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| Starting out, leaving home in the early, misty morning. |
October Road Trip
by Jessica Novak
1988-2015
In October 2006 I spent several
days traveling all around Pennsylvania discovering waterfalls. I began planning this trip in September
basing it on the book, Pennsylvania Waterfalls by Scott E. Brown. I started in the north, then headed west,
spent the weekend in Baltimore, Maryland, and ended the trip east of my home,
State College, Pennsylvania.
October 3rd, I packed my
car full of food, clothes, a tent, sleeping bag, and my camera equipment,
excited and anxious about where the roads would take me. It was a cool, early morning. The strong maple trees lining the asphalt road outside my house were all mystified by fog. I brought only the book and an atlas to navigate
where my car’s solid bands of rubber would lead me, thus, making zero plans
except to simply take in the experiences to come.
Music blasting, windows down, hair
in a mess, I left State College at roughly nine in the morning heading to
Warren County for stop number one, Bent Run Falls. Nearly three hours away from home, laid a
quiet, masked, fine horsetail slide. The
water’s path seemed to be dancing through the bulky rocks.
A very easy, effortless hike to this waterfall made for a short visit but I plan on coming back here to explore what the area has to offer. The suspense was building up all day long so by accident I put hunger on the back burner for awhile until my stomach growled. I spent an hour or so sitting on a log, overlooking the Allegheny Reservoir munching on some carrots and a pb & j sandwich.
Since the sun was already starting to set, I took advantage of the dense, clammy, warm air to wander without any intention. At first I was timid, but my curiosity was overwhelming. I glanced down a steep embankment where water lay between two trees. A boat appeared to my left, peacefully floating, enjoying the same moment I was in. The ripples behind created a “v” in the water connecting those trees. “Beautiful,” I said. “Absolutely beautiful.” I explored a bit more, took some weathered, out of date brochures from a forgotten, beaten up tourist booth, and made a quick phone call home while I had a pay phone available.
The water looked so picturesque
with the shy colors of the sky glistening across it, when suddenly the best
moment happened, the kind of moment when a photographer gets so excited, with
butterflies in the stomach, palms sweaty with excitement. I brought my Pentax up to eye level and gazed
through the viewfinder. I patiently
waited for the right time to snap the photograph. The wind began to pick up sending the boat's
ripples far into the lake. The butterflies
began flapping their wings and instantly, I held my breath and tripped the
shutter.
Stunning, I thought.
The sun had dropped behind the horizon so I set my camera in the car to progress to my next destination, Hector Falls, 25 miles from Bent Run falls. Unfortunately this area received a great deal of rain the week prior, so the gravel road up to Hector falls was covered in a good foot of mud.
The sun had dropped behind the horizon so I set my camera in the car to progress to my next destination, Hector Falls, 25 miles from Bent Run falls. Unfortunately this area received a great deal of rain the week prior, so the gravel road up to Hector falls was covered in a good foot of mud.
As I approached the bottom of the
road, a set of rusty railroad tracks became a highlight through the thick
vapor. Revving my engine, I slowly
turned the steering wheel thinking that if I could get enough momentum, my car
would make it up the incline, relying on the tracks to lend a hand. My car made it five feet past the tracks, and
then got stuck. I laughed to myself and
decided to get a good night’s rest for an early rise, saving my energy to walk
up the gummy terrain in the morning so I put my car into reverse and slowly
backed out of the mud concerned about where I would sleep.
I slept in a hotel parking lot next
to a flickering streetlight that night. At one point I woke to the sound of rain beating against the
sunroof. A gentle smile was born as I
watched the raindrops play on the curves of the car. It was the most tranquil moment of the entire
trip.
I drifted off for a couple more
hours until the sun began to rise, waking me as it crested the mountains. With
a big yawn and an aching body I crawled out of the backseat for barely a minute
to stretch and thank the spot for keeping me safe. The paved land and fields in the distance
were drenched but seeing the view in the light was breathtaking. Ahead of me was a field of shimmering wheat,
the color of gold, blowing in the wind.
In awe, I climbed into the driver’s
seat and headed for Hector Falls. I started
to think about how muddy the road was, then my playful side appeared because I
knew that I could basically play in the mud all day long!
It was a very long, and dirty walk
up Scenic Drive but it was pleasant. The
path in front of me seemed to fade away and lose itself in the mist. I snatched a good number of photos along the
way, attempting to capture the thickness of the soft pulp beneath my
rubber-soled boots. The mist was so
intense that beyond the unexplored steps ahead of me, beyond the unfamiliar
trees, my surroundings turned into a jungle.
