Feels like home...

Hello all! Time for a location PFY blog post. I’ll get to each of the pictures, but essentially these were taken on a recent hike in Jim Thorpe. The views were incredible.

This post is about a great trail you can take in Jim Thorpe. If you park up in The Heights on North Avenue, you can start your hike from there. It wasn’t busy when I went but might be during weekends. The Mount Pisgah trail in Jim Thorpe is steeped in coalmining and railroad history. In the 1820s and 1830s, it became a key part of the famous Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway, which transported anthracite coal from nearby mines to the Lehigh Canal. By the mid-1800s, steam-powered engines hauled empty railcars up Mount Pisgah’s inclined plane before they coasted back down through the mountains, creating an attraction that many consider a precursor to the modern roller coaster. Today, hikers follow portions of the historic railroad route and enjoy breathtaking views of Jim Thorpe, the Lehigh River, and surrounding mountains.

Now, about those pictures.Lets go right to the scrumptious mushrooms. I felt a little funny after I ate them, and my friend did warn me that I might only be able to eat them once. I joke. I’m not an expert on mushrooms and have an appreciation that many wild growing mushrooms are not for human consumption. However, I love to eat them. They’re a favorite of mine. One of my most loved is hen-of the-woods aka maitake mushrooms. That’s me up there cooking a gorgeous maitake I got from my local organic farm market. In PFY, mushrooms are a meaningful theme. Nicole is a fan and Everett likes to forage for them. In the scene where Nicole and Everett gift each other with ornaments on their first date, Nicole selects a mushroom for him.

Now..the other pics. Let’s start with the views. How great are they? You can see the gorgeous, winding Lehigh River from one side and the town of Jim Thorpe from the other. Both are breathtaking. As I’ve mentioned previously, there’s something about Jim Thorpe that speaks to my soul. I feel so at peace there—kismet really. I know this will sound strange, but the energy in the trees and river speak to me. I hear and feel so much that makes my heart sing, but what I hear the most is "home."

One last thing to mention. If you are out and about hiking in the Poconos, be careful around rocky areas. Snakes, including the poisonous kinds, like to hang out under and around them. Speaking of which…go ahead and zoom in to the base of the rock in the picture where my friend is sitting and looking at the view. Too blurry? I'll do it for you...

Yikes!!!!! Hello, Mr. Copperhead.

Until next time…