The Last Big Woods and Waters Summer Adventure!

We had a cooler-than-usual start to September, but it's made up for it since then. The last week has featured quite a few hot, sunny days, with daily highs above 80 degrees. Too bad all the parks closed their swimming areas after this past weekend. Wouldn't one of these hot summer days be a great time for a cool swim?

So my husband and I took matters into our own hands. I arranged a vacation day from work on Thursday, and we decided to make a day trip to a little swimming hole we know on one of the many tributaries of Pine Creek Gorge, in northern Pennsylvania.

It takes us about two hours to get there, so we set about getting ready early. We made some ham and cheese sandwiches to go, ate a quick fish filet sandwich from McDonald's for breakfast (yes, breakfast!), and packed up the necessities: some chairs, a few small coolers, water shoes, our swimsuits, swim fins, and a bright-colored floatie for me.

The parking lot was deserted when we got there: good news! Nobody there but us. And then we packed everything up and hiked up into the gorge. The first trial is getting down to the stream, which involves climbing down a steep and treacherous hillside, lined with trees, rocks, and leaves. It's almost insanely difficult with a backpack on (I've done that too), but on this day, we were carrying much less, just daysacks, coolers, and chairs. It was still a challenge!

And then the slick, slippery walk up the stream bed, watching every step, being mindful that every rock could send you sliding, fighting to keep your balance. And then, finally, there it was in front of us: the swimming hole!

You may see the main swimming hole, a big round bowl with slate rock along the edges, with a waterfall at the top, in the photo above. To the right is a tiny stony "beach" area where we set up our chairs (do you see the small, red chair in this shot?) and hang out when we're not swimming. Someone who came here before us made some cairns, which I've included in this shot.

My husband immediately leaped in. I myself dallied only long enough to blow my floatie up with a little pump (the same one I used to blow up my new Big Agnes sleeping pad a few weeks back on our first fall backpack trip into Sproul). And then - rats! - I discovered it was leaking air. But I found the hole and taped it with duct tape, which I had wisely brought along just for such purposes.

I put on my fins, backed into the water (as one does with swim fins on!) and leaped in with the floatie. Suddenly I became The Last Pennsylvania Mermaid! Undaunted, we swam in the cold water like sea otters. (Water temp = 59 degrees F; yes, we measured it!)

It was so much fun. We could hardly believe we were there! We splashed around and enjoyed being in this place we have not swum in in for years and years! Yes, we did hike in two summers ago, but the water was much too high for safe swimming. In the end, we chickened out that time. (You may read about THAT wild woods and waters adventure here.)

And then my husband decided it was time to go up above the waterfall, and so he did. And I followed. I got out of the water and tried to dry off and pack up my gear to go. But I discovered my hands were numb from the cold water, and my feet didn't want to work either! It took a few minutes to get sensation back, the water had been that cold.

The trek up around the side of the swimming hole to get to a nice spot to sit above the falls is much more dangerous than we remembered. We were very careful, and made it safely, but I can see there will come a day when we are unable to partake in some parts of this type of adventure.

We laughed and remembered old friends (some who have passed since those days) who used to come here with us. Back in the old days, when we first met, I did not know how to swim, and I was afraid of the cold, dark waters.

How much has changed since then! I am a strong swimmer now, and I adore a good, long jaunt in cold water. In fact, I've set some of our records for how long I can do just that. The cold water soothes me. It anesthetizes all of my cares and my worries. It makes me focus on the now. There are times when I crave a dip in the cold, cold water.

So we sat above the falls and it got sunny and warmer, and we enjoyed our lovely (but small) lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and iced tea. As the sun began to hit the swimming hole in early to mid afternoon, we decided it was time to go back down, and in, for one last swim.

After all, the last time we were here, we didn't get to swim at all! So on this day, we had TWO swims: one for this time, and one for the last time that we missed our much-anticipated swim because the waters were so high. I put my ridiculous sunglasses on. I luxuriated in the water. I floated on my back. I let the water wash my hair. I stared straight up above me into the clear blue September sky.

I also performed several water rescues while I was floating on my little craft. I saved two white caterpillars, a fly, and a honeybee. They all were drowning on the water until I got them safely on my floatie and took them back to shore.

The white caterpillars posed a special challenge because I recognized them as hickory tussock moth caterpillars, which can cause a very strong reaction to some people who touch them. So I scooted them onto my craft carefully, using leaves, ferried them to shore, and carefully placed them on the dry ground, never touching them with my hands.

And then suddenly it was time to go. The sun was leaving the swimming area and we had quite a few miles to go to get home. So we dried off what we could, changed clothes, stuffed our semi-damp, semi-muddy gear back into our huge daysacks, and began the trek back out.

The autumn colors are just starting to show around here, but the afternoon light made the most of the coming golds. You may see a reflection shot in the extras of our view as we walked back out, down the creek.

Seldom does one ever get to swim in this area entirely undisturbed. But we had the whole place to ourselves from roughly 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On our way out, we met the first group of people, with two dogs, coming in. Perfect timing!

We made our way - carefully, once again - back down the creek and to my car. Yes, my trusty Mazda was the car we took, and it got 36 miles per gallon on the trip (not bad for a 20-yr-old car!)! We made just two stops: one for a pair of burgers for us, and one for gas for the car. The total cost for our day trip: $14 in gas, and $6 in fast food. $20 - not bad for one of the best adventures of the year!

And so that was how we celebrated the last day of summer. We went out to the woods and waters and we had a beautiful, cool-water adventure. We sat in the sun. We played in the water. We swam like wild creatures in a favorite swimming hole that we seldom get to.

The day was one straight out of the pages of childhood: we left early, played hard, and came home late and tired. The day seemed to stretch on forever. It was a day that was - finally - long enough to hold all of the summer fun we could pack into it.

We've decided that the song that best represents this day is one by Little River Band. In honor of the cold, clear water at this fantastic swimming spot, the tune is Cool Change. Here is a live version from 1981. Enjoy!