IN THE WISSAHICKON VALLEY

When I chose to move away from San Francisco last winter, one of the things I knew I was going to miss was the nature and all of the outdoorsy activities I used to do in the Bay Area. I used to love to take my trusty Subaru outside of the city on the weekends to go on a hike in Marin up Mount Tam, put my feet in the Ocean at Ocean or Stinson Beach or head up the 80 into the Sierras to Tahoe. Growing up on an island in the great Pacific Northwest, I didn’t ever realize how much I loved being in nature and the out of doors, and how refreshing and rejuvenating it was for my spirit until I moved to the city. While I love the energy and culture of cities, they can feel claustrophobic at times to me. Luckily, San Francisco had so much surrounding nature to offer. I knew it just wasn’t going to be the same in Philly – the ocean is an hour drive away (could be worse) and the state is pretttyyyyy flat. However, Philly has surprised me in several ways unexpectedly, and now I have discovered what I think might just become my new weekend oasis.

When one of my oldest friends from said Pacific Northwest island visited me this past weekend (love her), I convinced her pretty easily to ditch out on seeing the usual tourist attractions (still haven’t seen the Liberty Bell in person, oh well) and instead get out our hiking boots and explore Wissahickon Valley Park just northwest of the city. It’s where people tell you to go when you tell them you like outdoorsy stuff, and I am surprised it took me this long to get there. We were about 2 weeks late to really seeing the fall leaves in their most brilliance, but the park really was beautiful and the light was perfect. There is even a cozy historical Inn in the Park where you can enjoy lunch- or just post hike Bourbon-spiked Hot Ciders. We said yes to that, twice. Sharing pictures from our day here…

“The earth has music for those who listen.” ― George Santayana

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