Camping at the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon


About two months ago Derek and I went on a little camping trip. Now, I've never truly been camping before so I really didn't know what to expect. Even though it was my own idea, I was still hesitant to go and I doubted I would really like it. We loaded up the car (with way too much stuff) and headed out on a 3 hour drive to Leonard Harrison State Park, known for the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. We lost signal within 30 miles of the state park. I couldn't receive anything or send anything out on my phone, which immediately made me nervous. What would I do without signal for 3 days!? Turns out that ended up being one of my favorite things about this little trip. We only saw a handful of other people the entire time, and it was nice being able to just be with Derek without the constant noise of technology. I had 3 days truly to myself without having to worry about texting or calling anyone back, or constantly checking social media. I started a new book and got decently through it, I flipped through my magazines without checking my phone after every few pages, it was a refreshing feeling to be truly in the moment.
 

Derek luckily knows just about everything when it comes to outdoorsy adventures. We set up the tent and started a fire to make our dinner. The first night I was so excited to see a sky full of stars. Living in the city, we don't really get to see stars since there is always so much light. It was so incredibly peaceful. The first night I woke up to an unsettling sound, the sound of coyotes howling outside the tent. I then proceeded to wake Derek up constantly through the night so that he could tell me it was fine, haha, always needing a little bit of reassurance. After surviving the first night the rest of the trip wasn't so scary. Our first full day there we hiked a mile down the side of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and it was so beautiful and peaceful. Hiking is one of of my favorite activities so getting to spend 3 days in the woods ended up being a great experience. I'm excited to make camping an annual tradition.
  \