My Hike at Glen Onoko Falls

On Sunday October 25th, 2009 I set out on one of the most adventurous and ambitious hikes I've taken in well over 2 decades now. My destination was Glen Onoko Falls in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. I had read a lot about the falls and the hike involved to view them. The journey started at parking lot near the falls at the surface of the Lehigh River. Let us begin this hike together through some of the many photographs I took during my climb up the Glen Onoko canyon. Click on any picture during the trip to see in enlarged in greater detail.

The first thing many see even before they hit the trail is this old abandoned railroad tunnel and the concrete tresses that once held the bridge which crossed the Lehigh River at this point. Although I didn't venture into the tunnel on this trip it is possible to enter it from the other end and step up to the railing overlooking the river.

The next item people notice, or at least should notice, is this large wooden sign posted by the park. It reads, "Warning, Glen Onoko Falls Trails, Hike at your own risk. Sections of the trail ahead are steep and treacherous. Hikers have been seriously injured and killed as a result of accidental falls from the trail and gorge overlooks. You are responsible for your safety. Wear proper hiking shoes. Use extreme caution while hiking in the gorge.". After researching the hiking trail and area before visiting this was not a surprise to me. The trail is steep with many loose rocks and tree roots. Hikers should be prepared, be smart, and be cautious. These precautions will make the hike an enjoyable and rewarding experience with memories that will last a lifetime.

After a scramble up a hillside of large loose rocks this is the inviting hiking trail that greeted me. It is roughly level and a very deceptive introduction to the hard hike soon to follow. Enjoy the stroll along this few hundred feet of well defined level trail, because once it ends there will be very few other places like it during the climb up the gorge.

Thankfully even for those who don't want to or can't physically tackle the harsh terrain ahead, the first moving water is visible almost immediately at the end of the previously mentioned section of level trail. As the trail advances the left side suddenly drops off abruptly into the gorge and the rush of the Glen Onoko creek can be seen below. A little farther along the first small falls pictured here can be found before the trail takes a sudden upwards path strewn with rocks and tree roots.

After climbing over several larger easy to navigate boulders this next section of small waterfalls was an inviting site. Of course the whole way up the trail the rushing water can always be heard, a steady soothing sound that helped to keep the hike interesting and fun.

I looked up the stream and noticed this beautiful section of falls rushing beneath a large rhododendron bush. I stepped up to the very edge of the rushing stream to capture this fantastic scene.

The steep canyon walls on the opposite side of the creek were strewn with rocks of all sizes and lush with many ferns.

This is where the hike began to get difficult. Looking up the near side of the canyon I realized it too was strewn with all sizes of rocks and exposed tree roots. It was time for this hike to go from leisurely to a cardio workout. I'm not in the greatest shape by any stretch of the imagination, but I was determined to complete this hike and so I pressed forward.

I made yet another of many stops on the ascent up the trail to capture to natural beauty of the cascading water.

I stopped yet again to take more pictures. I took dozens like this, but it would have been impractical to post every one, so I selected some of the best to share.

The large flat rocks on this part of the trail form an awesome an inviting natural stairway continuing up the canyon. While the climb was still steep and exhausting, these steps were a very welcome change from the randomly strewn rocks below.

At some point in the past people arranged this wonderful stair of natural stones continuing to help make the strenuous hike up the canyon gorge a little less painful.

As I continued up the now wet, somewhat muddy, and slippery trail I paused yet again to capture the flowing water. Both the moving stream and the hiking trail are visible in this photograph.

This fantastic cascade of water rushes down after the stream flows over the Chameleon Falls which are barely visible in this picture near the upper right corner through the trees.

After a grueling hike the first of the two big waterfalls was finally before me. This is the lower falls, called Chameleon Falls. It was amazing to stand before this majestic waterfall. It isn't the highest in the canyon, Onoko Falls takes that title, but it is the most impressive in my eyes. The higher Onoko Falls can be seen just to the right of center at the top of this photograph.

As I pressed on, pushing myself to keep moving, I traversed some very steep terrain to finally arrive at the base of this high wispy waterfall. Oh what an amazing place to be. This is Onoko Falls. I stepped down next to the stream where a fine cool mist continuously blew through the air cooling me as it touched my skin. The mist assaulted my camera lens as well, making this photograph a little hazy compared to all of my others. It was well worth it though, this is definitely one of my favorite shots from the hike.

As I pushed to climb the last remaining 75 to 100 feet I paused once more to take another shot of Onoko Falls, this time through some trees.

Finally! After an exhausting yet satisfying climb nearly 800 feet above where I started I reached the top of Onoko Falls. I took a long deserved break up here to just sit, relax, and take in one of the most amazing views I have seen in a long time. This is a view of the Lehigh Gorge from on top of Onoko Falls. The borough of Jim Thorpe is visible as a thin line of light colored buildings above the evergreen tree just to the left of the picture's center.

