Once a year I go to the Susquehannock Lodge near the Denton Hill Trail System to meet up with old friends and meet new ones… and hopefully to ski. (Last Year)
My favorite thing is when we carpool up to the Ranger Station (yellow pushpin) and ski down to the lodge (pink pushpin) on trails that go behind (south) the Denton Hill State Park slopes.
This year, the trails were a bit fast for me, so I (and 5 others) opted for hiking. We chose the trails on the north side of Route 6. They were lovely! And perhaps because no motorized vehicles are allowed on that side of the road, we saw sooooo many signs of wildlife.
The first 14 below were all tracks in the snow. Number 15 we saw no tracks, but there was no mistaking what it was! And the rest are bird sightings (or hearings? listenings? whatever you call it when you hear them!):
fox- mouse
- squirrel
- deer
- coyote
- weasel
- grouse
- turkey
- shrew
- bobcat
- bear
- chipmunk
- raccoon
- skunk
- porcupine quills
- chickadee
- white-breasted nuthatch
- downy woodpecker
- another woodpecker (drumming)
- crow
I forgot my camera on this lovely weekend. But here are a few shots Nina took:
The following day we hiked a tiny bit on the Ranger Station side of Route 6. We added rabbit tracks to our list, also tufted titmouse and blue jay. And Tony saw a mammal running low to the ground… but it disappeared before he could get a good look. The weasel perhaps?
You FORGOT your camera !! Jen – please – this is in an area I’ve long wanted to explore, especially in winter. I just don’t trust the ol’ Chevy Blazer to get me there and back. Are there any more photos elsewhere on the Web?
Calm down, Dave… I’ve just updated the post with some photos taken by another of the hikers – Nina Harfmann. (Thanks Nina!)
You’re welcome!
It was wonderful to finally meet the WinterWoman and enjoy some time together on a snowy trail. Wasn’t it the best day you could ask for?–blue-skyed, barely any wind, so soft and quiet (except for the crunching beneath our boots!)
A very rare (bear tracks!!!!) and fine (Jen’s the best!) time –if you miss the snow as I do.
Remembering fondly…..
Whew !!! That looks N-I-C-E. Maybe I should wait and go in the summertime first, so I have an idea where I’m going before I venture there in the winter. I’ll have to add that to the “Places To Go” list. Thanks for the photos, Nina !!
Wow! What an incredible day you had. The photos are just gorgeous and the smiles BIG! I’m not much of a winter woman myself, but you make it look very appealing.
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