My State is Better Than Yours

“i've hiked and visited many places, and, well, i've come to the conclusion that PA is awesome, while the 49 others are...ok. yeah, yeah, PA has hazleton (visit some time!), some strip mines, and the occasional landfill. but...

PA has more trails than the rest of you damn states!!! and we invented the slinky, too!! oh, and guess what, the first american zoo was in PA! so there.

any challengers? bring it on! OH? don't waste your time! GA? move out of the way! RI? is that a county? KS? no mountains, no consideration!

(qualification: any state out west need not compete)

well, all of this bravado stems from a dilemma. life is finite, but places to visit are not. so, without further ado, list all the natural places in your state that MUST be visited so i may compile a list...

ahem...one last thing, PA is the birthplace of this great nation!”

“New York, baby!!!”

“Daks, Catskills, Woodstock (home of the greatest concert of all time), New York City (24/7 excitement with more attractions than i can list)”

“sorry, i do not want to visit a baby in New York”

“The Great Lakes, 2...2...2 states in one. Michigan baby.”

“Ohio,
Gateway to West Virginia!”

“Mountains and trees just block my view, ya' PA pansy.”

“i hear letchworth is nice, and ausable chasm.”

“Do nation states count? As I don't really have one here - just a district.”

“if you like sunflowers, visit KS!”

“Are we going to have to import foreign urine for this pissing contest?”

“Ala-dam-bama?
Pfffft! The best thing to ever come out of Alabama was I-20.”

“The Adirondack park is bigger than the states of MA, CT, RI, and NJ combined.”

“lol - let it flow”

“

A big howdy doo and phuck you too from the great state of Ohio! 8P”

“ynami- nation states? i'm confused.”

“I look forward to seeing more of PA, jmitch. From your book, I am sure I would enjoy the hikes.”

“Ynami is from D.C.”

“nevermind :o)”

“Hey, JMitch, I challenge you to say any insult that a Kansan hasn't already heard a million times. When I lived in California, (which blows your state away), I found that everyone was quite the expert on my state, though they had never been there. Bring it, fool!

BTW, I love PA.”

“I'll just keep outta this one.”

“And, just like Chili, I love everyone.
(hi, Chili!)”

“dunadan-

the rules are clear, no state out west may compete. as for KS, i'm sure it is very flat, with sunflowers and airplane factories, and no i've never been there.”

“Georgia.... State of Dichotomy.”

“Scientific research has been done and the findings show that Kansas is, indeed, flatter than a pancake. Please heed the Keep Out sign on the border. There are interstates to the north and south of Kansas.”

“ok, i need a list of must-see places in each of these states, can't you people read?”

“My favorite state is drunken state.”

“come on up chili”

“Cheyenne Bottoms during the bird migration. It will beat any bird sanctuary in Penn by a million miles. You have never seen anything like it, and you probably don't believe me either.”

“Indiana has some nice trails, but nothing like PENN”

“Nigal,
Is that like the State of Confusion?”

“It's right acorss town from it.”

“The Sipsey Wilderness in NW Alabama would be tops of the Alabama list.”

“Montana sucks- stay away.”

“i though AL had the little river gorge, or something like that.”

“Got one of these?

”

“Beauty is where you find it.
There are places in Kansas that have so little light pollution and such vastness that the night sky will blow your mind. Where you gonna get that in PA?”

“Litte River Gorge is impressive. I was thinking in terms of hiking only. It doesn't really have any trails and overnight camping is prohibited.

Alabama
1. Sipsey Wilderness
2. Alabama Gulf Coast (The Atlantic sucks)
2. Little River Gorge
3. Guntersville State Park”

“I agree Jmitch and I like hiking PA. best. Lots of trails, good bushwhacking, no crowds, very few bear problems, no parking hassles and just basic simple rules to obey for camping. True it doesn't have everything, nothing does, but it has what I like and I feel blessed to live so close to great hiking and solitude when I want it.”

“But Mitch... if we blab it to you, you'll but it in a book and we'll be inundated with interlopers!”

“alabama:

1. sipsey
2. little river”

“thanks dayhiker! 49 more states to go.”

“Ok, TB wins. I find his state to be pretty scenic.”

“no, i won't put it in a book. i'm taking a nice long break from writing. time to start hiking more out of state, hence this thread.”

“I knew he wouldn't believe me.”

“jmitch, why do you say Penn is the best of all 50 states, but those out west aren't allowed to compete? Is it your deep-seated fear that Washington state, with millions of acres of old-growth wilderness JUST IN OUR NATIONAL PARKS, plus many millions more in Nat Forest wildernesses to numerous to even name, blows PA out of the water? Maybe the thought of our Olympic mountains, the only major mountain chain without a single road crossing it, just gives you the shakes. Or maybe it's our section of the Pacific Crest trail, the world's most scenic, that stretches 503 miles in Wa alone, that gives you pause? How many volcanoes you got in PA? Let's see, we have Rainier, St Helens, Baker, Glacier peak, Adams, plus a few others. No, I think it's the fact that we have the three biggest glacial systems in the lower 48, all right here! (Rainier, Olympus, Glacier Pk). Maybe you just don't LIKE glaciers. They are pretty cold and spooky. Now, I was born in PA, Pittstown or Pittsville or Pittsburg or some such, but I sure wouldn't go back there to hike, not with states like Montana blocking the way. I hear they have a few mountains there too. (PS- the preceding post is in the spirit of friendly banter.) Plus, we have the Washington State University Cougars! (boos, catcalls, hissing, from the peanut gallery)LOL”

“chili- with thighs and muscle tone like that, i think that's a he, not a she.”

“WaZoo!”

“Seriously, Jmitch. t is only in recent years that I am starting to take a more serious look at the beauty of upstate New York. Each area seems to have its own personality. The Adirondacks have that raw, unspoiled, total wilderness feel about it. The Catskills, with it's more moderate size peaks, have a little different edge to it. Rocky, steep, but not as tall as the peaks in the Daks. Then, there is western New York, towards Ithaca, Watkins Glen and that area. It has lots of waterfalls, gorges and the like. We are going sometime in July. Why don't you think about joining us?”