Locust Lake State Park. It’s Starting To Feel A Bit Like Fall

Fall has  come to Northeastern Pennsylvania with cooler temperatures, shorter days  and many other signs, including the annual migration of the Canadian geese.  I saw my first flock of geese, honking loudly , as they flew overhead headed south for the Winter.  I’d usually be out my favorite spots searching for the many species of edible wild mushrooms that grow in our forests but not this year. There are almost none to be found because of the  dry weather. So today I decided to hike the trails in Locust Lake State Park.

I have not been here in many years and that was in the Winter to go ice fishing. The park has a small lake in the middle and I  was surprised with the number of fisherman along the shores or on the lake in canoes and boats.

And i was even more surprised by the many families still camping in this cool weather. The campgrounds were full. And it was nice to see the many young children, riding their bikes, running, playing and exploring the woods and shores of the lake. I am glad some parents still teach their children to love and respect the natural world.

I walked through  the campground and on to the Oak Loop trail. I loved the very tall and ancient trees under which the trail meandered along the banks of the Locust Creek. I loved the smell of the campfires that filled  in the valley in which the park was located. I came to a  a very informative area were trees were identified by a local Boy Scout Troop.

The only wildlife I encountered were a few blue jays, squirrels, chipmunks and this cool marbled orb weaver spider spinning a web. here is a link to some more photographs of the spider and you can see the web material being ejected from the spider. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/pennsylvania-insects-bees-butterflies-dragonflies-slugs-etc/nggallery/pennsylvania-insects-bees-butterflies-dragonflies-slugs/marbled-orb-weaver-september-26-2015

I hiked up creek and the trail headed steeply upward out of the old deciduous forest and into more mixed pine and oak woods.

I came to a rocky area were large boulders from the last ice age were deposited by glaciers.  There are many of these areas here in the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The trail was quite steep but eventually I reached the top and it headed back to the lake and campground. Although, again , the trees become larger and older there were still no mushrooms to be found. Just too dry.

I  was was again happy to be passed  by a few families hiking with their young children up the steep trails. They will learn far more in these woods than they will on their cell phones or computers. 

i returned to the camping area , But i was rewarded with my hiking today. i found this large hen of the woods mushroom, or ,as we call  them ramsheads. And where did I find it, somewhere in the park, or maybe Tuscarora Park which I also visited today. Or maybe somewhere else. I,  like all of the old timers in the cola regions, never tell where we find our mushrooms.  Here is a link to some more photos from my hike today.https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-5/nggallery/blog-photos/locust-lake-state-park-september-26-2015

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White