Hike #821; Sorber's Mountain to Harvey's Lake

Hike #821; Sorber's Mountain to Harvey's Lake

1/4/15 Sorber's Mountain to Harvey's Lake with Larry Philips, Seth Gollhardt, Beth Dillenbeck, Sherry Parker, Maureen McGuigan, Tim Kovich, and Pete Wilcox.

Group shot on Sorber's Mountain

Our next hike would be our first real foray into the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania, and another outstanding trip that ended up being far better than anticipated.

The plan for this one was to follow another section of abandoned railroad bed we'd started on early in 2014: The Bowmans Creek Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. I found this line fascinating upon first learning about it. The Scranton and Wilkes Barre area is very well known for it's huge railroad infrastructure, perhaps more than most anywhere in America. Here, we have different generations of railroads, from mule drawn to early locomotive, to improved locomotive, to trolley, etc. The areas entering the Endless Mountains were the less prestigious, less important lines. This was not where the commerce was, this was was just part of the process.

The area was part of the lumber tracts of Colonel Ricketts, who's land was rather useless without the employment of a railroad to bring his product to market. The land gained more value when more lumber was needed for construction of coal breakers, railroad ties, and other structures in the Scranton and Wilkes Barre area and beyond. A tangled web of railroads already criss crossed the region, and the Loyalsock Railroad had already been constructed to Bowman's Creek to the west. The railroad connection had been made from Wilkes Barre to Harvey's Lake by 1887. It was constructed by lumber magnate Albert Lewis, and then sold to Lehigh Valley Railroad.

We had hiked the section from Harvey's Lake south to Wilkes Barre in early 2014. The very interesting section offered a unique view of the transition between the wooded and rural character of the east end of the Endless Mountains to the suburban growth through Dallas and Trucksville. The first portion of that hike was the undeveloped abandoned railroad bed, while the latter portion now makes up part of the Back Mountain Trail. The non-trail sections were difficult to find, and in some cases impossible because of development and land owners who did not want us there. As a result, I did not have very high hopes for this particular hike.

The railroad was extended by Albert Lewis north to the town of Noxen, known as the Lewis Lumber Railroad. This was to become part of the Lehigh Valley Railroad when it was developed, but the grades were found to be too steep, and the Lehigh Valley Railroad created a new route from the north side of Harvey's Lake, called Alderson Station (named for a Lehigh Valley Railroad big wig) to Noxen on a more gradual route. The line was then extended in the 1890s well into Bowmans Creek Gorge, eventually to connect with the Loyalsock Railroad.

I had originally planned to do this hike as a two day group backpacking trip, connecting Rickett's Glen (Ricketts was originally a booming lumber town) and Harveys Lake, but I found a way of making it two better trips by using State Game Lands #57 as a jump off point. I made plans to follow woods roads and such to explore a bit of Sorber's Mountain at the start of this hike.

Like so many hikes for which I have low expectations, this one turned out to be far more fantastic than I'd thought it would be.

We met in the morning at the PA Fish and Game boat launch on the west side of Harvey's Lake. Our previous hike up this way was started at the church on the northeast corner of the lake, but we had had problems with parking there, so this time I had to find better. The boat launch, although out of the way from where I wanted to go, would have to do. I would have to do an out and back walk to make a connection to the previous hike near the end point.

We shuttled in two cars to the start point. Unfortunately, Pete had a photography job for the Times Leader mid day, and would have to cut out early and then re join us. It did work out to help simplify the car shuttle though. We headed along back roads to Sorber's Mountain Road, a beautiful drive which took us up onto Sorber's Mountain, where we parked at a State Game Lands 57 lot. It was a good thing the two drove that did, because my Metro Car would not have made it up onto the icy parking lot.

yellow trail heading up Sorbers Mountain

My plan was to either walk the road to the nearest woods road, or to bushwhack directly up hill to hit it. I was not expecting to find a clear and marked trail heading directly up Sorber's Mountain from where we parked. It might have been an informal trail, but it was quite nice. It was marked with yellow painted tin can lids. It ascended steeply with nice seasonal views behind us across the gorge created by Sorber's Run. The trail intersected with a red and blue blazed one, still with can lids with arrows on them. We continued to the left, following the trail route up hill to a clearing. Most of the trees were removed from a giant open area, and the trail skirted the right side of it.

