Today we hiked the Dick and Nancy Eales Preserve on Moosic Mountain. It looked quite a bit different then when we were here in the winter when it was covered in snow. We started the hike on the Blueberry Trail passing through stunted pitch pines, oak and blueberry. We then followed the Stonehenge Trail through a large garden of boulders where we connected to the After Five Trail following along large rock slabs. From here we dropped down to check out the O’Connor reservoir and then took Gene’s Trail to the Bruised Ego Trail closing the loop at a little over 8 miles. It was a nice day. The clouds kept the sun from making it too hot and the humidity wasn’t quite as bad as it’s been most of the summer. It was a nice hike with some variety in the terrain and scenery.
Today we revisited both the Nothstein Preserve and the Van Buskirk Preserve, both of which we had hiked in March before the deciduous trees had gotten their leaves and the earth awakened from its winter slumber. We started the day at the Nothstein Preserve. As we began the hike on the now grassy path, it seemed like a completely different world. The brown tones were replaced with hues of green, and the trail once covered in snow was lined with fern and wildflowers. As I was walking and keeping my eye out for wildflowers, I came upon a Red Eft which is the juvenile stage of the Eastern Newt. We saw many of these along the trail today, as they are not hard to find due to their bright orange color. The Red Eft is poisonous to anything that eats it; therefore I assume this is the reason for it not having to camouflage itself. We followed the trail upward to the red rock quarry we had seen last time. Now the oaks and birch trees were filled with bright green leaves. The beautiful pitch pines stood tall showing off their prickly cones, but the views of the ridge beyond were now masked by the leaf covered trees. After exploring the quarry we made our way through a grove of pine where I spotted a Lady’s Slipper Orchid. The genus name of this orchid is “Cypripedium.” It comes from the Greek word Cypris which in Greek mythology is a reference to the Goddess Aphrodite. Pedilon means sandal, and the orchid’s labellum resembles a slipper; hence, the name “Lady’s Slipper”. It was a unique find and a very curious looking flower. Next, the trail took us over a bridge and over Cranberry Creek. I remembered this section from winter because everything here was covered in snow at that time. We followed the trail along the creek. It looked so beautiful with its many cascades flowing over the moss covered rocks, and its False Hellebore strewn banks. When we arrived back at the trailhead, it was still pretty early in the day. We decided to stop by the Van Buskirk Preserve which is just a few miles away. Here again, everything looked completely different covered in lush, green foliage. I remembered back in March, we had passed by a vernal pool full of singing wood frogs. This time, the pool was filled with tadpoles. I guess those frogs we heard in early spring were busy! As we hiked past the ruins of the old Van Buskirk Farm, I could smell the sweet fragrance of flowers from the Black Locust trees. By now the day was warming up and the sun was shining high in the sky. I made a plan to revisit some of the other preserves we had seen over the winter to experience them in a new season.
Today our adventure took place at the Dick and Nancy Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain. Pennsylvania has some very beautiful preserves, and I was super excited to see this one. I’d been waiting for the right day to visit and today was the day! The sun was shining, the skies were blue and while the temperatures were still below freezing, the winds were fairly low. The Eales Preserve is noted as being one of the best places in the northeastern United States to experience a ridge-top heath barrens. What is a ridge-top heath barrens you ask? I didn’t know either. A heath barrens is a dwarf shrubland or shrub-savanna which can also have stunted trees such as pine and oak. Barrens are great habitats for a wide array of birds, butterflies, moths and other wildlife. The rare sallow moth and barrens buckmoth have been observed at this particular preserve. The Eales preserve was once slated to become a business park. Thankfully, this did not happen and the land is now protected by the Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit. As we arrived at the trailhead, I immediately noticed the expansiveness of this place. I also saw two ravens playing on the wind and calling back and forth to each other. I knew this was going to be a great hike. We grabbed our packs and cameras and headed out onto the Blueberry Trail. Right at the start of the trail I was immediately awe struck by the beautiful white birch trees and the incredible, stunted pitch pines. I followed along the narrow broken path making my way carefully through the ice, hard packed snow and large post-holes where others had walked. Along the trail there were also patches of exposed rock slab where the snow had completely melted. The varying terrain made it a challenge to walk. Snowshoes would not have worked here, so we used microspikes for added traction. The trail gently gained elevation and quickly opened up to expansive views of the ridges and valleys below. These are the most impressive views I’ve seen since I’ve been in Pennsylvania, and I was loving every moment. As we hiked along the trail we passed by low-lying shrubs such as blueberry and huckleberry. Stunted oak trees still holding to their autumn leaves rattled in the wind. As we reached the high point on the mountain I noticed wind turbines off in the distance. I later learned this was the Waymart Wind Farm in Wayne County. The trail then turned northwest and began to descend along hilly undulating terrain. We then reached a wide open road surrounded by beautiful white birch until connecting with the Stonehenge Trail. Once again on a narrow trail, we meandered through a hardwood forest lined with impressive, massive rock formations. We crossed a small stream and were again surrounded by the openness of the barrens. From here it got a little confusing. We wanted to connect to the Conglomerate Trail, but with the large snow drifts covering the rocks that had the blazed trail markers we ended up slightly off trail. After a quick navigation check with map and compass we began to make our way in the direction of where the actual trail would be. After post-holing through the deep snow drifts, we were again back on route. That was exhausting! By this time the day had warmed up to 26 degrees which to me really didn’t feel that cold. (This California girl must be getting used to the Pennsylvania winters already!) This was an absolutely beautiful and unique preserve and not something I would have ever expected to see in Pennsylvania. As we made our way back to the trailhead I was already making note to add this magical landscape to my list of places to return to during all seasons.
Today we spent the day exploring the Bald Mountain tract of Lehigh Gorge State Park near Rockport. Bald Mountain looked interesting to me because the access point isn’t located near any of the popular areas of the park. We found the turn off to the trailhead which wasn’t signed and if you blinked, you’d miss it. We parked the car and right away I heard the clack, clack, clack of the ravens above. I knew it was going to be a good hike. I have such a soft spot for these birds. They remind me of my hikes in California because they were always around when I was hiking in the higher elevations. We began the trek near Indian Run and crossed over the bridge which lead us into a beautiful forest of pitch pine and hemlock. The wide trail headed east with a steady incline up to the top of Penn Haven Mountain with the Lehigh River flanking us to the north, east and south. There was a junction here and signage for the Bald Mountain Loop. We followed the trail northeast in a clockwise direction being careful not to slip on the ice that was hidden under a thin layer of snow. It was about 30 degrees with about a 12 mph wind which made it seem much colder then it was. The loop dropped us down in elevation and eventually gave us a nice climb back up. It was a beautiful section of trail, although there was a lot of water we had to navigate around in addition to the ice. Once back at the top we found signage for the Vista Trail. The trail narrowed and lead us out to the rocky south facing cliff side of Bald Mountain. Here we had nice view down into the deep gorge and across to Scrub Mountain. We sat for a bit in the sun to warm up, but even in the sun it was still quite chilly. As we made our way back, the winds continued and we kept moving. The afternoon sunlight coming through the trees was absolutely gorgeous! I really enjoyed this hike. It was such a beautiful day despite the wind and I will definitely be back to explore more of this beautiful area.
