Join a costumed Ghost Guide every Friday and Saturday evening for a one-mile,
one-hour roundtrip on Broadway to hear intriguing tales of reported ghoulish
encounters and stories of historic properties and people. Walks gather in the
lobby of the Inn at Jim Thorpe, 24 Broadway. Find MORE dates and times at
www.jimthorperotary.org/GhostWalks.cfm).
Programs are offered once per month for ages 5-12. Pre-registration is required, and a $5 donation per child is suggested.
August 11th, “Night Hike”, Smores & More 8:00-9:30 pm
CCEEC promotes awareness and understanding of our
environment through education. By providing
environmentally related services, and in stressing human environmental impacts, CCEEC encourages responsibility for, and appreciation of natural resources.
Carbon County Environmental Education Center, 151 E. White Bear Drive, Summit Hill, PA 18250
570-645-8597 http://www.carboneec.org
Staff members and volunteers of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor will lead two guided “Preview the Trail” bicycle rides on new portions of the D&L Trail in Lehigh and Carbon counties on National Trails Day, June 4. read more here…
Mother Nature has been active this year, pummeling the mid-Atlantic region with storm after storm. Some have dumped snow, some have brought rain and some have coated everything with ice. Our lives have been impacted many times already this winter, as we suffer through inconvenience of horrible driving conditions and traffic jams, business and event closings or postponements, shortages of snow shovels and ice-melt and milk/eggs/bread during the storms. So why is it that we’re all supposed to eat French Toast during inclement weather, anyway? Kidding aside, we humans feel so much impact from Mother Nature, don’t we?
But really, all we do is hole up in our cozy-warm homes with cable TV, internet, on-demand movies, microwave cooking, cellular phone service, endless hot water and a thousand other conveniences, as we wait for the weather to pass. There aren’t usually too many really major issues in our lives on bad days, unless you consider boredom a major issue. And if that’s all you have to worry about, you’re doing all right! Of course, it can get a little worse when the power goes out (no TV, gasp!), or if we lose heat (an excuse to snuggle up with someone special?!) or our pipes freeze (hey, people in some countries don’t shower for days…), but usually it’s just a matter of time before things are back to normal and we’re right back into our crazy lifestyles. Come to think of it, maybe bad weather is a good thing once in a while, just to slow us down and help us realize how good we have it 99% of the time.
In the natural world, bad weather is a whole different situation – it can run the gamut from slight nuisance to life-threatening for all the creatures that are out in the elements every day. Out on a recent JTX snowshoe tour, our group encountered a small animal moving around just under the surface of the snow. We could follow his path because he was pushing the surface of the snow up as he traveled underneath, a little moving hump of snow that we all watched with fascination. Every so often, the little gray, furry rodent would emerge from the snow, look around, then dive back under and keep on his way. Seeing him out there got us to thinking a few things about animals in the snow:
1. we probably threw his world into a tizzy as our 14 snowshoes clomped about atop his white-covered environment; and
2. now that we know he’s alive/active, how was he living with over a foot of snow on top of his world?
Well, you say, a foot of snow isn’t too hard to deal with…. but this little mole (that’s what we assumed he was) is only 1 ½ inches high, so the snow is 8 times taller than him – that would be like humans dealing with 40 feet of snow! We’d have to tunnel through like he does – wouldn’t that be fun! And we think a bit of slush is inconvenient driving… imagine going everywhere in a solid white tunnel. And for this little guy, the 12 inches of snow is covering up everything he needs to find in order to live. He’s got to deal with all that snow and make his own tunnels while trying to find food just to exist, in addition to finding his way around. And it’s not just him, but every animal that’s out there in the cold – whether it has hoofs, paws or wings, animals that stay active during cold weather have an incredible amount of inconvenience to deal with when Mother Nature unfurls these difficult conditions on the area.