We continued on past the open field area, and the trail continued beyond. It soon reached the east side of the mountain slope and began descending rather steeply. I had expected that we'd make our way through the clearings when we reached them, but this seemed better, though a bit more distance.

The trail headed down hill to yet another clearing, but then seemed to disappear. There was a woods road heading through the clearing from below us, so we bushwhacked and climbed over logs to make our way to this route. There was a lovely view to the east from here, to the mountains to the east.

View on Sorber's Mountain

I was concerned for how our two newcomers would do, but they were both doing great. Sherry had had injuries associated with horseback riding that were of concern, but she handled it fine. Once we were on the woods road, it became a lot easier. The route led gradually down hill to another woods road which descended into the cleared area to the south. We turned left to follow the woods road north. Another woods road intersected on the left as we made our way gradually up hill, back to the top of Sorber's Mountain and yet another clearing.

View from Sorbers Mountain

When we reached the height of the land on the woods road, there were outstanding views to the west. The weather forecast further to the south was rain, but in this area it was just light fog rolling through the valley, which didn't impede the views. It actually opened up probably at about the perfect time to afford us the overlooks. I could have just watched the fog looming over the trees and few homes forever. The Endless Mountains instills a wanderlust for what's beyond just to the west. This view alone was worth the entire trip.

We turned to the left to follow the main road along the cusp of the mountain, then descended gradually heading back to the south again. I had a weird mix drink with me that I'd made at DJ Ray's New Years party that consisted of Orange Jubilee MD 2020, Malibu Coconut Rum, two different kinds of vodka, a lot of John Pershouse's Spiced Mead, and blackberry brandy. It was very surprisingly potable, and most who tried it agreed. Seth pulled out a bladder of stuff for me to try, which I don't think he figured I would be able to identify. I not only identified it, but also identified the brand: Peachtree Schnapps. I poured some of this into my mix which made the taste even better!

Along Sorbers Mountain

The fog continued to roll over the road as we continued to descend back to Sorbers Mountain Road. My original plan was to turn to the right and follow the dirt road down the hill to Bowman's Creek Gorge at Stull PA, but since everything went so well with the first part of the hike, I decided to take a gamble and bushwhack down to Sorber's Run, a lovely creek in a more intimate gorge below the road.

We headed gradually down hill and reached the edge of the lovely stream. We opted to follow the side closest to us because it had the wider flood plain  at first.

Sorber's Run

The flood plain narrowed quite a bit, and I walked right in the creek. It was cold, but it wasn't unbearable. Everyone else opted to just walk along the embankment, which took a bit longer, except I think Tim just walked in it too for a bit. Eventually, Pete got his feet wet and just walked through some of it too.

Spring along Sorbers Run

We headed down stream and I identified what might at one time have been part of a former mill site. There were higher points of land that could have been earthen dams, and a perfectly cut looking area where a mill wheel would have been strategically located, but we couldn't be sure. As we continued further, there were lovely springs bubbling up from the ground on the near side of the creek, with lush young and green mosses growing on the sides, devoid of the light snow cover that was everywhere else.

As we neared the confluence with the Bowmans Creek, more springs were constantly feeding in, and the flood plain grew much wider. We reached a plain where we could see the Bowmans Creek probably reaches itself during times of extreme flood. The flow of the stream spread out across the flood plain in such a way that there was a dry stream bed at the lowest elevation close by, the main flow of the stream to the west of us a couple of feet higher up, and and another flow between the two levels behind that. Pete found an interesting rock overhang on the east side of the gully.

The creek flows merged back together again at a sort of bend in the stream with a high hillside to the right. We could now again see Sorber's Mountain road above us to the right. It was here we opted to ascend to the road to continue on down. We were nearly at the confluence and the area was becoming swampy.

Sorbers Mountain Road and Bowmans Run

There was a great deal of garbage that had been dumped down the slope from the road. We climbed at this point and then turned left to follow the dirt road down hill the little remaining distance.

