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| Bunker Door |
This past summer I finally had a
chance to explore one of the most unique pieces of North-central Pennsylvania,
the Quehanna Wild Area. The wildlife area is a huge 40 thousand acres in parts
of Cameron, Clearfield and Elk counties. It also has two natural areas with the
Marion Brooks Natural area being the larger and home to the largest White birch
forest in the east coast. We picked a great warm day to go hiking and explore
some of the most notable parts of the wild area and it’s history.
The Quehanna Wild area was founded
like so many other state parks and forests. The land which was predomitaly
occupied by native Americans, was settled by early American pioneers and then
logged and stripped of it’s growth. In the 1930’s CCC camps were incorporated
to help American get out of the Great Depression and give youth jobs and skills
for life. The camps would transform the barren land into many of the state
forests, recreation areas and state game lands we have now.
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| Former Reactor Site |
After the CCC camps improved what
would be later called the Quehanna Wild area, the Curtiss-Wright Corporation
bought a small area for testing. The testing was to be done for the new Atoms
for Peace policy that President Dwight D. Esinhower endorsed. The policy would
allow companies to experiment with nuclear technology in hopes of finding
alternative uses for nuclear technology besides war. The Curtiss-Wright Company
would use the land they bought to build a nuclear reactor and testing
facilities. Remnants of the nuclear testing can still be found. The reactor it’s self was dismantled and for a long time it was questionable if the area
was safe from radiation. A large-scale cleanup took place and the reactor site
is still a barren field. Two nuclear jet engine test bunkers exist. The one was
partly buried and used as a bat sanctuary the other is over growing with
foliage; however, you can still explore.
Besides the nuclear aspect of
Quehanna Wild area, it is a great place to visit in the autumn not only for the
beautiful birch trees, but also for the chance to see elk. A few different
blinds are set up for people to get a chance to see theses creatures.
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| Kunes Camp |
Quehanna Wild Area is also an
exceptional hiking and backpacking area. The trails are well blazed and
diversity in terrain allows for a great experience. We decided to hit some of
the highlights on my first trip to Quehanna and took the Kunes Camp trail. This
trail peaked my interest due to being named after an old hunting cabin that is
along the trail. The hike to Kunes Camp was enjoyable and flat. The cabin was
built between 2 large boulders of rock. The front and back walls still stand
but the roof had rotted away many years ago. The remnants of an old outhouse
were not to far from the cabin.
All in all the Quehanna Wild Area
is much more than just a day trip. One could easily spend a few days or week
exploring all it has to offer. I will be planning a trip back very soon.
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| Abandon Road |
