The nice Saturday Highlands outing scheduled for September 29 was evidentially on too busy a weekend because no one showed up at Bowden Hatchery, Stewart Park or at Bickle Knob – and then there was no caving in Bowden Cave. The weather was not too bad, it would have been enjoyable and instructive. There is a US Forest Service clearcut right against Bear Haven Rocks.

There were only 4 people on the bike ride from Cranberry Glades to Cranberry Campground. Those who didn’t come missed a really good trip. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day for a bike ride. The weather was beautiful, sunny, and cool with just enough cold wind in the morning to make me feel truly alive. The trees were dressed for the occasion in their bright fall attire.

The ride along the old roadway was pleasant. We stopped to do some exploring on foot. Several mounds of scat with obvious berry seeds reminded us we were visitors to the home of bears. Claw scratches on trees provided further evidence.

We enjoyed the pitcher plants at the boardwalk. On our side hikes we looked at ferns, mosses, and other vegetation, and viewed a limestone treatment plant.

It was a good outing in a unique spot with pleasant companions.

On October 5th Dave Paxton and Susan Bly joined up for a backpacking venture in Cranberry Glades. We backpacked from Forks of Cranberry to a good campsite which had 2 "dead" sleeping bags hanging from a line, next to the North Fork of the Cranberry. At first we thought the campsite was occupied but upon closer inspection, it appears that the bags were merely left there. We were able to keep a good blaze going the entire evening.

As we sat and dodged the smoke, we could hear the cold front coming in because the spruces were being whipped around in the winds on the ridge.

On October 6 the temps were definitely cooler this morning. The trail out to FR 102 is an old flat roadbed. A bridge had been removed but the abutments are still there. Dave Saville sent information previous to the hike which said that he had done some work helping helicopter out the steel beams of the old bridge. Spruces grew along the trailside in parts, creating a tunnel effect through a little Christmas tree farm. The colors were snappy due to the overcast conditions. They seem more vibrant after the storm.

After lunch was the big ascent up the mountain on the Forks of Cranberry trail. We carried extra water since we figured it would be dry on top due to lack of good solid rain for the past few weeks. The exertion warmed us up which helped thaw out the cold fingers, which come after eating lunch.

On top the spruce are quite active and thriving. I like seeing the aggressive moss that covers the fallen trees and roots. The trees that have exposed roots look like they could take off walking.

Another point of interest were huge chunks of rock about the size of trailers, which we thought were Elephant Rocks. (Turned out that they weren't.) In spite of that fact, they were great fun to explore. We ricocheted like pinballs from one rock to the next, looking at the thick moss and the uprooted trees whose root systems had peeled off of the rocks, perhaps this year. This may have been caused by a mini tornado or downburst.

We studied the trail closely for signs of Elephant Rocks as the trail guide said the unwary hiker could miss them. We eventually came across them. They are a curious mixture of shapes and potholes, similar to Cabin Mountain. At the next overlook we came to, I suggested we set up camp.

We tented down on ground pine and leaves. The view encompassed an unnamed ridge and Kennison Mountain in the background. The sunset contained wine and rose colored clouds. I waited till nearly the last available moment before pitching the tent, as I wanted to soak up all the color contained in that sunset. The Milky Way turned brilliant in the sky which meant that the weather was going to be cold. A temperature reading of 20 degrees was taken at 2 A M.

On October 7 woke up to frost on the roof of the tent and door fly. Thankfully sunlight helped us move about better than yesterday. While eating breakfast, we enjoyed the sun drawing the golds, reds and yellow out of the leaves.

As we completed our morning pack out, it turns out that we were only 1.5 miles from the car vs. the supposed 3. Along this mornings hike was a scree slope in the burnt out area, which gave us some great views.

Cranberry Glades is a special place and I hope to return here someday.