I “Enjoyed” Another Hike In The Thornhurst Tract Of The Pinchot State Forest
It didn’t take me long to return to the Thornhurst Tract of the Pinchot State Forest located in Thornhurst Township in southern Lackawanna County. I visited this section of the Pinchot State Forest for the first time last week. I enjoyed the remote hiking trails, even though my adventure was shortened by an unexpected thunderstorm. This week I decided to again try and hike to the Spruce Swamp. I arrived at the Manny Gordon Pavilion and picnic area in the Manny Gordon Recreation Site, around 6:30 am. It is located just off of Bear Lake Road. I was the only vehicle at the parking lot.
I left my Jeep and visited the memorial to Manny Gordon, a State forester for 45 years who loved the forests of Northeastern Pennsylvania and dedicated his life to protecting them and encouraging people to enjoy them. I still remember his famous cry of Enjoy! Enjoy! on the local television station. It was a great way to start my hike in this beautiful forest.
I decided I was going to hike on the Sunday Trail near the Spruce Swamp. When I reviewed the maps of the Thornhurst Tract I knew I’d have to hike on some roads to get to the Sunday Trail. I didn’t realize they would be tree lined gravel roads, similar to the Tannery Road I hiked last week. Although the roads were wide and well maintained it was still like walking through a forest. The start of the road was lined with of spruce trees. I followed Renfer Road which took me past a primitive campsite where some folks were enjoying the forest although they weren’t awake when I walked past their campsite. 
After walking past the spruce trees I once again found large rhododendrons growing along the road and, like last week, they were already done blooming. This will be a pretty place to hike when they are in full bloom.
It was a clear and cool morning and the rays of the rising sun were filtering through the trees,
creating shadows as I followed the Dip Road to the Fire Trail Road. I learned these are not public roads but access roads to the remote trails in the State Forest. I only saw one vehicle on the roads on my 7 mile hike. 
The were some birds active and singing as I walked through the forest, including this veery singing it’s eerie and unique song
I also saw a brilliant scarlet tanager,
filling the forest with it’s song. 
And, I heard the haunting, melodic songs of a few hermit thrushes. It was the most common bird I would see and hear on my 7 mile hike.
This one was enjoying an early morning meal. 
Intermediate wood ferns grew underneath the shade of the trees.
The only wildflowers growing along the road where the native daisy fleabane flowers. 
I had a little hard time finding the Sunday Trail along the road but eventually did. The trail was rocky at first, and a little muddy. 
It is not a biking or jogging trail but I real enjoyed navigating the tree roots, rocks and boulders under the thick canopy of the mixed hardwood/conifer woodlands. 
I slowly hiked through the rocky areas of the trail enjoying the tranquility of the forest. 
Many hay-scented ferns grew along the trail, 
and I saw a few of these eastern newts, in their red eft phase, along the trail.
I was surprised there wasn’t more species of birds in theses woodlands. I continued to see and hear the hermit thrushes but the only other birds I saw were,
a few black-throated blue warblers,
and a lot of eastern towhees. 
There were also a lot of eastern chipmunks scurrying on the rocks and logs along the trail.
The trail became less rocky and easier to hike when it entered a more open woodland where there were a lot of mountain laurel, our State Flower.
After about a mile the Sunday Trail intersected with the Stone-Tower Trail, a much wider, grass covered trail used by snowmobiles in the Winter. 
I followed this trail up a ridge hearing many hermit thrushes along the way but not seeing many other birds or other wildlife. 
I followed the grassy trail, which took me through a younger forest of birch, aspen and beech trees,
until I reached a clearing, which was the summit where I think a fire tower may once have stood. 
Here, in the clearing many bull thistles bloomed, 
attracting many bees and other insects. After about another half mile walk I came to the area of the trail I finished my hike last week when I hear the thunder in the distance. This week I continued on the Stone Tower Trail as it took , me down the ridge. 
It also was a wide, grassy covered trail and there were some ticks in the grass. I was glad I applied a lot of tick repellent before I began my hike. The sun was warming the morning air but it was still nice walking under the shade of the trees. 
There were more mushrooms growing along the trail, including these crown tipped coral mushrooms,
and a few species of amanita mushrooms including, I believe a blusher,
a pine cone amanita,
and a pretty but deadly destroying angel amanita. 
Princess pine clubmoss and 
common hairmoss was also growing along the trail. 
I did not hear or see any bird activity. The trail continued down the ridge and interested with Tannery Road, the road I hiked the previous week. Like the portion of the road I walked last week there were large thickets of rhododendrons along the trail and road. 
Like last week, the road was lined with tall trees of a mature second growth mixed hardwood/conifer forest. It was nice hiking in the shade provided by the canopy of leaves and branches of the trees. 
I learned this road and other access roads in the forest are access roads to the remote trails and primitive camping sites. I had hiked five miles and I did not see a single person or vehicle on the trails or roads. 
I walked about a 1/2 mile and came to the trailhead for the Choke Creek Trail. There were a few cars parked here. I heard it is a beautiful trail and I hope hike their next weekend. 
Shortly after passing the Choke Creek Trail parking area I saw my first two hikers of the morning and they told me they were lucky enough to have seen a bear.
I also heard some black-capped chickadees singing along the trail. Soon, as is often the case, I think song birds like to flock with the black-capped chickadees, I heard some other birds including this Canada warbler,
that was feeding on, I think dragonflies, in the trees along the road. 
I also saw this black and white warbler, Both of these birds will be migrating south soon.
I also saw this downy woodpecker, 
and tufted titmouse. Both these birds will remain here for our long Winter. After seeing these birds all in one area the woods became quite again.
It was still a nice hike on this road lined with trees. 
I came back to the Snow Mobile Stone Tower Trail which I took to hike along the Spruce Swamp again. It was a grassy wide trail and it was quiet as the temperatures rose in the late morning sun.
I walked back up to the Sunday Trail,
and walked the rocky, rooted trail back to the Fireline Road. 
On the way I saw a group of a about a dozen young woman backpacking on the trail. I also saw and heard many of the same birds I saw earlier, and also a few northern flickers. These would be the last of the wildlife I would see on this hike. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the birds and other critters I saw on my hike . Pinchot State Forest. Thornhurst critters July 21 2024.
Itwas now past noon as I finished my 7 mile hike in the Pinchot State Forest. It was only my second hike here but I already loved this forest, one of our first State Forest in our Commonwealth. It wasn’t the best hike for observing birds or other wildlife but I am only beginning to learn about and explore this beautiful forest. I hope to explore a lot more of it this Summer and for many years to come. 
Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos from my 7 mile hike in the state forest. . Pinchot State Forest. Thornhurst July 21 2024. \
“Why not restore Penn’s Woods? Why not let these mountains contribute once more as they have done in the past to the wealth, prosperity, and beauty of Pennsylvania?” -Governor William Sproul, 1921
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