About The Climb
Ag teacher returns to Mifflin County to continue forest crusade
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LEWISTOWN -- A Danville Area High School teacher and certified forester has returned to the Juniata Valley a second time to continue his goal of climbing trees at the highest point of all 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
After visiting Juniata and Snyder counties in late March, Van Wagner made his second trip to the Juniata Valley to climb Broad Mountain in Mifflin County on April 16.
Mifflin County was the 13th stop on his journey. Wagner was joined by friends Jim O'Shell and Mike Dinsmore on his hike.
"It's going to take me several years, but I hope the effort will give me a chance to inspire students, get people's attention and allow me to create discussions about forestry," he explained before his hike.
Beside the three counties in the Juniata Valley, Wagner has completed climbs in: Clinton, Columbia, Luzerne, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Schuylkill, Sullivan and Union counties.
Pennsylvania is blessed with some of "the most incredible forests in the world," Wagner said. "I want to celebrate this, while also helping to raise awareness about some of the threats and challenges they face."
Finding the highest point in the county is just part of Wagner's quest. Once there, he climbs to the top of the highest tree he can find, gazing at miles of forest from a perspective that most people will never experience.
In Rothrock State Forest, Mifflin County, Wagner reached the top of a Chestnut Oak tree on the highest peak of Broad Mountain, just north of Lewistown, enjoying the nearby mountain peaks which stretched down toward the valley.
"People have hiked the forest floor, pilots have navigated the ridge tops, but I am up in the canopy of the trees seeing something brand now," Wagner said. "This entire experience is only possible because of the trees.
"My life is suspended 75 feet off the ground by the branches of another living organism," he added. "It's hard to explain. All I can say is it's a very special experience for me."
Special indeed. Forests face threats by non-native insects and invasive plants, but the largest problem, Wagner believes, is apathy.
Entering the forest on the Centre County side, the trio met on Crowfield Road and hiked south along the Broad Mountain Loop trail. "When I got home, I was looking at old maps of the area and saw that a trail in that area was once called 'Tar Pit Trail,'" he explained. "Likely in reference to the making of tar from Pitch Pine and Shortleaf Pine in the 1800s."
Wagner recorded this hike as he had each of his previous ones and posted it on his YouTube channel. The videos always include valuable nuggets of information throughout.
His video started with his hike into the forest, and he stated, "We're on a trail system that's going to connect to the Mid-State Trail. This is so much better than bushwhacking, especially in this warmer weather where we're hitting a lot of ticks and potentially rattlesnakes."
Wagner said the likelihood of seeing a rattlesnake was low, but in the thick laurel, "When you can't even see your feet ... why take a chance." They paused every few minutes of their hike to remove ticks from their legs.
The men reached the county line with Mifflin County at the top of the mountain around 10:40 a.m. to see a "beautiful view of the fog in the valley," Wagner said.
He also stopped along the way to share nuggets of information about nature, such as several ant colonies of Allegheny Mound builders. This species of ant makes giant mounds. It had been years since Wagner saw one up close. "These things are huge," he said, holding his hand in front of it on camera. "It must be four-plus feet across at the base."
The mounds are more prevalent in Snyder and Union counties, he added.
Wagner's video continues with him preparing to climb a Chestnut Oak tree. "I had a horrible time getting my line in this tree," he said. "It was just really tricky with all the other trees around, but thanks to teamwork we got it."
Wagner and O'Shell tested the line to make certain it's secure before Wagner made his ascent. The gnarled branches along his way make his climb more difficult. He even stopped once to cut some dead limbs off with a saw.
"So we don't get jabbed on our way down," Wagner said. Reaching the top, he let out a loud "Woooo!" at the majestic sights. "Especially to the south where I could see the valley was still covered in thick fog," Wagner said. "It looked like a bowl of vanilla ice cream with a clear blue sky above."
Before descending, he shared a tidbit about the tree. "Chestnut Oak are common on ridgetops like this," Wagner said. "The lumber is usually sold as White Out, but it's not White Oak. It's also called Rock Oak."
He also paused to talk about other nearby vegetation. "The white flowers here are shad berries, or service berries or June berries," he added. "I like shad berries because it corresponds with the time of year when shad would return. They are a migratory fish that returns from the ocean."
With a tug of the rope, he zips down to the ground, O'Shell then took a turn and went up the same tree. "Go as high as you want," Wagner encouraged.
Wagner also took a minute at the top of the tree to put a friction saver in place, helping to take some of the pressure from the two climbers off the tree's branches.
"It's just a gorgeous, gorgeous day to the woods," Wagner said. "This is such a cool spot."
Before he ends the video, he offers up one more note. "We're hiking out what I believe to be an old skid road where logs were skidded out of the woods from a timber harvest," he said, pointing to a rounded pathway in the ground that was shaped like the bottom of logs. "Probably using mules or horses. And that has become this trail."
Wagner ends jokingly, "Did we come up this trail? I don't remember it being this steep."
The trio head off, making their way to Huntingdon County on the same day for stop No. 14 on his tour.
Wagner's hikes are posted on his YouTube channel at @vanwags. You can also find him on Facebook and at www.vanwagnermusic.com.