I'm Parker Silverman, a student in Penn State's Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, created today's Slice of Pennsylvania on WPSU. It's a series where people in Central and Northern Pennsylvania talk about sounds and places that are meaningful to them. At Mount Nittany, near State College, Silverman talked with a hiker and a worker for the Mount Nittany Conservancy.
Nick Platanos: “My name is Nick Platanos. I work for Mount Nittany Park. It’s a solid part-time job. Just making sure everything is under control. All the grounds are kept well maintained and just make sure every park-goer has a good time.”
Liam Plitt: “I'm Liam Plitt. I started hiking when I was a kid with my dad, probably around 8 years old.”
Nick Platanos: “Being in nature all the time is a reward itself, honestly. I mean, you can't ask for anything better at the end of the day.”
Liam Plitt: “I like getting away from the college life and the kids just having a good time in nature and you get a good little, little workout in, too. I guess a lot of the wildlife here, you know, they got great birds. I like seeing the squirrels and the foxes. And if you're lucky, you'll see a bear or two.”
Nick: “There was a there was a moment when a bear just came running across the trail. A few guys came stumbling down, coming to me like mentioning it, and then I had to go up and make sure everything was okay. That was probably my favorite memory so far.”
Liam Plitt: “Not the best memory, but when I was a kid. Me and my dad went hiking on the C&O Canal Trail, and it was frozen over. So, we were both, you know, just walking over the frozen canal. And then, um, I guess I hit a shallow spot or something, and I slipped right through. My dad pulled me out. He dried me off. And it was like a really good bonding moment for me and him.”