The Bowmans Creek Gorge was as lovely as I'd expected it would be. The road weaved around along the shore and past the confluence with Sorber's Run. At this point, there was an abutment of a bridge that would have once carried a road over the run. We had followed a portion of obvious former road along Sorbers Run a bit further back, and it petered out. It probably just washed out to the point where it was no longer recognizable, and this was part of it.

Bowmans Creek dam site at Stull

The confluence was obviously an industrial center, probably part of the little community of Stull. There were remains of a dam in the Bowmans Creek just below the confluence. We could see what was probably the mill race on the far side of the creek as well as masonry foundation ruins. This was probably a saw mill associated with the timber railroad that originally operated the area. It might have been an original terminus for the rail line prior to Lehigh Valley Railroad taking over. We could see the right of way of the Bowmans Creek Branch across the creek and at a bend, with some woodwork still in place and some of it washed off into the creek.

Former dam site in Bowmans Creek at Stull

Where the dam used to cross, it's remaining parts were immediately pretty obvious. Wooden crib work that made up the base of the dam across the creek was still in place, and water flowed over it in an obvious riffle. The wood was visible when looking for it. Below the dam site, and just below the foundations I could see some black cinder dirt and a grade heading down stream parallel with the creek closely. Much of this grade had washed away into the creek, but I assume this was once a rail spur to what was likely the saw mill, to deliver and pick up material.

We followed the road down stream to where it crossed the Bowmans Creek. The sign reading Bowman's Creek was made without the "S", and someone had stuck a black and white sticky letter on the end of correct it. This was the first indication of the back woods mentality of the area we would enter on the Bowmans Creek Branch.

Former Bowmans Creek Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Stull PA

Seth saw first where the railroad used to cross the intersection of Sorbers Mountain Road, Stonetown Road, and Stull Road. It looked easy enough to walk from there, so we headed into the woods parallel with Stull road following it's surprisingly clear grade.

The Bowman's Creek Branch west of Noxen was abandoned early, about 1938 or 39. The section from the tannery that used to be in Noxen to Alderson (Harveys Lake) and beyond to Wilkes Barre was abandoned in 1963. What we were walking had been derelect for long enough that large trees grew around it and many washouts occured. Still, it was surprisingly rather clear here.

I felt a strange sort of consolation once we were on the abandoned railroad bed. I somehow find some comfort in the concept that a continuous band of iron once connected these locations. Even though we were far from completing the hike, there was an underlying familiarity; this was the same railroad branch we'd followed in the past, and we were on it again. The Stone Run descended from the moutnains to the northwest of us, and began to flow to the left of the right of way. Soon, the rail bed reached the edge of Stull Road, and it's cinder based bed was cut away from more recent widening of the road. Only a few feet of the grade existed next ot the road, probably unknown to most anyone who drives it today. Anyone who would remember that rail line in service would be at least in their eighties by now.

Stone Run Bridge on former Bowmans Creek Branch

The rail bridge over the Stone Run was surprisingly still in place. Pete walked across it before having to turn back to his car. He had a prior obligation to photograph other events, and would meet back up with us later. The railroad right of way turned away from the road again just beyond the bridge site. The right of way was slightly elevated and very easy to walk.

Bowmans Creek Branch with ties still in place

I found it rather surprising that ties were still in place. We continued along, and another small tributary came down the mountain to the left to cross the railraod bed. I noticed a stone box culvert off to the left, which the creek bypassed to the side. The culvert looked consistent with culverts of the same variety on other rail lines we'd hiked, and so I began looking around a bit more. I walked up to the thing and could tell very obviously that it was designed to carry the creek beneath it, but that flooding had eroded a new route next to the culvert.

Box culvert on a spur line, partially washed out

Upon further inspection, I could see that this was a rail spur. Beyond, and above us, the rail right of way continued on and possibly further up along Stone Run to the west. Ahead of us, the right of way continued to descend to a former junction site with the Bowmans Creek Branch. Ahead, there was stone facing off to the left where the right of way continued to descend to the main line.

