So we've been back hiking, at least monthly, for a few months now. I, however, have not been great about remembering or finding the time to update the blog. I'm hoping that Z, A, R, and I will also manage to get out once a week for a hike very soon. Although I still haven't figured out what to do with A if she poops out and wants to be carried. Thankfully, I had some help this hike since that did happen. A very gracious papa carried R so I could carry her.
This month we went back to an old favorite that has changed quite a bit - the Hemlock Point Trail at Green Lane Park in Montgomery County. The trail has changed because part of it is now the connection between the trails at Green Lane and the Perkiomen Trail. While much of Green Lane is used by horse back riders, the main part of the Hemlock Point Trail is off limits to horses and bikes.
We had a nice leisurely hike with lots of stick and rock collecting. The rocks were tossed into the water at one point. Z and A visited the blast off tree that we found two years ago while hiking with daddy on the trail. There was a salamander, a few worms, and we spied a couple of cormorants down near the damn. The children made a good (pretend) campfire and we even had a few marshmallow roasters. All in all it was a good day.
Last month we met at Ringing Rocks but someone forgot her camera so on our first documented hike after our break we had a delightful hike at the 
Z, A, R, and I hadn't managed to make it to the park before last weekend to explore the trails so we just followed the children's lead (most of the time) and wandered through the woods in search of the Pooh Tree. Along the way we encountered some deer, a pond full of frogs, one frog in particular who probaby wished he was a little faster, lots of worms, raspberries, wineberries, and lots of beautiful sights.
When we arrived at the Pooh Tree, the children immediately decided it was a rocketship and were searching for the button to make it blast off. Since it was a very hot day and there was a nice breeze, a bench, and shade, the adults on the hike relaxed for a short time while the children explored the tree and its surroundings. 
Eventually, some of the explorers ventured up the dry creek bed beside the tree in search of worms and other creatures. They were very successful in that endeavor and came back with handfuls of worms. After convincing those same collectors, that they couldn't take the worms with them and finding suitable places to leave the worms, we started back to the parking area.
"The hike isn't over yet is it?" was heard several times as we neared the end of the trails. Sadly, it was the end of a very lovely day but there are other days ahead. Hope to see you next on Saturday, August 21 at Green Lane Park. 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.
We had a wonderful hike. It warmed up just enough for us to enjoy ourselves in a winter wonderland. All the animals must still be bedded down after the storm but we did hear quite a few birds and spotted 
Z was enchanted by the sound that the trees made blowing in the wind. Sometimes it was eery and he would run to catch up with me but other times he stood in awe looking up at the treetops as they blew around in the wind. He was very inquisitive and wondered why the trees make that noise in the winter but not at other times. A on the other hand was fascinated by the birds. All I heard over my shoulder was, 'I see burd, I see burd.'
The children enjoyed starting the hike by throwing sticks and stones into the lake at the first access point we came to on the trail. This seems to be a recurring theme whenever we are near water and we usually end up dragging them away so we can start/finish our hike. 
I think we may have found the last fungus of the season at the park. It was a tiny little yellow fellow that grew among some moss on a rotting log. Since I still haven't picked up a field guide to mushrooms/fungus I'm at a loss for what it might be. Any suggestions?
See you on Saturday, December 19 at the Sterner's Mill Trail at Nockamixon State Park. This will be our second group hike there but it is an easy hike on what could turn out to be a cold day.
We in Pennsylvania are extremely lucky to have this wonderful raptor sanctuary in our backyard. Hawk Mountain is world renown for the work that they do in tracking the annual fall migration of raptors to their southern wintering spots. With the help of many, many volunteers each fall the raptors that pass by this point in the the Blue Mountain range are tracked and recorded. What a wonderful place.
It turned out to be a beautiful day unfortunately there were very few raptors. However, I think everyone who joined us had a wonderful time scrambling up and down the rocks to get to the outcroppings for a better view of the valley below.
The trails at Hawk Mountain are rocky and often steep. It is not the friendliest environment for little hikers but it seemed that everyone did fine and enjoyed themselves. I encourage everyone to try to make it back to the Sanctuary during the off season for a less crowded hike out to the Northern Lookout. The view is spectacular. And check out the calendar of events for lots of fun family outing during the fall, winter, and spring.
I even got a glimpse of my favorite native winter ground cover (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi). Not only do I love the plant but the Latin name just rolls off your tongue. Get outdoors! See you next month at Green Lane Park!
