Hawk Mountain, Pa

Marie, Michaela and I at the "North Lookout"
 9/27/14.

I grew up in a small little town on the northeast side of Douglassville, Pa.  Our house was located on the bottom side of "Rattlesnake Hill".  Our 2-3 acres of property were surrounded by wooded land, what I liked to call "the forest".  Wildlife was a common thing around our house.  Nearly everyday there would be sights of deer, wild turkey, pheasant, grouse, skunk, groundhog, snakes and the very common sight of buzzards flying overhead.

A view from "Appalachian Lookout" 9/27/14.

Growing up as a young boy I would wander off and "explore" the world around me.  I would find myself trying to navigate into "the forest" as far as I could, paving my own trails, and trying not to get lost or stuck.  Although I did have my fearful "not making it home alive" moments, I enjoyed the thrill of traversing new land.  The more I conquered, the more courageous I became.  I decided to venture out even more by walking up the local road to the rocky hillside of Rattlesnake Hill.  It was here where my love for climbing and hiking began.  I wanted to see what was on the other side of that hill!  I began at the rocky and wooded base and climbed the side of the very rocky hill until I reached the top.  Once I reached the top, I found out that there was whole lot more there than I could handle.  The ridge that I was actually standing on continued for what seemed like miles of just dense trees.  The backside of the hill was nothing but boulders and rocks cascading down to what appeared to be a lake of trees.  In reality this hill was probably just a walk in the park for most experienced hikers,

Michaela and I reaching the "3/4 Lookout"
 on the Escarpment Trail 10/3/14.

but from a young boy's eyes, this was huge, and a challenge for another day!

As time went on, more important things in life took precedence like baseball and basketball, riding bicycles, girls, school, learning to drive, jobs, and family.  Although I never did go back to challenge more of Rattlesnake Hill, the memories of it are forever embedded in my mind.

Today, I can share the joy and thrills of hiking and climbing as we journey through the scenic and beautiful Hawk Mountain countryside.  Although Marie and I have been here before, it was Michaela's first time visiting the mountain on September 27th.  I was off the weekend and we were undecided how to spend the beautiful fall Saturday afternoon.  We finally just decided to take the trip to Hawk Mountain.  It wasn't until we started hiking up "Lookout Trail" when Michaela began getting very excited.  We proceeded to stop at every lookout and overlook at her request to view and spot any bird we could find.  It was here that she fell in love with hiking and climbing!  The following Friday, Michaela had an early dismissal from school.  The only thing she wanted to do, was take another trip to Hawk Mountain.  Of course, I obliged!  We had what she calls a "Triple D" (Daddy, Daughter Day or in this case, a half a day).  Once we were there on the trail, I challenged Michaela to take the more difficult "Escarpment Trail".  She almost didn't want to do it after seeing the steep rock climb to start the first leg of the trail.  She did it anyway and she conquered it!  It was a proud moment for both of us!  Now she looks forward to going back again, and has planned out our next trail adventure.

I am very proud of both Marie and Michaela for taking and completing the challenge of hiking the Hawk Mountain trails.  And, I look forward to making many more memorable moments with them both!