD with my breakfast!  I always take pains to get vegetables at breakfast but it is so hard without ordering a veggie omelet.  Please, can more breakfast places do this?  Also, the Scramble was amazing.  If you are in the area, you need to check this place out!  The food was fantastic and the prices were reasonable.  So good!


That is pretty much our entire trip!  I had a really great, relaxing time.  I was actually happy the phones didn’t work on the mountain.  We checked in when we were in towns but it was nice not having to worry about emails or things while away.  I definitely recommend all the places we traveled!  No place was disappointing at all!

The first thing I did when back in civilization?  Starbucks!

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What do you miss the most when you are away from home?

I missed my cats!  That are like my babies!  They could care less when we got home, of course.  Typical cats.

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