On another snowshoe tour, a teacher was discussing a recent lesson with her young students which identified animals that live in their local (New Jersey) woods. She was
hoping to have some great Jim Thorpe area sightings to relate back to the class, but we weren’t so lucky that day. However, we did see a lot of evidence of animal activity: dozens of tracks across the top of the snow(squirrel, rabbit, bird, mouse) and some down into the snow (deer), some across the snow from tree to tree (squirrel, chipmunk). On other snowshoe hikes, groups have found the above plus wild cat and dog prints in the snow – likely bobcat, fox and maybe coyote. Knowing there is this much life out in the winter woods is refreshing – the woods are not ‘dead’ for the season – but it also brings up the struggles mentioned above. All these animals have to function out there with a foot or more of snow on the ground, which has to be a huge challenge to their survival. There were many spots where we saw evidence of that struggle: squirrels dig down through the snow to try to find food; deer scrape away areas of snow to get at whatever undergrowth they can find, tiny tracks atop the snow made zig-zag patterns with little depressions where the animal stopped to look for something, then eventually returned the same way it came, probably empty-handed. Each set of tracks is a reminder that life doesn’t stop in the winter, and that many other creatures have it far worse than we do when the weather is bad.
Yesterday, a test-hike for a scheduled snowshoe trip reminded me that some conditions are even more difficult for the animals. I strapped on some ‘shoes and started off across a familiar trail, but the conditions made it far from normal (the next day’s trip was postponed). I was actually walking atop the snow on a thick layer of ice that accumulated from our last storm – my 180 pounds were not even breaking through the crust in many places. If I wasn’t breaking through the crunchy barrier, how is a 2-pound squirrel supposed to do so? How long will it take a thin-legged deer to clear an area to forage for scarce underbrush? And how many scars will the jagged ice leave on its legs. Will that mole ever be able to come atop the whiteness, or will he have to stay below until the ice melts? As it does melt, will reach a point when the deer and fox break through on every step, making the most simple task incredibly difficult?
In the past, severe ice storms have contributed to localized population decreases in wild animals – they can’t find enough food and starve, they get injured by the ice and can’t function, they fall and slide down mountainsides which breaks bones or necks – horrible thoughts, but true and purely natural. And even if we look at less severe weather – snow for example – the impact is still huge on the animals that have to endure it: the deer, squirrels, fox, chipmunks, birds, moles etc. They’re fighting for their lives every day that there’s snow on the ground, in ways we can’t even imagine.
So next time you’re mad that you can’t go anywhere due to inclement weather, stay home and enjoy your conveniences while remembering how rough it really is out there for others.
Tom LougherySurrounded by mountains, a river, streams and a lake, the town of Jim Thorpe is a great base from which to adventure into the beauty of nature all year ‘round. While it is famous for its Fall Foliage, plethora of Summer activities and Spring whitewater, it is Winter – the White Season – that offers residents and visitors a chance to get out and see the area in a totally different light. Quite literally…a different light, different perspective, different feeling… however you want to put it, getting out into nature in the Winter is a much different experience than any other season. And one of the best ways to get out there is on Snowshoes.
Once there is about 8 inches of snow on the ground, you have the opportunity to get out and find this new perspective by strapping on a pair of snowshoes and hiking (pretty much) wherever you want to go. Whether you rent them from a local outfitter, take a tour with a guide service, or buy your own set, snowshoes are a ticket to the backcountry like no other. These seemingly clumsy contraptions that you strap onto your boots are a way to see areas that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to visit. In Spring, Summer and Fall, we are somewhat confined to using trails through the woods to get out into nature – in many areas, weeds, saplings, underbrush and rocky terrain make it hard to navigate anywhere else, and leaves on low-hanging branches block your way and your view. In Winter, however, with many weeds and shoots having died, and the lower brushy plants in ‘hibernation mode’, accumulations of 8+ inches of snow will effectively cover most of these impediments, making it possible to snowshoe right over the top of it all, and the leaves are gone from branches which lets you navigate and see much more easily! The more snow that piles up, the bigger of obstacles can be overcome – many you will not even know are underneath the beautiful white blanket. Of course, some you will feel as your snowshoes sink into the softness – you don’t actually get the ‘walk on water’ phenomena, your weight will make you partially sink – but whatever you feel underneath will affect you much less than if you were walking over it in any other season. Properly-sized snowshoes will allow you to stay on top of part of the snow, not sinking down all the way to the ground, and making it easier to hike. If you did not have them, you’d be ‘post-holing’ with your boots – each step would sink to the ground and you’d have to high-step out of the hole to move ahead… a lot of work! Snowshoes spread out your weight across a larger area, compressing snow which helps you float above the ground. The more snow you’re in, the higher you float, but don’t think that it’s all that easy – you still get a good workout. To get even more cardio, you can try running across open areas – that’s fun! It can be a bit challenging to keep the big metal frames from clanking into each other as you dash across the white fluffiness, but if you trip and fall down, so what….it’s into soft snow! Other ways to challenge your abilities include going up and down hills, navigating through snowdrifts, and ‘side-hilling’ across increasingly steep areas. There are techniques for all of these; learning them is part of the fun of the sport.
