SheldonTimes

We arranged a five-day rental at our favorite little cabin at Tohickon Valley Park in Bucks County. It happened that this Thanksgiving was the year that our children were scheduled to be elsewhere with their partners. We left Wednesday morning for the park and arrived at the height of a snowstorm.

We’re back from backpacking on the Quehanna Trail in the Moshannon State Forest and a restorative week at our historic CCC cabin at Elliott State Park. The Quehanna Trail was a simple four day loop originating at Parker Dam State Park and returning there four days later. We started hiking the same day that we drove from Philadelphia, so we actually set out at 4 pm and did five miles before finding a site about 6:30 pm.

First week of March was Villanova’s mid-semester break, and we were out of here. Reserved an isolated little cabin at Bucks County’s Tohickon Valley Park (electricity, no running water, outdoor privy) for four nights. We “hiked in” to the cabin and had the park essentially to ourselves. Cabin felt luxurious compared to the winter camping that we sometimes do at this time.

Fran and I went to Tohickon Valley Park for an overnight camping trip with three boys (13, 12 and 8) who were born and raised in a refugee camp in the mountain jungles of western Thailand.

We spent most of the first week of August (six days, five nights, to be exact) on a backpacking trip through the Green Mountains of Vermont. We officially began our hike at the Lye Brook Wilderness Area and later joined up with Vermont’s famous Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail.

As soon as we got the news that Villanova would be closed the next day in anticipation of a blizzard, we were on our way out the door with our backpacks on.  We hiked from our house into some nearby woods to our destination squat that is inaccessible to all but the stalwart or/and foolhardy We arrived at our site after a hike through untrodden snow and drifts and streams, just in time to set up our t

After returning from the Forest Trail with several specimens, I set them up on the cook stand at our Pocomoke River State Park campsite where I could take some photos and collect spore prints. Lesson learned: rain and wind are not ideal conditions for making spore prints.

With fall break affording some time for adventuring, we decided on a trip to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, camping at Pocomoke River State Forest, visiting some of Fran's old haunts and having dinner with a friend who dates back to playgroup day

We arrived at our campsite at Milburn Landing, Pocomoke River State Park, at dusk, and it was dark when we went up to the ranger station to register, but that didn't preclude mushroom spotting. An Amanita practically glowed in the reflection of the station's security lights, although it was a few yards away, in a stand of loblolly pines. Why didn't I take my camera?

We hadn't completed even half of the Forest Trail on the first day of our Eastern Shore trip, so on the last day we went back to see if we could finish the job. Not a chance. We were far too busy feasting our eyes on a dozen or so more new-to-us mushrooms species to make any time hiking.