Forum Index > Trip Reports > Cook Forest...plus Elk (Pennsylvania - Jan/28/2018)
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GaliWalker
Have camera will use



Joined: 10 Dec 2007
Posts: 4916 | TRs | Pics
Location: Pittsburgh
GaliWalker
Have camera will use
PostMon Jan 29, 2018 6:49 am 
I went to Cook Forest State Park yesterday, just a 1.5hr north of me. The drive over turned out to be an adventure due to a light glaze of ice on untreated roads, followed by a thick slab of ice on a gravel road I somehow ended up on, about 1mi shy of my destination. I stupidly drove on this for a half mile before coming to my senses and turning around. I ended up walking this part. Due to my road mishaps I only spent time in the Forest Cathedral part of the park, but that's my favorite anyway. The finest stand of old growth White Pines and Eastern Hemlocks north of the Great Smoky Mountains grace this spot. The Longfellow Pine, standing over 180ft tall, can be found in Forest Cathedral; this is the tallest tree in Pennsylvania.
1- Traction mandatory
1- Traction mandatory
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10- Study in colors
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Edit: See below for a continuation of the trip, as I moved eastwards to Elk Country...

'Gali'Walker => 'Mountain-pass' walker bobbi: "...don't you ever forget your camera!" Photography: flickr.com/photos/shahiddurrani
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Sculpin
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Joined: 23 Apr 2015
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Sculpin
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PostMon Jan 29, 2018 10:56 am 
GaliWalker wrote:
The finest stand of old growth White Pines
Well you don't see that often! As I understand it, England colonized the world partly because they could build the tallest ships from English Oak that grew in old growth forest. A good main mast had 100' of clear trunk. Of course as soon as the forest was cut and the young trees grew out in the open, they did not form long clear trunks. So English dominance of the sea was in decline until they found old growth white pine in the eastern US. Very few tree species were suitable for the purpose. Oak is just strong. White pine is not as strong but it does not readily split. (Western) white pine used to be abundant around here, especially in Kitsap County and along Hood Canal. It is the most valuable soft wood found here, not counting clear spruce used for musical instruments. After most of it was cut, introduced blister rust hit the second growth and now there is very little white pine. There is a nice stand in Boeing Creek Park in Shoreline. Sorry for the thread bomb!

Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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GaliWalker
Have camera will use



Joined: 10 Dec 2007
Posts: 4916 | TRs | Pics
Location: Pittsburgh
GaliWalker
Have camera will use
PostMon Jan 29, 2018 11:10 am 
Not all all! That was a great post, highly informative! up.gif While Cook Forest may pale in comparison to the coastal redwoods of California, one really does get a touch of the same feelings that are evoked by those magnificent trees. Here some other highlights of Cook Forest (as compiled from this site): - Seneca pine (12.6ft CBH x 173.2ft high) - largest in overall dimensions in Pennsylvania - Seneca hemlock (12ft CBH x 145.4ft high) - tallest known in the Northeast - Davies black cherry (11.4ft CBH x 137.3ft high) - tallest known in the Northeast - American beech (7.5ft CBH x 127.5ft high) - tallest known in Pennsylvania - White oak (10.7ft CBH x 127.3ft high) - tallest known in the Northeast - Scarlet oak (8.2ft CBH x 120ft high) - tallest known in the Northeast - Colorado blue spruce (5.1ft CBH x 115.7ft high) - tallest known in eastern U.S. - American chestnut (3.7ft CBH x 84.2ft high) - tallest known in the Northeast - Witch hazel (0.8ft CBH x 41.8ft high) - tallest known in the Northeast

'Gali'Walker => 'Mountain-pass' walker bobbi: "...don't you ever forget your camera!" Photography: flickr.com/photos/shahiddurrani
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GaliWalker
Have camera will use



Joined: 10 Dec 2007
Posts: 4916 | TRs | Pics
Location: Pittsburgh
GaliWalker
Have camera will use
PostTue Jan 30, 2018 4:34 am 
After my tour of Cook Forest, I moved further east - about 1.5hrs driving time - to Benezette's Elk Country, which features the largest wild elk herd in the northeast. The following photos were all taken in the Winslow Hill environs, even though I visited three different sites (nothing much at the other two)...
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'Gali'Walker => 'Mountain-pass' walker bobbi: "...don't you ever forget your camera!" Photography: flickr.com/photos/shahiddurrani
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