Glen Onoko & Jim Thorpe

Lisa's schedule changed at the last minute on Saturday morning. Turns out, it changed for the better.

Lisa and I went for a short 3-mile hike in Glen Onoko, near Jim Thorpe, PA. This place is only an hour away, and it's a great hike. The trail is in State Game Lands, which means that it's hard to follow. The trails are poorly marked, if at all. Despite that, we climbed the 1,000 feet up the ravine to the top, passing great waterfalls, rhododendrons, and hemlock. These types of hikes are perhaps our most favorite. The temperatures were nice and cool, but climbing 1,000 feet in a mile certainly makes body head build quickly. It was a nice training event for our upcoming trip to Mt. Rainier. Trip is what I did though, slightly spraining my ankle.

After the hike, we explored Jim Thorpe (originally Mauch Chunk). This old Victorian city, set in the mountainous mining region, reminded me of places like Cripple Creek, Victor, and Harpers Ferry. It brought great comfort knowing that such a quaint place lies only an hour away. There are a few distinct sides to JT: the quieter residential section to the east of the Lehigh, with the historic tourist district on the west bank, with more residential areas further uphill.

This place was once called "The Switzerland of America", and was the second most popular honeymoon destination, next to Niagara Falls.

We'd like to take many friends and family back here. We noticed many activities to do in town. Excluding the great hiking and biking routes, there are interesting stores, and even a tourist railroad route (which runs through Christmas). On another note, it is only 40 minutes from Lisa's current job at Selective, and it happens to the the Carbon County seat - can you say County Planning Commission job?

Pictures