Robert E Lee Park Walk

I went on a walk today with a friend at the Robert E Lee Park which is north of Baltimore.  I walked there before with a hiking meetup group a few years ago.  That time it was just following a group with someone who knew the trails well. This time I did my best to follow the trails stayed on the path but there were a few places where the path crossed with another or veered off in to some direction.  I used my walking app that maps where I walk with GPS and was able to see where we were going and where we needed to be. So we made a big loop but not exactly the trail that we were aiming for.  

 The first critter we saw was a snake as you see it on the bridge stone.  Of course when my friend went to get a closer picture she scared the snake and it slithered off. The park is dog friendly so in a lot of mud spots of the path we saw paw prints from dogs.  Other tracks are people's shoes and bike tires. Sometimes I saw deer prints in the mud patches. We even saw a deer off in the woods but it ran off out of sight. The last picture was an attempt to catch a frog in action. It was a teeny tiny frog.  It was so small I was amazed I even caught sight of it in the first place it is pretty well camouflaged. It was about the size of my thumb nail. To find it in the picture look on the stick, just to the right of the light. It kept hopping away from one side of the path to the other.

In all we did 4 miles of walking. It was hot out so afterward we made sure to get something to drink to rehydrate. It was good to walk get fresh air while exploring the trails.  Robert E. Lee Park is just up the road from where I live, so it was good to see try the local trails. Find a local park near you to explore, Meet Me Outdoors

 

Animals at Night

Tonight as I was walking from my car to my house I saw five deer. I saw the first one crossing the street, one trotting down the sidewalk away from me and three others a few houses down the road. It got me thinking about other animals I have seen at night when walking from my car to my house over the past month or so.

My first odd animal encounter was maybe a month ago when a fox ran right by me going around my car then up the road.  I watched as it crossed the road to the median then into the brush.  I then heard a squeak from the bush and out ran two foxes and they chased each other down the street.  I have seen one of the foxes since then crossing the street on a later night.

My next animal was with a bunny.  I saw it hop up my driveway and into my backyard a few weeks ago. Another day I saw one hop across the path I was walking to my door. It stopped behind a plant and posed for a picture... Ok, so maybe not posed per se but it did freeze in its position as I took the picture.  One adaptation of rabbits is they stand motionless and hope the predator doesn't see them. They also have coloring that helps them blend in with their surroundings.  (Bonus points go to whoever can find the bunny in the picture.)

In looking for activities to do with my nature class that I teach on the weekends I found something called "fox walking". Fox walking is a barefoot walking technique that helps you focus not on the ground but on your surroundings.  I read that for every deer you see, you likely passed ten others.  I was sure this time to look not just at the first deer I saw tonight, but to see if there were others. Sure enough when I surveyed the area I saw the other four deer.  Look around you next time you are outside and don't let animal encounters go unnoticed, Meet Me Outdoors.

Exploring Chapel Hill, NC

In need of a vacation I decided to travel to a different state and explore one if its small towns.  I ended up going to Chapel Hill, NC which started in partner with the University of Northern Carolina at Chapel Hill.  I spent most of my first day walking around the college campus.  What I like most about the campus is there is a lot of green space.  Unlike the city where almost everywhere you look is concrete, this campus had lots of lawn space and patches of forest among the buildings. 

Can you see all 7 squirrels? Some you can only see their tail.

I came across some interesting finds as I walked and took some pictures.  This first one on the right is one of my favorites.  If you look carefully enough you will see 7 gray squirrels. They blend in well with the patchy green lawn. This blending in with the surroundings is called camouflage.  I didn't notice them at first as I was walking I heard some chewing sounds and when I looked carefully saw all these squirrels munching on acorns.  So I took a picture of the whole bunch and then of the two squirrels nearest to me.  They didn't seem to mind that I was there, but I did keep my distance so I wouldn't disturb their meal.

Dinner time for squirrels.

I also came across some interesting plants along my walk.  Not sure what half of them are but they rather colorful considering it was end of December.   While North Carolina has a warmer climate than where I live now, but not by much.  I still enjoyed looking at the different plant-life and looking for critters that were still out and about. Below are the various plants I saw as I wondered about Chapel Hill.

Now that it is winter time there were lots of bushes with berries on them.  These bright colored berries are to attract birds who eat them.  The pit or seed of the berry dispersed by the birds.   

I guess the birds aren't the only ones who find them to be attractive, because I took many pictures of berries on my walk, not just red but also blue colored ones.  They reminded me of grapes because they are in large bunches but the leaves are not the right shape for grape leaves.  I was not about to taste a unknown berry since you never know if it is poisonous or not, so I saved them for the birds and other animals to enjoy.

Hikes like this one are great to do as a fun exploration around town, but if you want to have a goal or ideas of ways to make the walk more interactive check out the Exploration page.  I made this into a Photo Safari for me.  The Rainbow Hunt is great activity for autumn.  Now that it is winter maybe you can do some tracking in the snow and be an Animal Track Detective.

Next time you travel see if there are some nature spots to explore.  Bundle up and Meet Me Outdoors.