Getting out into nature atop the snow will allow you to visit many areas that you have seen other times, but see them in a new light. With no leaves on trees, no weeds or crops in the fields, and a background of pure white, everything is different. Some people say everything is dead, but it’s also beautiful in a way. And quiet….. get out to many areas in the woods and it’s so very peaceful. Strangely comforting: although mostly lifeless, the Winter woods offer a feeling of solitude that you just can’t get in any other season. And really the woods are not lifeless: look closely and you’ll see signs of animals continuing their lives regardless of the immense inconvenience that snow means to them. You’ll see deer tracks and sometimes areas where they forage under the snow for plant life, you’ll see rabbit and other small animal tracks, plus holes and tunnels where even smaller animals are navigating through the snow to keep themselves going. If you’re observant enough (and a bit lucky), you may see deer or rabbits moving across the snow – when there are no leaves and a white background, you can see much farther than normal (another bonus of getting out in the Winter). Not so many birds are around in the winter, but the ones you do see will bring unexpected feelings of connectedness – as if you are sharing the otherwise desolate woods with each other. Seeing other animals gives the same feeling, almost as if we’re all out there together; except that they’re not used to seeing us there – they’re scared – and will surely get away as fast as possible, which sometimes makes for a memorable Winter image: wild animals bounding through the deep snow.
When you put all these things together: getting into nature; seeing things in a different season; trying more and more challenges; getting some exercise and going places usually not available; you can understand why snowshoeing is a great Winter activity. Around Jim Thorpe, there are several great areas to practice this fun sport, at the top of the mountains, at the bottom of the valleys between them, and even on (and off) several mountainside trails. The town itself offers resources for the sport: rentals are available from a couple different outfitters; guided tours are also available. Going out by yourself is great fun, yet going with a guide can help you get better at it quicker because you will receive basic instruction and more advanced tips as you go. Guides will also ensure you visit the best places around the area – the best conditions and maybe even some historic highlights, plus you’ll be able to ask questions and learn some local color.
For more info on snowshoeing around Jim Thorpe, the following websites offer information and resources: www.theJTX.com (guide service w/equipment) and www.bikejimthorpe.com (Blue Mtn Sports- rentals). Hope to see you out there soon!
Recreation during Hunting Season
by Tom Loughery
Tour Operator
the Jim Thorpe eXperience
www.theJTX.com
With its mountainous setting, Jim Thorpe is famous for having adventures all around the town – on the river and lakes, on the trails and out in the woods. We’re lucky to have different levels of adventures, too, so people of all abilities can find something they’ll enjoy when they visit. Whether your chosen activity is hiking, biking or kayaking, you can find a spot to do it that will match your ability. People have been coming to the Jim Thorpe area for years just for this reason.
Something that all visitors (and local adventurers, too) need to keep in mind is that we share the land with the original adventurers – the hunters who have been getting out in the woods and on the mountains for hundreds of years. In this area, October 2 to December 11 is the major part of hunting season, which should impact your plans if you’re coming to the area to partake in any outdoor activity. Even though we all need to share the land for most of the year, and there is an attitude in many adventurers that we have just as much right to use public lands whenever we want, it is my opinion that hunting season is a time when we (as non-hunting adventurers) need to concede that the local woods are primarily for the hunters.
