Well, we finally had our Berry Mountain hike after canceling once, having no place to park and another winter storm threatening another cancellation.  A few days prior to the hike I checked out the trailhead parking which was under 3 feet of snow.  There were two men there plowing the road, so I batted my big brown eyes explaining my dilemma.  They were wonderful and plowed the parking lot for us.  That just left the threatening weather forecast to deal with.  I said a little prayer and the storm never came.  So the hike was a go!

We had a total of 10 hikers to start, but one missed us at the trailhead, ran, and caught up with us at the top in time to see the beautiful view and take in the surprise that was mentioned on Meet Up.

Once on the mountaintop we took a few moments to discuss hypothermia, a body temperature below 95 degrees F.  The most important thing to know about hypothermia is how to prevent it in the first place. Continue reading →

For  the  January DOC hike we went out onto the Takach property in search of a Great Horned Owl’s nest. (In February the owls are in the nest and will protect their nesting sites aggressively.) The hike leader had found an area where there were promising signs of an owl’s nest. Owl droppings on an old snag used for a lookout were evident as were droppings on a large hemlock with a nest at the top. Feathers were also found at the bottom of the trees. Unfortunately, it snowed the day after finding the site so the group was unable to reach the site due to hazardous footing on a very steep hill. We went looking elsewhere without success. We did create a nesting site by using white paint for the droppings; on the ground, on a snag (dead tree – the lookout) and another tree close by with a nest in it. Scattered pellets and various feathers around the trees put on the final touch.

All was not lost, we learned about the great owl and had the opportunity to dissect owl pellets at the Takach’s. Moles and voles seemed to be the prevalent prey ingested by the owls. Surprisingly, we found a bird skull and a snake skull, and yes, in answer to everyone’s question and observation of the skull, snakes do have tiny little teeth to help ingest prey. Continue reading →

On Jan. 18^th join the DOC and learn about the Great Horned Owl.  Bushwhack the Takach property for signs of the great bird.  Afterwards, try your hand at dissecting STERILIZED owl pellets at the Cornerstone Christian Church.  It is an average paced 2 mile hike on moderate terrain.   Bring water and a snack.  Dress accordingly and wear orange.  Meet at 9:00 am. at the Duncannon Family Health Center.  This hike is limited to 16 hikers and the cost is 6 dollars to cover the cost of the pellets.  Call 834-9216 or email dtakach@duncannonatc.org to register.