A Day of Adventure, photography, and old friends

I recently took a day to hike with a friend from my high school days, Lukas Prorok, a local hiking and photography enthusiast. Lukas loves nature photography and has consistently improved his craft and made it a growing part of his lifestyle; he operates mostly from Instagram and can be found here: Lukas Prorok. We decided to use our hiking day as an opportunity to take some pictures of our Out-Paks in their intended environment. Sure, photos in a studio can be crisp and clean, but our ‘Paks’ were meant to be consumed out in nature. 

We visited Crooked Creek first. Crooked Creek is located among the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania; it has fishing, trails, frisbee golf, and many more great activities. This park was massive and had rich bodies of water, rocks, trails, and more. We moved to three different locations, and I could not stop being in awe at how different and unique each part of the park was. Crooked Creek felt like five parks in one. We first stopped at a lake with a small beach within the park and saw people with boats fishing and some families having a nice beach day. We eventually moved to a heavily wooded pavilion area. Here, the trees covered most of the sunlight, making it a pleasant place to rest and take some pictures. The next area we visited in the park had a small river with beautiful scenery, a giant patch of unique rocks and boulders, and then a small wooded area with flowers and endless plants to discover and photograph. Crooked Creek really exceeded our expectations and gave way to some amazing shots and views.

We finished up there and moved to Buttermilk Falls, where you can actually stand inside the waterfall. Buttermilk falls is located Northwest of Pittsburgh in a lightly concealed spot. This area was amazing; we saw wildlife, tons of flowing water, and beautiful plant life. Standing under the falls was surreal, I felt a little spray from the water and felt immersed in the nature around me. We had to get a little wet, but the views and the sounds were one of a kind. I hope to go back there soon and spend more time appreciating the intense flowing water. 

Next, we went to Hinkston Run Waterfall, located East of Pittsburgh close to Johnstown. This was a bit more off the beaten path, but the view was unbelievable. This area wasn’t in a park, it was just off the side of a secluded road that connects to the Hinkston Run Reservoir. There was a beautiful waterfall flowing into a large pool of clear blue water. While Buttermilk falls had beautiful flowing water and a gorgeous waterfall, the waterfall at Hinkston had crystal clear water that felt almost tropical. This was a truly magical experience, and has to be my favorite waterfall I have visited in Pennsylvania. 

The whole day was one surprise after the other. At each place, Lukas and I worked hard to capture the Out-Paks in nature and capture some of their qualities. We worked to show the waterproofing of each pack, as well as how they fare in and around nature. Overall, we had a great day of hiking and photography. I could not have asked for a better day or better scenery.

~ Jack Petrarca: Marketing Intern at Tippins Foods