Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary, Snowshoeing in the Rain, February 28, 2021

March 08, 2021

We tried to beat the rain on Sunday and take a short hike around Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary. I haven’t been here since fall and today the forest was covered in snow. With the weather having been warmer this past week and the snow starting to melt, I wasn’t expecting to need snowshoes. But the snow was still deep and we ended up putting them on. As we made our way along the trail, we were accompanied by the soft sound of rain falling on the trees and the snow covered forest floor. Despite the gray skies, it was a lovely day; very peaceful and relaxing to be in this serene place on a rainy winter morning.

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Bear Creek Preserve Snowshoeing, 6 Miles RT, February 21, 2021

February 25, 2021

February of 2021 brought the Lehigh Valley 38.8 inches of snow, the highest amount for the month to date. The days have been dark and gloomy, but today the sun made a glorious appearance. It was bound to be an amazing day, so we gathered our gear and headed out on the road into the Pocono Mountains. Our destination was Natural Lands Bear Creek Preserve. The early morning temperature was 19 degrees and the parking turnout at the trailhead off White Haven Road was still frozen. We suited up and hit the trail. We started out by following the purple trail south which took us through a hardwood forest scattered with mountain laurel and moss covered boulder formations. The beech trees still holding onto their autumn leaves glistened with a warm orange hue. We passed by a ravine with a waterfall now frozen into a striking 10 foot flow of ice. Sunlight danced on the frosty boughs of hemlock that still hung heavy with snow. As we meandered along the winding trail we began to descend closer to Shades Creek. We then connected to the gray trail as we reached the swinging bridge and crossed over the rapids. The winter landscape looked so amazing as we followed along the snow covered banks. We made our way in and out of rhododendron tunnels stopping every few feet to admire the fast flowing cascades. Sparkles of snow glistened in the sunlight as they fell from the trees like fairy dust. Before we knew it it was already getting to be late afternoon. As much as we wanted to stay, we knew we should start heading back. When we reconnected with the purple trail, we decided to make a quick side trip and follow it south. It crossed over Bear Creek on a primitive bridge and from here we went off trail to continue a little further along its edge. It was a beautiful section of trail, but we didn’t go too far since it was too late in the day to explore. We turned around making note to save that adventure for another time. We ascended steeply back up the hill, back into the hardwood forest and past the frozen waterfall. By this time, the sun had shifted lower on the horizon illuminating the landscape with its radiant afternoon light. When we arrived back at the trailhead, the frozen parking lot was a swimming pool of melted ice. We loaded up the car and headed home after another amazing winter’s day.

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Delaware State Forest, Egypt Meadow Lake, Snowshoeing, February 14, 2021

February 18, 2021

Today we ventured out again to take advantage of the abundant snowfall in the Pocono Mountains. This time our destination was the Delaware State Forest. We parked at the trailhead for Egypt Meadow Lake off Route 390 just north of Promised Land State Park. From here we donned our snowshoes and headed out into a winter wonderland. The snow was even deeper than what we had experienced yesterday at Nescopeck State Park. But it was light and powdery and such a delight to walk on. We traveled east along a wide path through a hardwood forest. Soon enough Egypt Meadow Lake came into view. Egypt Meadow Lake was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935. It’s one of the few undeveloped lakes in Pennsylvania that can only be accessed by hiking. Today it was a sheet of solid ice covered in a veil of pure white snow. As we followed along the main path we came upon a side trail that looked like it would take us in for a closer look. We decided to explore. As we approached the icy shores we saw tracks made by humans leading out across the frozen lake. Ice thickness needs to be at least 4 inches to support the weight of a person up to 200 lbs. It appeared solid enough, so we made our way out onto the lake slowly and carefully. As we ventured further towards the center, expansive views opened up in all directions. It was such a thrill to be standing out there on top of the frozen water and enjoying the lake from this perspective. After taking it all in, we made our way back to the trail and continued following across the outlet of the dam. We then began to ascend on a single track into an exquisite forest of pine. The snowy path undulated gently along the shores of Egypt Meadow Lake and meandered in and out of giant hemlock trees. We passed by rhododendron, mountain laurels and rock formations that were almost hidden by the deep drifts of snow. It was an absolutely beautiful trail. At about 2 miles we came to the bridge that would cross over Egypt Meadow Lake and begin the second half of the loop around its western shores. This section of trail was equally as beautiful as the first half of the loop. We took our time as we snowshoed atop the magical white blanket covering the earth enjoying the beauty of the forest on this incredible winter day.

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