John P. Saylor spent 23 years fighting to protect what was left of our country’s wilderness. As a Republican serving in our state congress he sponsored both the National Scenic Trail Act and the National Wilderness Preservation system, becoming one of the great conservationists in Pennsylvania history. These bills and bills like these have a huge effect on how I live my life and raise my family. When traveling the country, we spend an inordinate amount of time exploring and camping on protected public lands. Now that we are home in Pennsylvania, I like to spend even more time in our wild forests. So in honor of the immeasurable joy that Mr. Saylor has brought to my life, we will hike the trail created and named in his honor.

The John P. Saylor trail meanders for 12.5 miles through classic Pennsylvania hardwood forest complete with streams and springs criss crossing the area.

One of my closest friends, the indomitable Scavenger, whom I met on the Appalachian trail is visiting this week and so we planned an overnighter. My boys and one of their best friends decided to join us and so we made a boys weekend out of it.

We packed in around five miles on day one and after one small navigation mishap found ourselves along Clear Shade Creek. There were several campsites set up along the stream and we found one with room for two tents and set up home for the night. We spent some time hiking around exploring the immediate area, climbing logs that span the creek and just being childish. We intentionally left the stove at home and so relied on a fire to make hot dogs and ramen with obnoxious amounts of sugar and candy on the side. As day turned to night, Scavenger entertained with his signature juggling show and the fire kept us warm until the boys finally gathered enough small sticks to serve as ante for a late night poker tournament in their tent. Eventually even they ran out of energy and since they only had carried one book between them, they read aloud until their eyelids could take no more.

The following morning proved too cold for an early start so we built a fire and thawed out. We have seen very few people thus far and today we find that the seldom used trail is therefore quite overgrown in some sections and completely bogged in others. We enjoy the challenge bushwhacking and hopping through the forest occasionally losing and rediscovering the trail.

The highlight on our path should be the unique, albeit highly vandalized, Wolf Rocks. A rock outcropping eroded just perfectly to entertain three young kids and two older ones. Currently we are pushing hard to complete the final 7.5 miles of our loop, knowing that, at the end, many of our friends and family are set up camping, waiting for our much anticipated arrival to celebrate our young guests Birthday and bask in all our backpacking glory.

At its best, our government works hard to conserve and protect our unique wild areas. Not just for the wildlife and forests but also for recreation. With recent decisions that are altering and hindering our parks, I wish I could wake up John P. Saylor and ask him to help us understand why he dedicated his life not just to nature but also to the people who enjoy it.