By Scott A. Yeager, M.A., special to GANT News
In Clearfield County, the waters and the birds are both singing again, days begin crisp and end with a chorus of Northern Peepers, easing folks into a comfortable peace that’s like no other. It’s a good time for contemplation and for seeking advice from the Stone People.
Pennsylvania Route 153 is one of Clearfield County’s most scenic highways. From one end to the next, there are wonderful sights to behold, special places and unique communities.
The ancient Celts believed in thin places. These thin places were special because they represented a location where the veil between the world of the living and the spiritual world were at their thinnest.
These were places where people seeking answers found them. For the Celts, the potency of these thin places was at its height – or at its thinnest – during spring and autumn.
As you drive through the Moshannon State Forest on state Route 153, you’ll come to a thin place as you begin your descent into Clearfield.
Whether you’re heading north or south on SR 153, the section between Clearfield and the Parker Dam State Park is a very special place.
If you’re headed south into Clearfield, you’re in a prime spot to see not only Clearfield, but also the curve of the Earth itself.
Heading north, you’re entering the Moshannon State Forest, one of Pennsylvania’s most beautiful state forests, covering three counties – Clearfield, Elk and Centre (with small bits in Cameron and Clinton, as well).
Toward the crest of Rockton Mountain, where SR 153 and U.S. Route 322 fork, you may encounter one of Clearfield County’s most intriguing populations – the Stone People.
The Stone People aren’t exclusively native to Rockton Mountain or Clearfield County for that matter; however, we do have a thriving population in these parts. What is special about the Stone People is that they welcome all strangers as old friends.
They occupy a special place in the natural world, and you can consider them guides and advocates of a sort. The Stone People are just like us – some are young, some are tall and some ornament themselves in seasonal fashions.
The Stone People beckon us and invite us to step beyond our normal pace of life into a special realm where things slow down, life takes on a familiar meaning and where greater questions can be contemplated.
The Stone People enjoy listening to folks like us. Oddly enough, if you encounter one in the Pennsylvania Wilds, don’t be shy.
Respectfully introduce yourself, grab a seat beside them and do as they do – listen. As your mind begins to clear and important questions arise, you can strike up a conversation with your new friend.
They will do their best to do what good people often do for their friends and those they care about in this world. How wonderful it is to be heard by someone; how healing it can be to hear yourself, your true self, unfettered and unencumbered by the judgements and opinions of others.
This is the greatest gift that the Stone People bestow upon those who visit them. They help people reconnect with their better self.
