Outdoors calendar
Submit items one week in advance for the Outdoors Calendar, a weekly listing of hiking, mountain biking, paddling, running and other activities in Western North Carolina. Bike Trail Ohiopyle Pa
Philadelphia, birthplace of the United States, is a study in diversity. Known as the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia is home to the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the beloved Phillies, Eagles, 76ers, and world famous cheese steaks. It’s also the focal point for some of the best mountain biking on the East Coast. Within a 75-mile radius of Philadelphia, …
Words cannot adequately describe the experiences you will have spending a week at The Everglades National Park. You are definitely strangers in a strange land: a very fragile ecosystem for all of Southern Florida and the entire nation. The Everglades has two seasons: wet and dry. This is the dry season, until May or June.
Camp at Lone Pine. The pinelands region is an important ecosystem in the everglades, being the home to many different animals: panthers, bobcats, deer, black bear, raccoons, alligators, and an assortment of snakes, etc. These animals like their privacy. Even though you might not see many during your stay, they most probably were looking at you. What you will see is an abundance of alligators doing what they do best during the day: working on their sun tan. They feed at night and will eat almost anything that moves. Go to one trail at night to see them in action and you will not be disappointed.
One day we actually saw an alligator running through the campgrounds. He/she spotted a dog hanging out the window of a van. The gator, who can reach speeds of thirty-five mph, made a beeline for the dog and hid behind a tree, less than six feet from the van. Luckily for the dog, the owner did not take it for a walk. A week before there was a major confrontation between a twenty-foot Burmese python, an exotic species brought into the park by tourists, and an alligator. The gator had the python’s head in his mouth, while the snake had his coils around the gator. The gator went to the bottom of the pond for twenty-five minutes at a crack to drown the snake. This went on for over twenty-four hours. Turned out to be a stalemate. The male and female pythons have located each other and are raising families (another major problem facing the Park ecosystem). The government is n ow making a major effort to rid the park of the pythons.
Slash pines grow to sixty feet in height with an undergrowth of saw palmetto and sabal (cabbage) palm. Every seven years or so, the undergrowth must be set afire to allow new growth to take place and to avoid allowing the hardwood forest to overtake the unique pine land forest. Among the pine forest are hardwood hammocks, the home of gumbo limbo trees, live oaks, tamarind trees. Many varieties of tree snails, having immigrated from Cuba centuries ago make their homes on these trees, eating the lichen. They come in many different color combinations, besides all white or black. They were prized by collectors in the past and were almost eradicated.
Throughout the Pine lands, are many miles of hiking and biking trails; mostly old logging roads from before the 1940s. The best way to see the area is with a Park Ranger. Even though you might go on the same trail more than once, you see something different each trip and learn more about the various birds, plants and animals.
Thirty-four miles south is Florida Bay and Flamingo Campgrounds. This is the area of the mangrove tree forests and the tropical saltwater ecosystem. Mangroves remind me of the Ents in “The Lord of the Rings” and the pods from “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” They grow standing on their root systems which allows the tides to wash under them. They provide a haven for the small aquatic life from the larger predators. For a long time people thought they were useless, but found that their leaves, when decomposing, provide nourishment for the fish. One thousand pounds of dropped leaves yields over seven thousand pounds of edible fish for human consumption.
Flamingo is the home for many sea birds: pelicans (who fly up to 10,000 feet when migrating), bald eagles, osprey, skimmers, terns, gulls, cormorants, anhingas, hawks, ever present vultures, etcBesides the bird life, there are crocodiles, manatees, and many small rodents and mammals.
There is one downside about Flamingo: INSECTS (TOO MANY MOSQUITOES AND NO-SEE’UMS). Nosee’ums are very small and you do not see them; only feel their bites. The hotter and wetter the weather, the more the insects do their thing: eat and reproduce. The National Park Service offers ranger led canoe trips two and a half hours in length. Take the one on Florida Bay.
The Everglades National Park has so much to offer. The population of wildlife is only about ten percent of what it was thirty years ago. Water management programs have starved the everglades of their needed water and have given it to the ever increasing population of South Florida and to the subsidized sugar cane farmers. These are the primary recipients of the water. The Glades are low on the totem pole. The Everglades are not dead yet, but are very sick. The environmental practices as far north as Orlando have repercussions even to Key West. People definitely need water to survive. But why subsidize the sugar cane industry. It takes more than one thousand gallons of water to grow one pound of sugar. Besides the water usage, they over fertilize the ground, which invites the growth of foreign plants. They also pollute the air with their refineries. You can see the smoke from miles around. Besides killing the Everglades, sugar kills people too. Many rangers feel optimistic about the future, but are still concerned about the priorities of the politicians. Money talks. Who has the money? Developers and corporate agriculture.
