“Did you know that we all have at least one soul place in the physical world? A soul place is a special site or spot where we experience unique feelings of belonging, empowerment and energetic rejuvenation.”

    Where is your soul place? Where is the place that provides you with the most unique emotions? Where do you go for energetic rejuvenation?

     My soul place is The Pennsylvania Wilds, specifically Cook Forest State Park. Cook Forest is about a 2 hour drive northwest of Pittsburgh. I have been visiting there since I was a kid. My family  camped there most summers, and I fell in love with it as a child. There is something different about Cook Forest from all the other places we had camped. Cook Forest is ancient. It is magical. It is something straight from the pages of a fairy tale. 

From the PA Wilds website - https://pawilds.com/about/  : 

     The PA Wilds covers approximately 25% of the state’s land acreage in north central Pennsylvania, yet just 4% of the population. Once the former lumber capital of the world, the region is home to more than 2 million acres of public land, 50 state game lands, 29 state parks, 8 state forests, 2 National Wild & Scenic Rivers, abundant wildlife, hundreds of miles of land and water trails, some of the darkest skies in the country, and the largest elk herd in the northeast.

     The Pennsylvania Wilds is also home to many charming and thriving local businesses, creators, makers, and artisans that celebrate and draw inspiration from the natural landscape, culture and heritage of the region. Today, The Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania – rural PA’s largest network of creative entrepreneurs – connects Juried Artisans, Trading Posts, Host Sites, and Public Art spanning the 12.5 counties of the Pennsylvania Wilds. PA Wilds counties include: Warren, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Lycoming, Clinton, Elk, Cameron, Forest, Clearfield, Clarion, Jefferson and northern Centre.

      Some of the unique places to visit within the PA Wilds area include:  Benezette (to see the elk herd), Kinzua Bridge, Cherry Springs State Park (darkest skies and best stargazing in the eastern US, and one of the best in the world), PA Grand Canyon, Allegheny National Forest,  and so many more.