Reflecting on writing for the Pennsylvania Wilds

This may be one of the most popular pieces I ever wrote. North Bend, in the northwestern part of Clinton County, isn’t that big a community, but it is home to an old legend of a helpful ghost. Since I’m known for writing down ghost stories, early on I agreed to annually do a series of haunted stories every October for the Pennsylvania Wilds. This one was part of the first set, and it was very popular. It may have been the first time it actually sunk in that people were reading my work.

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In 2011, I was the one who campaigned for this legend to become the official monster of Clinton County. Seven years later, as a new writer for the Pennsylvania Wilds, I was casting about for ideas and sent in this one. A lot of people enjoyed it, and it gave our local cryptid some notoriety.

I did hear from a lot of people who said something to the effect of “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I never heard of this before.” Sometimes it takes someone to dig up these old legends and bring them into the light. You’ve heard of the Giwoggle now. You’re welcome.

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You may be noticing a trend here. The paranormal articles about ghosts and monsters seem to be some of my most popular. Hey, I can understand it; clearly, I’m into those myself. I was shocked at how often this one was shared on Facebook. Obviously, people want to see Bigfoot.

A quick note on this one: I noticed a frequent comment about one of the photos. When I submitted the article, LaKeshia said that she’d recently taken some photos of Bald Eagle State Park herself, and we used them. One of them has her husband (would that make him my editor-in-law?) out of focus in the background. Many people seemed to assume we were claiming that this was a picture of Bigfoot, which we never did, but I could see how people might think that.

I never thought I’d have to explain that my editor’s spouse isn’t a cryptid, but to be clear, the photo does NOT show Bigfoot. It’s just a husband out hiking. I’ve met him, and he doesn’t even look like Bigfoot when he’s in focus.

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Though this one didn’t get shared or commented on very much, I was fairly proud of it. Let’s face it—it’s not easy to write about the outdoors during a pandemic when everyone is being encouraged to stay at home. I was pleased beyond all proportion that I simultaneously came up with a way to write about the Pennsylvania Wilds and keep my son busy.

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When I was first asked to write for the PA Wilds, I envisioned myself running around out in the forest like Indiana Jones. I didn’t picture myself wrestling the remote away from my kid so I could watch an old movie, and yet here we are. I still think this one was a neat article.

The movie “Unconquered” by Cecille B. DeMille was partially filmed in Cook Forest. I discovered that and thought it was pretty neat. This article didn’t get a lot of attention, but it was interesting to write, all the same. Watching the movie, you can easily tell which scenes were filmed in Pennsylvania.

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Early on, I discovered that I can get a pretty good article out of a family trip if it happens to be within the Pennsylvania Wilds. Some might consider this cheating, including my family, who have seen me scribbling notes and shouting,” This counts as quality time.” I’ve written several pieces about trips and drives I’ve taken with my family. To the best of my recollection, this was the first.

I’ve since written about camping trips and little excursions I’ve taken with my family, and though most people seem to find them heartwarming, they’re not as popular as some of the other stuff I’ve done. I like them, though, if for no other reason than I get paid for spending time with my kids.

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