True Winter Wonderland.
Words can not really describe Saturday, February 20, 2021. So I will tell my story through pictures. Ricketts Glen, Ice Hike. Just... wow.
Rise and shine. My adventure was to begin at 9am. in Benton, PA. 101 miles between me and the unknown. The last time I had hiked here I was 315lbs. and it was pure HELL. 5 Miles of extremely rocky terrain, steep inclines and rocky unbalanced decent. I was sore for days after and had no desire to hike it again. Until Saturday. I am so happy I decided to take this journey again. It way not NEARLY as difficult as I remember.. (thank goodness).
Absolutely exhausted, yet beyond excited/shitting my pants with anxiety I woke up at 5 and got ready to head out on my 2 1/2 trip up to Benton. Shout out to Sheetz on 61 N for the awesome service 👆 Nothing like mac n cheese bites at 6:30am to get the blood flowing.
The trip up to Benton was gorgeous, the mountains were all covered with snow, icicles hanging over the rocky ridges of the mountain. I was even able to watch the beautiful sunrise to my right. I jammed out to some music for the first hour, and then listened to some empire building podcasts 👏
I arrived about 45 min before our appointment time, so I took that opportunity to relax and decompress from the drive. (Also, having no service in the park made it easy to disconnect LOL).
When appointment time rolled around, I was ready. to. go. I found my hiking group, and may I say they are some of the funniest, most welcoming people I have ever been around! Immediately I felt like one of the gang which made my stress level promptly cease. We geared up and got ready to head out for the adventure that awaited.
Below is a picture of the crampons. Like small steak knives on the bottom of your foot. These were awesome in the ice! I was completely comfortable navigating the icy paths. We also wore a helmet and had an ice pick ax.
Off we go into a winter wonderland! While we were getting a safety talk and getting equipped for the hike it started to snow. The day just kept getting more perfect. There was a fresh layer of snow from the night before. As we set out I was able to get to know some of the fellow group.
We arrived at the first falls, and yeah. The picture speaks for itself.
The ice was completely frozen over in parts of the waterfalls. The blue ice was absolutely incredible. I wish I had been able to photograph how intense it was. It felt like I was in a frozen wonderland. At times I would fall behind the group to get photographs of the falls without slowing anyone down and the sound of nature, and the falls... It really made me feel at peace, and helped to re-center myself.
This was the medicine I needed. This is what my soul was craving.
The photograph below shows one of the descent's we did during the hike.
Totally felt like a pro in all of my gear! Ice hiking may be a new favorite winter hobby of mine!
After a few miles of gorgeous scenery and frozen over waterfalls we get to the big one. Ganoga Falls. 94' of frozen over waterfall.
Close your eyes and imagine this for a minute. You are standing at the bottom of a frozen waterfall. Water is rushing below your feet as you stand on the frozen over ice. The snow is heavy now, and swirling around all around you. The 100' above you is the trail leading you out of the gorge. To your left are ice hikers climbing up the bright blue, frozen over falls. To your right, ice climbers are doing the same. Even with the people, it is complete silence. Zen. That is the only way I can describe it. I could have sat and meditated there for hours. Immediately I felt all of my negative energy being drawn out of me, and positive flow in.
I had been feeling extremely burnt out and this trip was exactly what I needed to reignite the badass inside. The total hike took about 4 hours. This was with a lot of stops for pictures, and to eat.
This is an amazing experience that I highly recommend for everyone to try.
By the time we were back at the parking lot, the snow had begun to come down... HARD. I was exhausted, hungry, yet feeling completely reenergized.
This had been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. And I highly recommend it to anyone who hikes or likes adventure 😀
Our touring company was beyond phenomenal. Valley to Summit definitely knows what they are doing when it comes to customer service. Our guides were amazing. Full of laughs and extremely knowledgeable about the terrain. Safety was their #1 priority. #2 was laughing and having a kick ass time! Mike and Jake (from state farm) I thank you both for an amazing trip full of laughs. (And thanks for letting me tag along behind so I could grab some amazing shots).
Do you hike? What are your favorite spots? Anything on your bucket list? I am always looking for new adventures to go on!!! Drop your suggestions below, and as always, thanks for reading 😄
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@thatpineapplerealtor
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