#7: [13-Aug-22]

#6: [08-Aug-22]

#5: [15-Oct-11]

#4: [14-Jun-06]

#3: [05-Aug-04]

#2: [04-Jul-02]

#1: [05-Apr-00]

14-Jun-2025 -- As I had been teaching in New Jersey this week and would be doing so during the following week in Pennsylvania, and as the focus of both of those short courses were geotechnologies and field work, it was only appropriate that I attempt this and the other confluence in Pennsylvania that I had not visited (which ws earlier today). My visits were almost complete - I just had visited 41 North 79 West two hours before, and now had this one to attempt to visit at 40 North 79 West. This was my goal. Could I do it?

I was on my travel day between my New Jersey teaching and my New York teaching appointments. About 2 hours after departing 41 N 79 W, and driving through some wonderful landscapes and towns in west-central Pennsylvania, including Punxsutawney, I neared the site of 40 North 79 West. I parked at the intersection of Stutzmantown Road and Village Road, about 0.6 miles west of the point. I decided to walk in from there. This was in part because there was nowhere to pull over up ahead, partly because I needed the walk, and partly because the large No Trespassing sign made me a bit nervous. Fortunately the sign seemed to indicate the area to the north, and I was walking east. About 10 minutes later, I had walked down the hill, taking care to avoid the many vehicles on the road, which was amazing despite the rural nature of the site. Now I was standing on 79 West Longitude. Next, I took about 30 large steps into the field to the north of the road due to the high grass. I reached the site a few minutes later, located in the same tall grass without any fencing.

The confluence lies on a south facing slope with the best views to the south and east, and limited view but a still wonderful horizon to the north. I saw no birds or animals; a few houses are visible from the point to the southeast. The land is rolling significantly and is in pasture, crops, and woodlands. It was a cloudy rainy weekend in late spring, temperature only 78 F but a bit humid. It was only lightly sprinkling now and the rain was stopping, but another set of rain clouds were looming to the northwest. With the ease of reaching this point, despite the tall grass, it was understandable that I was by far not the first visitor, but it was a first for me and therefore highly enjoyable.

It was great to return to 40 North Latitude. After 25 years of gathering confluence points, I now have all the 40 North points in Pennsylvania, and also east into New Jersey and over in Spain, and west into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and even out in California. I have also been to 79 West many times in the past two decades, from New York on the north to North Carolina on the south. With this visit I have all the points in Pennsylvania except for a few on the New York border to the north of here. I took photographs including a better view to the west from the road junction. No doubt I look disheveled in my photographs as I had slept the night before in the rental car at a lovely Pennsylvania campground. But it was all part of the adventure! I posted a video of my visit here: 40 North 79 West.

Due to the teaching preparation I needed to do before tomorrow, I only spent 10 minutes on site. After achieving zero-zero centeredness, I walked back west to my vehicle. The total hike time to the point and at the point and back to the vehicle came out to about an hour. I always think of the caretakers of the land and the Indigenous People who have trod this area before me. After my visit, I stopped at the chapel honoring all of those on United Flight 93, not far away to the east. It was a dignified, respectful, and peaceful place. The chapel was closed but the grounds are beautiful. Then it was on to the east to Gettysburg to teach at the Geo Ed conference!

Get out there and explore!