Short Hiatus

Just Add Nature is taking a short break while Z and A get a new sibling. 'Swing Cat' as Z has dubbed his new brother or sister is slated to arrive in late April - we'll see no one else has followed the rules (and they still don't). I'm hoping to get all three of them out and about in June as well as planning the first group hike for the middle of the month. So check back soon or send us an email.

Pennsylvania Parks #1

Did you know that Pennsylvania State Parks were recently named the best state park system in the country by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association? Here's a video that highlights some of the parks and programs going on in our beautiful state - http://cmsmedia.state.pa.us/players/cmsplayer.asp?video_filename=AModernDayLegacy.m4v

Quarry Trail Lake Nockamixon State Park

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!

Weekend Hike - Black Moshannon State Park

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.

Exploratory Hike - Quarry Trail - Nockamixon State Park

Z, A, and I visited the Quarry Trail at Lake Nockamixon today. We tried the trail earlier in the summer but it wasn't mowed and looked like a haven for deer ticks so we decided to pass. However, I wish we had revisited the trail later in the summer or fall. There was a glorious view of the still frozen lake from atop the hill. Z stumbled on some chestnuts that Daddy hasn't been able to verify as American or Chinese so we will be returning for our January group hike on the 23rd. And of course there was just enough snow to make Z and A happy!

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.

At several points I noticed signs of what used to be residences or other structures on this land. There seemed to a driveway and there were several stone structures. However, Z was thrilled by the troll or elf house we found in this tree.

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.

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

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!

Thanksgiving Day Hike at French Creek

It has long been a tradition in my family to hike on Thanksgiving morning. I can remember being dragged out to various state and local parks in Central Pennsylvania in rainy, cold, dreary weather by my grandmother during much of my childhood. This year my mother and I both thought it was time to revive that tradition. So my brother's family, my mother and stepfather, and my children and I all met at French Creek State Park for a short hike before visiting the very same aforementioned grandmother (and grandfather) at their assisted living facility.

As tradition would have it, it was a wet, cold, dreary morning. My brother who frequents French Creek on his mountain bike and for hikes chose the trail. Despite the weather we all had a wonderful time especially Z and his cousin, C, who spent the whole hike playing with Papou. A is holding her own on many of our hikes now and complains if I try to put her in the backpack. We've been choosing simpler hikes for her so that she can join in the fun.

Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and spent some time outdoors!