Unfortunately, we had to cancel our December hike due to extreme windchill temperatures on Saturday but today Z, A, and I headed out to the Sterner Mill Trail at
Nockamixon State Park to hunt for Jack Frost and King Winter. As a Winter Solstice gift this year the children received
'Ollie's Ski Trip' by Elsa Beskow and
'The Story of the Snow Children' by Sibylle Von Olfers. Z was so enthralled by 'Ollie's Ski Trip' that he decided we had to go for a hike to search for these two mystical beings.
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
snow fleas everywhere. I thought maybe the dogs who had hiked the trail before us had left these little guys behind but there were far too many. But when I told daddy about the little critters he said, 'Oh yeah, snow fleas.' Who knew?!
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.'
I was hoping to return to Nockamixon next week to check out the sledding hill but the weather forecast for later this week doesn't look very promising. We'll see what Christmas Day has in store for us snow, rain, or ice. Get outdoors and enjoy the winter!
Oh and in case you were wondering, we didn't find Jack Frost or King Winter but Z and A are ready to visit another forest to look for both of them sometime soon!
We ventured up to State College for a visit with my favorite aunt and uncle on MLK weekend. We were hoping for snow since they have a few great sledding slopes nearby but were greeted by a landscape similar to Southeastern Pennsylvania's - GRAY! So we drove up to Black Moshannon State Park between Phillipsburg and State College. 
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.
