Another day hike in the Delaware Water Gap, New Jersey side. We hiked from Millbrook Village on the Orchard Trail which connects to Hamilton Ridge. From Hamilton Ridge we took the Pioneer Trail, then took a spur trail down to the river and back then onward to Old Mine Road where we crossed and hiked through Van Campens Glen. We walked the last few miles back on the road. Old Mine Road is going to be closed for most of the summer due to construction. It should be a nice time to visit the Glen as many people will not want to hike in or walk the road to get to the waterfalls.
At the start of the Orchard Trail I saw Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) blooming. The first spring ephemerals are starting to pop out from under the leaf debris. I also saw a firefly that somehow found my hand. It seems like it’s much too early for them. The day started partly cloudy with some sun, but as we hiked the clouds began to darken the sky. I came across some bright orange Juniper apple-rush, something I’d never seen before. I’ve been using the Seek app (by iNaturalist) on my phone to identify the plants I see along the trail. I love learning as much as I can. As we reached the spur to the river, it began to rain. On the riverbank I saw Yellow Trout Lily and Dutchman’s Breeches. We ate a snack and by the time we were finished the sun was back out. I was glad we didn’t have to cut the day short. We proceeded on to Van Campens Glen. As always the glen was beautiful full of cascades and green moss. We took off our packs and laid on the rocks above the waterfall listening to the wind and soaking in the sunshine. I used my birding app to identify a bird I’d never heard before. I recorded its song and BirdNet suggested what I was hearing was a Louisiana Water Thrush, a new one for my life list.
We hiked out of the glen and then headed back to Millbrook Village on Old Mine Road. Along the way we passed a garter snake basking in the sun. Seems we weren’t the only ones taking advantage of a warm sunny day.
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The day started cold and damp. The kind of dampness that chills to the bone. It had rained the night before and sections of the trail were mud which is mostly to be expected this time of year. But we continued our hike, hoping to see the sun eventually. We hiked through hardwood forest until we descended to the creek. We crossed the bridge and hiked through rhododendron tunnels, hemlock, and white pine. The bridge to return that crosses over Shades Creek further south of where we started was washed away. But I remembered there was another bridge further up the trail and luckily that one was intact. Once on the other side, we hiked to my favorite rocks on the creek's edge and sat down. We got lucky and the sun broke through the clouds. We spent a while there lounging around and soaking it in before heading back in a loop to complete the day.
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Morning walk around the Woodland Hills Preserve. Love coming here before work. It’s a great place for birding! The tree swallows are coupled up and they are taking advantage of the nesting boxes. The cherry blossoms are in bloom and the preserve is full of birdsong. Woodland Hills Preserve was once a golf course and it’s so wonderful to see nature taking over. Other birds I observed here today were: Brown Thrasher, Red-winged Blackbirds, Mockingbird, Northern Flicker, Eastern Towhee and a few others I still need to identify. Very enjoyable morning.
Beautiful early morning walk at Jacobsburg State Park. I parked in the lot off Belfast road, crossed the bridge over Bushkill creek and headed onto Sobers Run to the Explorer Trail. This is one of my favorite sections of the park, as there’s a large conifer plantation here and walking through it in the early morning hours was magical. The trail then travels mostly through hardwood forest until it eventually drops down to the creek. I sat here for a while enjoying the sound of the rushing water and the hemlocks swaying in the wind. I love starting out my mornings with a nature meditation and grounding practice. And even though some days it’s hard to wake up before the sun, I never regret it.
Quick walk at Lake Towhee this evening. This is a 50-acre lake in Bucks Count Pennsylvania. I was here one time last summer for a short visit. Next time I’ll be sure to bring my binoculars because it seems to be a great place for birdwatching. I saw lots of waterfowl and plenty of red-winged black birds. There are some very short trails in the surrounding woods and we walked the short paths searching for spring wildflowers. First to be spotted was Blood root (Sanguinaria canadensis). Native to Pennsylvania, its name refers to the red-orange sap that comes from its broken stem and root. Native Americans used this plant as a dye and an insect repellent. (I really should try the latter, as the east coast is full of bugs.) Blood root is a spring ephemeral and grows in woodlands throughout the Northeast. It blooms in April and its flowers open in full sun and close at night. I've been seeing a lot of these on the trails.
