Samhain 2008

If you could have been in downtown State College on Friday night, you would have seen hundreds of crazy folks. They were all dressed in costume for Halloween and and walking outside in the mild weather.

Although we walked around one block to check it out, RGBisMe, Mososo Kruppe and I spent most of our evening at the Elk Creek Cafe. We had a nice supper and stayed for the costume judging. Nick won second place with his awesome Green Man costume and I got an honorable mention with my Alec from A Clockwork Orange.

Scotia's Scary Secrets

This past June, letterboxers from all over Pennsylvania were solicited by the Crayola Posse for stamps representing their secret fears. As of yesterday the fears are no longer a secret!

In August, an invitation went out through the Central PA Letterboxing yahoo group to attend Scotia's Scary Secrets to debut 24 letterboxes planted in Scotia Barrens. Scotia is one of Andrew Carnegie's legacies, this area's very own mining ghost town.

Thirty letterboxers from all around Central PA came to Scotia on a day that was made for us. A huge deluge the day before made sure the wetland areas were not just dried pits.

Wood ducks, deer and beaver all made appearances that morning according to JFA, RRA, KEA and jbzfarm.

Early birds came to Scotia and started out onto the trails in the golden morning light. RGBisMe and I had arrived just at day break to put in place a dozen letterboxes just for the day. Scotia's Scary Pumpkins worked as sign posts for the many unmarked trails in this section of State Game Lands 176. They hung from trees so that kids and adults alike could have a quick check of where they were on the maps we made of the area.

At noon the event was in fill swing and those who were inclined to dress for the event had their costumes paraded and judged. Not everyone was in the group shot. The Bloomies, jbzfarm, Aquinna, Team GeeZee and JFA, RRA, KEA were on the trails at this time.Mososo Kruppe, true indigo & RGBisMe of the Crayola Posse kneeling with the Barghest, feralgyrl, Archaeobirder, D-Ant/D-Superfly, Gratefulmorte, HolyCowboys, Angrist, The Booshmen, Wanting Snow, XS Baggage, Maga11, Ms Beachys kneeling with Max, Puddleby, Stonefly standing above Fiona & The Cookie Monster

The head quarters at Hecate's Crossroad was never dull. There was always someone stopping by to either exchange wtih those who were around, check in before heading down another trail or to just sit down for a while. Maga11's cootie catcher made sure that no cootie was tossed unwanted into the abyss. Gratefulmorte of the HolyCowboys and XS Baggage shared some tasty snacks along side of the doughnuts Maga11 brought to go with the early morning coffee. The Crayola Posse spent most of our time there making sure everyone had the clues they needed and informed other hikers, geocachers and horse back riders of what we were doing. Occasionally we would take a spin on our bikes to check on letterboxers who had been on the trail for a while. I tried to remember to take water along to offer and to make sure the clues were clear enough. From what I could tell, no one had any problems with the map or clues.

As the day wound down everyone returned from hiking the trails, a few last exchanges and stamping of personal travelers wrapped up. Generous donations of time and resources were given and we want everyone to know how grateful the Crayola Posse is for your time and funds. An event like this could not have happened without everyone who came together yesterday. Thank you all for being a part of it.

Clues to the letterboxes planted for this event will be posted sometime after October 31. We know you will enjoy them as much as we have.

Company B

You MUST check out today's, October 23rd, Arts section of the NY Times!! Pick one up!! Page 10 - our son's spotlighted photo takes up 1/4 of the page! Online New York Times. review and photos are similar but not as impressive as holding the paper in your hands.

...But the whole troupe dances “Company B” with skill and understanding.

Nothing in “Company B” corrupts the innocence of that opening. Subsequent images, however, tell us that these men are going to war, are being injured by gunfire, are dying, are memories. At the end these people are no longer quite a community. Each is leaving the stage alone, sober. The togetherness of the earlier episodes was part of the giddy excitement of wartime. Now it’s goodbye to all that.

“Company B” shows no grief or even suffering. Arron Scott in “Tico-Tico” is all speed and impulsiveness... - Alastair MaCaulay for the New York Times.

then again a week later...

"I praised the very exciting young Daniil Simkin in “Company B,” his “Tico-Tico” role was played with yet more forceful detail by Arron Scott in the first cast."- Alastair MaCaulay for the New York Times.

Scott's "Tico-Tico" showcased him perfectly and his gentle bravado was both exilerating and moving. - Mary Cargill for Dance View Times.

"Tico-Tico", a solo for a male dancer, was performed this night by Arron Scott. An ingenious piece of choreography, the dancer isolates his upper body parts into small bits that jiggle and undulate, pop and quiver as if he were in the throes of St. Vitus Dance -- or, to be current, maybe post-traumatic stress syndrome. Scott was so good that I've got to name him as my second most memorable dancer of the evening. - Marga Anto-Raudsepp on Ballet Talk.