I paused for a minute at an arrangement
of coarse, broad rocks to eat some dried out carrots and a piece of bread. Unexpectedly, my rapid steps caught up with
me. Sitting there, I found myself tired
and desperate to find Cherry Run Road, the home stretch to the falls. I continued to amble for hours, but wasn’t
making any headway.
I had a slight hunch about bad
weather approaching, despite the fact that a few hours earlier the morning sky
was a prominent solid blue with hardly any clouds. I looked above me, and to my surprise, the
sky’s golden blue glow was no longer apparent. Instead, it was full of dark, angry, aggressive storm clouds. As a result, I decided to head to the car and
come back at a different time. I made it
down the road, racing against the rain. I had just enough time to snap some quick pictures of the railroad
tracks, when sure enough, with only seconds to spare, the rain came pouring
down as I hopped into my car. It was as
if the downpour could explain, in ways that I could not, exactly how I felt
about not being able to see this unique waterfall.
Nevertheless, I had to persevere
with my adventures, so I planned my route through Warren County to find Logan
Falls, about 30 minutes away. When I
reached the steep mountain road, the directions given in the book made me
laugh. I found my way just fine until
the directions read, “…and drive to a grassy parking lot on the right.” I drove beyond the mileage the book gave,
keeping my eyes peeled for any type of parking. To my dismay, I couldn’t find it, and turned around to look again. The
parking lot was a tiny spot, not much bigger than my car, in between some
trees, with the grass almost to my knees.
Slightly humored, I got my stuff
together, looked at the book for trail directions, and read, “from the grassy
parking area, plunge into the woods and proceed straight down slope toward
Logan Run.” My smile dropped as I looked
around. “Just plunge into the
forest…right…hmm” I kept thinking. I was
surrounded by forest and whichever way I chose would take me downslope towards
the sound of water. So, going on
intuition, I plunged right into the fern covered woods. After a bit of zigzagging, I arrived at the
falls. It looked so different from the
photo, running much more full than I expected.
I went crazy taking pictures
here. There were so many photo
opportunities! Two rolls of film went
quick. Three more went even quicker when
I started exploring. Eventually, I
wanted to get to the other side of the river but was afraid of crossing on
moss-covered rocks with a 25-pound backpack, and camera in hand. Determined though, I threw my shoes to the
other side and started to hop the rocks. The last I jumped on was larger and more steep than it looked from the
other side. When I jumped on it I lost
my grip, letting my feet frolic about in the water for a moment. Finally I made it to the other side, set up
shop, and caught some of my best photos.
The smell of the damp air, the
sound of the water rushing over the edge of the rocks, my shutter capturing a
memory of those moments. It was a
beautiful spot, and I would love to go back there sometime to explore. Keeping the sun in mind, I zigzagged back up,
trusting in my feet to lead me in the right direction. On the way back up, I had a whole different
perspective on the forest. Occasionally,
to my right and left there were boulders the size of mansions. I felt like a little ant caught in NYC but
without any problems, I made it back to my car safe and sound. Full of joy and completely revived, I
switched the car back on, and listened to my techno CD while I planned the next
route I would take.
After a rough morning trying to
find Hector Falls and not exactly the best night’s sleep, I started to get
aggravated. I let my aggravations get
the best of me in trying to find Springfield Falls, the next waterfall, located
in Mercer County, an hour and 45 minute drive. It took about two and a half hours, leaving me little time to photograph
the area. After I drove around in
circles for awhile, I got myself all twisted around and decided to take some
time to eat a good meal at a restaurant perched alongside the road.
I ate a delicious pasta dish with
all sorts of things thrown in; tomatoes, mushrooms, spices, alfredo sauce and
blackened chicken. The spices on my
tongue sent shockwaves to my soul. I
became engulfed in my meal. When I finished
I took time to write in my journal. I
wrote about mostly my thoughts I had throughout this whole trip so far and
mentioned some things about the restaurant. One thought was about the table to my left where two girls were
gossiping with each other. All I could
really do was smile on the inside and appreciate my adventures away from that.
After this restorative, hearty meal
I changed into some pj’s and drove around trying to find somewhere to sleep. I
stopped at this parking area that looked similar to the one I stayed at the
night before so, thinking it was just another hotel parking lot, I curled up
and fell asleep. Soon thereafter, I had
a strong intuition to drive around the parking lot to feel out my surroundings. Everything looked fine so I parked again and
shut my eyes. When the sun came up in
the morning, it was light enough to see the sign above my car. In large bold letters it read, “metal
factory.” Once again, I laughed at
myself and understood the bad vibes I got the night before.
I quickly made my way out of there
to get back on the road to Springfield falls. I stopped off at a little shop in the middle of nowhere to ask for
directions. Sure enough, the elderly
gentleman knew exactly where I wanted to go. He gave very good directions, and boy, was I relieved!! The falls were right down the road, so it
wasn’t long before I made my way to the bottom of the falls, set my camera up,
and soaked up the environment around me.
Everything was wet from the rain
the night before, overcast clouds, and little wind. Perfect for photography, I thought. Ideal conditions! I spent a couple hours there. It was one of my favorite places. I had seen the photograph in the book so I
had an idea of what to expect but when I reached the base of the falls, a tree
had fallen, ruining the shot that I was hoping to capture. I tried my best to work around it, but had to
include it in many of my shots. It was
these shots that caught the most attention because of the tree. Funny how the mind of the photographer and
artist becomes blind to a good piece of art when it isn’t what they imagined it
would be.
Again, I found a nice flat rock to
lie down on and unwind while I had some lunch. My simple sandwich and carrots was nothing like the meal the night before
but it’s important to have an appreciation for the basic necessities of
life. I walked back to my car after I
ate, and headed to Alpha Falls in Lawrence County. About half an hour later I pulled into the
parking spot. I was greeted by a dog
from across the street. He stared me
down and barked until he couldn’t bark anymore, then decided to plop down
underneath a tree, waiting and watching to see what I would do. I snapped a photo or two of him, and a sign
warning of high cliffs with my mom in mind. Then, I made my way down some wooden stairs.
For the first time during my
adventures, I felt uneasy here. As soon
as I stepped off the last stair, a strong energy wave hit me. I think it was probably due to the cliffs surrounding
me. I felt at any point the rocks were
going to come tumbling down on me. However, I still took advantage of the cliffs’ textures disregarding the
uneasy feelings and followed up with some interesting photo opportunities. The falls weren’t running with much water so
I photographed here and there, then headed back up the stairs, carving my name
into the railing. This spot, for some
reason, got me thinking a lot about the family I will have someday, hoping to
bring them here to share the experiences that I’ve had on this trip.
Half a mile up the road, there was
a little waterfall called Kildoo falls. This place also had a different vibe to it but the vibes weren’t
consistent. It felt like a rollercoaster
ride while I was there. I didn’t have my
shoes on yet so I sat on some old stairs leading to a collapsed house. No glass, no concrete, no furniture left
behind, nothing but the wood of the roof and the concrete steps to the
forgotten front door. Around the house
is where the rollercoaster ride began.
At first when I was walking around
the area, I felt calm, but when I walked to the back right corner of the house,
I passed a big drop off where, at the bottom, bright yellow flowers flourished,
but only in a small square area. After passing
that, I began to feel uneasy, almost panicked. Yet, when I went across the street, the waterfall had a pleasant look
and feel to it. It was a split horsetail
with each path of water falling over a heavy undercut. The undercut allowed me to easily make my way
behind the falls. Seeing the world
through a water window was something to behold. Even though I felt content at the falls,
I didn’t spend a long time here either because of the vibes; some I
trusted and others I didn’t want to feel.
Since I didn’t stay as long as
expected, this gave me time to read about the other two waterfalls that I
wanted to discover around this area. The
first one was Breakneck Falls. After I
read the description, I decided not to go alone because there is a lot of rock
climbing involved close to the falls. I
would like to visit this place sometime in the summer though since I can get
some photos of rock climbers and people kayaking. The second was Hell’s Hollow Falls. I chose to skip over this one as well because
it was getting later in the day, the trail was too long for the length for the
time allotted, and the forest seemed like it would be more photogenic in the
spring or summer time, so I left it for another trip.
There were three places, about two
and a half hours away in Fayette County, that I wanted to see before spending the
weekend in Baltimore, Maryland. An
awfully productive day was coming to a close, and I was getting extremely tired
at this point. I sure wasn’t used to all
this hiking but it was well worth the effort. I had a longer drive ahead of me to my next spot so I called it an early
day.
On the way down to the southwestern
part of Pennsylvania, the clouds around the horizon were building up to
enormous, thick, powerful storm clouds. The sunset’s orange glow made the edges of each cloud look unbelievably
fierce. I didn’t realize that they were major storm clouds at first and happily snapped away at them thinking they were so
"cool." The longer I drove,
the larger they became until I was engulfed by dark clouds and lightning. The huge gusts of wind were enough to push my
car across the lanes! I chose to stay in
a hotel room that night and called home so they wouldn’t worry. It was nice to be inside for the first time
in awhile. I was able to get a shower
and re-pack my things. It was a good
break and made me realize how much we take for granted from day to day.
I woke up the next morning, ironically with the sun again to find that all the bad-tempered clouds had
moved on. It was amazing to me that after
only a couple of days of "living with the sun," its clock was kind of
set in my subconscious mind. I could
tell the approximate time of day, approaching weather conditions, even slight
temperature drops very easily. It was
interesting to have that ability.
