A photographic journey · Mocanaqua, Pennsylvania
Mocanaqua, 2025
The Forest Is Coming Back
Photographs by John Alexiou
Mocanaqua is one of those places where you can still see what the land has been through. This was coal country, and the old mining landscape hasn’t disappeared just because the trees have returned. Dark banks, exposed slopes, and remnants of the industry still sit among the woods. The Mocanaqua Loop follows part of that history through the hills above the Susquehanna River, on land that is now part of Pinchot State Forest. Give it a little time, though, and the forest starts making its own plans.
What catches my eye is how close those two worlds are. A quiet wooded path gives way to a slope that looks almost like another planet. From above, the worn ground becomes a pattern of ridges, channels, and dark folds, with trees working their way into the open spaces. Then the view shifts, and there’s a wall of pale rock surrounded by green. There’s a rough beauty here. You can see the damage, but you can also see life getting on with it.
I made these photographs in 2025 with my DJI Mavic 4 Pro, equipped with the Hasselblad L3D-100C camera. I wanted to look closer at a place that could easily be passed off as old mining land and left at that. There’s more going on here. The history is still visible, the woods are still growing, and the landscape keeps changing. These photographs are my view of that slow return.
Want a closer look at the terrain? Explore the Mocanaqua climbing area in 3D. This demonstration was built from stitched and processed aerial photographs captured with the DJI Matrice 4E. We also provide custom 3D models of land, structures, and homes for professional teams and individuals.
Fifteen photographs · From coal country to returning forest
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01 · The Land Remembers: Dark mining waste banks beneath a green wooded ridge and cloudy sky. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
02 · Between the Banks: A narrow track climbs between two dark banks beneath a clear blue sky. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
03 · A Break in the Clouds: A rocky passage opens toward trees beneath a dramatic cloud-filled sky. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
04 · A Foothold: A solitary young tree stands beyond loose rock on the old mining landscape. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
05 · The Shape of What Remains: An aerial view reveals worn slopes, tracks and dark folds among woodland. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
06 · Lines in the Land: An overhead study of channels and curved tracks across a dark exposed bank. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
07 · At the Edge of the Woods: A rounded mining waste bank meets woodland, with scattered young trees along its edge. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
08 · Passing Through: Motorcycle riders pause beneath an exposed rock face on the dark mining terrain. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
09 · Finding a Way Back: Small trees take root on stepped slopes beside a broad dark bank. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
10 · The Forest Moves In: An aerial view of a dark triangular bank surrounded by returning green woodland. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
11 · Pale Stone: A long pale rock face stretches through trees across the hillside. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
12 · Roots and Rock: Trees grow above and around the fractured pale stone of an exposed cliff. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
13 · Room to Grow: Green foliage gathers around a tall fractured rock face. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
14 · Back into the Woods: A quiet earth path curves through a shaded forest. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
15 · The Forest Is Coming Back: Green woodland spreads across the hills around a pale rock outcrop beneath clouds. © John Alexiou · 2025 · Mocanaqua
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