gorgonzola
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
After four days of isolation in my son’s old room and feeling a lil blue about muffing up our first Christmas with the new granddaughter, I needed to get out and stretch the legs and soothe the soul a bit. I headed for a nearby hike that I’ve passed a hundred times on the bike on the D&L but never done. Objective was to take the AT to the cell towers and loop back via old AT/Blue trail.
Pulled into the lot at Lehigh Gap Nature Center where the Lehigh River bisects the Blue Mountain. It was 5* and the lot was empty, no surprise there - perfect. Sun and southern exposure felt warm as I started to climb.
Seemed like no time until I reached the spring and shelter.
Up to the summit and along the ridge of the Blue Mountain there was just enough snow to squeak which made me smile. A little further on the trail dips onto the North face and got a little slick so I threw on the micro spikes.
View to the North, the Lehigh River below is obscured but the patch in the middle is the zinc mill brownfields, at one time the whole North side of the mountain was barren. I remember passing it as kid this time of year going from the Philly burbs to my grandparents in Watertown and thinking WTF (in 10 yo term of course). Amazing to see it’s regeneration over the years.
I reached the towers and turned back to the Blue trail. View to the south and the valley from which I came.
Being protected from the wind, the return trip along forested south face was beautifully silent with intermittent flurries, only interrupted by the occasional knocking of distant woodpeckers. It didn’t make up for missing my Granddaughters first Christmas but it definitely made me feel better.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
Pulled into the lot at Lehigh Gap Nature Center where the Lehigh River bisects the Blue Mountain. It was 5* and the lot was empty, no surprise there - perfect. Sun and southern exposure felt warm as I started to climb.
Seemed like no time until I reached the spring and shelter.
Up to the summit and along the ridge of the Blue Mountain there was just enough snow to squeak which made me smile. A little further on the trail dips onto the North face and got a little slick so I threw on the micro spikes.
View to the North, the Lehigh River below is obscured but the patch in the middle is the zinc mill brownfields, at one time the whole North side of the mountain was barren. I remember passing it as kid this time of year going from the Philly burbs to my grandparents in Watertown and thinking WTF (in 10 yo term of course). Amazing to see it’s regeneration over the years.
I reached the towers and turned back to the Blue trail. View to the south and the valley from which I came.
Being protected from the wind, the return trip along forested south face was beautifully silent with intermittent flurries, only interrupted by the occasional knocking of distant woodpeckers. It didn’t make up for missing my Granddaughters first Christmas but it definitely made me feel better.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