Where the junction used to be, the route that headed west, ascending, looked to be narrower, but that is probably because it was abandoned earlier. It of course would only last as long as the lumber that justified building it to begin with. The area was supposedly full of various lumber rail spurs.

Former junction site on Bowmans Creek branch with spur line to the right.

We continued south on the right of way through woods, and there were various washout points. These points made it more obvious that the ties were still in place, because the water had been flowing around the sides of them at some points.

Washed out Bowmans Creek Branch

As we continued, there looked like what might have been another spur or siding off to the left. I didn't notice any grades going up hill, so I figured it was just a siding. We continued on and the rail bed went over small fills and into cuts before coming to a section behind people's houses. It was still clear, but became a narrower track. We hurried along until there was a point when someone had trailers and such on top of the right of way. I decided it would be best to head up hill to the left, away from the right of way to avoid conflict. We headed up hill and eventually hit an old woods road. We then followed that to the right, which began to descend a bit more. This too looked like it would come out at someone's house, so we went off trail yet again to the left, then descended to Stull Road where a small tributary enters Bowmans Creek. We could easily see the old rail line as a driveway, with a shed built right on it.

We turned left on Stull Road, and a piece of the rail bed was visible next to the Bowmans Creek. There was a lot of rubble rock along the road to prevent it from eroding into the creek. Certainly this would have been a problem for the railroad at this site too. The rail bed only remained on the right side of the road briefly, then was directly on it, then the road turned right while the rail bed continued to the left, again very clear and easy to walk.

We followed the rail bed as a wide ATV trail for a bit. In fact, there was a guy unloading an ATV preparing to ride from a small pull off parking just ahead. We continued as the ATV trail left the rail bed, and came to the former bridge over York Run. There was no sign of a former bridge at this site at all. We had to stone hop across and then crossed an access road into South Mountain Land Association. It had a big sign facing away from us that read "NO TRESPASSING NO SIGHTSEEING". We continued across, and the rail bed was walkable but in the worst shape we'd seen yet. It eventually got badly overgrown, then reached a tree nursery field. This section was posted, so we exited the rail bed to walk the parallel Stull Road for a bit.

The road closely paralleled the Bowmans Creek from this point, and we reached the intersection of Stull Road with Schenk Street. We opted to walk up that road a bit to where the railroad would have crossed.
There was a house on the corner with a pickup truck adorned in Confederate flags and very loud exhaust. I thought we were much too far above the Mason Dixon Line for that, but whatever. We continued up the road to where the railroad used to cross. It was being used as a driveway to the east, so we walked on back to Stull Road and headed east toward the station site.

Noxen Station

Noxen Station was beautifully restored. It was built in 1893 as one of the few station stops on the Bowmans Creek Branch in this area (which also included Stull and Bakers. The line continued west to Towanda). Passenger service was discontinued in the 1930s, along with the right of way we had just walked, and the tracks to this point were abandoned in 1963.

Historic view, Noxen Station

The station is the only remaining structure associated with the Bowmans Creek Branch. The rest of them have apparently all been destroyed. A group of concerned citizens got together in 1999 and proposed saving the structure, which Pennsylvania considered one of it's most endangered historic buildings. It certainly looked good as we went by it, though still apparently vacant.

Noxen Station

A line of trees blocked sight immediately from the road. We walked out and around it, onto the right of way. There was an historic looking white house across the street from it. Another side street came in from Stull Road on the right. I waited up for everyone checking out the station behind me. The railroad used to cross Stull Road at an angle ahead, but there was a small ball field park beyond this road, so I figured we'd walk on through it. I think it was called Tannery Park or something. I suppose this must have been where the famous tannery was located. This was prime location for such industries because there was plenty of Hemlock which was necessary for the process.

Noxen Station

We turned into the park, and there was this giant blue thing that looked like some sort of crazy jet engine or something. I stared at it for quite a but, unable to figure out what it was. I moved on to check out other things, like a really fancy big fire truck under a pavilion with "Noxen" written on it while the others checked out the blue thing. Beth I think it was told us exactly what it was: it was the propeller for one of the giant wind power towers that were atop all of the mountains around the area. We'd been seeing them since being up on Sorbers Mountain, but I just never put it together that it was what it could be.

