September 16th, 2007 by Administrator

Adjacent to the Valley Forge National Historic Park outside Philadelphia,
although not affiliated with it, nestled in the wooded hills above the Schuylkill River, is a unique, little known living memorial dedicated to the men and women who have sacrificed and, often times, given their life in service to America. The Medal of Honor Grove, conceived in 1942 and located on the grounds of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, is a 52-acre woodland memorial commemorating all those awarded our nation’s highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual, the Medal of Honor.

You will hike with your dog along an attractive serpentine path that visits
memorials to Medal of Honor winners from each of the 50 states, Puerto Rico and
the District of Columbia. Each is represented by a one-acre plot highlighted by a
seven foot-seven inch high fiberglass replica of the Washington Monument obelisk.
Attached to the obelisk is a state seal, dedication plaque and a list of Medal of
Honor recipients accredited to that state.

To date, 25 states have replaced the standard white fiberglass obelisk with a
distinctive granite or marble obelisk in their areas, all using stone native to their
state.

The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and the Medal of Honor Grove can be
reached from Valley Forge National Historic Park by continuing west on Route 23.

I am the author of over 20 books, including 8 on hiking with your dog and the
widely praised The Canine Hiker’s Bible. As publisher of Cruden Bay Books, we
produce the innovative A Bark In The Park series of canine hiking books found at
http://www.hikewithyourdog.com Articles in the Doggin’ America series of dog-
friendly parks can be found at http://www.DogginAmerica.com During the warm
months I lead canine hikes for hikewithyourdog.com tours, guiding packs of dogs
and humans on hiking adventures. Tours, ranging from one-day trips to multi-day
explorations, visit parks, historical sites and beaches. My lead dog is Katie, a
German Shepherd- Border Collie mix, who has hiked in all of the Lower 48 states
and is on a quest to swim in all the great waters of North America - http://web.mac.com/crudbay/iWeb/Katies%20Blog/Katies%20Quest.html