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| Up these steps, hang a left and you're off... |
We left the Panther Hollow trail at the steps that cross over to the home stretch on the way to PHL. When you climb the stone-pillared stairs and bear left a few paces (a right takes you on the main Lower Panther Hollow trail) across the small WPA bridge, the difference is striking. The narrow hikers' path turns into a gravel highway, more or less, straight to the lake.
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| Panther Hollow Run - FOPHL Tour (photo Jon Buckley) |
Historically, the trails have the same history. They were likely originally horse trails improved in 1939 by the WPA (they made the path easier on the feet and replaced the old wooden bridges with stone spans) and then really spiffed up by the Parks Conservancy in 2010.
On the right is the Panther Hollow Run. In the summer, you can only tell it's there by the gurgle and splash of the stream because the creek-side vegetation is so lush. From the fall through the spring, when the greenery is a bit less imposing, it offers the same beauty as the upper stream - tree crossed channels flowing serenely over a stony bed.
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| Panther Hollow Run |
If you peer past the Run, you'll see trees and some oddly aquatic grasses. That's the Lake wetlands, bolstered considerably by Conservancy work, that stretches from the Lower Panther Hollow trail to the Run. Its purpose is to intercept the overflow from the Schenley Drive ravine and prevent it from gushing straight into the PH Run and Lake. The area slows down rain event torrents, giving it a protective marsh to settle in while filtering the water as it seeps into the water table. It also a fairly cool habitat for the SP critters, as an added benefit.
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| The Wetlands |
One side of the trail is tucked against the ravine behind the Anderson Grove. Joggers pound the Upper Hollow Trail almost directly overhead, but you're generally isolated in your own little world by the steep slopes and the tree canopy. This part of the trail has its own attractions.
Popular among both strollers and pooch walkers, there's a little cul-de-sac about midpoint that has a bench to rest your tired puppies. And the Conservancy work is at its most obvious. The stone border along the ravine side of the path is actually an infiltration ditch, slowing and catching the runoff before it washes out the trail and gets into the stream.
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| A place to rest your weary feet |
You may also note a couple of odd looking rock piles, lumber stacks and log trail borders. Their purpose is to form a "slow water" defense by breaking up the flow and allowing it to soak into the ground while directing it away from more vulnerable low lying areas. The FOPHL have adopted them in a smaller way around the lake in select spots.
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| Almost there... |
After you're moseyed down the trail, catching the sights, you'll approach a canopied curve with the Panther Hollow bridge haloed above it. You're almost there - a few more steps, and you've arrived at the Lake, where the trail loops around our Lady.
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And thar ya be!
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