Kopachy Family Getaway to Emlenton, PA
It’s true. I’m a homebody. And not home in the physical sense, but home in the sense that I need to be where my people are - where my loved ones are. This is part of the reason why I don’t travel much these days. I need to have my dogs with me almost as much as they need me to be with them. So when my husband, Lou, spontaneously decided we should take a mini getaway, I knew we couldn’t leave the dogs. When we found a cabin we could take them to, the mother in me began to stress about all of the things - handling two dogs and a toddler who have never traveled and all the stressors that go with it (bedtime, naps, food, anxiety, etc.), what to pack, food to prepare, how many pairs of clothes does Atlas actually need, leashes and harnesses and dog tags and collars and dog food, diapers and wipes and a travel bed - you get the idea. The list goes on.
My in-laws wanted to join us on the trip, so I felt a little better about that. That’s when I agreed to go, even though I had my hesitancies. After doing my research, I found this amazing home that was only an hour away and sat on 50 acres. It was secluded enough to literally see no one but less than five minutes from a grocery store. I was sold. An open yard for Atlas to run free? Sign me up! Once we got there, I fell in love with the place. Wood burning in the fireplace all day, a big, open kitchen where I could cook and still be a part of the group, multiple decks to hang out and play on, so many places to explore, a big dining room table to gather around and the whole Kopachy gang. It was worth all of the stress for these memories.
Atlas had the time of his life. There was so much room to run and play inside and out. The dogs enjoyed a million walks and snuggling by the fireplace at night. We had one full day there, so we took a little drive to Freedom Falls to hike around. Atlas was in rock throwing heaven! We spent a lot of time in front of the falls, down by the water, throwing rocks from the riverbed. We did some hiking, too. There was a blast furnace (Rockland Furnace) from the 1800s literally in the middle of the woods. The structure was pretty well intact and covered with moss and ferns. It was beautiful.
All in all, our trip to Emlenton, PA was a success and I definitely plan on going back there!
