The Endless End: Dangerous Treks at World's End

 

Though Stella and I have reached land’s end many a time, we never thought we would reach “world’s end” so easily.  In fact, it is right in our backyard with relation to our Poconos headquarters.  As if randomly air-dropped in the middle of one of Pennsylvania’s numerous and untamed forests, we found ourselves in the Sullivan Highlands which rise above the Loyalsock Forest.  Lush, green, cragged, and full of dangerous falls, it’s the last place you want to go to unprepared.  And of course, that’s how we were going up the broken trails here at World’s End- unprepared.  But when have we ever really been prepared? 

 

Armed with minimal knowledge of what to see, we began to etch out our internal maps of the area.  There is of course a nice topographical map of the area that gives you general highlights of what to visit.  But there really isn’t a detailed trail map or any warnings that I could clearly see.  I guess that just makes it more fun.  The park office and a nearby ice cream place that never seems to be open are about as much civilization as you can find in the woods.  Otherwise, there’s no reception on any of the major carriers for miles, there’s no public Wi-Fi, there is no AM or FM radio, the emergency weather channel is eerily filled with static, and the closest thing you’ll get to some semblance of the web is between two trees.  I suppose they don’t call it World’s End for nothing.

 

If you stick to the water, you’ll be relatively safe in the sense that you won’t get lost.  Oh but rest assured, you can still find yourself between a rock and a hard place, especially travelling with a large dog.  Going along the Loyalsock Creek, you can take the Link Trail which takes you over beautiful boulders and rocks smoothened by the constant flow of water.  The water crashes so much against the rocks that it can get quite loud at the bends of the creek. 

 

Going towards the “beach house,” the trail narrows into a small area that is basically off the cliff, about a foot or less wide where you are flanked on the left by a precipitous rock formation while the right is a drop towards boulders and the raging creek.  At one point, there was no trail, it was just a broken ledge enough for some kind of footing.  Just know that Stella loosened some rocks that tumbled into the creek just to stay on the ground.

Atop some shalestone at the base of the gorge.  | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI

At the end of Link Trail, you’ll be rewarded with a rather unassuming whirlpool from which the state park derives its name.  There are many stories as to why it’s called World’s End, in a time before the lack of reception and internet could be appreciated.  Some say the view from above, at the top of the gorge, makes it look like you’re at the end of the world, even though there are still many more mountains and plateaus beyond where the creek makes its most twisted bends.  Ironically, because of this feature, World’s End is part of the Endless Mountains, making it an endless end.  Others say it was once called Whirl’s Glen because of this whirlpool in the valley.  Still there are others who call it Whirl’s End, perhaps from some local dialect or the way World’s End rolls of the tongue.  One thing is certain – the current name, World’s End, is quite fitting in more ways than one.

 

We took another trail called Double Run, this time away from the Loyalsock Creek.  However, you can still hear the sound of rushing water wherever you go in this nature trail.  Of the World’s End trails, I would say this is the friendliest and most interesting.  It’s also only a brief walk away from the campgrounds.  The canopy is thick, and the trails are narrow, gradually steepening as you head towards towering trees that seem to be perched on top of massive boulders, the high point of this loop.  There are small bridges that go over the creeks, and some staircases built into the rock on your descent towards the west branch.  Forebodingly, we also saw a few makeshift graves – two of them.  It’s unsure whether these marked hikers who passed away here, or if this was one of their favorite spots in life. 

The high point of Double Run.  | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI

 

After the descent, you can choose to continue on Pioneer Road to reach World’s End overlook, or you can keep going down Double Run for an even better surprise, a secret hollow.  You’ll first be met by the landmark’s bouncer, a giant moss-covered boulder that appears to have been undisturbed for quite some time.  The stacked layers hint at the sandy origins of this area long before the continents were formed. 

Giant undisturbed boulder.  | Kitty L. / SHIROOKAMI

Passing it, the hollow awaits.  Of all the unnamed waterfalls you’ll frequently encounter in these parts, there’s only one that has earned its spot on the map, and that’s Cottonwood Falls.  I daresay this would be the world’s cutest waterfall.  It is so small and gentle that it gives me the impression it has been here for a long time, unlike some of the large and powerful self-destructive waterfalls that require routine maintenance.  Adjacent to the small fall is a cave-like structure with water trickling at its edge, like a beaded curtain.  It makes the perfect picture. 

 

Downstream is another interesting and wider fall where the water from the hollow cascades over tiered rocks that almost appear striped.  Still, even more falls pop up here and there until you’ve completed the loop. 

 

I think my favorite waterfall in the area would be the Cold Run, which can be seen about ten or so miles away from Double Run Trail via Link Trail.  It was an air-conditioned waterfall due to the cold water flowing over the rocks, topped with another huge boulder.  A completely unexpected find.

