Snow and Hot Cocoa at Highland

So what’s better than going for a snowy ramble through Pittsburgh’s Highland Park? Getting to drink hot cocoa afterward of course! Thanks to everyone who came out on our Hot Cocoa Adventure this past Saturday. The day proved to be quite cold with fresh snow up to most of our shins and, for some of us, our knees!

Either way, we enjoyed a nice hike through the Sycamore Grove Trail as we discussed the origins of the Highland Park area, from Alexander Negley’s initial naming of ‘Fertile Bottom’ in 1778, to county surveyor Robert Hiland’s ‘Hiland Park in 1837. Finally 1890 saw the change to ‘Hiland Park’ to the more familiar ‘Highland Park.’ A year later, Pittsburgh would lose it’s ‘h’ for ten years!

After wandering down the Sycamore Grove Trail, we continued past the lower reservoir and pool, the only lasting remnants of Lake Carnegie. From here, we continued up towards the upper reservoir. We then circumnavigated the reservoir and returned to the Sycamore Grove Pavilion to get down to the hot cocoa business.

We enjoyed steamy cups of French Vanilla, Rich Chocolate, Chocolate with Marshmallows, Mint Chocolate, and Chocolate Mocha. Each cup we topped with a generous helping of whipped cream as we continued to jump around in the snow and regaled ourselves with a perfect January afternoon in Pittsburgh.

Photos and story by VO Trip Leader Specialist Coordinator Chris Corbran.