Sinnemahoning WITO - Day 1

DaBraLady and I went for a Women in the Outdoors weekend in Sinnemahoning State Park. I cannot say enough good about the staff of that park. They share what they know, make you aware of things you may want know to or need to know in the park and really care about the park and it's visitors.

Even before setting up camp, DaBraLday and I stopped off for the view from the breast of the dam. The day was beautiful and we got the the park in great time. This allowed us to stop and enjoy every aspect of the beginning to the weekend. The mountains were so green and the sky was very beautiful. As we drove on, I noticed just where the trail crossed over the road and looked forward to exploring them on foot or bike later in the weekend. I intended to bike whenever possible.

The park office allowed us to check into our camp site early and this allowed us plenty of time to set everything in in daylight before the first WITO event that evening. We were close to the showers, firewood and playground so it was an area of activity. It was also a huge space and seemed larger than any of the other tenting spots in the campground.

We found level places for our tents that wouldn't be in the way of water run off if there was an afternoon thunderstorm while we were there. I even had time to set up my LED purple lights to locate the campsite after dark and some banners that visually reminded me of what a special time and space I was visiting.

We sat a bit, met the local chipmunks, ate some supper and checked our schedule. We were supposed to get together at 7PM for the history of the area and getting to know each other. This was about a mile from the campground at the Forty Maples day use area. The main park road led to it and I noticed some trails on the map that cut through that area too. I chose to plan to bike to and from the get together. Not knowing how late it would end, I packed my headlamp and put the front and rear lights on my bike.

Other than a small group of woman who had participated the year before, everyone of the 21 women were pleasant and down to earth. There were 4 mother/daughter couples and the rest were groups or couples of friends. There was only one woman who seemed to have come by herself and she was teaching one of the workshops. She had come the year before and seemed very comfortable being on her own.

We went around and introduced ourselves. We came with a broad range of interests and from very different locations. I think the farthest traveled from Philly area and there were a few local women too. About four or so were of retirement age or older. I think I pretty much fell right in the middle of them all when it came to interests, expertise, age and location. I felt pretty comfortable.

What really made me sure of the fact that I knew it was going to be a great weekend was the way each of the staff members handled themselves and how they presented the information. The one ranger, Brian, was very straightforward in sharing information of the threat of so many of the local state parks potentially closing. He let us know that that the issue had been tabled just two days before but still encouraged us to write to our legislators.

The coordinator of the WITO program at Sinnemahoning, Jackie Flynn, had been a pleasure to work with even in the weeks prior to my attending the program. She made sure that my veggie diet needs were met. I was not let down the whole weekend, there was plenty for me to eat and I gained two pounds to prove it! She gave us a wonderful history of the park and her role there.

Toward the end of the question and answer portion a young male deer emerged from the woods and started to tentatively approach our group. He was licking his lips and looking for a handout. We hadn't even started to make our s'mores so he was just a general mooch. The snacks were great and we chatting with each other a while longer before I biked back via the magical Low Lands Trail to our camp site. It was after 9PM when I got back but it was still light enough that DaBraLady was reading her novel in her camp chair.

I think we both slept pretty well. The stars were out and we hoped that they might be as brilliant the next night because that is when they were setting up telescopes on the breast of the dam for an astronomy program. I fell asleep listening to campground noises and watching the stars through the hemlock canopy.