Ridgway Pa

A crimson sun, barely topping the forested ridges of the Allegheny Mountains of northwestern Pennsylvania, slipped slowly into twilight, and the only sound was a breeze teasing the branches of the trees. In the waning light, a small crowd of spectators stood on a steep hillside hoping to catch a glimpse of the herd of wild elk that inhabit this remote corner of the state. With the luck that frequently rewards persevering sightseers, they weren't disappointed.

A crimson sun, barely topping the forested ridges of the Allegheny Mountains of northwestern Pennsylvania, slipped slowly into twilight, and the only sound was a breeze teasing the branches of the trees. In the waning light, a small crowd of spectators stood on a steep hillside hoping to catch a glimpse of the herd of wild elk that inhabit this remote corner of the state. With the luck that frequently rewards persevering sightseers, they weren't disappointed.

Lumbermen who denuded Pennsylvania of its virgin stands of pine and hemlock a century ago left a legacy of bare hillsides covering an estimated 10 million acres. But, in a fluke of nature, the destructive method of "cut out and get out" harvesting also allowed some of the world's most valuable stands of black cherry and other hardwoods to grow back. "What we really have is a freak accident," said James R. Grace, assistant professor of forestry at Pennsylvania State University.