Exploring the Trails of Parker Dam State Park

Tuesday dawned warm and bright and since it was supposed to rain Wednesday, we took advantage of the sunshine to do some hiking and exploring within the park. Now, I don't remember the last time I walked farther than the length of a Mall, so after 45 minutes on the Beaver Dam Trail and still no beaver dams, and realizing that what walks in must walk out, I almost gave up. But having gone on a "get back in shape" regimen this summer, I plodded on. We were finally rewarded with a small bridge over a marshy area where dams, but, alas, no beaver, were found.

When we emerged from the trail two hours later, we walked next to the lake for a bit, where I discovered another boardwalk, a 1992 Summer Youth Service Corps Project. This boardwalk was constructed over and led into an area where Parker Lake turned into a marsh, and where I found several beaver dams but, again, no beaver. (See Beaver Dam Trail Slideshow here.)

We then drove over to The Quehanna Trailhead on the other side of the lake to see a pictoral history and reproduction of a Log Slide used in the 1860s by lumberman Robert Parker when the original Parker Dam was a "splash dam." A splash dam was a temporary wooden dam used to raise the water level and create a holding area for the logs before they were released to float to sawmills downstream. It was amazing to see these pictures of the lumbermen and realize that they had worked on the very site upon which I stood. (See Log Slide Slideshow here.)

Tooling on down to Tyler Road, we found an open area marked "CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] Camp No. S 73, 1933-1935." Unfortunately, no buildings survived, and the area is now used for group camping. Still, I wanted to walk through because my Great-Uncle Robert Perryman was a CCC officer, and I am always full of pride that my family has this connection. I feel the spirit of the CCC men whenever I stay in a CCC cabin or visit a CCC site, and I always wonder if my uncle worked on it. (See Lumber Camp Slideshow here.)

When I hear people trashing Franklin Roosevelt for his "socialist" programs, I can't help but wonder if they've ever been to any of these CCC sites. Not only did this program put men to work during the Depression, providing them with money to support their families and usable job skills, they created a lasting legacy that people like me are still enjoying 80 years later!

But I digress.

After walking what we figured was four miles (okay, not a marathon, but great for me!), I was rather adrenaline buzzed, and when hubby said his back was bothering him and he didn't think he could chop any wood for a campfire that night, I said, well, heck, I'll do it!

Yes, folks, this year's photos include ME chopping wood! Hubby wasn't pleased about this, and initially outright forbad me from picking up that axe, but I was determined to have a fire that night. After all, I'd spent a good bit of time that morning collecting enough kindling for the rest of the week in anticipation of Wednesday's rain.

Hey, you know, axes are really heavy! To be truthful, I was a bit apprehensive about swinging an axe. So far, we'd avoided the hospital this trip, and all I could think of was the story of a guy who swung, missed, hit his femoral artery and bled to death.

With bone-jarring effort, I managed to split one log, and realized that this was why God made men, and that if our survival was ever dependent on my wood chopping skills, we'd die. Ron put his pain aside and split a couple more, and we had plenty of wood to build a roaring fire, for which I claimed total credit.

We weren't the only campers preparing for a campfire. The guy across the road starting splitting wood at four o'clock, and was still going strong at seven! It got really annoying after an hour, and I started calling him Paul Bunyan and wondering if he planned to stay the winter! (To be continued.)

Ch. 1; Ch. 2; Ch. 3; Ch. 4, Ch. 5; Ch. 7