hikes
Bear Signs But Still No Bear Sightings In The Dennison Township State Game Lands.
Summer is near it’s peak now. And I still haven’t seen a black bear in my backyard in Hazle Township or on any of my hikes. This is the first time I haven’t had a close encounter with a black bear in 25 years. I’m not giving up, so I headed to the State Game…
Read MoreAn Unexpected Hike To The Silver Creek Fire Tower In Locust Lake State Park.
Two weeks ago I took an unplanned, but pleasant hike, that took me to the abandoned Silver Creek Fire Tower . I wanted to hike somewhere new and found a trail that led to Wolf Creek Falls near St. Clair in Schuylkill County. I drove to the access road shown on the trail map and…
Read MoreMy First Visit To Beautiful and Historic Lacawac Sanctuary In Wayne County.
Last Thursday I had the opportunity to accompany a friend, famous wildlife photographer, Donna , and visit and hike in the beautiful Lacawac Sanctuary in Wayne County. It was my first visit here and I arrived around 1 p.m.and met Donna after a 1 1/2 hour drive from my home in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. …
Read MoreThe Cicadas Are Singing At The Susquehanna Wetlands
I drove to the Susquehanna Wetlands again last Saturday. When I arrived I was greeted by that wonderful Summer sound of the cicadas singing in the tree tops. Unlike their relatives , the 17 year periodic cicadas, these cicadas appear in mid-summer every year in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It was early, 8 a.m., when I arrived…
Read MoreAnother Hike In State Game Lands 119 And Still Not A Bear In Sight
I am a determined person. I still haven’t seen a bear on any of hikes this year. So, early Sunday morning, I was back in State Game Lands 119 in Dennison Township, Luzerne County trying to find one. As I have noted in previous blog posts, I saw at least one bear on almost every hike…
Read MoreAn End Of July Hike At The Susquehanna Wetlands
It’s hard to believe it’s the end of July already. Spring and Summer pass so quickly. As I often do, I spent the last day of July exploring the Susquehanna Wetlands. And once again, I found some of the critters that live here and uncovered some of the beauty of nature that is everywhere in…
Read MoreA Shortcut To Crystal Lake Reservoir, But Still No Bears
Crystal Lake Reservoir is located atop Penobscot Mountain in Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County. It is at an elevation of 1932 feet. It has supplied water to the City of Wilkes Barre and the Wyoming Valley for over a century. It is also adjacent to the Pinchot State Forest. I have hiked here a few…
Read MoreThe Sounds Of The Insects Are Replacing The Bird Songs At The Susquehanna Wetlands
In the Spring, the Susquehanna Wetlands are filled with the sounds of the frogs and song birds. In August, it is insects turn to make some noise, and they were on Saturday. I returned to the wetlands in Salem Township, Luzerne County and was greeted by the loud chorus of the singing cicadas. It was…
Read MoreA Lot Of Birds, And A Cool Frog, But No Bears: A Hike In The Pinchot State Forest.
I returned to the Crystal Lake access in the Pinchot State Forest in Luzerne County last Sunday. Once again I was going to explore the swamps and wetlands around this large lake in search of the bears. I know they live here, I have encountered many bears on hikes here in previous years. But not…
Read MoreA Hummingbird Clearwing Moth And Other Cool Stuff In July At Community Park.
It’s been a while since I shared photos or a blog post from my afternoon hikes in the Community Park near my home here in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. I still hiked there a few times a week during July and I had continued to see a lot of cool stuff on my hikes, some…
Read MoreFinally, I Made It to Cherry Springs State Park, In God’s Country, Potter County.
I first heard about the dark skies at Cherry Springs State Park about 30 years ago. And almost every year since then I planned to visit. I never did. Well, I finally made it this weekend. I always had an interest in astronomy since my dad first showed me the Milky Way in our back…
Read MoreA Hike On The Susquehannock Trail In The Potter County Mountains
When I awoke in the Mills Stream Inn in Coudersport, Potter County on Saturday morning I was surprised, and disappointed, to see that is was still raining. The forecast was for clearing early in the morning and I didn’t bring rain gear on my trip. Well, I didn’t drive three hours to sit in a…
Read MoreA Short Stroll Through Coudersport, The Quaint County Seat Of Potter County
After my morning hike on the Susquehannock Trail, I had breakfast, returned to my hotel and edited some photos. Late in the afternoon I decide to drive into downtown Coudersport and take a look around this quaint little town. Coudersport is located at the fork where the Allegheny River meets Mill Creek. It’s first settlers…
Read MoreAs The End Of Summer Approaches, Flowers And Insects Dominant The Susquehanna Wetlands
It is hard to believe that it is the last week of August, and the end of Summer is only a few weeks away. I love the warm weather and I am always saddened as the days shorten and the sun moves toward the southern horizon. It’s been two weeks since my last visit, so…
Read MoreSome Critters, Wildflowers And Observations Form A Couple Afternoon Hikes At Community Park.