Next up I saw Rue Anemone, (Thalictrum thalictroides). Another native to Northeastern Pennsylvania. The flowers are found in spring woodlands and I observed some with white petals while others were a light pink to lavender color. These little flowers bloom for a short time from April to May.
The yellow flowers posted here are Lesser celandine or pilewort and not native to Pennsylvania. They come from the buttercup family Ranunculaceae and are native to Europe and Western Asia. I believe they are marked as an invasive species to the area.
This is a nice place to stop for a quick walk or a quiet meditation by the water.
We went back to Bear Creek Preserve today. Last time we were here we were snowshoeing and it was 19 degrees. Looks quite a bit different in the spring. Everything in Pennsylvania is a lush green now and the mountains are filled with blooming Mountain Laurel. We hiked from the main parking area off Rabbit Run following the red trail. It took us down a muddy, rocky service road that was under construction. As we reached a clearing to a power line, I saw a black bear meandering around the open field. We were far enough away to make our presence known by making noise and putting the bear whistle to use. As we did, the bear slowly headed away from our direction and disappeared into the field. We crossed the clearing and headed back into the woods. We then connected to the gray trail where we used the suspension bridge to cross over shades creek. We followed the trail passing in and out of rhododendron tunnels along side the creek enjoying its many cascades. We found the use trail that took us to a very small waterfall just off the main trail and stopped to enjoy the scenery. As we left the creekside, the trail took us back into the hardwoods and a blooming sea of Mountain Laurel. The day was cloudy, but it was beautiful nonetheless and a great day for a hike. I enjoyed seeing Bear Creek Preserve during the spring.
It was a rainy start to our Sunday morning, so we waited for the rain to stop before heading out about mid-morning into the Pocono Mountains. Our destination this time was Swiftwater Forest Preserve in Paradise Township. We found the trailhead off Donaldson Road and made our way onto the trail into a beautiful forest of pine. The soft pine needles covering the ground were like walking on a soft carpet. It was a really nice feeling after traversing all the rocks on the AT the day before. The walk through the forest was nice and easy. Along the trail I noticed many different kinds of mushrooms and blooming wildflowers. We passed through a section of mixed hardwood with Shagbark Hickory, Maple and Oak. There were also some interesting rock outcroppings. After hiking around the inner loop trail, we followed the outer loop. Along this path we found a short spur which lead to an old chimney and a fireplace that must have been part of a cabin at some point long ago. There was also an old out house that had been left behind. The forest here was quiet, peaceful and so relaxing. It was a perfect hike for a lazy Sunday.
Today was the vernal equinox, a time when day and night are in equal balance. To honor the official beginning of spring, we set out for a sunrise hike to the top of Mt. Wismer in Monroe County. We parked at the trailhead just off the 447 to take the blue blazed trail. This is actually the easy route. There’s a more challenging hike from the trailhead off Gravel Road. Today we were interested in doing photography and catching the light of the sunrise. It was a crisp, cold morning and as the sun began to rise up over the mountain, we made our way down a wide open path which led to the blue blazed trail. The trail heading up had patches of hard snow and ice. As we hiked along the trail became a single track and I noticed large moss covered boulders above us dripping with melting ice. Spring surely is here. The trail was rocky and wet with leaves as it gently ascended through large rhododendrons and hemlock trees. We followed along the escarpment of the mountain, and as it curved to the east we were almost blinded by the blazing sun coming up over the horizon. At the top we were rewarded with wide open views. From here we could see Gravel Pond, Camelback Mountain and even more impressive, the obvious gap of the Delaware Water Gap. The light was absolutely brilliant. We meandered around the overlook enjoying the open landscape before heading north on an unmarked trail. We hiked along the path through hardwoods, and then found ourselves in a beautiful grove of hemlock. The sunshine shimmered through the towering trees, and I heard the call of a tufted titmouse. Soon we were at the close of the loop and back at the trailhead. It was still very early and neither of us were ready to head home, so we opted to take another hike. We decided to venture into the Delaware State Forest to Stony Run. We parked the car at an unmarked trailhead off Snow Hill Road and headed onto a wide grassy trail. The trail began to descend southward and became more rocky. As we hiked I spotted two white-tailed deer off in the distance who quickly disappeared into the woods. Soon the trees began to thicken with evergreens and I could hear the sound of fast moving water. A wooden bridge came into view and we were now at Stony Run. From the bridge I watched the run as it tumbled and danced over moss-covered rocks. We explored the area for a bit then found a comfy spot to settle in, have a snack and enjoy the scenery. After our little break, we started to make our way to the trailhead. We took a short off-trail adventure over to a large rock outcropping with some nice views. Three large black vultures sored high above us in the sky. By now the day had warmed up to about 55 degrees, but it was time to make our way back and head home. It was a beautiful way to kick off the first day of spring.