 

Once we had overcome our internet withdrawals, one of the last things we did here was see the much-touted view of the canyon and Endless Mountains.  You can take a vehicle to the summit and see the Canyon Vista, or you can take the shortcut through the very steep Canyon Vista Trail.  This is an important fact to remember when planning your descent.  The Canyon Vista Trail can be accessed directly from the campgrounds.  However, as early as the third blue blaze, you’ll notice the trail is already broken by a creek that has carved out the rocks, about a few feet deep.  Already a sign of what’s to come.  At the time, I shrugged it off thinking, it couldn’t be that bad, could it?

 

Going further you will reach a view of the canyon that isn’t really labelled on the map – Warren’s Window.  The trees frame the canyon just right, and there is crystal clear water that gently trickles down the precipice nearby.  From here, you can see the serpentine creek.  Careful not to get too close.  Up ahead, there are more clusters of boulders, a great resting place before the elevation begins to rise again.  Without the sound of rushing water, it becomes eerily quiet.  The entire time, as in Double Run Trail, we did not encounter any wildlife other than insects – birds, deer, or squirrels were surprisingly absent. 

 

At last, there is a big problem near this place called Ticklish Rock.  At least, that’s what the sign says further down the trail.  There seems to have been a path here, made of rock.  However, we encountered a giant slab that could be difficult for some to overcome.  Just beneath it is a sharp precipice where several sharp rocks seem to have tumbled down to the bottom.  Were the rocks here so ticklish that they wiggled away and fell to the bottom?  In all seriousness, a minor slip here could equal some major damage. 

 

Usually impulsive, Stella assessed the situation as well, and we looked for alternate paths around it, but everything nearby was just too steep.  To my surprise, Stella looked at me.  I could hear Aladdin’s voice echo in my head saying, “Do you trust me?” to which I said, “No!”  But alas, she exceeded my expectations and managed to powerlift herself over the rock, with full confidence that she could do it.  I was quite ready to catch her, running just behind.  Although I could scale this boulder, I could imagine several others that would have difficulty, especially if hiking with a cane is a requirement.  Be warned!

 

The trials are worth it.  Finally reaching, the top, we could see the entirety of the highlands.  The canyon vista is as one would expect – awesome.  Those mountains truly are endless.  Unlike the more elevated mountains of the west coast, these Appalachian-flavored ones are smooth enough at the tops and do not block the view of the mountains behind them.  You can almost draw a line marking the tops of all the mountains, a result of ongoing erosion.  Behind this grand view is a bench and gravel patch of road for those that were smart enough to take the safer way up.  There’s also a bathroom up here.  Just beyond the bathroom, however, there’s more to explore.

 

Although these mountains may look smooth, they are crowned by some interesting features.  It helps to know a little bit about the rock formations in the area.  At the base of the gorge, where we paralleled the creek, is the soft shale and sandstone of the Huntley Formation, whose outcrops look like stacks, and whose mounds form haystacks in the water.  The fragility of this basal layer is what causes the serpentine bends of the creek and surrounding valley.  Above that is sandstone that can look buff or solid gray at some outcrops, the Burgoon Formation.  The rim of the gorge as well as the eroded tops of these mountains are characterized by the Mauch Chunk Formation, shale and sandstone that formed from oxidized sediment deposited above sea level.  Though eroded, the Mauch Chunk is a bit more resistant than the rocks at the creek bed, and even contains a bit of uranium in some places near Jim Thorpe.  But, like cherries on top, there are the dark, gray boulders of the Pottsville Formation, highly resistant conglomerates that seem to defy the flattening of the high plateaus.

 

These rebellious rocks make a labyrinth of paths between and over them at the Rock Garden.  It’s one of the most interesting features of World’s End.  Some paths become narrower, surrounding you with towering rocks and forest debris, while others open up to views above the formations.  There’s moss, there’s lichen, and there are snakes.  Some of the boulders reminded me of the quarry at back at Government’s Island.  However, these marks on the boulders are not from attempts to bring back rocks to Mount Vernon.  They are fractures resulting from the harsh Pennsylvanian winters putting stress on the rock joints (didn’t know rocks had joints, did you?) – the slanted patterns are the outcome of sediment deposition over 300 million years ago, when this entire area used to be an ancient coast by the sea, much like Niagara to the north.  One of the rocks even had a small pit in them where Stella got a drink, like a natural water fountain.  I am glad that they are intact, lichen coverings and all.  Hopefully, visitors will continue to respect their integrity and avoid stripping them bare by constant touching or scaling so that these rocks will continue to defy sense and expectations.

To avoid falling to our deaths, we decided to take the road down, where you can see some interesting outcrops.  Departing World’s End, in about an hour’s worth of driving, we began our re-entry into civilization.  Totally not what we expected, but totally worth the visit.