tail on the trail winter swag

The Tail on the Trail Winter Challenge was in February—30 miles/30 days. The swag for completing it arrived in yesterdays mail.  It's a collapsable water bottle. I've tried these before, and I don't find them to be a great solution. I'm sticking it in the truck in my emergency kit. It will be perfect if I have to gather water.

The summer challenge begins May 1 and runs thru the first weekend in November.

golv: wayne grube park

 Today was the Get Out Lehigh Valley walk at Wayne Grube Park. I had meant to email Debbie to see if she wanted to come along and totally spaced it. Some days I'm not bright.

It was a beautiful sunny day for a walk. I knew it was a bit windy—I could hear it—but I didn't realize how windy. When I arrived at the park in a t-shirt and my Tail on the Trail fleece, I was cold. Thankfully there is always a sweatshirt in the car. I put it on.

I'm on the far right. Left of the lady in orange.

We followed the same route as last October.  We followed the path over the bridge and across the park, parallel with the road. Then under the road winding down to the other entrance. Then thru the park to the Nor-Bath where we turned right and walked out to Weaversville Road. We retraced our steps coming back.

Mostly. You know me, always the renegade.

Near the entrance to the trail I saw many signs that said "Nature Trail". They were on both sides of the creek. When I saw the one closest to the bridge I took it. Alone. I figured it followed the creek, crossed over, and then came back. But it didn't Maybe. There are signs on both sides of the creek.

I headed back the way I came. It did look like it continued on the other side, probably ending at Willow Brook Road. But that would not have taken long. I headed down the creek and the very narrow trail wound along. In about a half mile I saw a bridge in the distance. Aha, I thought, the cross over. Right before the bridge there was a cluster of nature trail signs. One went out toward the asphalt path. One, no two, continued forward. The last one went over the bridge. The problem was I saw no signs on that side of the creek. There were new tree plantings, maybe that's why.

I turned around and came back. Then followed the path out toward the asphalt trail. I ended at the grove of trees, I could go right and end up at the red barn, or I could go left and back the way I came. I went left and eventually reconnected with the asphalt trail.

Then I headed to the Bethlehem Food Coop earth day event and craft show. I parked at least a 1/4 mile away. The lots were full. Oddly, I didn't see many people there. My brother was selling boomerangs outside, praying they didn't fly away. Because it was a crunchy granola hippie event, everything was organic and natural. I was hoping someone would be doing henna. I wasn't disappointed.

Miles/Steps:             5.25 miles
Weather:                  60, sunny, up to 37 MPH wind

Wildlife:                   sharp-shinned hawk (accipiter striatus), garter snake (thamnophis), butterfly. Many swallows, but I don't know which type. I think I saw them at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. Also a lot of chirping, but I wasn't with anyone who could do bird id.

Bathrooms:              Open. But I didn't go in

earth day art walk

Yesterday I did a shorter walk. It was the Phillipsburg Earth Day Art Walk. I contributed art to the event as well. Anyone who knows me, knows that I create stuff with trash. I think the walk was about a mile long, up and down a dead Main street. 

The walk began at the train station in town. Not at the one at the free bridge.  The community art (me) was in the train station. The station was cluttered with junk and not really suited to show art. Maybe next year. And they needed a place to hang items. Maybe a wash line with knots in it? There was a lot of hanging pieces.

The top photo is some of the work on Main Street. The bottom photo is work from inside.

Weather:             Cold and drizzling. Maybe 55 degrees
Miles/steps:        1. Maybe 

Extra:                   The train in town was having a Easter Bunny ride. Town was packed with people. Parking was impossible.            

i found my fitbit!

I thought I lost my FitBit last Sunday on my walk to the store. I was wrong. It went for a swim and then spun dry. It was in the wash!

I'm really lazy about putting my clothes away. But the time I wash them, hang them out and/or dry them, fold them, haul them upstairs they just sit in the basket until it's time to do it again. Or I need something. Same way with my hanging clothes that I wear again. They hang on hooks until I get around to putting them away.

Now last Sunday when I thought I lost it, I checked my jeans, and my bra. I looked in the bottom of the hamper. I decided it was after my walk because the chart had it not recording at about the time I stopped walking. It all made sense. The orange was doing laundry. The green was walking, stopping and walking. The only thing that puzzled me was that spot of orange about 7:00.

This morning I needed the basket to do laundry. I pulled out a shirt and thought it was heavy. It was. It had my FitBit attached to it!

According to the stats, tumbling in a washer and dryer is quite the workout!