In "Company B," which is new to ABT, the dancers' lightness, stamina and gestural clarity were a revelation, highlighted by Arron Scott's intense and soulful rendition of "Tico-Tico." - Robert Johnson of the Star Ledger.

above photos by Sarah Sterner

in the wing

Spring Creek Canyon

We walked seven miles yesterday through the Spring Creek Canyon. Except for once a year it is closed to the public because a long stretch of it is on Rockview State Penitentiary land.

When Ravenboy still lived in town, RGBisMe and he would take long bike rides out to Fisherman's Paradise. It would be torture to be so tired and know that if only the few miles through the Spring Creek Canyon were open to the public that the ride home would be so much short and along the nearly level creek.

It is not clear if the area will open to the public permanently. There has been much debate and a lot can be read about the Spring Creek Canyon Master Plan online. Clearwater Conservancy has put a lot of energy into educating people on how important the area is to conserve.

When an area is opened to the public a lot of changes can happen. The area of Millbrook Marsh has been owned by Penn State for years. When they decided to lease it to Centre Region Parks it was developed in many ways. Hopefully the public's use and education they are getting is worth the impact it has had on the land, fen and globally rare plants on it.

RGBisMe and I enjoyed a peek of this area that we have longed to see for years. People were enjoying walking fishing and a few bikers buzzed though the area between Fisherman's Paradise and Benner Springs fish hatcheries. It wasn't the time of year for many wild flowers nor did we see a lot of wildlife but we had a nice walk and conversations with other locals on the trail.

To Quantify or Qualify

Another autumn day spent with my dearest friend. The plans we made for the weekend were carried out to a certain extent. We spent the morning letterboxing, hiking, biking and for what is probably the final weekend of the leaf peeping season for us.

One of my favorite parts of letterboxing is the navigation. I have always loved maps and the challenge of discerning exactly where to best start a hike or just how far on that log road we might be able to bike is like brain candy for me. The down side is that I am constantly agonizing over whether or not I have made the right choices and it sometimes gets in the way of enjoying the moment. It is one reason I prefer the planning stages of many activities.


Sometimes I can shave off a mile or two of a hike by choosing a different and lesser used trail head. Typically this means a steeper ascent but we revel in the road less traveled.

We hiked the entirety of the Bob Weber Trail to Wolf Run Bald. The comments in the trail register almost always included exclamations about the length of the trail along side of the written marvels of the view. It is less than 2 miles to Wolf Run Bald Vista but quite a workout. Most folks think the distance was under estimated but, according to the track on our gps, it is not.

This trail is a perfect example of what we love about a hike. It has stunning vistas which can be argued to be better than any we have seen along the length of PA's section of the Appalachian Trail, Mid State Trail, or Quehanna Trail. What makes this little hike tops for us was the lack of foot traffic it receives. I realize not everyone signs into the trail logs but it is really only a handful a month even in the summer and fall. Unlike many sections of the AT where you have to step to the sides to avoid multiple day hikers, back packers and Scouting troops we only ran into one other hiker all day. He was through hiking the Black Forest Trail and seems rather shocked to come across a couple of day hikers even on this perfect Autumn day. The trail heads are so easy to get to but don't draw in the vast numbers of vista gawkers that have scrambled up the hill from Cabella's. Thanks to the Bloomies and jbzfarm for introducing us to this great location.

We ended our explorations before we had done everything that we had planned. I tired out much more quickly than I had expected and I realized that the rest of the afternoon was not going to be enjoyable for me if I continued to push. My understanding partner was ready for a Coke break and we grinned across a table at each other. We agreed that a break was much better than griping at letterboxing clues that weren't coming together for our tired brains just to add on six more miles or finds or peaks or vistas. We opted for the road more frequently traveled and traveled home to look back on another glorious day spent together in the heart of central Pennsylvania.

Tico Tico

Ravenboy will be performing the solo role of Tico in American Ballet Theatre's Premiere of Paul Taylor's Company B. The first performance will be this week at Bard College then they will perform it at City Center in NYC.

Photos below are from his rehearsal today.

Indian Summer

Indian Summer is an inexact term for a spell of warmer weather sometime after the first frost. Some say it has to be a stretch of about 7 days after the Autumnal Equinox where the temperature is above 70°. It's never easy to predict if we are going to get any more warm weather before the chill of Autumn sets in in earnest so I am calling this Indian Summer.

The leaves are nearing peak color in this area with the Dorrito trees having been harvested last week. Maga11 is coming today to help me plant 8 letterboxes for the Scotia's Scary Secrets event in two weeks. I am looking forward to some time walking around Scotia Barrens with her this morning. RGBisMe and I are happy with a map we have designed to help navigate this area.