As I did in July, during the month of August, I continued taking some occasional afternoon hikes at the Community Park near my home in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. Most of my afternoon hikes were on dry days, with either abundant sunshine or partial sunshine and cumulus clouds floating in the blue skies over Lake…
Read MoreA Lot Of Green Herons, And A Few Other Critters, Including A Couple of Otters At The Susquehanna Wetlands
It was overcast last Saturday morning, with rain in the forecast. Shortly after I awoke it began pouring rain at my home in Hazle Township. I had planned to meet a photographer friend and hike in the Susquehanna Wetlands , twenty miles from my home in Salem Township Luzerne County. I was thinking of canceling…
Read MoreCool Clouds, Mushrooms And Birds: Another Afternoon Hike In Community Park
Just some quick observations, and a few photographs, from an afternoon hike at the Community Park near my home in Hazle Township Luzerne County this past week. It was a typical late August day on Monday. It was warm and humid with temperatures in the 70’s. Cumulus clouds floated in the skies above Lake Irena…
Read MoreNo “Redtop” Mushrooms But A Gorgeous September Day In The Woods Of Northeastern PA.
My mission on Saturday was simple. Find some “redtop” mushrooms. We have had a lot of rain this Summer here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. And the mushrooms have certainly benefited. I have picked bushels of the many species I know are safe to eat. However, I have found only a few “redtop” or aspen scaber stalk…
Read MoreA Carolina Wren, A Phoebe And A Red-Tailed Hawk: A Cool September Morning Hike In The Susquehanna Wetlands
It was a cool September morning when I awoke early Saturday at my home in Hazle Township in Luzerne County. The temperature dropped into the 40’s overnight for the first time since May. The skies were mostly clear when the sun rose at 6:41 a.m. After I took my usual two mile walk through my…
Read MoreA Green Heron And Some Mushrooms At Community Park in Hazle Township.
Just a short blog today from another hike at the Community Park near my home in Luzerne County on Monday and my encounter with a green heron. It was a mostly cloudy and warm September afternoon. I decided to take a day off from my search for wild mushrooms. I enjoy my afternoon walks…
Read MoreRiver Otters And Late Summer Flowers: A Wonderful Wildlife Encounter And September Beauty At The Susquehanna Wetlands
It was a good week in my search for wild edible mushrooms. I found many edible species during the week, including the “redtop” (aspen scaber stalk bolete) and “cozie” birch scaber stalk bolete needed for our traditional Polish mushroom soup we serve at Holy Supper on Christmas Eve. So I decided to take a morning…
Read MoreA Forgotten Memory Card Results In An Early Fall Hike On The Greater Hazleton Rails To Trails.
I took a pleasant five mile hike on the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails on Saturday. And it wasn’t planned. I was planning on visiting the Susquehanna Wetlands in Salem Township , hoping to see the river otters again. But, after driving the 40 minutes to the wetlands nature preserve, I discovered I forgot the…
Read MoreBirds, Bugs And Blooms: A Late September Hike In The Susquehanna Wetlands
It’s hard to believe it is the last week in September already. Spring and Summer passed so quickly. So , appropriately, I hiked in the Susquehanna Wetlands on the last weekend in September. It was here I spent so much time this Spring and Summer. It seems like only yesterday the skunk cabbage was pushing…
Read MoreA Reflective October Hike In The Susquehanna Wetlands
October 2 will always be a sad day for me and my family. It was the day we lost my beloved sister Linda and her husband Charles in a tragic motor vehicle accident. It was four years on Saturday. It is still so hard to believe. I spent the day hiking alone in the beautiful…
Read MoreA Few Birds, A Bear And Some Hints Of Fall On The Greater Hazleton Rails To Trails
It was a cool Fall morning when I awoke Sunday. I decided to stay close to home and hike on the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails again. Last Saturday I hiked on this trail , but I started at the trail head on W. Broad Street. On Sunday I began my hike on the other…
Read MoreClouds And Sunshine: A Tale Of Two Autumn Walks At Community Park
Although it hasn’t felt like it, Fall began here in the Northern Hemisphere over two weeks ago. I took a couple of Autumn walks at the Community Park near my home in Hazle Township in this unusually mild weather we have been experiencing. The first hike, on the first day of Fall was on an…
Read MoreA Cloudy And Dreary Autumn Hike On The Bear Walk Trail In Ricketts Glen State Park
It’s been a few years since I visited Ricketts Glen State Park in Luzerne County, Sullivan and Columbia Counties. This large, scenic, park , over 13,ooo acres, almost became a National park in the 1930’s . Although it is only an hour from my home I’ve only visited it once since my college days. On…
Read MoreHints Of Fall Color, And The Return Of Birds, Temporarily, At The Susquehanna Wetlands And River Lands
It was another cloudy, and unseasonably mild, morning when I decided to drive to the Susquehanna Wetlands and River Lands in Salem Township, Luzerne County last Sunday. As usual, before beginning my five mile hike in the wetlands area of the nature preserve I walked down to the banks of the Susquehanna River. The river…
Read MoreMushrooms, Ducks, A Grebe, A Bald Eagle And Autumn Colors At Community Park
We had five days of cloudy skies last week here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It was cloudy all weekend. And it was cloudy when I began a hike at the Community Park near my home here in Hazle Township Luzerne County on Monday afternoon. I had forgotten what the sun looked like. It was over a…
Read MoreMigrating Birds And More Autumn Colors, Again, At The Susquehanna Wetlands
After seeing the large flocks of migrating birds at the Susquehanna Wetlands in Salem Township, Luzerne County last week I was looking forward to hiking there again this weekend. I wanted to see if any of the birds remained or if new birds showed up. It is late in the season but I think the…
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