Hey folks, and welcome many newcomers that just signed up this past weekend! I just wanted to take a moment to share this new image release (which you have seen if you visited my booth last weekend😁) with you…

Whew, it is getting hot here in the Northeast (and much of the country I gather) this weekend! So I thought in light of that, hopefully this wonderful waterfall can help mentally cool you down!

I photographed this scene in late May 2018 right here in Pennsylvania’s own Ricketts Glen State Park! If you’ve never been, you should😉 Boasting 22 named waterfalls, you can see 21 of them on about a 3.5-4 mile circuit hike that takes you across, down, and back up two glens and includes some of Pennsylvania’s finest natural beauty. Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1968, Ricketts Glen is well worth your visit… and waterfalls are just a part of the wonder here - many more miles of mountain trails, lakes, and Old Growth Hemlock Forest await!

I have spent many a day in Ricketts Glen in all Seasons over the past several years and I have never seen it like I did on this occasion! Adequate snow melt and the wettest Winter/Spring on record had this Park booming in high flood!!! The day itself was a dream to be a part of - clearing heavy storms, mist and fog created an ethereal forest dripping and teeming with life, oozing it in every inch. I could feel it in each breath, succumbed to the deafening gush of these “Thunderous Wonders” all around me! To say I was stoked on Nature this day is putting it mildly!😉😁

In correlation with yesterday's blog pertaining to Earth Day and National Parks Week, guess where I'll be while you're reading these posts Monday April 24th-Wednesday April 26th this week??!

Well, if you guessed Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, you are correct! Yep, I'll be dusting off the backpack and getting back out on the trail for a few days as I make my annual Spring migration to Shenandoah to soak in some of the best Mother Nature has to offer in honor of Earth Day! As I write this, I am still in debate as to where exactly I'll be hiking these few days, but if I am lucky I may just catch the magnificent display of Redbuds and Dogwoods in the Park's Northern District before the blooms are over. And who knows, I may just have to go visit my "home away from home"...

"This backcountry locale in my "backyard" National Park, Shenandoah, has become a home away from home for me. Since the first time I camped near this serene waterfall I have returned more than half a dozen times to date (and only planning on adding to that over the years to come). Right here, I have enjoyed some of my most profound and intimate moments of experiencing immaculate Mother Nature. And the fact that it lies within a section of Shenandoah's Federally designated Wilderness, makes it even more special. Hiking 3.5 miles in darkness the night before, I awoke on my first morning here and rolled out of my hammock, slid down the carved out hollow right next to me and photographed this magical moment at dawn. The most amazing black bear encounter of my life has taken place right here, as a young juvenile played and foraged for nuts in late Autumn not more than 20 yards from me for a good 10 minutes or so! I have been here in early Spring to celebrate Earth Day and seen these Falls booming at 2-3 times the volume you see here. At the perfect time in October, this forest is ablaze with Maples, Hickories and Oaks. And, every time, whether it be amidst the intoxicating smell of fresh Spring rain, or Autumn leaves in the cool air, and the deafening sound of the falls as I hear nothing but them aside from an occasional owl hooting, I can lean back and lose myself in dreams under the stars and the moonlight... This place soothes my soul, this is living folks, this is real magic!"

Brandon Kline

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“Thunderous Wonders”/New Image Release!

Hiking to "A Home Away from Home"...

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