Propeller

We walked on, through the park and back out toward Stull Road. Once there, I headed barely into the woods onto the rail right of way. It led directly to where the bridge used to carry the rail line across Bowmans Creek. The near abutment was in pretty good shape, of cut stone, but the other side seemed to either be badly deteriorated or a lot of junk had been piled on top of it.

Former Bowmans Creek bridge site

We headed a little further up Stull Road and turned right to cross Bowmans Creek on Main Street. The main drag through the town was interesting; the houses were alright, but all were at least slightly run down. Several were abandoned. Stuff was strewn about the yards and the windows of the houses had items leaning right up against them. I joked about a lot of it, especially when a hose from a Shop Vac was pressed up against up stairs windows with other items blocking it in.

All of the street signs in town had sticky signs posted on them to "watch for ATVs". Sure enough, we saw what must have been five quads driving the regular streets for every one regular car. In fact, we saw only two regular passenger vehicles during the entire time in Noxen as I recall, and one was the Confederate truck, and the other was an eighties model boxy car, and both of the vehicles sounded like ATVs anyway.

There was one big wooden sign that looked as though there should be "Welcome to Noxen" or something about any event coming up. It only read "BINGO" in the top left corner and nothing more. The creek did look as though it had a wetlands restoration project, as man made cascades were build consistent with other projects of that kind. We continued along the main street and turned left on Rt 29 to reach the Noxen Food Mart. There was literally nothing else in the entire town, so this was where we were stopping. Several ATVs pulled up to shot while we were there as well. I think there might have been a couple of cars too, but I wasn't paying much attention.

To my surprise, the food was actually quite great. I ordered a Cheese Steak, and it may very well have been the best tasting cheese Steak I've ever had in PA! Better than Philly! After getting our food, we made our way onto the Sowyco Community Center Walking Fitness Scenic Trail. This crushed stone loop path went around the park behind the store and looped back to the same road.

Historic depot photo

Historic Noxen PA photo

Historic Noxen PA photo

We walked over to the playground along the trail route to sit down and eat our lunches. Looking back in the direction we'd come from, there was a large mountain upon which was one of the giant wind power propellers. I'd love to get up on that mountain to explore some, but apparently one must be a member of the organization there to set foot on it. I might consider joining something like that and do a bunch of hikes up that way one  year. Time will tell.

We watched as more ATVs pulled up to the food mart while we sat. Really no cars were pulling up at all. Larry walked up to us with a ham sandwich, thoroughly amused that they had written "Ham" on the wrapping.

After a time, we continued along the trail, at first parallel with Beaver Run, and it soon passed some masonry ruins and led us back out to the road to continue on our way.

HAM!

We followed Rt 29, which turned to the left heading out of town. We turned left onto Beaver Street, crossing Beaver Run at it's start. We headed up hill, and the road turned right next to a house with a yard full of chickens and dogs. The dogs came up to us barking like crazy and the people there came and moved them away. It really looked like a back woods type of development with a lot of stuff laying around and the animals everywhere. The road intersected with Dimmick Hill Road, where we turned left briefly. There was an ATV trail across, which looked to be heading in the direction we needed to go to get back to the railroad bed. With no signs saying not to trespass, we followed the route into the overgrown fields.

The path went through a line of trees and past some sort of old foundation on the left, then headed out through the mostly overgrown fields to pass a lovely old barn.

old barn, Noxen PA

After passing the barn, the path continued across more field directly to the former Bowmans Creek Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. We were able to see the right of way from down below, on the other side of town behind the houses as we walked the main road, but it was inaccessible from where we were. From this point where we had just joined it, the junction would have been with the Lewis Lumber Railroad.

Lewis Lumber Railroad was the predecessor to the Lehigh Valley line, and probably the proposed route for the LV to use until the determined the grades not gentle enough to carry their larger engines. Apparently Lewis Lumber Railroad remained in business simultaneously to the LV for a time. To the south of this point, Rt 29 and Keiper Road are built on the old Lewis Lumber Railroad right of way.

