Naturecise

It was another beautiful sunny day, today. I wanted to get out for a walk and decided I would go for a hike. For a long time I've wanted to explore all of the Lancaster County Conservancy preserves. In fact it was just over two years ago that I blogged about another Conservancy hike and challenged myself to try to get to them all. I'm not much closer to that goal now than I was two years ago but it's still part of the bucket list.

Today I determined to go to Reed Run Nature Preserve. It is toward the southern end of Lancaster County so it was a little bit of a drive but a beautiful one. Once I got to the site I realized I had been there before with Mike and the boys. The hike is a loop which you would think would be very easy to follow.

Oh no, think again.

The trail is marked with blue tree markers which are very visible (once you see them). The trail, however is VERY overgrown. I was very glad to be wearing long sleeves, long pants and my hiking boots. It was great fun trying to follow the trail, crossing the stream a few times, and generally NOT following the loop. I didn't get to see the overlook since I ended up going back and forth on the eastern side of the loop and the overlook is on the western side. 

All in all it was a really good hike. I felt a little bit like an explorer (ok, a pathetic explorer) and used my amazing sense of direction (the sun rises in the east and goes down in the west) to make sure I was headed back in the right direction. It really was challenging to find the trail at times both in the woods and on the edge of the woods. It was also a really good little workout without being overwhelmingly steep.

If you want to try this hike (let me know if you get the whole way around!) be sure to wear bright clothing since hunting is allowed in this preserve. I also recommend sturdy shoes, jeans and long sleeves. Oh, and a GPS might come in handy.

A Nature Preserve Challenge

 This morning I saw a Facebook post from my husband about two young men (recently divorced and jobless) who rode their motorcycles from California to the Arctic Circle. Actually, they rode beyond the Arctic Circle until the road ran out! The photos were stunning. 

Now, I love both my husband and my job and hope to keep both for a VERY long time. However, this post reminded me of my love for the outdoors and also for a challenge I've had on the back burner for a while.

We are blessed in Lancaster Co., PA to have a wonderful organization called the Lancaster County Conservancy. Our family has hiked on some of their land over the past several years. The views are always beautiful. I have always hoped to someday visit each of the Conservancy Preserves. 

So this morning, after looking at the gorgeous photographs of Oregon, Canada and Alaska, I determined that I could get my little Ford Escort to the far reaches of Lancaster County after work. 

Today I visited Rannel's Kettle Run Nature Preserve. I left work later than I intended (that ALWAYS seems to happen) but I still had time for the drive north past Brickerville. It was a beautiful day today.

I found the preserve, changed from my sneakers into my hiking boots (yes, I sometimes wear sneakers to work!) grabbed my camera and crossed over to the trail head. The horseshoe trail circles the Conservancy Preserve. I walked only a few feet into the trail when I saw the sign: "Beware of the Bear." Ok, on the drive up it occurred to me that I don't usually hike alone. It occurred to me that I was off the beaten path and that there might be strangers on the trail. It did NOT occur to me that there could be BEARS on the trail. 

After I saw the sign I did wonder if there actually was a bear. It crossed my mind that the owners of the land skirting both sides of the trail might not love people near their land. It was POSSIBLE that the sign was a hoax. On the other hand......

Well, I decided to be brave and continue on. The hike is a nice one. Not too easy but not horrible. It ascends quite a bit and is very rocky. I kept a good lookout for the bear, scaring myself with every sound I heard and every large tree stump I saw out of my peripheral vision!

I have to admit that I scared myself out of the whole hike. I feel  a bit wimpy about that but convinced myself that it would be past 6 p.m. when I got back home and I did have CHILDREN at home waiting for me. (Disclaimer: my "kids" are almost adults and can totally take care of themselves.) Maybe they needed help with homework. Maybe. 

If you are a Lancaster County or nearby neighbor, I highly recommend this hike at Rannel's Kettle Run Nature Preserve. Just watch out for the bear.

