Awash in the Scout Hole
Gently flowing cool water on a hot summer day. Tall trees along the bank that cast their welcome shadows over the stream. A large rock that served as a launch pad for eager swimmers. It seemed like heaven to the young boys splashing with joy in the hidden back channel of this hallowed creek. Google Earth view: The secluded swimming hole is above the island in the upper middle of the image. And while I'm engrossed with this particular memory -- one that's come to life on the cusp of summer, 2026 -- I have to admit this isn't even my favorite swimming hole. Yet it was magical enough to attract me gleefully, and quite often. The Scout Hole was a secluded treasure in the Slippery Rock Creek in Wurtemburg, Lawrence County, Pa. It got its name, we were told, because the Boy Scouts had a bucolic cabin nearby, and it was said that they were the builders of a rock dam across the creek's channel. We never saw a single Boy Scout here, but we certainly had a lot of company: Fish s...