A Great View Of The Susquehanna River From A Mountain In State Game Lands 84 In Northumberland County.

This weekend I was back along the Susquehanna River. Last weekend I was standing next to the small stream that flowed out of Lake Otsego in Cooperstown, New York which was the humble beginning of the mighty and ancient Susquehanna River. On Saturday I hiked up a mountain and was high above a much wider river as it flowed through  Northeastern Pennsylvania in Northumberland County.

I did not decide on this location until the day before my hike. I  wanted to hike somewhere with a view of the river as it flowed through Pennsylvania. I   first looked at trails near Dauphin County. Searching  maps I saw a large mountain protruding out from Schuylkill , Columbia and Northumberland County and ending at the Susquehanna River. I have learned this is Line Mountain. I found a trail in the State Game Lands 84  that would take me  to an overlook above  the Susquehanna River. So I left my house before dawn and drove the 50 miles in about an hour to the little town of Dornsife. .

It was a pleasant drive through the back roads of  rural Pennsylvania. I loved driving past the farms and mountains, some shrouded in fog. .

I got lost on a few back roads,

but enjoyed the views of the rising sun.

I finally found the State Game Lands 84 and parked at the Kettle Trailhead parking lot around 7 a.m.

The trail first took me through some old farm fields. There was some fog at the base of Line Mountain.

There was a heavy dew on the ground and the dew drops highlighted the many  intricate  spider webs on the ground,

and on the shrubs along the trail.

The sun broke through the clouds as I followed the trail up through the fields with views of the surrounding mountains covered in fog in the distance.  It  was a beautiful scene.

There were a lot of birds singing in the fields including a prairie warbler, 

a blue gray gnatcatcher,

a common yellowthroat,

and I believe an eastern kingbird. All of these birds will soon be migrating south for the Winter.

There was also a flock of American goldfinches. These birds will remain here for our Winter but the bright colors of the male will soon fade.  I also heard indigo buntings and eastern towhees but I knew I had a long hike ahead of me so I had to move on.

I still noticed the many wildflowers growing in the fields, including butterfly weeds and

 giant goldenrod  both native wildflowers.

There were also pokeweed berries

and milkweed pods on these plants along the trail.

I came to an large old oak tree at the edge of the field, which indicated the border of the old farm. The trail left the fields here.

So , after taking one last look at the mountains in the distance,

I followed the trail into a second growth woodlands of mostly oak trees.

The trail was a little rocky as it took me up  on a steep path up the side of Line Mountain.

Wildflowers were now replaced with ferns, mostly hay-scented ferns.

Teaberries,

and a lot of mushrooms grew under the shade of the trees. I  found many species of mushrooms  on my 8 1/2 mile hike on the mountain including a number of species of amanita, my PictureMushroom app tells me this is a carrot-footed amanita,

this a false virgin amanita, 

this a peach -colored fly agaric,

and this one of the many species of russula. I am not sure of these identifications but

I was sure of this one a chicken of the woods mushroom. It was beautiful and edible. I enjoy foraging for edible wild mushrooms on my hikes. However it was a past it’s prime and I was only able to harvest some of the edges.

I also found a few other edible mushrooms on my hike including chanterelle, birch scaber bolete, old man of the woods bolete red/yellow bolete and these lilac bolete mushrooms. I gathered enough for a delicious, well deserved meal, that evening.

In addition to the mushrooms I found this old soda bottle buried in the leaf litter. I wonder who left it there and when.

The trail continued upward along the side of the mountain. At times it was grassy,

then, it would become rocky and

sadly,  in many areas covered with invasive Japanese stilt grass. This invasive grass is taking over many of our woodlands  and  eliminating native wildflowers, plants and mushrooms.

The trail split atop Line Mountain after about 2 1/2. I could glimpses  of the valley below to the north and west but there was no overlook on this part of the trail. It had been a steep uphill climb and I was already tired. However I wanted a view of the Susquehanna River which I knew was below the mountain ridge.

So I turned left on the trail which  took me to the south and east. I was actually hiking  downhill for about a 1/4 mile. I knew this would be an uphill climb on the way back and knew I wasn’t going to like it.

After about a 1/2 mile I came to a power line right of way with a view of valley bellow but  still no views  of the  river.

The trail then, after going downhill a short distance  , took me back  up  along the mountain. 

It was peaceful in the woodlands, with only the occasional  sound of a few birds, mostly eastern wood pee wees.

I also saw this red-bellied woodpecker,

this  hairy  woodpecker,

and a female scarlet tanager . 

Even though I was near the top of the mountain,  the trail  took me through some moist areas,

where I found prairie fleabane flowers ,

white wood asters,

stary campion flowers, all  native to Pennsylvania, and,

Asiatic dayflowers a pretty but invasive flower.

I came  close to the end of  the trail where it met another trail coming up the mountain side.

It was about  another 1/4 mile hike to the overlook and when I got there  the view of the Susquehanna River from the overlook was worth the 4.3 mile hike and climb of over 1200 feet of elevation.

There was a clear view of the ancient Susquehanna River flowing to the south. It is one of the oldest rivers on the planet.   It has flowed here for over 320 million years, before the mountain I hiked up to get this view was formed.

I stood on the hilltop and reflected on the beauty and long history of the Susquehanna River. I though of the Native Americans who paddled on the river in their canoes, the early explorers, the first settlers and then the commercial traffic on the river before the railroad trains and automobiles. I reflected on the first time I saw the Susquehanna River. I was a 5 or 6 year old child and my dad took me an my siblings for a ride on the bridge over the river in Berwick. I remember how afraid I was driving over the river.   I spent many hours during the last 10 years hiking along the river at the Susquehanna Wetlands in Luzerne County. I reflected on my trip to  origin of the river at Lake Otsego last week ,  when I splashed in the waters of the river as they left the scenic lake. And I thought  about Havre De Grace where the river ends in the Chesapeake Bay. Visiting this historic town  has been on my bucket list for many years and, hopefully, I will get there soon.

I wasn’t the first one to take in this view. There was a recently used rock fireplace at the overlook. I am sure this would be a great place to watch a sunrise and sunset. Hopefully someday I will hike back up and build a fire at dawn or dusk.

I took one last look art the ancient river, and the modern cell phone tower atop the mountain before beginning my long hike back to my Jeep.

It was now near noon and the late August soon warmed the cool morning air. It was less strenuous hiking down the mountain,

but it was still difficult and hard to keep one’s footing,

I got down the mountain much quicker than when I hiked up. I was thirsty, hungry and tired when I reached the farm fields near the end of the trail. Even though it was mid-day I saw, and heard quite a few birds feeding on the seeds and berries in the fields, including a flock of cedar waxwings I would have loved to have stayed and tried to photograph these birds but I was even more thirsty, hungry and  tired. now and I had a one hour drive back home. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the  critters and plants I saw on my hike.  State Game Lands 84 , Dornsife Northumberland County flora and fauna August 24 2024.

So I walked through the fields, enjoying one last view of the mountains before finishing my 8.6 mile hike. I was exhausted but I enjoyed every minute of another hike in our beautiful Commonwealth. I enjoyed  and appreciated our beautiful and ancient Susquehanna River.  I hope to continue my exploration of the river and it’s  tributaries for many years sharing  the beauty I find here on my blog.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos from  8 1/2  my hike.  State Game Lands 84 , Dornsife Northumberland County  August 24 2024.

“Rivers flow not past, but through us; tingling, vibrating, exciting every cell and fiber in our bodies, making them sing and glide.”  John Muir. 

fskokoski@gmail.com

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