As an outdoor lover, it is very hard to say that I am not going to go in the woods between early October and mid-December. And it does not have to be true… there are times I will be out there. However, foremost in my mind is always safety, and it isn’t always safe to be out in the woods during hunting season, so I will definitely think about my adventures a lot more right now. For example, it is just not smart or considerate to plan a long hike or a bike ride through hunting lands on any Saturday for the next 2 months. Saturdays are when 90% of the hunters are out there… why would we want to risk our safety and disturb their activity? It causes disputes between hunters and bikers/hikers, and a few times it ends up in tragedy. None of us wants to be a statistic on hunting safety!
So what do you do in order to get your nature fix? There are several options, and here are some hints to stay safe:
1. Find no-hunting lands that are open to the public, and explore them for a while. Many smaller parks in populated areas do not allow hunting because of the proximity of homes/people, so these parks are available year-round.
2. If you’re coming to Jim Thorpe to do something outside, plan the major activity for a Sunday, when there is no hunting. That’s a pretty easy one.
3. If you are coming for a multi-day adventure, plan some other things on hunting days… for example, on a Saturday you can kayak on the lake/river or bike/walk the Switchback or Lehigh Gorge Trails. (FYI, you may still see some hunters from these trails, as they gain access to remote lands)
4. Remember that ‘Private Property’ does not necessarily mean there won’t be hunters out there. If you see a section of woods that is ‘posted’ or you think is owned privately, that does not mean it won’t be hunted. Often, landowners give special permission to certain hunters to be on their land – best to ask the property owner if any hunters are allowed there.
5. If you have to be out on a hunting day, avoid the times when the hunters are most likely to be out – early mornings are a given, and late afternoons are sometimes popular for people getting out of work. This applies more to weekdays; Saturday is a whole day when it’s just not smart to be out in hunting areas.
6. Another thing to think about is being visible, no matter when/where you are out in the woods over the next couple months. There are signs on public lands saying: “Hunters wear Orange, you should too.” This is good advice. Bright, non-natural colors will stand out and let everyone know you are not a wild animal. Neons, blaze orange, etc…fashion takes a back seat during hunting season!
These hints are just some of my ideas to help visitors enjoy their time in the outdoors in a safe and courteous manner. I know it will stir up resentment among some adventurers who think we all have every right to be wherever we want, whenever we want.
It’s not an argument I wish to make…
I just want people to be safe, and I really don’t want bikers or hikers causing problems with hunters around Jim Thorpe. Hunting is big here… huge, even. It is part of the culture for far longer than mountain biking or anything else…
Getting shot because you’re pedaling through the woods on a popular hunting day, (and maybe dressed in a brown shirt and wearing a white bicycling helmet !@#$*) is definitely not an enjoyable outing…. We’d all like people to remember their time in Jim Thorpe in a positive way, so avoiding conflict or tragedy is an important part of that.
Basically, regardless of your opinion on public lands or user access, hunting as a sport, private property, or sharing the land, we all need to have a realistic attitude about hunting season and implement practices that will help keep us safe while feeding our outdoor passion.
This September is a great time to come visit this area and do something cool outside. Across all of Carbon County, there is a month-long celebration of the outdoors that showcases the fact that there is so much to see and do here. This area is blessed with mountains, lakes, rivers, trails, wilderness, parks, nature centers, golf courses, outfitters, guides (like JTX!) and then all the other stuff that you need AFTER the adventure, like restaurants, B&B/hotel/guesthouses/motel, shopping, historic attractions, etc. Carbon County truly has everything you need to have a great time outside.
Throughout September, there is something going on almost every day, which helps showcase the natural environment and adventures that are available here. Visit www.carboncountychamber.org and click on the circular logo on the left-middle of the page. This takes you to a big PDF file that has the general info PLUS a calendar of events (takes a moment to load). You have to SCROLL DOWN from the picture to the calendar. It’s not the best calendar, but it’s a sampling of what’s available. (Next year, there will be a better website and calendar.)
This month of activities will show you just how much is here, and even if you can’t get here in September, it will give you ideas for next time you DO visit. If you live in the area, it will let you know of a bunch of things that area available right in your backyard.
At 10:30 AM, hosted by the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corrdior the event will celebrate the opening of the new trail between the town of Jim Thorpe and Lehigh Gorge State Park.