A perfect autumn sky above the brilliant and beautiful autumn forests in the Lehigh Gorge and Jim Thorpe.

As I continued to take in the pure beauty of the lands below from this majestic vista I decided to try something interesting. I laid down on the flat rock slab right next to the streams and took this stunning shot of the water seeming to flow over the edge of the world into a sea of stunning autumn trees.

And to finish up I'll post a few panoramic photographs I took during this hike.

Chameleon Falls Vertical Panorama

Chameleon Falls Horizontal Panorama

Lehigh Gorge Panorama from Top of Onoko Falls

Hiking Bergeys Mill Park

Bergeys Mill Park is a small township park located in Lower Salford Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The park has two access points, one near the top of Bergeys Mill Road and the other just before crossing the Bergeys Mill Road bridge coming from the east down the hill. The upper entrance provides beautiful vistas of Lower Salford, Lower Frederick, and beyond including the back side of Spring Mountain just outside of Schwenksville. There was once a steep trail that descended the grassy hillside meadow from the parking area down the nearly 150 foot hill around the reservoir to the Perkiomen Creek, However recently the township has begun a construction project and that trail is currently closed.

View of Spring Mountain from the upper parking area at Bergey's Mill Park

View of the hiking trail from near the reservoir (No longer exists)

The lower entrance is a gravel road that after about 300 yards leads to a parking area near the edge of the Perkiomen Creek east branch. There are foot worn trails along the edge of the Perkiomen heading north out of the parking area. These trails provide a beautiful level 4/10ths of a mile hike along the eastern edge of the creek allowing wonderful views of the 50+ foot rock cliffs on the opposite side of the creek. Of course these trails are prone to flooding and care should be taken to avoid the area if the water level in the creek is above normal. The 4/10ths of a mile of trails ends when the creek reaches a small divide. Beyond this point is no longer a part of the park. Of course then there is the additional 4/10ths of a mile back to the parking area. It's a beautiful 30 minute hike, a little longer if some stopping for photography is involved. Here are several shots I took along that trail.

Bergeys Mill in the Perkiomen Valley (East Branch)

Bold Autumn Colors in Bergeys Mill Park

Looking North up the Perkiomen Creek East Branch

A small flock of Mallard Ducks

Interesting Red Fungi amidst green moss

The Rock Wall on the Western Side of the Perkiomen

A Beautiful Small Waterfall

Some Neat White Fungi

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of Bergeys Mill Park. It is amazing how many beautiful places like this we have so close to home.

About My Musical History

I am an independent musician with a deep found affinity and love for new age music and all forms that it is varied from or that vary from it including melodic trance, Celtic, light jazz, dance, good techno, and so much more.

It all started in 1986 when I was visiting my father. We were driving up the rough and rugged logging roads of the British Columbia coastal mountains in his old beat up Isuzu. He pulled an audio cassette out of the console and popped it into the tape deck. The music that started to play was some of the most beautiful music I had ever heard in my life. I was enthralled. There I was, in the mountains surrounded by some of the most majestic scenery in the world with this fantastic music washing over me. This was it, this was the moment dreams were made of. As it turns out the music I was listening to was my first introduction to Ray Lynch.

I was spellbound by that album. I couldn't get it out of my mind. As a kid it was so far fetch from what all my peers listened to. My father sent me a duplicate of the tape and I played it until my cassette player got sick of it and ate it. I was sad. Soon after I got a CD player and picked up that album, Deep Breakfast, and all the rest of his CDs. That summer I took the little money I had earned working at a summer camp and bought my first synthesizers. A Roland D-20 and a Roland Sound Canvas 55. I managed to pick up an institutional copy of Cakewalk 3 from my high school and an internal MIDI card from a downtown music store.

My sequencing days had begun. I started by recording music I was listening to by ear, but soon enough I was off on my own composing rifts, chord sequences, and eventually melodies. My high school music teacher and department heads were so impressed with my progress they requested that I submit a piece of music to be judged as my grade 12 music exam rather than taking the written theory exam other students had to take. They listened to it over the winter break and when school resumed in January they passed me with flying colors. The piece I submitted was called "High Albedo" and was my first independent musical piece.

Since those days I have spent time on and off playing with my music. I've never really considered it as a source of income. I have the marketing skills of an orangutan. But that doesn't discourage me. People tell me they enjoy my music and that alone is enough to keep me motivated to keep composing and recording. With each new piece I learn more and expand on my style, if even ever so slightly.

So here I am today, 3 albums out, another 20 or so songs I haven't released, and I'm still going strong. I write what I like to hear. My wife asked me once, "Don't you feel strange listening to your own music?" to which I replied, "No, if I didn't like to listen to it I wouldn't write it."