Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Well the weather didn't exactly cooperate with our plans to hike Hawk Mountain on a Saturday. Fortunately, the forecast for Sunday was fantastic and it turned out to be a wonderful 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!

Exploratory Hike - Sterner's Mill Trail - Nockamixon State Park

Since fall was on hold for a few days we decided to join our friends E, A, and their mommy at Nockamixon State Park for a jaunt around the Sterner's Mill Trail. This is the only trail in the park that is strictly for hikers - no horses - but hunting is permitted in the area so be sure to wear your orange if you go during hunting season.

I love the way this trail winds through the woods and over a very quaint little bridge (that the children love to play on of course) down to the lake. Once you reach the lake which is the perfect place to rest and snack, the trail continues along the lake for a short while and then pops you into this awesome hemlock forest. It reminds me of the woods in Norway and trolls. The first time Z and I hiked the trail we looked all over for trolls but didn't find any!

It was a lovely day and the children enjoyed themselves. Our two youngest hikers enjoyed riding and even walked themselves for some of this hike. While many of the leaves were just starting to change there was plenty of color to keep us in awe.

I think the children would tell you the best part of this hike is the abandoned picnic pavilion at the end. They all ran around for nearly an hour playing under the pavilion. It was a stage, a field, and so much more.

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.

French Creek State Park

We had a lovely hike at French Creek State Park and enjoyed the lovely wood path that took us uphill quite a bit. This was by far the most challenging hike we have pursued since the group started and it seemed that everyone faired well and enjoyed themselves. Those of us who stuck around to camp also had a wonderful time, even if our neighbors weren’t so considerate. Sorry there aren't many pictures but someone forgot to change the camera battery before we left.
The hike at French Creek started out with a very steep and rocky uphill section. We lost two of our younger members who eventually caught up with us and managed the rest of the trail very well. Fall was definitely in the air but it wasn’t really noticeable until we reached the area that I remember from a previous hike that was waist high with beautiful, full ferns. The ferns were thin and browned during this hike but still lovely. And with most of our hikes this year we encountered an increased number of mushrooms.

The children did find some salamanders that they kept for the hike and tried, unsuccessfully, to take home with them. The boys on the hike found some dinosaur bones which were carried for much of the final part of the hike including the ascent down the long hill. Thanks to the daddy who helped them manage the longest of the bones down the steep hill.
All in all a beautiful day and probably the last of our afternoon hikes until next spring when the sunlight will be more in our favor. Our next hike will be at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton on Saturday, October 24, 2009. We will meet at the mountain at 10 a.m. This should be a wonderful experience for all who plan to attend as the mountain will be alive with activity during the fall migration.

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.

Old Mill Trail at Nockamixon State Park

We had another soggy hike at Nockamixon State Park today. We ventured onto a small loop which is part of the Old Mill Trail. It didn’t rain while we were out hiking but there was plenty of mud to keep everyone happy and sufficiently coated (at least our feet) in goopy thick mud. We did have a chance to clean our feet as the children frolicked in the small stream just below the large stone wall which used to be part of one of the many grist mills that were found in the area.

Unfortunately and surprisingly, we didn’t encounter any interesting wildlife. What we have been running into a lot this summer though is fungus and mushrooms. At least all this rain is making something grow. This neat orange mushroom, which might have been an edible chanterelle, was one of the many that we encountered including some really bright red ones.

Our next group hike will be at French Creek State Park on Saturday, September 19. For those who are interested, some of us are camping on Saturday night. We have made reservations on the A loop. We would love for you to join us if you are able. French Creek has wonderful hiking trails in mature forests with a lot of native vegetation and wildlife. It would be wonderful if you could join us.

Check back to see where the next month takes us on our Tuesday Exploratory Hikes and let me know if you might like to join us.

Exploratory Tuesday Hike - Old Mill Trail - Nockamicon State Park

The children and I returned to the Old Mill Trail at Nockamixon State Park to see if the poison ivy and fallen tree had been cleared from the trail. While the tree is still there the poison was moved aside so we will be inviting our friends from Just Add Nature to join us there on Saturday, August 22 at 10 a.m.

The cicadas serenaded us during most of our hike along this trail which winds through some woods and beside a creek that appears to have once been part of an old mill (thus the name). Near the edge of the creek we ran into this guy. He promptly retreated back into the creek when I showed Z and A how he could pull his head and legs into his shell. A shrieked with delight as he hurried back down the bank. Who says turtles can't move fast? The creek seems to be one of the many that feed into Lake Nockamixon.

We also crossed through a meadow area with many native wildflowers blooming along its edges. There were some very tall thistle which were covered with bumble bees and butterflies.There were also a few black-eyed susans, a lot of goldenrod, and one very lovely plant that I have yet to identify.

This is definitely a keeper. It took us just over an hour to hike the whole loop and there was plenty to keep Z and A interested while we hiked. Remember to take your bug lotion if you go since there are also plenty of mosquitoes.