Play along with this little game for a minute: clear your mind, and then say out loud the first things that come to your mind when you think of the words ‘Jim Thorpe.’ What did you come up with?
Just thinking about the name Jim Thorpe will conjure up many different images in the minds of many different people.
Point is, there is SO MUCH about Jim Thorpe! So many images that come to mind, so much to see and think about and do – it is truly an amazing place. Wherever you are around the area, there is sure to be some special story – old or new –about the spot, which contributes to the unique character of the whole area. In fact, all of Carbon County and much of the Western Pocono region have stories that relate back to Jim Thorpe & Mauch Chunk. It takes but a quick read through some any number of local history books or maybe even a google search to find interesting factoids about an area you’re exploring. Most parks have booklets that tell some history and interesting lore of the area, and the many historic attractions in the area all tell their stories very well.
Back to the little game at the top of this column…. Whatever you thought of about Jim Thorpe, you’re most likely right! There’s so much here to see and do and learn that whether your image was one that was listed here, or a visualization that came from your unique experience, it is surely an important facet of the story of Jim Thorpe.
Well, the snow is just about gone now, even in the darkest nooks & crannies of the mountainsides around Jim Thorpe, and a great season of exploration is ready to begin. Before Spring blossoms upon us, everyone has a great chance to get out and see more of the area than usual. How’s this? Well, consider that with no leaves on the trees yet, visibility is many times greater than it will be in the summer, when leaves make sightlines very limited. So whether you’re on top of Mt Pisgah or at the bottom of the Lehigh Gorge, you can see farther than at other times of the year (late Autumn offers similar benefits). While the drab appearance of leafless trees might not be the prettiest atmosphere, explorers who want to make the most of the situation can certainly pick up on new things that are otherwise not noticeable. Being able to look farther afield, you may notice animals in the distance, you can pick up the outline of trails along mountainsides or through the woods, and get a better feel for the topography of the land you’re exploring. Caves, streams, rock outcroppings, stands of evergreens, fallen trees and other features stand out more when there are no leaves and less underbrush to camouflage them. It’s almost guaranteed that if you hike or bike a trail that you usually travel in the Summer, you’ll discover something new when you’re on it this Spring.
One thing to be aware of, however, is that Spring hiking and biking can have long-lasting effects on the trails themselves. Especially this year, due to so much late snow melt and lots of rain, the trails will be soggy and therefore quite susceptible to damage by both hikers and bikers. When considering an outing, think of the topography of the area you want to explore: if it’s flat or gently rolling and either wooded or grassy, it will likely be saturated until we get a decent dry spell. It may be best to let this area wait a little before you venture into it. Bike tires and even hiking boots can do more harm to a wet trail than you might think. On the other hand, if you plan to explore a rocky or hilly area – a mountainside for example – the water has likely run off quickly and there will be fewer problems with your boots or your tires doing damage to most of the trail. In the Jim Thorpe area, some trails that may be quite soggy would be the Deer Path and many parts of American Standard (both on the relatively flat top of Broad Mountain), while Mount Pisgah trails (upper Switchback; Wagon Road) or Mauch Chunk Ridge trails (Bob’s Option; Fireline) should have drained better and therefore be less susceptible to damage. Bigger trails like the lower Switchback and Lehigh Gorge trail will likely have lots of puddles, but these trails are large enough that there will usually be a dry line around them.
When you’re out exploring and can see farther than usual, sometimes there is a tendency to pay more attention to what you can see than where you are going. Make sure you balance yourself between the immediate need of getting across the terrain, and observing what’s around: periodic stops to survey the area might be a good idea. When you’re in the Gorge this Spring, being able to see the river and far up the mountainsides is a real bonus. On the Switchback, views of the ridge above and the hillside below are more than we usually get. Atop any of the several scenic viewpoints, there’s more to see on surrounding mountains. And with the weather getting better by the week, Spring time around Jim Thorpe is a great time to get out and see the area.
For those who don’t know the Western Poconos that well, the Jim Thorpe eXperience (JTX) offers guided adventure tours on the aforementioned trails and others. Visit www.theJTX.com for more information.
