ur schedules. We still had a good amount of time to hike, however it narrowed down our choices for destinations. I discovered Hickory Run State Park, located in the Poconos and thought it looked perfect. The park is well known for containing an enormous boulder field that has been designated a National Natural Landmark. Several of the park’s 40 miles of hiking trails reach this location. We had only vague plans and made the rest up as we went. We grabbed a few maps at the park office and plotted a course to the rocks. The field is 1800 by 400 feet in size (16.5 acres) and contains boulders up to 26 feet long. It’s peculiar because the ground is almost level- most rock fields form on steep slopes. Most of the explanations for the field suggest it was formed during the last ice age when a glacier bulldozed the rocks into place. I found it interesting that in the early 1800’s prospective farmers called the area the “Shades of Death” because of the dark forests, rocky soil, and nearby swamps 
that spoiled their plans. The only developments realized in the area were several mills located on nearby Mud Run, accompanied by a small town.It was hunting season, and the parking lots were full. Surprisingly, the trails were empty. Still, I was thankful that we had worn some hunter orange just in case. The colors of the forest were awesome. We passed some mountains while traveling that had lost their leaves in the recent storms. In this area that wasn’t the case. The entire trail is well marked and maintained. The best part was the final stretch that passed through old-growth pines. The fallen pine needs made it feel like we were walking on a mattress. We ended up spending the night under those old trees, after we had explored the huge field of rocks. It was a perfect weekend away. Hopefully it won’t be so long until we can hike together again.
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