Eastern Hemlock – Softwood
April 7, 2024
Clinton County PA
Tree #1/50
There are only a handful of old growth forests on the East Coast of the US. Yesterday my sons and I made a return visit to our personal favorite; Duttlinger Natural Area. It is surrounded by the Hammersley Wild Area in northern Clinton County. It’s about a 5 mile hike that requires multiple stream crossings followed by a steep final stretch that ascends over 1,000ft in elevation in less than a mile. It contains over a hundred acres of old growth Hemlock trees that are absolutely spectacular. I packed in my tree climbing gear with the goal of climbing into the forest canopy. It was incredible.
The tree I climbed was so large that even at 70-80 ft up it was too large for me to wrap my lanyard around (so I didn’t). I was suspended by my climbing rope. As snow flurries fell and the wind blew I felt like I was part of this amazing, living, artifact. My sons on the ground yelled up “we’re hungry” so we packed up and headed to Crossfork for burgers and fries. I’ll never forget the day.
