The snow is melting in the footsteps of eager hikers, and the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness are enjoying these early season excursions into the wilderness in the spirit of true adventure!
During the Solstice Weekend, three great events hosted by FSPW came to pass. On Saturday, FSPW interns Joe Zimmerman and Caleb Church, along with yours truly, engaged a greatly enthusiastic group in a steady climb up the Spar Peak Trail. During this ‘Evolution and Elevation’ hike, we observed the fascinating adaptions our forests make in response to temperature and moisture changes that accompanying elevation increase across the landscape. During our hike, the group split between “Team Elevation,” those that where itching to summit the Spar Peak “thumb,” and “Team Evolution,” those that wanted more prolonged ecology discussion. At the end of the day, everyone agreed their hike expectations were fulfilled and often exceeded! Thanks, hikers!
On Sunday, Erick and Kate Walker led an eager group of hike participants up the Historic Star Peak Trail to the old Lookout Tower. At the summit, hikers enjoyed a glimpse into the past, present, and future: learning about our history, we are often reminded in our present about possibilities for the future, and so it was here at this culturally significant landscape feature in the Scotchman Peak Wilderness proposal. We are grateful to our Friends, Hikers, and Trail Volunteers whose efforts to preserve such a unique local legacy are making such a positive difference to our current and future generations.
Sunday evening brought even more Friends out to the Bull River Campground Pavilion for our annual Summer Picnic Potluck. BBQ’s are a right of passage into the dog days of July and August, and this summer there is so much enjoyment to be had in our wilderness. Thanks to everyone for their yummy dishes and inspiring company!
We hope to see everyone out at one of the many Fourth of July Celebrations in the coming weekend, contact me if you would like to join us in the parades: a Walk to Work for Wilderness! And don’t forget to clear a little time during our HUGE weekend celebration for the Wilderness Act’s 50th Anniversary the weekend of July 11th-13th, there is something for the whole family during this event-filled weekend. Check it out today!
Until next weekend, Keep Wild, Friends!!
