A short First Day Hike in Lock Haven
- by Lou Bernard
- January 8, 2024
- Share:
When we were first married, my wife and I used to traditionally take First Day hikes on January first, every year. Then we had a kid.
We adopted my son, Paul Matthew, in 2014. I love being a parent, but I have to say that there is nothing like a baby to keep you in the house. They’re like an ankle monitor that you have to feed. You wind up saying things like, “Well, yes, I just received a fatal cut and I’m bleeding out, but if I go to the hospital I’ll have to arrange for babysitting… I think I’ll just wait it out.”
However, Paul is nine now. And I enjoy doing things with him, so this year I brought up the idea of getting back into the First Day Hikes.
My wife loved it. Paul expressed enthusiasm, and he said, “I want a long hike, Daddy! With lots of steep hills!”
Well, I’ve known the kid too long to fall for that.
Clinton County, where we live, is filled with neat hikes. I didn’t want to be driving half the day to get there, so I limited my search to the I-80 Frontier, Elk Country, and Pine Creek Valley and the PA Grand Canyon landscapes of the PA Wilds. We live very near the conjunction of those three landscapes. After I’d weeded out some places Paul has already been, I selected the Lock Haven University Ropes Course Trail.
Although the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) organizes a lot of guided interpretive hikes at state parks and state forests each year for their First Day Hikes (and you can read PA Wilds communication manager Britt Madera’s experience with a guided hike here), our family decided to do a solo hike this time.
The LHU Ropes Course Trail is a little-known gem of Lock Haven’s outdoor scene. Beginning at a point in the parking lot behind Zimmerli Gymnasium, it runs for about half a mile through the woods behind the college. It’s pleasant and kid-friendly.
We found the path up, and walked into the forest. The Ropes Course Trail gets its name from the fact that there’s an old climbing course throughout those particular woods. I said, “Check this out. I wasn’t sure this would still be here.”
“What is it?” asked Paul.
“It’s an old ropes course, made to teach people how to climb and give them practice,” I said. “It doesn’t look like it’s used too much anymore.”
“Can I—”
“No.”
The trail also passes very near some of the sports stadiums for the university, with a clear view. It would be a great option if you wanted to watch a college game without paying for a ticket. Of course, if you’re that big a sports fan, you’d probably pay. I’m not a big enough fan to buy a ticket, but I’m not going to watch from a nearby hiking path, either.
We found a neat tree with a crevice in the bottom. “Check it out, Paul,” I said. “It looks like elves live in there.”
Paul looked it over. “I don’t think there are any elves in there now,” he said.
“They may be visiting relatives for New Year’s Day.”
As we closed in on the far end of the trail, I said, “Look up and over that hill, Paul. What do you see?”
After a moment of looking, he brightened. “It’s a cemetery!”
“That’s Saint Mary’s Cemetery,” I said. “The only guy ever hanged for his crime in Clinton County is buried there. He’s said to be haunting the old jail.”
“Cool!”
The end of the path comes down at Jack Stadium. As we approached, I said, “There’s another path, behind that building there. It’s the LHU Nature Trail. It leads to the ruins of an old cabin. Want to try it?”
“My legs hurt, Daddy,” said Paul. “And I’m thirsty. Can we just go back to the car?”
Called it.
So we turned around, and walked back to the starting point. That gave us almost a mile of hiking, which was enough for the kid. And we’ll get to the LHU Nature Trail another day.
