It was a beautiful day for a hike at Lake Nockamixon. We returned to the Quarry Trail with the Just Add Nature group so Daddy could try to identify the chestnut tree we found as an American or Chinese. The lake was still frozen and there was still enough ice in spots for some fun and a few spills and tears. A was the youngest on the hike and got lots of help from the adults in the group who helped keep her on track.
Everyone enjoyed the view from the peak of the hill which looks down to the lake. I even heard mention of a picnic sometime when the weather warms up. The boys got ahead of the rest of the group and when A and I finally caught up we found they had passed a turn in the trail and ventured out onto a peninsula of sorts. All the little ones were quietly listening to the pinging and popping of the ice as it expanded and contracted in the morning sun. I have fond (and sometimes scary) memories of that sound having spent a large portion of my childhood living beside a small pond where we frequently ice skated during the winter.
We finally convinced the big and small boys that they needed to turn around and go back or they would miss the chestnut tree. Once we found it, Daddy took some time to study it and decided that he thinks it is an American chestnut. This tree was BIG so this is a very rare specimen if it is. I have yet to send off an email to the park or the American Chestnut Foundation to verify. We'll return in the spring to check on it again when it has leaves so we can be absolutely certain. Daddy explained to most of the children and adults why this is such a special discovery. And why the research being done by the American Chestnut Foundation with the cooperation of Penn State is so important.
We decided to continue on around the loop instead of turning back. However, everyone agreed that this trail is very hard to navigate and confuses even those with a great sense of direction near the end. This was also a very popular location for hunters (it was the last day of the special regulation area extended season for deer) so if you venture out during hunting season please be careful.
Our next group hike will be February 20 at 10 a.m. at a location to be determined. Get outdoors!
As we climbed the windy roads to the park, my aunt informed me that the park and lake are actually at the top of the mountain. This is the first trip I remember to this park although I'm sure my grandparents brought me here at some point during my childhood. According to both my mother and aunt, this was one of their favorite parks. When my grandparents first moved to State College in the 1950s, my grandmother, my mother, and her three siblings lived at the park for several weeks until their home in town was ready. My aunt spoke fondly of their time there. And now I understand why!
What a lovely park. The lake was frozen and full of ice fishermen. We started our hike on the frozen lake. Z and A were lucky enough to get a ride on the new toboggan that my aunt and uncle bought for our visit. We talked to the fishermen about ice fishing while several of their catch lay flopping around at their feet. Nothing like taking your dinner home and plopping it already frozen into the freezer!
We made it to the boardwalk which juts out into the bog along the shoreline of the lake. At the end of the boardwalk we decided to continue on the trail a bit to see if we could see the beaver damn. It wasn't a far walk but the trail was snow covered so Z rode on the toboggan and A was in the backpack for most of the hike. We made it to what I think was a beaver hut and not the actually damn. We then turned and started back. A decided to ride on the toboggan a bit but was frightened and wanted to walk. My aunt and I held her hands so she wouldn't topple over in the snow to start and then plied her with m&ms every 10-15 feet at the end of the trail.
It was a lovely day spent with lovely people at an absolutely lovely park. I can't wait to visit the park during the summer sometime soon.
The trail is wide and well marked to start but near the end we had a hard time figuring out which way to go and ended up turning around several times. It winds through some areas with red cedars and tall grasses and works its way into the woods along Route 563. At one point there is a steep cliff overlooking the lake with a great view of the bridge on 563. The wooded part of the trail was narrower but lovely. We did run into a hunter and saw several tree stands so be sure to don your blaze orange when hiking there.
And we did get one glimpse of color in the mostly gray and white landscape. This bright orange fungus in some of the remaining snow.
