The sun slowly crept
over the ridge, filling Spring Creek Canyon with a sense of warmth that served as a much needed break from the overnight chill.
As a light fog drifted off the water, the creek came to life as rainbow trout shifted into feeding mode, churning the water in search of a well-balanced breakfast.
Fortunately, flies and larva were on the menu and just so happened to be on my line for the first day of trout season. As the fly plopped in the water and drifted downstream, a young rainbow, starving from night spent in the cold, thought he had come across an easy meal.
With a small tug, the adrenaline rush began. A flash of silver in the water and the rainbow was off, but he had already been hooked. After being brought out of the water for a quick picture and congratulatory handshake, he went back in the creek to live out his days and give someone else a chance for a few minutes of thrill.
It may not be as in-your-face as an Xbox or as glitzy as the Internet, but go as little as five miles outside State College and you've entered an outdoors enthusiast's utopia.
From streams teaming with fish and woods filled with wildlife to thousands of miles of hiking trails and hundreds of campsites, Centre County has it all for someone looking to get away from the hustle and insanity of college life.
But most Penn State students have no clue what lies beyond Beaver Stadium or the golf courses and never get a chance to experience any of these treasures.
The names are familiar -- Greenwood Furnace, Whipple Dam, Coyler Lake and Fisherman's Paradise. They fill the road signs dotting the way to State College. But to outdoors lovers, they're more than just spots on a map, they're havens and home to some of the best Pennsylvania has to offer.
You don't have to drive a truck or wear Cabela's camo to enjoy the outdoors. All you need is a love for something pure, something simple.
There's nothing quite like spending a day on the stream catching fish or hiking a couple miles through the woods. I almost promise you you'll gain a greater appreciation for the little things in life, like a Ruby-throated hummingbird or the Wild Bergamont.
Before Wii fishing, there was stream fishing. Before campers and RVs, there were tents and sleeping bags. And before treadmills and step machines, there was hiking and mountain biking.
It may seem too plain and boring by today's standards, but going out and getting some fresh air might actually help you recharge and make you feel better.
And who knows, you may even fall in love with the outdoors and find a new passion. If you've never seen a great blue heron majestically standing in a stream or a few deer grazing carefree in an open field just before dusk, you've missed some of Mother Nature's most beautiful creations.
The incredibly magnificent scenes you can see within a 15 minute drive of Old Main make even the most vibrant paintings hanging in the Louvre look like primitive cave drawings.
So if you have a couple free hours or a light weekend, feel free to take a day off from partying and go hiking, camping or fishing and experience all that Centre County has to offer in the great outdoors.
Sure, it may be a little slower pace than you're used to, but we could all use a break from the breakneck pace of our daily lives.
You'll always be able to go to out in a city or sit at home watching television, but you may never have the kind of world-class outdoor opportunities just a short jaunt from your apartment door. Don't let this great resource go to waste.
Andrew Wible is a senior majoring in journalism and is The Daily Collegian's Friday columnist. His e-mail address is ajw5050@psu.edu.
