A Birthday, A Bear, Birds And Snakes At Egypt Meadows And Bruce Lake In The Promised Land State Park

 

After leaving the Skytop Lodge, and enjoying  a birthday breakfast with a friend at the Tom’s Country Kitchen Diner in Mountian Home, I drove to the nearby Promised Land State Park. I was staying the night at the quaint and comfortable Rex Hotel. I stayed here last Summer and I love this place. 

There is a trail head for the Promised Land Boundary Trail next to the  property that takes you into the State Park. I entered my room and took a break for a few hours editing photos and working on my blog. I had already hiked 7 1/2 miles. However, my day wasn’t over.

I decided to take the 2 mile hike on the trail to Egypt Meadows Lake and see what I could see. The trail head is only about a mile from the hotel.

It clouded up again when I began my hike. The wide trail was wet from the rains. It was also green and lush, the oak , maple and other hardwood trees were displaying their new leaves.

 

There were wildflowers blooming too,  including many  wild geraniums,

star flowers,

bunchberry dogwood,

and Canada may flowers.

The trails were grassy in spots, with a lot of puddles.  I knew, from my hikes last year, there would be a lot mosquitoes and ticks so I applied a lot of insect repellent, and it worked.I walked past the Panther Swamp trail,

and over a bridge and the fast flowing creek below.

It was late afternoon and there was little bird or activity wildlife. In fact, I wasn’t  able to photograph a single bird.   I  had hiked out about mile and approached the bridge that separated the Egypt Meadows lake and  a large wetland.

I hoped to see the water snakes that crawl onto the rocks on sunny days but there were none under the cloudy skies. .

However I wasn’t  disappointed. It was my birthday and I got a  birthday present, a black bear sighting.  I love seeing these   beautiful creatures in our woodlands. For over 30 years I had black bears visit my backyard in Luzerne County. However, as a result of loss of habitat for  residential and industrial development I didn’t see a bear on my land in two years. I miss them and was glad to see this bear  come out of the woods and start walking up the trail.

However, I wasn’t as glad when, turning around, and seeing me he/she stopped, and began walking toward me. I did my usually routine, standing tall, waving my arms and yelling. This usually works and the bear usually  runs away.

This time it didn’t. The  bear continued to walk toward me. This  is unusual.  I now thought think it may be  a mother bear protecting cubs in the woods.  Or a beat accustomed to people in the park. Either scenario wasn’t a good one. I walked backyards, yelling and waving my arms with it following me for about 50 feet. It finally f stopped approaching. I backed up until I thought I was far enough away and began walking back to my Jeep.   Bears are not predators and  will only attack humans if scared, confronted or protecting their young.  I was glad to see this beautiful creature on my birthday. I continued my walk back  and  it began raining again. I finished my 2 mile hike in a light rain.   Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web site with some more photos from my afternoon hike and the bear I encountered.   Egypt Meadows Lake hike birds  June 1 2025

I had now had  walked over 9 1/2 miles, not bad for an old timer, and  I was hungry. And I didn’t have to go very far to eat. My hotel was right across from the Ranger Inn. I had a few great wholesome meals here on my past visits to Promised Land. And I did again, starting with their salad bar and then a main course of a broiled sea food platter with a side of  buttered pasta and garlic. It was delicious and filling. It was now early evening and I returned to my hotel. I edited some photos, but not for long. I was tired and wanted to be up at dawn again to explore more of the Pocono Mountains and the Promised Land State Park.

I awoke a 5 a.m. and after  editing some more photos while enjoying some fresh brewed coffee I decided to return to  Egypt Meadows Lake Trail and look for the bear and water snakes.

The skies  were clear but the woods still dark when I began my hike. The sun was just rising through trees in the forest. It was cold, the temperature was only 40 degrees with a strong northwesterly breeze.

I walked through the  lush green trees as the sun continued to rise  in the east.

