Abandoned Places: the Nuclear Jet Engine Bunker

We awoke to bright sunshine and a hard frost at our campsite in the back-country of the Quehanna Wild Area. The birds showed up early and began to sing even before it was light. I don't know what the first bird was, but the second one was a thrush, singing its lovely tweedle-eedle song.

The third bird was a big black crow that sat on a tree above my tent and CAW CAW CAWed at the top of its lungs! The birds woke my husband too, and as one, we shouted in unison to the crow, from inside our tents and deep down in our sleeping bags: SHUT UP, BIRD!!! And it flew away. So much for the glory of the dawn.

And so it was that I was standing out on the rock overlooking the valley at 6:30 in the morning, hoping for a frost mist show. But not much was happening and my hands were freezing cold, despite my gloves, so I walked back in to the campsite and hopped back into my sleeping bag for another hour or two.

We decided to pack it up (time to stuff it all back INTO that carpetbag, Mary Poppins!) and walk out earlier than we usually do, which is to say, before noon, and it was a good thing that we did, as it started to drizzle on our hike out. Yes, RAIN! Totally unexpected! But only a few drops here and there; not enough to soak our gear and ruin our good mood.

We have to cross a little creek on our hike, and we had big rains here just a few days ago, so every stand of water everywhere was swollen and running high. There is a specific rock you have to hop from on the way in, and it was several inches under water. The opposite shore was muddy and slippery, to make it more challenging. My husband is lead hiker. He goes first, and I follow. And so I hopped over, into my husband's waiting arms.

On the way back, we'd have to hop from the muddy shore back ONTO the rock which now appeared to be in the middle of a raging stream. But we both made it! Hooray! The trick is to remember that the rock is steadfast; it is where it always was; the higher water is merely a distraction. This is a lesson worth knowing and holding onto in life: let your heart be still; the rock has not moved.

We loaded our gear into the car, and then we decided . . . to go for a walk! Yes, the best time for a walk is right after you've taken your pack off, as you feel like you have WINGS and can float away! So we decided to go visit the ruins of the north nuclear jet engine bunker, a short drive away.

I've talked about this place before (and here is an article that provides many additional details about this place). There are actually two bunkers, on little roads that run side by side, not far apart. The north one is on the road closest to Reactor Road. It is a longer walk, and the trail is more grown in, but it has more interesting stuff to see (in my opinion). Above is a photo of the bunker and its reflection on the little pond I showed you last time we were there. Those are indeed tiny drops of rain on the surface. And yes, the newts are still quite frisky!

The door to the bunker was standing open, and it didn't smell too bad inside (unlike last time), and so T. Tiger and I went in. But T. Tiger thought it was strange and dark in there, and the walls were covered in weird drawings. So he refused to get out of his bag. For your amusement, I've included a photo of the graffiti on one of the walls in the extras. That was our final hike for the day.

Of course, you know what is top of mind to ANY backpacker returning from a trip, and that is FOOD! We stopped on the way home at Benton's Market in Karthaus for some of her amazing chili (it is important to know that the kitchen closes a half-hour before regular closing time, so if you're hungry, plan to get there by 1:30 on Sunday or 4:30 on any other day). And then for a pair of hoagies at Hall's on Beaver Road. We stopped and ate one on the way. And then we headed home!

These photos are of what seems to us to be a very strange, yet interesting, place. So let's let our first soundtrack song be the Doors, with People Are Strange. My husband and I had a good laugh over the crow whose raucous calling annoyed us so early and so annoyingly, so the second song is this one: Transvision Vamp, with Tell that Girl to Shut Up. You can sing bird instead of girl if you want to!