Northwest Philadelphia’s history is closely tied to escape. The first estates in rural Chestnut Hill were summer retreats from central Philadelphia 10 miles away. Chestnut Hill’s first residential developments by Henry Houston and the Woodward family around the Wissahickon Inn (now Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) would later promise the same.

Chestnut Hill’s premise remains the same today. It remains both a suburb of tree-lined streets and homes with small lawns, yet is also part of the city of Philadelphia. It’s a city address with a suburban lifestyle. It is part of the city, yet removed.

That sense of remove is greatly enhanced by the Wissahickon Valley section of Fairmount Park. The Wissahickon winds into the northwest corner of the city between Chestnut Hill and Roxborough, snaking through Mt. Airy, Germantown and East Falls on its way to the Schuylkill. It ties all of these neighborhoods together and is a crucial part of identity of those who live here.

Writing in the four-volume book on the Wissahickon’s history “Metropolitan Paradise: The Struggle for Nature in the City,” authors David Contosta and Carol Frankilin describe the creek and its surrounding wilderness well:

“Fairmount Park, in general, and Wissahickon Park, in particular, play a fundamental role in the social life of the city. In a city that has been residentially segregated, and continues to isolate groups in residential neighborhoods, this easily accessible and beautiful place is an increasingly appreciated common ground. It is one of the few places within the metropolitan area that brings together the many different people within the city itself, along with people from the surrounding suburbs.”

Contosta and Franklin cite park estimates that 750,000 people visit the Wissahickon every year. Many come to run or bike along Forbidden Drive. Others hike the numerous side paths on both sides of the creek. It’s always a remarkable experience. If Northwest Philadelphia was a suburban escape from the city, the Wissahickon can be an escape form civilization altogether.

Much of what made the Wissahickon “wild” is long gone. The Lenni-Lenape, the bears, wolves and bobcats are all gone. All that remain are deer and fox. Yet, that sense of escape – the feeling of being in the deep woods where the only reminders of the modern world might be the sounds of cars passing on Henry Drive in the distance – is a big part of the park’s draw. It was a draw enhanced greatly for many by news that a black bear was seen in the heart of the park, swimming across the creek near Devil’s Pool.

How great is that? What could possibly be more wild than a bear in a forbidden swimming hole right here in our own corner of Philadelphia? Yes, bears are potentially dangerous. And bear sightings in urban parks often lead to unfortunate ends, usually for the bear.

But for all of us who enjoy the Wissahickon, that sense of “hey, we just might see a bear here” will make the park even more exciting. For here there be bears.

-- Pete Mazzaccaro