Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania
A Memorable Adventure
August 19th 2024,
Around 7am, my friend Aidan picked me up and took us to Mt. Gretna to hike and swim in the lake. He planned for us to walk to this tower that looked over 4 counties in PA; it had a beautiful view of the rolling hills. After walking for about 2 hours, we headed back to the car to drive to the lake. When we arrived at the lake, I was very skeptical to go in, but I ended up swimming for about 45 minutes. Once it started to rain we packed up and grabbed a late lunch at a local diner, then started towards home.
After Aidan picked me up we got coffee at Dunkin’ and moments later we arrived at the trailhead. We started are way on the small boardwalk looking out into the trees, then began on the trail through the woods. On the trail we didn’t see much wildlife, but I did find this cool ring with a blue heart on it. The ring caught my eye, lying on part of the path, so I picked it up and decided it was for me.
Once we got to the tower, it was starting looking up and seeing ladders leading up to the top. With some confidence we went up there, to see the well-worth-it view. It was fascinating to be one of the tallest things from where we could see. I found it relaxing, but Aidan feared the height slightly. When we found our way back to the ground, we started towards the car.
When we got to the lake, I was very scared to get in and swim. (It was a strange fear I must have gained from my brain developing). I conquered my meaningless fear and got it. Immediately swam to the one ladder to jump off the diving board. Aidan dived well, as expected, so I stepped up, thinking my body would remember how to dive after all my young years of swimming, and… I over-rotated and successfully got water up my nose. The swimming adventure did not stop there, just my heartbeat.
I experienced a great time with Aidan and it is definitely a place I would go again. It is low-key a gem in the middle of nowhere with great finds.