The Bowmans Creek Branch had a tree house built right by it, and there was apparently once a bridge just to the north of us that would have taken the line across Rt 29. The junction would have been just to the north a bit. We turned left to follow the right of way to the south. It was totally clear for a bit, then emerged in some sort of a wide yard for municipal road department or something.

No one was around. We wandered directly through, around some pieces of derelict equipment and giant mud puddles, then along the main service road which followed the rail right of way. A side road led down hill to an access at Rt 29. We continued on, and there was tons of scrap metal lining the sides of the right of way. We then entered the woods, with even more old junk cars sitting around. Just beyond this point, some sort of giant metal conveyor which had some sort of pulley things on it. Not exactly sure what it would have been used for, but it was definitely old. The thing was set in such a way as to keep ATVs from riding past this point. We climbed over and continued.

Old rail bed

The right of way became more clear as we continued. It was extremely nice walking, and there was really no encroaching development. We eventually reached and crossed the dirt Dimmick Hill Road. The line mostly remained on a shelf with Dimmick Hill itself to the left, but occasionally went on fills and through cuts. We eventually came close to Rt 29 and had to descend from the rail bed, which went into some kind of tree farm thing. We started walking through it, but then I saw a truck parked right along it's edge ahead and I didn't want a confrontation. We went down to walk the road, and Pete met back up with us by parking at the corner of Rts 29 and 415. The LV line went up onto a high fill beyond this point, and I admired the farmland views to the west. I didn't know it at the time, but out there was the Lewis Lumber Railroad that I read about after the hike was over. There was a junction out there, and looking at the photos later, I can see what might have been grades for tracks. Further to the west, another spur went to a mill of some sort further on, parallel with Rt 29 and the Beaver Run on the western course. I can not be sure exactly where it all was. The line went north to follow road alignments including 29 from here, and somewhere passed over or beneath the LV line heading east, on the north side of Beechnut Ridge, which was just to our left. I climbed up to the rail bed again while everyone else stayed on 29, and walked it for a ways. It wasn't badly overgrown but obviously did not get ATV use. There was a pond to the left of me, down in a gully, and the Lewis Lumber Railroad absolutely must have followed the south side of this pond. The rail bed was soon cut away by a private house, so before that I descended steeply down the embankment back to 29.

A tributary to the Beaver Run, the outflow of the aforementioned ponds, passed beneath the grade through a handsome stone culvert. I jumped down into the thing and walked through a bit, crouched down. I didn't go all the way through, and climbed back out to join the others at the intersection of the two highways.

LV rail line fill beside Rt 29

We walked along Rt 415, and came to where the tracks would have crossed at grade. The right of way was clear to the right, but it had a lot of "no trespassing" signs, so it made no difference just to stay on the road. Besides, it went right through back yards according to aerial images beyond this point. We'd have been walking a weird route to the west if we'd tried to follow it. We could see it for the most part from the road anyway.

Every place of business shown on gogle was closed through this area. No bars, convenience stores, nothing. We kept going, and we came to where the LV line would have crossed the road again. It was a good thing we did not follow it; it was badly overgrown on both sides of the road. We'd have spent hours trying to walk what was simply in view of the road.

The line continued east, out of sight from the road, but we followed the road on. The rail bed went through a trailer park we dared not enter to the left of us, and then was more closely parallel with the road. Ahead, we paralleled a clearing the railroad used to go through. I could see what appeared to be possibly it's level grade.

Former amusement park at Harveys Lake, note standing light post.

Seth had pointed out that this was once a large amusement park. This was called Don Hanson's Amusement Park. It was in operation from 1891 until 1984. This was one of the big draws for tourists who came in by way of the old Bowmans Creek Branch we had been hiking. It's saddening to find out that the remains of the amusement park's buildings were only just torn down in 2014. We had just barely missed it.

Historic postcard at Hansons Amusement Park

As we walked by, I could sort of picture where the railroad went. I'm sure a lot of the fill had been removed because the park remained in operation some twenty or so years after it was abandoned through here.

