Day 47/May 18

Miles hiked: 15.26 in 6:04

Start: Port Clinton, PA

Finish: Eckville Shelter, PA

Elevation gain: 2,589'

I love the ferns in Pennsylvania, so beautiful.

View from Pulpit Rock. About 30 yards from here was the Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park. Rather strange seeing that building, but logical given the location:

Pulpit Rock is located 25 miles west of Allentown between Lenhartsville and Hamburg, PA.

Officially known as Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park, or as it is commonly called, "The Rock," this 4.3-acre mountaintop site sits 1,600 feet above sea level on the Appalachian Trail. The installations and equipment at Pulpit Rock offer the serious amateur or the novice an opportunity to contribute meaningful scientific information to the astronomical community or to simply view the splendors of the heavens from our several acres of landscaped grounds.

The site was founded in the 1960's by Henry Kawecki, an industrialist from Berks County, who built the first dome (right-most dome in aerial view below) in a small clearing in the woods. There was a crude access road called the "jeep road" at the time, but he also traveled in by helicopter.

As the LVAAS became involved in Kawecki's efforts, a more usable road was built and the site soon blossomed into a small campus of observatories. The dark skies on Blue Mountain were a welcome getaway from the light-polluted cities.

In the mid 1990's, a renaissance was under way at The Rock. A new three-story building was under construction for a 40" cassegrain, the other observatories were cleaned up and repainted, and the grounds got a major overhaul. Trees were cut back, weeds and overgrowth were completely eliminated, piles of debris were trucked out, the road and a new loop were freshly graveled, the whole landscape was graded, and a magnificent new lawn was sown. Through these incredible efforts of the members, LVAAS's Pulpit Rock Astronomical Park is the highest and finest amateur observing site east of the Mississippi.

Route from my Suunto.