Governor Dick is the name of a 66-foot lookout tower in the tiny town of Mount Gretna, PA. It's also only 8 miles from my parent’s home. Governor Dick is one of those places that you just have to see at least once... or in my case as many times as possible.
The 1105 acre park was named after a man named Dick in the mid-1800's. History says that Dick was a lumberman and charcoal burner in the Mount Gretna area. Because Dick was so well known in the community, his friends called him 'Governor'. Governor Dick cleared the trees from a spot atop the mount and donated the lumber and charcoal to the pig iron furnaces down the street in Cornwall, PA.
The hike, completely uphill, was exhilarating this morning. A mile to the top in the snow. April Fool’s Day snow in mountainous Pennsylvania. This park is beautiful and full of history.
That's the tower right there - hidden behind all of that white fog. It really does hover above all of the surrounding trees. There are 10 separate 10-foot ladders that you climb up (yes, a nice arm workout indeed!) to get to the observation deck up top. The deck is fenced in completely and the view is beautiful. Due to the snow, you couldn't see much of the skyline today, but normally you can see Harrisburg, Lebanon, and Lancaster perfectly fine.
In 1882, United States Army engineers used the Governor Dick tower as a triangulation point in coastal-geodedic surveying. The tower is sturdy and awesome for being so old.
After hiking Governor Dick, Sandi and I went home and warmed up at home for a little before heading out on another adventure in the wilderness. I'll post some more pictures (that include lots of snow) later. If any of my adventure-seeking friends would like to check out this gem of a hiking spot, just let me know and we'll make a trip out of it. I'll even share my teepee with you!
Hope you have a great weekend! Lots to do here tomorrow and am super excited to go to the Burlesque Festival tomorrow night!
Wish I would have known you were headed up there! Been a bit since I've climbed up those rickety ladders. And you definitely have to show me that teepee. You sparked my curiosity. -Jeff
The next time I'm in town visiting I'll let you know, Jeff! The teepee is pretty cute! There are a few different neat little history-related sites set up on the "official" governor dick trails.