Abandoned Harveys Lake Amusement Park prior to the hike

Abandoned Harveys Lake Amusement Park prior to the hike

It's very frustrating to think that if we had started our Harveys Lake to Wilkes Barre hike only ONE MILE to the west of where we did in the beginning of 2014, we would have gazed upon the amazing ruins of a once very popular and thriving lake side amusment park.

The remains of the place went the way of the wrecking ball, and was proposed to be the site of various giant town houses and private lake side slips. Instead, there are now going to be a fewer number of houses, some open space, and some non profit operated boat access points on the lake.

Alderson Station

We walked on past the former amusement park. There were light posts still standing out there, and we could see the warm season grasses, laying down from having been smashed by recent snow, and some cleared areas where buildings had only recently been removed. We went further ahead, and there was a larger clearing on the left. The entire field section was closed in by a big chain link fence.

Map of Alderson with rail infrastructure

An angled parking lot was still in place within sight of the road. Rt 515/Noxen Road intersected with Lakeside Drive, with views directly across the lake itself. This would have been all piers and such judging by the historic photos. This was the area historically known as Alderson Station, on the rail line we'd been following, named for a Lehigh Valley Railroad big wig.

Oneonta Hotel, Harveys Lake

Pete told us that the building on this corner had only recently been torn down. He also mentioned that the Hanson family are really nice people, and heirs to the property, and that they live close by. The clearing we went by would have been the site of the Alderson Station as well. the railroad went out along it before turning north. To the east, the tracks followed right along Lakeside Drive, between the water and the road.

Historic view, Hanson's Boat House

Also near the intersection was Hanson's original boat house, a sad white building right on the shore of the lake. Pete and Seth knew about what it was. I suppose it's the only remaining structure remaining of the Hanson Amusement Park. Some old lettering could be made our on the side of the building, but the only one I could recognize was the "Coca Cola" symbol.

Hanson's boat house

We turned left to follow Lakeside Drive. Of course, the cars were parked in the opposite direction, but I needed to connect this hike with the previous one we'd done, so we had to get to the church on the northeast corner of the lake, which required a one mile out and back walk on the road. This was still nice, and offered almost constant lake side views, and we got some insight about the oddities of the area from our area friends.

Seth mentioned that everyone did have an address, but that they more so went by their "pole number". He pointed out that each utility pole along the road had a number on it, and that when his Domino's franchise delivers to this area, they say they are at "pole number so and so".

We made our way to the church on the east side, and I was satisfied that I'd connected this hike with everything else I'd done. Usually I do not like backtracking, but in this case it worked to our benefit. First, while walking back I was able to recognize more of the railroad right of way beside the road. It was often the front of people's driveways. In some places it was built over, but the clues of it's former presence were strong enough. We went into a small convenience store on the right side while walking back, run by an older couple who I have no idea how they make any money there. They didn't have much merchandise, but they did have some historic photos in plastic, including some which showed the tracks running beside the road. It was a treat to stand there for a while and sift through these photos.

Railroad at Harveys Lake

We continued back onto the road, backtracking where we'd been to the site of the Alderson Station. We then continued walking along Lakeside Drive heading west. I read in one of the articles that the LV once had a spur that followed the lake for a time in this direction, but I didn't realize it yet. We were apparently still walking rail corridor till the end of the hike.

There were lovely views over the lake as we continued.

View of Harveys Lake near our end

We soon reached the western edge of this giant lake (one of the largest natural lakes in Pennsylvania), and reached the PA game commission lot just as it was getting dark. A few of us went to have dinner at a really good pizza place on the south side.

This hike was really something special, a wonderful combination of nature, vanishing industrial and resort history. It was also a peek at a way of life that seems so detached from areas even as close by as Scranton and Wilkes Barre, with ATVs riding down streets as commonplace and waving confederate flags. We had crossed the boundary from the city suburbs and had tapped the countless acres of the Endless Mountains. They are like the redneck cousin to the Catskills, with similar topography but without the accessibility or public resources. Popular destinations like Ricketts Glen are fewer and farther between, and I can only imagine what we'll find as we continue to explore this great expanse, the glaciated northeast section of the Allegheny Plateau.