New Year Hike

Most years, January 1 has generally been a day of sitting on the couch, cleaning, cooking and mostly general quiet. This year was not too much different. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and warm for this time of year. Since January 1 fell on a Sunday this year, I had to start my new year quiet after Mass. I did the customary cleaning of the house and tidying of the flat surfaces. We moved a little furniture around as well. I'm planning to plant seeds for my summer garden in a month or so and moved our old computer table into the sunroom for that purpose. I've moved my laptop and camera into the sewing room (it's feeling more and more like a real studio to me) which freed up my desk to go into the dinning room for the computer. This was a boon in two ways: The living room is a little more roomy as is the dining room. 


Since the day was sunny and warm Mike and I decided on the first hike of the year. We went to a local rail-trail for a 4 mile hike. This isn't my favorite kind of hike as it is a little bit flat but it was perfect for today. Mid way into the hike the sun disappeared and it started to rain. Yikes! Of course, I always like to remind the boys that we are waterproof and so we didn't melt.


It was a wonderful start to the new year. One of the things I like about hiking with our family is that it is totally unplugged. Much as we try to minimize electronics, they are a large part of our lives. So, hiking is a great way to get the conversation flowing. And that's always a good thing.


I hope you enjoyed the first day of the new year in your own special way. May it be the first of many similar days to come.

Beautiful Day for a Hike

The creek bed along our hike. It was a beautiful day.

Nathan poses for a shot. He received a hair cut after this hike!

Nolan always has to find a way to get to the middle of the creek.

A very rare shot of me, taken by Nolan.

Finally something that sparked Nathan's interest: A wooly bear caterpillar. 

The men enjoying the wooly bear at the lookout.

It was a wonderful few hours out of doors. We realize we need more of this in our busy lives. Of course, it helps when the weather cooperates, which is hasn't much this fall. Happy Tuesday. I'm off to work.

March Madness

Wow. I knew I hadn't posted in a while but I guess I didn't realize just how long it had been. One of the reasons I blog (I'm sure I've said this many times) is to keep a record of some parts of our lives. So this post is March in a nutshell. We found it to be very busy and I'm glad April is around the corner. Seeing the spring bulbs blooming always brightens my outlook on life. The boys and I have been trying to take daily walks. We are watching the trees come to life with buds and birds. One glorious Friday we stopped school at noon and went on a hike at a local nature preserve called Tucquan Glen. One of the first things we came upon was this skeleton. Of course the boys instantly began making hypotheses about what kind of animal it was and how it met it's demise. Very entertaining. We didn't have time to make it the whole length of the hike but we saw some really beautiful scenery. Of course, the boys each did what they do best. Nolan climbed and jumped, Nathan observed in a more serious manner. The water fall that I put at the beginning of my post was one of the best parts of the hike (after the skeleton, of course).As a homeschooling mom I am thankful that I have the time to give the boys some experiences that we wouldn't have time for if they were in school. I feel strongly about teaching the boys to help others and to give of their time and other resources. With that in mind, we offered to paint a room of the Catholic Worker House that is being opened by one of our parishioners. I don't have an "after" picture yet but it was quite a transformation. The boys liked getting out of several days of regular school work but by the end of the week they realized that painting isn't necessarily easier than math and grammar. All in all it was a great project for our family.Of course, March is always the birthday month for Nathan. He rarely asks for more than one or two presents. This year he was VERY surprised by the gift his Nana gave him....Mario Kart!Finally, I made another hanging with one of Mike's Nana's broken medals. Mike's cousin is getting married in June and I attended her bridal shower over the weekend. I used a St. Anne medal and a design inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. I'm in the process of working on another baby quilt for a dear friend. I love how it's turning out so far. I'll try to get a sneak peak up next week. As this is Holy Week I know I won't be posting again until after Easter. Have a blessed Holy week and a glorious Easter everyone.