Hiking in the Poconos

The beautiful Pocono Mountains, just a few hour's drive north of Philadelphia, was the setting for a weekend of camping and hiking with our friends Pieter and Carol in late September. The leaves were just beginning to change color. Above and below are scenes from the more gentle of the two hikes we did, at the Hickory Run State Park in the Lehigh Valley. There were a few small waterfalls on this hike.









The second hike, the Glen Onoko Falls Trail, definitely raised our heart rates more, but luckily it was not as treacherous as the sign warned:











It definitely was a challenge! We resorted to scrambling up sides of the mountain, almost rock climbing in places, when we lost the trail. Luckily, we only met one very timid and small snake and no one had to be air-lifted from the gorge.
















And we were rewarded with views like in the picture below, taken from atop the waterfall in the above picture.









We're hoping to make the hike again in October, once the leaves have turned colors more. It's worth the view!