The first place I stopped at in
Fayette county was what I thought to be Ohiopyle Falls. I ended up at a part of the Ohiopyle River
somewhere down the road from the actual falls. The area had a unique contrast between the rocks and the trees. Evenly layered rocks led me to a winding
river. I took a couple self-portraits
here and ate some food. There wasn’t
much to see without wandering off the
rock river and up the mountain. I was excited to get to Ohiopyle Falls, so
without wasting a second longer, I traveled to the actual falls. This place was intense!
I had a wild time photographing the
river and the waterfall. A class of school children were having a field
trip while I was there. Being around the
kids made me focus even harder on my photos. I remember passing by these two girls and they both looked at me. One said, “Ooh, look it’s a photo
person!” The other girl threw a look at
her and said, “No, it’s a photographer!” After I heard her say that, I felt so proud, being that it was the first
time I was referred to as a photographer by someone I didn’t know. It made me smile for the longest time.
The falls were so powerful. They pour down the river at a shocking 288
tons per heartbeat!! In person this
place was extreme but difficult to photograph. There are three viewing platforms on the left bank but other than that
there wasn’t any way to get closer to the water since the spray was so
strong. I worked with what I had though,
and took some decent shots while I was there. I had only one more place left before seeing my friend, so a few hours
later I searched for the final one.
The last waterfall I stopped at was
Cucumber Falls. It’s only a few miles
from Ohiopyle Falls. I wasn’t impressed
with this waterfall. Now, don’t get me
wrong, it was gorgeous here but there wasn’t anything that made it different or
more spectacular than some of the other areas I’ve been to. The trees surrounding the falls were twined
into a big mess that didn’t match the area. Also the water unfortunately wasn’t running full so it was just 9 inches
across the rock ledge. This is
definitely a spot that I will come back to at a later date because the ground
was covered in rhododendrons, and it was fairly easy to get to, so I can only
imagine it as a full waterfall with the rhododendrons all blooming.
Knowing I was going to go back
another time and eager to get to Baltimore, I packed up and headed back to my
car. To my surprise I ran into a
photographer! Nothing in hand, step-by-step
he descended to the base peeking around the leaves. We started talking and I was in awe of how
much he knew about and how well he knew cameras and photography in
general. He gave me some very good
tips. The first was to watch the wind
with long exposures because the slightest movement in the trees will
record. He also said that when shooting
in the autumn, your obvious focus is the fall colors so check out the area and
plan your shots before bringing equipment. We talked for about an hour going on and on. Truly inspiring man!
Nonetheless, I couldn’t wait to see
my friend, Laura, in Baltimore. I wanted
to avoid the rush hour traffic so I said my goodbyes, thanked him for the
wisdom he shared with me, and went on my merry way.
Laura and I have been friends for
years but when she moved down to Baltimore for college, we grew apart. When I
called my friend to ask for exact directions, she had no idea where I was
coming from so the drive became more and more frustrating. It was a decently
long drive and I ended up hitting the traffic anyway. About to give up, I pulled my car to the side
of the road trying to figure out where I was, when out of the corner of my eye,
I saw two girls running down the road. They had seen me drive by and ran to catch up with me. Laura left a class to meet me so she had her
roommate drive my car to their dorm rooms. My rest and relaxation weekend began.
Laura took me around Baltimore on
Saturday, to see various shops, and visit with her other roommate, Jen, while
she was staying with her family. Almost
immediately this place helped me to find who I wanted to be even though I only
saw few parts of Baltimore and met just one person so far. It sounds cliché but during those three short
days I became the type of person I wanted to be forever for a variety of
reasons. The art vibe that surrounded me
day in and day out affected me the most. Art is contagious. When someone
is near me working on a form of art, I get inspired as well.
The girls painted all day Saturday
while I worked on my photography. They
told me that they felt like I went to school with them since I was blending in
so well! That was so different and so
refreshing to hear because in past schools I always felt like an outcast. We ended up celebrating a little bit later
that night with a couple of drinks but the later it got, the more anxious I was
to take some more pictures. I already
missed living outside, constantly hearing water instead of people.
I wandered around the commons
taking all sorts of pictures but one thing that I noticed was that I wasn’t the
only one doing artwork at four in the morning! There were people standing in the stairs painting, others sitting at the
bench drawing, it was wonderful to not be seen as an outcast any more. The people here were free spirits like
myself. They did what they wanted, when
they wanted, how they wanted. Purely
magical!
Sunday came quite quickly
though. I packed up my belongings and
headed out of town with an awakened spirit. It was a trip I will never forget.
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