The sounds of birds filled the woodlands but it was hard to photograph them in the shadows. I did see this Canada warbler,

and this black and white warbler, both of which were on branches near the trail, making them easy to photograph.

I walked  about a mile  the trial  and I watched as the sun  continued to rise through the tree.

and came to the bridge

at  Egypt Meadows Lake. The sun still was low in the sky and there was not a lot of bird activity. The water snakes I have seen here weren’t on the rocks and there was no bear this morning.

I did see a few swamp  sparrows

and this chestnuts sided warbler before I continued on the grassy trail, this is where I saw the bear the previous afternoon, and  up to Bruce Lake, about another 1 1/2 mile hike.

I had to check out of my hotel bay  11 a.m. and I wanted to get up to Bruce lake so I walked  at a much faster pace than I usually do.  The trail took me through a mostly hardwood forest of oak and maple trees.  It wasn’t a totally quiet hike as you could hear the traffic from the interstate highway in the distance. It was still peaceful and the  songs of the birds were louder than the traffic.

A few wildflowers  were blooming along the trail including wild sarsaparilla  flowers,

marsh blue violets,

and sheep laurel flowers. Seeing the sheep laurel reminded me it was June and that Spring will soon be ending. Sheep laurel bloom throughout the Summer and I remember seeing it on many day in my youth while picking blueberries and mushrooms in the woods near  my home.

Lush green interrupted  ferns, and

hay-scented ferns were bathed in the rays of the  June sun.

 The trail became very muddy and wet as I neared Bruce Lake,

with any pools of water along the trail.

I arrived at pristine Bruce Lake. Bruce Lake is a natural  lake created when the glaciers melted 15, 000 to 20,000 years ago. There are over 2,500 lakes in Pennsylvania but  there are only 50 natural  or glacial lakes.   As I did on my previous visits I reflected on the now extinct animals, such as mastodons, saber toothed tigers and others that may have swam in this lake. Or Native Americans paddling canoes across the still waters on a sunny  June day like this one. .

As I gazed upon the lake,

I was serenaded by the songs of this Baltimore oriole

and red-eyed vireo   in the trees along the lake.  I  also heard a northern water thrush but wasn’t able to get a photo.

After  taking in the beauty of this mountain lake I began my hike back.  You could follow the trail into the Promised Land State Park if you wanted. I wish I had the time but I had to head back The strong June sun warmed the cool morning air.

On the way  I saw a few more song birds including the always  beautiful Blackburnian warbler,

a lot of ovenbirds, they sang the loudest,

a few black throated blue warblers,

and a few eastern towhees. 

I also saw a lot of red efts. the land phase of the eastern newt,

and a few platterful mushrooms.

I hiked back down to the Egypt Meadows Lake, which now reflected the clear blue skies.

Looking on the rocks below the bridge I saw three water snakes,

basting in the warm sunshine

and one with  it’s head  protruding out from a rock.

There were a few great blue herons wading in the wetlands.  And I also saw  another human, the first one on my  two hikes, a man fishing in a boat in the lake.

I saw this common grackle along the lake,

and watched a few colorful yellow warblers in the trees along the bridge,

this one enjoying a catterpillar it caught,

and it seemed more than it could handle.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web site with some more photos of the birds I saw  on my 5 mile hike. .   Bruce  Lake hike  birds June 2  2025

I wish I could have stayed along the lake all day, or even another night.  I am sure I would have seen so much more birds, snakes and other critters, maybe even another bear. However, I hadto get back to my office and so I had to check ourt of my hotel by 11 a.m. So I fisnished my  five mile hike seeing a family of birders on the way. It was another great hike  in the woodlands of Northeastern Pennsylvnia. I love June and the warm months but they pass so quickly. I  hope to return to the Promised Land State park and Skytop Lodge a few more time thise year.   Here is a link to a gallery on my blog web site with some more photos from  my 5 mile hike.  Bruce  Lake hike June 2  2025

“And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days.” – John Keats