We enjoyed some time in the car and hiking a few places this past weekend. A nice drive through Quehanna showed us vibrant leaves and bold elk. Dropped apples near a tree were hiding one of the largest yellow jackets we had ever seen. Mososo Kruppe battled for the muddiest foot award (votes will be tallied in comments section below.)

I chatted online with a good friend who took advantage of the weather to hike and letterbox with her sister. She is only getting out once a month for such an outing but chose the perfect weekend. She was kind in wishing us the same type of weather in a couple of weeks for the Scotia's Scary Secrets event.

I am blessed to live in an area of the country that has such a great representation of each season. The lack of sunlight can be a real drag to those of us who tend toward seasonal affect disorders but I will try to embrace it as a little hibernation this winter and look forward to accomplishing some indoor tasks. Until then, the Autumn foliage is what I will feast my eyes upon to get me through the subtle shades of the oncoming Winter.

Monarch Walk with Maga11

Maga11 and I made a day of hiking near Woolrich, PA. We started the foggy morning seeking a very spooky letterbox that she has been looking forward to. The misty morning made for some ghostly scenes in an old cemetery. She kept saying to me, "What was that!?" I got a little freaked out before we made it back to her van.

We drove on for some breakfast and then to a sweet local park. The letterbox there had perfectly written clues but I was reminded that a large metal backstop curving around me affects my compass even when I am ten feet from it. The back bearing from the next point was perfect but it took me longer to find with my mistake. We stamped in after avoiding quite a lot of poison ivy leaves and vines.

The drive across the river and to the access point along the Mid State Trail afforded some bright foliage in the sunny morning. For the next couple of hours we strolled through the woods on the rocky MST enjoying the solitude.

The first thing that struck us were the colors of the ferns. Many had been frost bitten and we changing to amazing golden shades from their vivid greens. The mix of them all together was like a water color artists palette with all of natures colors blending into the forest floor.

We made it as far as where we were to seek the first letterbox of four in this series of Monarch stamps. I was looking forward to where I projected the final box might have a view of Pine Creek. Much before that, the clue mentioned that the fifth blaze would be on a large pine tree. We were in an area where there were NO pine trees (ok - there was a tiny 1' one near by). The clue mentioned stumps, yes there were stumps but no pine. How could the placer have mistaken this large deciduous tree for a pine!? I read back over the clue and I had made my second mistake of the day, I had started us out walking the wrong direction from the access on the trail. The placer was very clear to take the trail to the west, we had hiked through the beautiful ferns to the east. I had assumed the hike was to the view and didn't even read which way to go first.

It was no hardship to enjoy the ferns again on our walk back past the car and onto the section of trail the placer intended us to hike. Maga11 said her ankle, which she had broken early in the summer, would probably benefit from the workout on the uneven terrain. We took it slow and she used her cane for added balance. There was no reason to rush our pace, re-injure her ankle, or neglect the beauty around us. We were out to enjoy every part of the trail we hiked and any letterboxes we managed to find along the way.

Each box we uncovered was a special treat; a visual representation of the stages of a Monarch butterfly's life. The carvings were done with care and we were happy to take the time to use the colors the placer recommended. The impressions all came out really well and we were glad to take time for that.

This section of the MST had a few little boggy stream crossings that were a small challenge. Maga and I did our best and helped each other across, trying not to laugh and fall in. Thanks goodness none of the mossy stones were very slippery but the thick branches we used to reinforce the one section still sunk us very close to the smelly muck.

When I hike with RGBisMe or Tracdc or Maga11 it is always different from when I hike alone. Our paces are all different and the focus or dynamics on the trail changes. I wouldn't ever say any of us was more oriented in covering distance just because because we can. I also couldn't say any one of us is more interested in making sure we find as many letterboxes as we possibly can.

I don't think it's fair to try to assume that I am "a hiker" or not. With letterboxes or hikes, I rarely give a thought to "how many" or "how far" as much as "how much I have enjoyed." I frequently think back to the writings of Haim Ginott and agree that to label any one of us, just because we have a different style or approach, is to disable us. I enjoy all variations of many activities. When it comes to hiking, I like all hikes: long, short, fast, slow, rugged or easy. When it comes to letterboxing I think it's safe to say I like letterboxing: a single box, tricky clues where I never find one at all, an easy series in a park. I'll pass on your labels, thank you very much, because I am an ever changing person who can be quite adaptable depending on the circumstance.

Maga11 and I wrapped up our day in the area with a trip to the Woolrich outlet and a nice sit down meal. I thought back on our day as we shared salads and nachos and I sincerely hope to be just as vibrant and active as she is in 23 years. We both agreed we had met our goal for the day; we enjoyed our time together very much.

Not everything that can be counted counts,
and not everything that counts can be counted.
-- Albert Einstein