The first stop on our Sunday adventure was Targa Falls, a natural waterfall found on the Broadhead Creek. The waterfall is easily accessible from a parking area just off the 447, or you can hike to it from the Paradise Price Preserve. I wanted to see and photograph it in the very early morning sunshine, so we chose the easy drive up access for today. Someday I plan to return to hike in from the west side of the preserve. We parked the car and as I stepped out I could hear the loud rushing waters. Just a few steps more and there it was, this incredible flowing creek roaring past me over large, rocky boulders. The early morning sunlight danced on the white foaming rapids, and the tall hemlocks swayed in the breeze on the banks. It was a beautiful sight just a stone’s throw away from the road. At that moment I honestly felt a little guilty having such a natural wonder within such easy reach. Being used to the rugged mountains of Southern California, I’m not used to having this kind of quick and easy access to something so beautiful as a roaring waterfall. I got my hiking legs out west where you have to earn your views by trekking miles into the wilderness and climbing to precarious mountain tops to view such spectacular places; no cell service, no wifi and only your two legs to rely on to get you there and back. Pennsylvanian’s are so very lucky in this respect.
After enjoying the waterfalls, we hopped back in the car and headed to the trailhead for the Red Rock Loop and Mt. Sophia. The Red Rock Trail is part of the Mount Airy Trail Network and sits on lands protected by a conservation easement held by Paradise Township. At the trailhead there’s a helpful map laying out the topography of the hike, and the trail begins just beyond the kiosk. It starts out on a gravel path leading up stone steps. Right away I noticed the beautiful oak trees and not far into the trail we arrived at a vernal pool. I imagined it would soon be filled with salamanders, wood frogs and other critters. The trails here seemed to be very well kept (save for some downed trees), and they were so pleasant to walk on. So much so that I forgot how rocky the Pennsylvania terrain usually is. We soon arrived at a well-marked junction for the Red Rock Loop and decided to continue northwest directly towards the junction for the top of Mt. Sophia. Along the trail there were large stands of mountain laurel which I am so excited to see bloom in late spring and early summer. This will be my first spring on the east coast in over 20 years. Soon the trail became covered with patches of icy snow and we reached the junction for Mt. Sophia. The trail took us up gently graded switchbacks and as we continued upward, there were helpful wooden steps peeking out from underneath the snow. As we approached the summit, an impressive forest of large pine and hemlock came into view. The sunlight radiated through the majestic trees. I spent some time exploring the summit and the views. From here I could make out the ski runs on Camelback Mountain to the south and more views to the north. We followed the trail a little further as it looped us around in a circle with a convenient “Exit” sign pointing back to the direction in which we came. We took our time hiking down enjoying the views through the beautiful pines and the sunshine. We then arrived at a junction for Red Rock Spur #1. It led us to the site of an old car from the 50s that was flipped upside down and settled into a ditch. It made me wonder what its story was and how it even got up there. There were some old logs that looked like they’d make a perfect place to sit down and enjoy the fresh mountain air, so we sat down and took a break. It was a windy day and I was enjoying listening to that groaning, creaky sound the trees make when they sway against each other in the wind. After our break, we continued along the trail and the winds started kicking up even more. We reached a junction for Red Rock Spur #2 (another outer loop) and began a gentle ascent. We passed by some interesting rock formations before noticing a vintage car graveyard nestled below us, deep in the woods. Had this been summer, we would have never even seen it since the trees would have concealed it with their leaves. We decided to move in closer to explore. There were three rusty cars who had clearly been here for a long time; their final resting place nestled into the forest. We took some photos and then got back on route, enjoying more views to the south as we hiked. The trail made its way down some lovely switchbacks until finally we were back at the junction for the Red Rock Trail on which we had started. This was a wonderful day hike. I really enjoyed my time here and again, it felt like wilderness even though we were so close to civilization. I’d like to come back again and explore more of the spurs and see it when the mountain laurel is in full bloom.
