Whispering Pines

There is a place in the Pennsylvania forest that is very near to both Cook Forest State Park and Clear Creak State Park that is way back off the road. A place where you can go to relax, get away from the sights and sounds of this modern world, take walks in the woods, roast marshmallows or make “somemores”, go hunting, do a little trout fishing, or just commune with nature or dear friends and relatives. This place, a camp, is called Whispering Pines.

Why that name? There are a few large old pine trees that surround the camp and the wind whispers through them. There is a large open area (front yard) with tender vitals for the deer to munch on and a bubbling, crystal clear creek with native Brook Trout where the deer can drink.

Behind the camp is a hill where grow some of the best tasting huckleberries (wild blue berries) that you could ever eat. There are times when you can pick your fill and still have plenty left over for the wildlife. I know; I have stuffed myself with them.

You don’t have to worry about being interrupted by a phone call. There are no land lines and you have to walk to the top of the hill to get cell phone service. No TV, either. That is what makes it great. One has to entertain oneself. Above, I listed a number of ways to be entertained. My favorite is sitting around an outdoor fire, marshmallows or somemores and coffee at hand, just staring into the flames and chatting with loved ones.

One time way back when my oldest son was starting out hunting, we went up there for a day of archery hunting. My son was well camouflaged and hidden in a nice spot beside a creek. When I went to get him, he had a good story to tell. A deer had jumped from the opposite higher creek bank and landed so close to him that it knocked the arrow off the bow he was holding. It is stories like his that make hunting much more fun.

There are a lot of funny, interesting, and strange hunting stories I can tell you, but you will have to wait for another time. As for now, we will just keep whispering about Whispering Pines and wishing we were there.


This first picture is of the Whispering Pines camp building as it was in 1999, the last time that I was there for a visit:
One of the favorite things to do is take walks in the woods. On one such walk we came across this old camp. A little run down and I bet it would be hard to heat in the winter time:


Also, on a walk, I found this old stone foundation. My cousin says it may have been an old mill since it is beside the creek and there was suppose to have been one around here somewhere:

And the final picture is of my Pick-Up and my wife and her dog sitting on the tail gate. It was so nice out side that we slept in the back. Had foam mattresses and was quite comfy, but not much head-room: