After yesterday’s long journey to the top of Mt. Marcy, we were ready for an easy day. We decided to hit the trail again, but this time tackle a much shorter peak, Mt. Jo. The trail begins across the street from Adirondack Loj and starts off on a flat, gravel path with interpretive signs for the diverse vegetation. It passes by Adirondack Loj Nature Museum before becoming a dirt path that begins the ascent. It was a beautiful morning as the light shined through the trees on this crisp, fall day. And while I wasn’t planning for a steep climb, we did have some work to do to get to the top. After a little over a mile of steep climbing, the trail leveled off just before the summit. Another short scramble and a climb up some helpful ladders and we were at the top of Mt. Jo looking over at Mt. Marcy, where we were just yesterday. Down below we could see Heart Lake and the trees were just beginning to show signs of fall color. We chatted with some hikers at the summit before heading back down. People are always so much happier when you meet them on the trail. Once we got back down, we added a little more hiking with a walk around Heart Lake. We stopped a few times to sit and enjoy the views, listen to the sounds of the wilderness and watch people in their canoes paddling across the lake. It’s in these moments when I feel most at peace. I’m always happy in the mountains. It was a great way to end an amazing couple of days in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks and I foresee many more trips to come.
Jacobsburg State Park got about 31” of snow in the latest Lehigh Valley snow storm earlier this week. Saturday we were up and out early to catch the morning sunrise and do a little snowshoeing. We parked at the main parking area and headed into Henrys Woods. The giant hemlock forest was quiet and still. The snow was already well traveled from the past few days which made it hard packed and icy. The early morning temperature was below freezing, but with the lack of wind the crisp winter air was refreshing and quite pleasant. From Henry’s Woods, we crossed the bridge over the creek towards the Boulton Historic site on the Blue Blazed Trail. We then continued onto the Homestead Trail through some open fields with views of the Pocono Mountains off in the distance. The snow here was deep in spots and less packed down making for a great leg workout. There were also some really great sections of trail that were a little less soft, and I was able to enjoy gliding on top of the snow. We took our time, enjoyed the sunshine and continued on the Homestead Trail until we arrived back at the Environmental Center making it about a 5 mile loop. It was such a beautiful morning, so we took another short walk back through Henry’s Woods to enjoy the change of light and the sunshine that was now sparkling on the creek and its frozen icicles. It was such a great day and I was happy to get out for a bit between storms since the weather service was calling for more snow on Sunday.
I recently discovered the Graver Arboretum, a hidden gem located in Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania while my husband and I were out for a drive. He noticed a sign, and we decided to stop. The arboretum is used as an outdoor classroom by the biology and other science departments of Muhlenberg College. There are a few trails here and it’s a quiet place to walk and relax. This was our second visit to the arboretum. The first time I didn’t have my camera with me. This time I brought it along. It was a cloudy, overcast day. There were a number of Canada Geese on the pond and the leaves were falling as we walked along the quiet path. It’s a nice place to come to visit when I just want to relax in nature without a long day of hiking.
