Day 139: Traversing A National Landmark Boulder Field

Summer

time of year

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Lehigh Gorge State Park – Rockport Access Area, White Haven, PA. A few flat miles along the bottom of the gorge on Lehigh Gorge Trail. Great for bikes, not quite as good for hiking. The river was wide and fast flowing. Buttermilk Falls was about 1/2 mile on, very pretty falls.

https://www.poconomountains.com/blog/post/the-complete-guide-to-lehigh-gorge-state-park/

difficulty: 1

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The Boulder Field, Hickory Run State Park, White Haven, PA. Designated a National Natural Landmark. We took the Stone Trail around to the far end of the boulder field and walked back across the boulders, making about a 1 mile loop. This boulder field is considered remarkable for how flat it is and being the largest of its kind in the Appalachians. It covers more than 16 acres, measures about 400 feet by 1,800 feet and is 10-12 feet deep in some places, with larger rocks at one end and smaller at the other. Geologists believe that the combination of freeze-thaw, gelifluction (a slurry that enables the heavy rocks to slide along with gravity) and frost heave created this natural wonder at least 20,000 years ago. To us, it looks like a strange lake of boulders in the middle of the forest, something we’ve never experienced anywhere else. In the middle of the boulder field are sections that almost look like waves of boulders and strange sink holes that seem like water must gush out through the bottom to create them. I wish the park furnished more information about how they formed.

https://www.poconomountains.com/listing/hickory-run-state-park-%26-boulder-field/1188/

difficulty: 4

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Antonio’s Pizza, White Haven, PA. This place is only about 10 minutes from Hickory Run and the perfect place to get a delicious dinner. Light sauce, with flavorful herbs, crispy crust and sweet onions.

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Main Avenue Ice Cream, Scranton, PA. Serving Perry’s ice cream. I got chocolate with peanut butter swirls and banana cream pie and Chris got blueberry cheesecake and cannoli. All good, the blueberry cheesecake and banana cream pie were the winning flavors.