A Hike Along The Raging Lehigh River.
A snow storm, or as we call it nor’easter, dumped over a foot of snow here in Northeastern Pennsylvania last week. Another storm brought warm temperatures and over three inches of rain on Christmas Eve. The rain and rapid snow melt caused small stream flooding and swelled our local rivers. I decided to drive to the Lehigh Gorge at Glen Onoko in Carbon County today where I found a rain swollen and raging Lehigh River. 
It was sunny and a cold 23 degrees when I arrived at the gorge. I parked my car and walked across the bridge that led to the D & L Trail. On the bridge I watched the raging Lehigh River as it flowed on its winding course out of the Pocono Mountains. and eventually into the Delaware River. Here is a a link to a video of the river I uploaded to my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/Ty8bblXyjUU
I walked down to the banks of 
river near the trestles from an a long abandoned railroad track that entered a tunnel through the mountain on the far side of the river.
After watching the fast moving waters I climbed back up and I began my hike on the trail in the gorge between the railroad tracks and the Lehigh River. 
There were only a few other folks on the trail on this cold December morning. I encountered maybe sic hikers and a couple of bikers braving the frigid temperatures. Icicles formed on the cliffs along the gorge. 
Despite the cold the sun was shinning and it was a pleasant walk. I enjoyed listening to the roaring waters of the Lehigh. In some areas the trail was close to the river, where I would stop to watch the raging white water caused by the rain and melting snow. Here is a link to another video I uploaded to my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/xRBBHWv9H-8
At other areas the trail left the river as it meandered through the hills and mountains of the gorge. 
As usual I did not see much wildlife in this part of the gorge. In fact, the only critter i was able to photograph was this woodpecker feeding on the seeds of a common mullein plant. I haven’t seen woodpeckers feed on these seeds before, 
High above the trail one could see the rock outcrops which provide some spectacular views of the river below. I saw on these rocks many a day and watch the river flow far below. 
I hiked out about 2 1/2 miles when I decided to return. 
It was a pleasant walk back. As always, I hoped to see a bald eagle or hawk soaring overhead but no such luck today. Clouds started to move in as I finished my hike. 
And, just as I approached my car I heard the loud sound of a train horn. The passenger train that takes tourist on scenic trips through the gorge appeared. I had hoped to see it on my hike. 
The old railroad tunnel I mentioned earlier exited the mountain near my car and I walked over to take a peak inside. It was wet and icy and I decided not to enter since I wore sneakers on my hike. I had visited this tunnel many times and you can search the archives of my blog posts to read more about the gorge and it’s history. 
As I have often stated here on my blog, I am not a big fan of Winter anymore. Still, despite the cold I enjoyed being outdoors in the sunshine and watching the raging waters of the Lehigh River. And I was glad that the rains that caused the swelling of the river also melted the snow. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog with more photographs from my hike along the Lehigh River. Lehigh River hike December 27 2020. 
“The river is everywhere.”
― Siddhartha
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