Exploring Scotia Barrens

The Scotia Barrens, only a few miles from downtown State College, is a fascinating feature of land tucked between the Bald Eagle and Tussey Mountain ridges. Due to its location between these two ridges and its own geology and history, it is a simple bowl where frigid air becomes trapped in what is known as a "frost pocket". Because of this, the Scotia Barrens is known to be one of the coldest places in Pennsylvania at any given time, especially for its elevation which is only about 1,200' (about the same as Altoona). I had the Scotia Barrens as an item for my 2019 bucket-list and my meanderings and exploration of its various regions did not disappoint. Yesterday, very cold, harsh gusts of wind brought in even more frigid temperatures so I can't help but be curious about the differences in conditions just from yesterday to today. When I arrived at "The Barrens", it was 19 degrees (with a RealFeel of 7 degrees). But the sun was out and there wasn't any hint of a breeze. I was comfortable.

I didn't exactly know what to expect. I spent some time researching The Barrens and its history. Scotia Barrens gets its name from when Andrew Carnegie purchased some of the land and he named it after his native country, Scotland. Scotia became a small village dedicated to mining iron ore that was sent by rail to Pittsburgh. Sparks from the rails often caught portions of Scotia on fire. Scotia Barrens isn't only fascinating because of its location, but it is also a land of very infertile soil. This does not mean that growth of vegetation lacks. Various oaks and pitch pine are hardy trees that do very well in highly acidic soil. Pitch Pine, actually, happens to be a fire-dependent tree. Its bark is very resistant to fire and like many trees out in forest-fire prone California, its pinecones depends on fire-high temperatures to release their seeds. Besides being acidic, the soil is also very sandy, rendering the water table of The Barrens to be pretty deep. This means that the surface of the soil remains relatively dry, allowing the water to seep down deeper into the ground.

very sandy soil

I didn't exactly know where to start. Not owning a physical map of the area (I need to buy Purple Lizard's map because I'm definitely going back!), I simply looked at Google maps and decided to hike around bodies of water. Because bodies of water are always scenic and animals are drawn to them.

I started at the Scotia Pond Trail (that's what showed up on Google maps). Don't be deceived, though. There are no actual marked/named trails there. You simply find a place to park at the side of the road and enter whatever opening you see into the woods. I learned from experience that The Barrens consists of a labyrinth of trails that interconnect and intersect. One must rely on whatever technology, landmark identifiers, etc., to find their way around. Not that you'll get lost--it's not a big area and a dirt road (Scotia Range Road) goes right through the middle of The Barrens.

Scotia Pond was frozen over completely.

I was able to walk right on the ice. While walking on and around the pond, I heard interesting sounds. Like a drumming. I didn't know if it was the sound of ruffed grouse or just the sound of the ice shifting or moving in the distance. It was eerie and there was no one else around.

This is the Scotia Pond Trail. However, it eventually veers off into many different directions. I think that was my favorite part of exploring The Barrens. So many possibilities. Choose your own adventure. To keep my bearings, I left sticks in the shapes of arrows to lead me in the right direction on my way back.

Making the arrows wasn't exactly necessary, though. Paying attention to the various landforms kept me on the right track. Also, the pond and various barren areas served as useful features to keep my bearings.

There were a lot of sings of logging throughout the area, as well. There seemed to be a variety of initiatives within The Barrens in regard to maintaining the landscape's vegetation.

I pulled this "sapsicle" out of the hole in this tree. Yes, I licked it.

I hiked a few miles before I eventually intersected and looped my way back to my car. Here's my first hike:

Little did I know that driving down the dirt road would lead to yet another hike. My curiosity got the best of me.

Found myself yet another frozen pond. I failed to mention that by this point, all my hiking was on relatively flat, rolling, single-track terrain perfect for mountain biking. It wasn't until I got to this second hike that I noticed some makeshift jumps for mountain bikers. There were more steep hills and drops here for the very brave riders (I'm a novice mountain biker but I'm definitely bringing my bike here someday!).

Ice grew from the ground like stems without flowers. They almost look like a type of fungus.

But alas, it's just ice.

This stream was completely frozen over. It flows into the pond above. Some of the trail was covered in ice or melting ice. I did take a spill on the ice, unfortunately. It was pretty painful because it bent my bum foot in a way it doesn't like to bend. I recovered from the pain quickly, surprisingly.

Here is my second hike:

I got back into my car and continued driving down the road. The landscape became more sparse. Less trees, less hills. Pretty barren. I pulled over for one last out-and-back hike.

This hike was different from the others. As I already mentioned, the landscape was more barren. The trail was not single-track, but as wide as a logging road or perhaps a rail bed. All along the sides of the wide trail were gorgeous trees bearing frozen fruit. Pitch Pine with its curved trunk was also found here.

Here is my third hike, out and back:

I was very pleased with my several hours of hiking in the gorgeous sunshine. I was grateful that there wasn't a hint of wind, too, because it was pretty chilly. I don't typically wear jeans when I hike, but today I did because I knew the hike wasn't going to be anything too difficult. Just a saunter to stop and appreciate what I saw.

After my hikes, I headed to downtown State College. I visited Appalachian Outdoors to look for a map of Scotia Barrens, but there weren't any, so I left. Then I went to Webster's Book Store and purchased a few books: The Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher; John & William Bartram's America edited by Helen G. Cruickshank; Writing the Western Landscape (a book containing the writings of Mary Austin and John Muir) edited by Ann. H. Zwinger.

Just what I need! More books!

Now it's time to spend the rest of the evening relaxing with my pups and trying to calm my mind. Unfortunately, I'm feeling a lot of anxiety and I don't know why. My brain is my worst enemy. Maybe it's from my lack of sleep last night. I went to bed really late and had a very restless sleep because I didn't feel well all night. I was sweating and had the chills. My stomach hurt. But it all passed and I was fine this morning, but kind of sleep-deprived. I don't understand how I can have so much nervous energy in me right now when I've been on-the-go all day. I should be exhausted.

I have such a hard time relaxing.

But I'll do my best.

It was a good day. Tomorrow will be too.