Rock Creek Park of Washington, D.C.

Today I met with some friends at Rock Creek Park for a picnic and some hiking.  It was a cloudy day today and minor drizzles but that didn't keep us from having an adventure.  Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera (and my phone that has a camera ran out of battery) so I don't have any photos to share.

Rock Creek Park as lots of picnic areas and some open space too great for families or a gathering of friends.  At one part along the road, toward where my friends and I were going to eat, I saw a sign with a trivia question and farther down there was a table set up with a couple park rangers with the answer.  As some bicyclers rode by the table they shouted out what they thought the answer was, and the rangers would give a yes or no.  It certainly was entertaining.

There are a lot of trails and different kinds of paths to take, some paved and some not. We took a couple different trails that were shared by bikers and runners, it was also a equestrian (horse) trail at times (we had to look out for horse droppings along the way).  The hike was peaceful, we chatted a bit along the way but we also just wanted to "be one with nature" as they say. 

As we were walking, in my head, I kept track of items I saw that are on the Nature Bingo cards.  I saw horse tracks, fungus, some flowers, insects, a deer, even poison ivy (which I know to avoid) and much more.  There was lots to see on the walk, and I had a fun time exploring in the park. 

I learned there also is a Nature Center at Rock Creek Park that is worth checking out sometime.  We skipped over the Nature Center today, but next time I am in the area I will be sure to see what is there.  I hear they have ranger led programs for all ages and other information and educational resources there. From scavenger hunts to "meet the animals" type presentations, and short guided hikes there are lots of ways to connect with nature. If you are in the Washington, D.C. I'd recommend this as a place to explore.

Whether you want a small encounter with nature or and all out hike in the woods, find a park nearby where you live and go explore.  Come along for an adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

Snow Day 2011

As promised here is the video I created from my snow day here in Baltimore.  On January 27th was the snow storm of the year, dropping about a foot of snow in most parts of the city overnight. The next day was declared a snow day for the city where schools and many businesses were closed.  I walked around catching some of the excitement of the day on camera.

On my walk I came across some squirrel tracks, families sledding, and even some birds hiding in trees. I would not have seen any of it if I had stayed inside all day.  I hope next time you have a snow day you can have just as much fun as I did on mine. I'd love to hear about what you did on your snow day.

So bundle up and have fun! Meet Me Outdoors.

Winter is here... well at least the snow is

I hear the reports that many of the northern states have gotten tons of snow.  Blizzards and flurries alike, winter is here.  There is no escaping it. I know many of you want to try to escape the snow and the cold by going from one door to the next.  Snow can be lots of fun and great to explore.

With a fresh layer of snow you can look for animal tracks.  Think like a detective and find the answers to these three questions: Who do the tracks belong to? What were they doing? and Where did they go?  If you have no tracks to follow, make some of your own tracks and see if a friend can answer the same questions. Depending on where you are you may find deer, squirrel, rabbit, bird, even cat and dog prints.

If you have enough snow you can make a snowman or even a fort, have a snowball fight (keep it friendly).  There are endless possibilities.

These are some pictures of snow that I took and some pictures that have been sent in from others around the country.  Send in your snow pictures! I want to hear about your adventures in the snow.

Snow on Federal Hill, Maryland 12/2010

The first image is of Federal Hill covered with a nice layer of snow but the grass is showing through already.  The second was taken of the green roof on the Maryland Science Center, a green roof is basically a garden on top of a roof.  The other picture was sent in from Cleveland, Ohio as you can see they got more snow in Cleveland than Baltimore. 

Maryland Science Center's green roof blanketed in snow

Don't let a little snow keep you indoors. Bundle up and go outside, enjoy the season! Have an adventure.  You can always go back in to warm up with some hot cocoa.

Come along and Meet Me Outdoors!

Snow in Cleveland, Ohio 12/2010

More photos from Fells Reservation trip

Me on the boulder -  GM 2010

I have been going though the mass of photos taken from my trip to Fells Reservation.  As mentioned in my other post about the trip, the pond was dried up leaving it as a boggy marshland.  The friend I was hiking with insisted we walk along the logs that lead to mini-island in the center of the pond.  There was a boulder that was at the end of the logs and about 20 feet of very wet mud separating us from the island.  I sat on the boulder as my friend attempted to go ahead of me though the mud laying some dead branches down to act as a bridge.  The picture of me on the rock was taken by my friend from the island.  I was about to put my camera away when I was told to look up for the picture.  What I like about this picture is that you can see a waterline on the boulder that shows the level of how deep the pond is usually.

The other picture that I found from that trip was the one of raccoon prints I saw in the mud.  They look like little hand prints.  If you click on the picture you can see it bigger.  There are other interesting animal tracks through the mud you can find in this picture.   What do you see?  What do you think happened here?

Have any of you gone on a hike lately?  I want to hear about your adventures and if you have made any interesting discoveries.  Send me your pictures and tell me your stories, you might just find it here for others to read about.  So what are you waiting for? Come along and Meet Me Outdoors!!