It seems to be working fine. Today I'm walking down to ArtsQuest, sort-of. I'm headed to the Museum of Industrial History to the show about 100 anniversary of radio "Don't change that Dial" that some colleagues curated.  And then over to NCC Southside gallery for a new colleagues art show. Basically it will be the Bethlehem South volksssport walk.

would you let your kid hike in crocs®?

Today I decided to walk at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. (The old zinc mine in Slatington.) I didn't have a Get Out Lehigh Valley walk and the volkssport walk was in Collegeville. I've already done that one. The email from LGNC called this the "First Signs of Spring" walk.

Yesterday it rained two inches and was cold. It was still raining a little when I woke up. But it was warm and humid. Driving to Slatington was like driving to Brigadoon. The fog was so dense you couldn't see ten feet in front of you. But when I finally reached the nature center the fog was breaking and the sun was trying hard to come out. I wore my D&L fleece. It was around my waist most of the time.

We met on the patio of the Osprey house. The group was small. Then a van arrived and the group leader said "Here come's the 'Smiths' ". And the van doors open, and a bunch of kids carrying backpacks and wearing Croc's jumped out. Everyone knew them. They must be frequent visitors. I just kept wondering why the kids had Croc's on. That is not hiking footwear. Lydia loves her Croc's and doesn't wear them in the woods!

We headed down the stairs toward the D&L and stopped frequently to look at flora and fauna. I learned that the service tree was thus named because when it began to bud, it was time to bury that winter's dead. The ground was now able to be dug.

We only walked on the D&L a bit before reaching access to the River Trail. It was a bit eroded. But the trail was okay. The river was fast, high and had reached, but hadn't covered, the river trail. The Lehigh looked like Willie Wonka's chocolate river. Sadly, the banks of the river were covered with trash that had accumulated during the winter. Including a rusty propane tank. Most of it came out of the river. There were tons of stops on this trail. Cleanup is next week-end.

Then it was back to the D&L and up to the hillside where we heard and saw a ton of birds. And like last week they were loud. Mating season was in full swing. Several species were returning from their winter adventures. During this portion of the walk the kids in Croc's were trying to climb trees.

We probably walked two hours but I don't know how far. Last Sunday walking to the grocery store I lost my FitBit. I have no money to get another one. So unless I remember to map it, I can't check distance.

Weather:             By the end of the walk 71 and sunny 
Wildlife:              One of the naturalists was a birder. Some we saw. Some we heard. Mama Mallard sitting on a nest with 9 eggs; Prometheus moth (Callosamia promethea); Tree swallows  (Tachycineta bicolor); Blue birds, Osprey; turkey vultures (Cathartes aura); Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii); Carolina wren; Field sparrow; Prairie warbler (Setophaga discolor); Palm warbler (S. p. hypochrysea); Tufted titmouse  (Baeolophus bicolor); double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus); Red tail hawk; Ring-neck snake (Diadophis punctatus).
Bathrooms:          I-5 Just wow.

Can you see mama mallard sitting on her eggs? She's tough to spot.

plop

Today I went to the annual Memorial walk at Lorimar Park in Montgomery County. I invited Debbie to go with me and she said yes. I picked her up at the Hellertown Park and Ride.

We drove down to the Huntington Park, and got lost. Well, not really lost, just misdirected. We missed a street. So it took a little longer to get there and we missed the ceremony. But that's okay. I didn't mind.

We parked in a very full lot. It was the first day of trout season.  We crossed the street and followed the sign. It led to a rickety staircase which I fell walking down. I still had my sandals on. Thankfully I just cut my thumb.

Debbie was the one to see the large group of people and they were leaving. We ran to the registration table, grabbed some directions and tried to catch up. We failed. We were walking in the woods and making our own course. The directions they handed us was for the 10K! Oops. We ran into the 10K group, and joined them.

We stuck with them until a large hill. I fell back. Debbie chose to hang back with me. At some point we lost them. At one point the path intersected with the Perkiomen Trail. We took that back to the start point. We crossed thru the parking lot and saw the entrance to the park. It was easy. Clearly we were not supposed to use the staircase. The sign needed to be positioned a little differently.

Miles/Steps:        4 
Weather:              Near 60, sunny 
Wildlife:               6 geese, a herd of doe, two woodpeckers, and the loudest birds in the world. Mating season was in full force. 
Bathrooms:          I-3.5 The floor was muddy, but it rained all day yesterday. I'm pretty sure it was clean in the morning.
Extra:                   There was hoagies, chips, eat afterwards. Free lunch!

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Why no post last week? I went to West Virginia and did several Volkssport walks, an arboretum,  and a conference. It was a horrible weekend. I just want to forget the entire thing.