Hawk Mountain

On Saturday, Scott and I announced to the kids that we were going hiking. Groans ensued. Grumpiness abounded. Whines surrounded me. Too bad, it was my birthday weekend, and I was picking the afternoon's activity. Off we went.

We packed into the car around noon and traveled north to a spot just east of Allentown, Hawk Mountain. Scott and I were there once before, and we knew the kids would love it. Love it they did. Within 10 minutes of being on the trails, Alex was exclaiming he could not believe he didn't want to come. Tyler reassured us that we could return any time. I was ecstatic. We hiked to both the South and North Lookouts, and along the way the boys were enthralled with the varieties of mushrooms and insects they found. At the lookouts, I was pleased to spot a kestrel and lots of turkey vultures. Sharing memories of my days working at environmental education centers handling owls, hawks and eagles was fun. The impatience of little boys precluded me from seeing too many raptors, but three hours in the woods on the mountain after living in a desert for almost a year, was spectacular.

Kids on the lookout.


The view.


The trail.


Mushrooms everywhere! Green ones...



Black ones...


Tan ones...


Orange ones...


Brown ones...


Red ones...


Purple ones?!? My favorite color in a mushroom! Who knew mushrooms could be purple?


Mushroom eating fruit flies? Maybe they should be fungus flies...


Alex's find of the day, a walking stick bug. Very cool!

We are all looking forward to returning to Hawk Mountain during the Fall to witness the peak of the raptor migration and the changing leaves. If you are in the vicinity, we highly recommend it!