Seeger Trail

Over the last three months we have been self-secluded at home as a safeguard against COVID-19 transmission, we have searched for ways to safely get out once a week – more than our daily walks and bike rides around the neighborhood or an empty campus, and periodic trips for groceries, etc.

Today we traveled south-east on US 322 about 15 miles to the Laurel Creek Reservoir and then west about 10 miles deep into the Rothrock State Forest to the Alan Seeger Nature Area where there is a loop trail, less than a mile in length, through a grove of old-growth forest populated with a large number of eastern hemlock. The area is named after the well-known American poet in recognition of him giving his life while fighting for France in WWI.

The trail starts and ends on easy slopes along opposite sides of Standing Stone Creek and crossing three ribbons of the creek in lower wet areas where hemlocks that are hundreds of years old grow. The trail was one of the first excursions our family went on after moving to State College 36 years ago, particularly to see a 500 year old Eastern Hemlock. Unfortunately, in the 1990s the tree died and fell bridging the creek, possibly due to the woolly adelgid, which has devastated stands hemlock for at least 50 years. Today, remnants of the tree are no longer visible among the rhododendrons that the trail tunnels through in the lower and wetter area.

In colonial times ship builders prized the eastern hemlock for ship masts. In fact, King George III reserved that all white pine and related trees over two feet in diameter in Pennsylvania for the British Navy. You can see why when you stand at the base of a two hundred year old hemlock and look up.

The trail was very colorful with red tones lit by the sunlight and the blue sky reflected in the creek water.

At the end of the trail we discovered a wedding being held along the creek.