Hemlock Point Trail - Green Lane Park

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.

Green Lane Park

Today we returned to Green Lane Park in Montgomery County to check out the changes that have occurred on the Hemlock Point Trail since our last group hike there in the spring. We had lovely, chilly weather on one side of the lake but it certainly warmed up on the other. It was a wonderful day to get some fresh air and spend some time in nature.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.

The leaves had all fallen from the trees except for a few beeches that just wouldn't let go of their dried leaves. So the trail, which is rocky, was covered by fallen leaves. This did make it tough for some of our younger hikers but all in all they managed fine with some help from older siblings, friends, or mom/dad.

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.
Get outdoors!

Exploratory Hike - Hemlock Point Trail - Green Lane Park

Z, A, and I were joined by our cousins C and M (and their parents) for a great late afternoon hike at the Hemlock Point trail at Green Lane Park today. We had a wonderful hike and enjoyed a crisp and beautiful September afternoon exploring the trail and all that it had to offer. We brought along some sandwiches and sat out at the picnic table on the point to have our dinner.

Fall was just starting to show its face as we hiked along the edge of the damn. As usual this hike introduced us to some fascinating new mushrooms/fungus along the trail. This was our favorite. I still need to order that field guide to mushrooms but we’ll probably never have another year like this if I do.We've noticed a lot of acorns also during our hikes and decided that this year is probably a ‘mast year’ for the oak trees. Here’s an interesting article from The Daily Collegian (Penn State University's student newpaper) about what this means.

Again, I say that Green Lane is a hidden gem in Northern Montgomery County that many people just don’t take advantage of. There are an abundance of trails and lots of other great outdoor activities available at this park. I’m hoping to get back on schedule and hiking regularly during the week with the children. With vacations and doctor’s appointments we’ve had a hard time getting back into the swing of things but hopefully we’ll change that beginning soon.

Exploratory Tuesday Hike - Whitetail Nature Trail - Green Lane Park

Today’s hike brought us to the Whitetail Nature Trail at Green Lane Park. I’ve lived ten minutes from this park for ten years now and have rarely done much more than drive by it. I’m sorry I haven’t visited more but now it will be one of our regular hiking destinations. A few years ago, I tried to hike one of the more popular horse trails which was a muddy mess. I still think it is probably best to stay away from these trails. However, the trail at the nature center and the Whitetail Nature Trail are worth the visit. And you just might get a glimpse at the resident bald eagles.

The Whitetail Nature Trail is just a simple mile loop that starts as a wider path along the lake (don’t be discouraged by the picnic tables and trash cans it really does get better). Eventually the trail juts off and winds it way through the woods. There are several deep ravines as the trail works its way through the woods. There are also markers highlighting various interesting tree and plant species along the trail. I assume you can pick up a guide at the park office at the beginning of the trail but we didn't have one.

We heard cicadas and a pileated woodpecker. We ran into a lot of mushrooms and fungus again during this hike. There were a lot of what appeared to be chanterelles (I wish I knew for sure what these mushrooms look like). We also found this green blue fellow and these little white ones. On our way back to the car we spotted this fruiting trillium under a winterberry holly. If you have an extra hour, I would definitely give this trail a try. It does get a bit steep and somewhat rocky at times so good hiking shoes are probably wise. And if you have the time bring a picnic and enjoy the beautiful scenery after your hike.