2nd Annual Family Hiking Day Weekend Celebration

Photo: J.Hess, theshadowshop.blogspot.com

On September 29-30, 2012, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC)’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, located at 4 East First Street, Boiling Springs, PA, invites families to “hike their own hike” on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) for the 2nd Annual Family Hiking Day. This event is free and open to the public.

Held on National Public Lands Day, Family Hiking Day is an initiative developed by the ATC to introduce families to the A.T. and the benefits that come from spending time outdoors. Hiking on the A.T. is a good source of physical exercise, one that provides an opportunity to create lasting memories and encourages long-term appreciation of protected public lands.

Families who visit the ATC's regional office will receive a free Adventure Packet that will aid in planning local day hikes. The guide includes a description of local hikes, directions to A.T. trailheads, and safety tips.

After taking a self-guided hike along the A.T., participants who turn in their “Family Hike Wrap Up” sheet from their Adventure Packet will be entered into a prize drawing during the closing celebration.

The closing celebration will be held on Sunday, Septemeber 30, 2012, from 4:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. at the ATC’s regional office. The celebration will include family friendly entertainment, nature activites for all ages and a visit from Smokey Bear.

“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is proud to host Family Hiking Day,” said Mark Wenger, executive director/CEO of the ATC. “It’s a great opportunity to engage families with the outdoors, promote physical exercise, and encourage people to explore their local natural resources.”

Participants will also have the opportunity to share their family hiking day experience for a chance to win a REI Flash 18 reversible pack. To enter, stories and photos can be emailed to Julie Judkins at jjudkins@appalachiantrail.org by October 8, 2012. The winning story will be featured in A.T. Journeys, the official magazine for the Appalachian Trail.

The ATC was founded in 1925 by volunteers and federal officials working to build a continuous footpath along the Appalachian Mountains. Stretching from Georgia to Maine, the A.T. is approximately 2,180 miles in length, making it one of the longest, continuously marked footpaths in the world.  Volunteers typically donate more than 220,000 hours of their time doing trail-related work each year, and about 2 to 3 million visitors walk a portion of the A.T. each year. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the completion of the A.T.

For more information about Family Hiking Day or resources for hiking with your family, call 717.258.5771, e-mail atc-maro@appalachiantrail.org, or visitwww.appalachiantrail.org/FamilyHike.

Kittatinny Ridge and Appalachian Trail featured at the Chelsea Sun Inn

The ChelseaSun Inn, home of Stonehenge Winery & Vineyard in Upper Mt. Bethel Township, recently featured the Kittatinny Ridge and Appalachian Trail on their blog!  This recognition of local hawk-watching, hiking and mountain scenery as a significant draws for visitors to the area highlights the economic benefit of preserving this landscape.  Businesses that highlight these place-based assets are key partners in advancing the efforts of the Kittatinny Coalition to bring awareness to visitors and residents as to the importance of balancing growth with sustaining natural assets.  Check out the blog post at the link below.

Birdwatching in Eastern Pennsylvania - The Hawk Spectacle

Upcoming events along the Kittatinny

Cowans Gap State Park

Fall is upon us and much is happening along the Kittatinny Ridge and Appalachian Trail to celebrate!  

To stay in the loop, keep tabs on the Upcoming Events section of the Kittatinny Ridge home page, or check out the calendars of the organizations listed below!

 Sept. 19 ~ Victoria Trail Loop Hike with Susquehanna A.T. Club
State Game Lands 211, Dauphin, PA
Join Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club for a mid-week hike up to the Peters Mountain Ridge from Clark's Valley. See SATC's hike schedule for more information and sign-up.

 Sept. 22 ~ "Natural Cleaners" Program at Jacobsburg
Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, Wind Gap, PA
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the chemical cleaners in your home? Learn how to make your own household cleaners the old-fashioned way from ingredients that you already have in the kitchen. Natural cleaners are a great way to make your home greener and healthier. Take home recipes and samples of what we make together in this hands-on lesson. For more details visit the DCNR event listing.

 Sept. 22-23 ~ Hawk Mountain Art Show
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton, PA
Meet award-winning wildlife artists and see exhibits of nature-inspired painting, prints, carvings and more. 9 am-5 pm, Visitor Center. Sale and Exhibit free. For more information, visit the Hawk Mountain web site.

 Sept. 23 ~ Seasonal Change Walk at Cowans Gap State Park
Cowan's Gap State Park, Fort Loudon, PA
Meet at the beach house to embark on a walk around the park where we will discuss the upcoming changes we expect with the first day of fall. For more details visit the DCNR event listing.

 Sept. 22-23 ~ Fall Festival at Pioneer Evergreen Farms
Pioneer Evergreen Farms, Orwigsburg, PA
Come out to the Fall Festival at Pioneer Evergreen Farms this weekend for great fall family fun, in our country setting. Lots to do for the entire family. Enjoy the area's best Scenic Mountain Hayride, great food and 15 awesome attractions. For more details view the Fall Festival brochure.

 Sept. 23 ~ Celebrate Wildwood at Olewine Nature Center
Wildwood Park, Harrisburg, PA

The annual Walk for Wildwood has expanded to include an afternoon of fun fall-themed activities. Join the celebration! In addition to the walk, check out all the cool things happening in the natural world: enjoy bird banding, watch as a monarch butterfly is tagged and released and make a terrarium to raise a monarch at home. There will also be live animals with Nate McKelvie, pumpkin painting, scarecrow stuffing, fish print t-shirts, native plants for sale, a caramel apple bar, apple cider, tasty snacks, heart-healthy monitoring station and children’s activities. For more details visit the Wildwood web site. 

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary featured in Audubon Magazine

Famed Kittatinny Ridge observational, research and education facility, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, was just highlighted in Audubon Magazine as the number 1 site of the top 10 places to watch raptors in his Audubon Guide to Hawk Watching.

Kenn Kaufman of Audubon notes: "A beautiful setting and a rich history make this a must-visit destination for raptor fans.  When the northwest winds strike the Kittatinny Ridge, they create updrafts.  Migrating raptors in fall can ride these cushions of rising air for miles, gliding effortlessly toward the south-southwest, then connecting to other ridges along the Appalachian chain as they continue their journeys.  

Visit Audubon Guide to Hawk Watching to read more.

Found it! Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau's new web site features Kittatinny

Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau's new web site just launched at www.visitcumberlandvalley.com and outdoor recreation, including many outdoor opportunities along the Kittatinny Ridge, is a main theme for promoting the area as a prime place to live, visit or relocate your business.  Check it out!   

Special sections of the site encourage visitors and residents to experience the Appalachian Trail, go birding or visit the area's many parks and wildlife areas.  The draw of the Cumberland Valley's many natural, scenic, historic and recreational assets is a prime example of the economic benefit of preserving these important resources that contribute to sense of place.  Kudos to CVVB on their new user-friendly web site (with awesome photos)!

Migration Fest coming up at Lehigh Gap Nature Center

The weekend of September 28-29th be sure to make it over to Lehigh Gap Nature Center at the base of the Kittatinny Ridge in Slatington, PA for Migration Fest 2012!   This weekend-long festival is a celebration of the autumn migration and Appalachian ecology of the Kittatinny Ridge and Corridor.

Outdoor and environmental education activities for the whole family range from grassland hikes to hawk identification programs to live amphibians and reptiles on display and much more.   Events kick off on Saturday, September 29th at 9:00am.   Visit the Lehigh Gap Nature Center web site for more information or click here to download the Migration Fest Flyer.