Kleiner's Blog

The journey became surprising once I passed under the 15th street bridge.

To me, this area is unsurpassed in wildness and freed nature. No paved trail here just meadow alongside the Little Lehigh Creek. I expected only to find this.





Walking past the bridge, the trees started to look familiar. I began to consider the oddness of such an open trail here on the banks of the creek where it seemed nothing was.

The trees around me were all the same height. I knew that if it weren’t for the snow, I would see railroad tracks where I was standing. Farther on, the track became exposed.

I made my way along the ancient tracks and ended up behind an old factory.

I came upon a warped, broken staircase and made my way down towards waters edge.

To my left, I could see the familiar walls of Fountain Park, here marked with vivid graffiti.

Perhaps the oddest moment of discovery occurred at the bottom of the sorry staircase. Here, a perfectly normal picnic table sat next to an entirely abnormal young evergreen adorned with Christmas ornaments.


I am sure the tracks would continue all the way to the Lehigh River. I could not travel much further due to vegetation.

What a journey this simple walk had slowly become. I had wandered into the graveyard of the manufacturing heart of Allentown down the rusted spine of the long passed railroad. Had this been summer, this journey would have been impossible. I would not have smelled the rust of what had been, I would not have seen a thing.



This railroad should be a trail. My journey should be easily shared by others. I walked from the Parkway to Fountain Park by the hand of winter. The “rail to trail” program has been done successfully all over the country and if the upcoming trail development has true merit, this is the sort of trail that should be created. Nothing paved here, just a cared for path through the old rust and young wilderness that should be maintained by volunteers.