Tory Mather Scenic Natural Wonders of Pennsylvania

In this episode of the R J Harris Breakfast Show, Tom Russell sits in for RJ and chats with Tory Mather, author of the book Scenic Natural Wonders of Pennsylvania. Tory shares her passion for the outdoors and the inspiration behind her book, which highlights 84 different places to explore in the state. From scenic overlooks to waterfalls and natural areas, Tory's book has something for every ability level.

Tory's love for the outdoors began when she started hiking in 2019 and couldn't find the resources she needed to plan her trips. She started her blog, My Trails are Many, and eventually wrote a book to share her knowledge with others. The Scenic Natural Wonders series is a collection of books that showcase the natural beauty of different states, with Pennsylvania being the first installment.

If you're looking for inspiration to get outside and explore the natural beauty of Pennsylvania, this episode is a must-listen. Tory shares her expertise and passion for the outdoors, and her book is a great resource for anyone looking to plan their next adventure. Tune in to hear more about Scenic Natural Wonders of Pennsylvania and how you can get your hands on a copy.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
R J Harris Breakfast Show. It's Tom Russell sitting in
for RJ. I want to walk up to the show
real quick. This is Tory Mather. Hi, Tory, are you there?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (00:09):
I'm here.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
How are you.

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Sorry about that? I messed? You know? The storms have
been crazy as you know. So, Tory Mayther, you wrote
a book called Scenic Natural Wonders of Pennsylvania. So you're
a big hiker, big outdoors person. Tell us about the book.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, absolutely, and thank you so much for having me.
So the book is eighty four different places to get
outside in Pennsylvania. So it's got scenic overlooks, it's got waterfalls,
natural areas and caves, and there's something for every ability level.
So right, i'd stop. You can just get out of

(00:48):
the car to like a nine mile hard hike.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Now have you been to all eighty four yourself?

Speaker 3 (00:55):
I have, and I actually when I was researching the book,
I went to over two hundred places. Oh my gosh,
I can confirm with you that I the best eighty
four out of those two hundred.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Torri, what is your favorite?

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Oh see everyone asked me that question, and thinking as
as a child, I so I do really love Rickards Glenn. Yeah, yeah,
so amazing. Love a waterfall, and then you know, local
to Harrisburg. I really liked Indian Echo caverns.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Oh good call, good call. So this is just a
passion of yours. What made you decide to write a book?

Speaker 3 (01:38):
So I have been a writer for a long time,
have kept journals since I was like six or seven
years old, and got into Yeah, I would not recommend
reading your middle school journals, but I became I got
really into hiking in twenty nineteen, in twenty twenty and

(02:02):
started when we moved to Pittsburgh in twenty twenty one.
I started looking for ways to get outside and I
couldn't find all the resources that I needed. So I
started my blog, My Trails are Many. And then from
that was like, well, if I can write a blog,
maybe I can write a book and pitch my publisher
and they were restarting this series. So Pennsylvania is actually

(02:23):
the first one in the Scenic Natural Wonders series.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Now, obviously Pittsburgh has some wonderful outdoor spots, and we
were talking about Ricket's Glenn and things in Harrisburg. What
makes the criteria, Like, what's your criteria on your favorite spots.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
That's a great question. So I always joke that if
I had written the book to my favorite criteria, it
would be a book of eighty four waterfalls. Love waterfall.
But I tried to keep you know, I tried to
have something for everyone. So, like, basically it was a

(02:59):
It is more of a feeling like if I went
to a place and was like, wow, I feel inspired,
or I feel small like Hickory Run, boulder Field, you
feel like you're on another planet. Like it was more
of a feeling of when I went there and did
I feel like nature was wowing me, wowing you.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
I like that. Our name is Story Mail and the
book is called Scenic Natural Wonders of Pa. How do
you get the book if you want?

Speaker 3 (03:25):
Yeah, so you can get it from Barnes and Noble.
You can get it from Amazon. You can get it
from ARII. I know there's an Arii in Mechanicsburg and
then on bookshop dot Org. You can support any indie
bookstore if you order it through there. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
Well, thank you so much for sharing so much in
Pennsylvania with the rest of us and pointing out some
good spots. I'm going to check it out.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
Thank you yeah, thank you for having me all right.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
Thanks Tory Heviger and thank you. It's eight fifteen.