There are two other sections to the Everglades. Take The Tamiami Trail West about twenty miles to Shark Valley, another river within the Everglades. Rent a bicycle or take the tram tour around the twenty-three mile loop. At the far end an observation tower gives you a birds-eye view of the park. Watch out for the alligators, who might be sunning themselves on the trail.
Further down in Everglades City is the tour of the 10,000 islands branch of the Everglades. No there are not 10,000 islands; more like 13,000 islands. They are continually built by the mangroves which take root in the shallow waters and grow. The mangrove groves are the nurseries to much of the fish living in the oceans. They are a boon to our ecosystem.
About the Author
John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy. He is retired from the rat race of working. He is a full-time RVer, who ran away from home. He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System. He has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.
Disney’s Magic Kingdom isn’t the only magical place in Florida. America’s Sunshine State offers mountain bikers a fantasyland of off-road trails, and Mountain Bike! Florida will help you discover its most unforgettable rides. Newly revised, this guide provides detailed information on over 80 trails in the Panhandle, the Big Bend area, the Suwannee River area, Jacksonville and Gainesville, Centr…
Summer is slowly turning to fall and the heat and humidity here in New England we complained about for the last 3 or 4 months will soon turn to dry, bitter cold. Heating bills arrive, along with colds and the flu, shovels take the place of rakes, snowthrowers replace lawn mowers. The days of the leisurely barefoot stroll to the mailbox are over. For some of us, winter means hibernation like so many of nature’s creatures. There are those who venture south though. Where the sun is a little higher in the sky, the nightly temperatures don’t drop below 40 and the sky’s are not cloudy all day. With the weather patterns not being favorable to the south and southeast lately, one of the more inviting spots in America is the desert southwest. I had a chance to spend some time in Phoenix, Arizona a few years back and I can honestly say that wintering in Phoenix is high on my list of todo’s. I rode my bicycle year round, never once touched a snow shovel in the entire time I was there, and could usually walk barefoot to my mailbox. And because I stayed active the whole year, I never piled on those “winter poundsâ€. Yes, life was good. With an average yearly temperature of just under 73 degrees, Phoenix enjoys what most of us have only read about. July and August averages top out in the low 90’s. In the dead of winter, while we are scraping windshields before we can drive to work, Phoenicians are enjoying temps in the low 50’s. That’s light jacket weather for those of us closer to the North Pole. The city of Phoenix is situated in a valley in the heart of the Sonoran Desert with the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains to the northeast and the aptly named South Mountain to the south. It’s comfortably nestled in this crib at an elevation of about 1100 feet above sea level. Except for a few local outcroppings, the area is flat as an ironing board and if you climb one of the local mountains, Camelback, Superstition Mountains (love that name!) or Phoenix Mountain for instance, you’re treated to a spectacular view hundreds of miles in every direction. Voted one of the top 10 safest cities by Risk and Insurance Magazine back in 2005 because of the unlikely event of natural disaster, the biggest concern for residents is the summer heat. The locals bask in the glow of the sun’s rays an average of 211 days a year, we might see 90 if we’re lucky. I personally don’t count the day as sunny if you can’t feel the heat. That brings that 90 number way down in my book. Outdoor activities abound in Phoenix. More hiking trails, parks and preserves than you can count. Hundreds of miles of canals make perfect bike paths. Of course you’ll have to share a lane with the runners or even an occasional horse but it’s sheer joy under the fair, blue skies. The only precaution is to make sure you bring water. That’s true for almost any outdoor activity in Phoenix. With the dry climate you may not be aware of how much you’re perspiring and you can quickly dehydrate without realizing it. For those hearty soles who don’t mind traveling a few miles, the Grand Canyon is just North of Phoenix. Daily tours are available for anyone wanting to hike or maybe take a mule ride down into the canyon. You won’t be sorry – anyone who’s been can attest to the spectacular views along the trails or even up top at the rim. There’s even a new attraction called the Grand Canyon Skyway. Dangling precariously over the South Rim, it places those who dare 70 feet out into the canyon. From nearly a mile up, about 4,000 feet, it provides a glimpse of what the falcons and eagles might see as they hunt prey from their lofty heights. For the golf enthusiast, there are over 200 courses to challenge you and many of the PGA and LPGA tournaments are held in Phoenix. If speed is your thing, Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) hosts Indy Car and NASCAR. Of course swimming is high on everyone’s list and there’s no lack of water in Phoenix in spite of its desert location. There are no less than 6 lakes within an hour and a half of the city including Apache Lake, Lake Pleasant, Canyon and Saguaro each offering boating, sailing and fishing. There are more boat owners per capita in Arizona than any of the other 49 states. Professional sports isn’t forgotten in the Valley of the Sun. There are 8 professional teams including the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, the Rattlers and the Suns for baseball, football and basketball fans. Yes, the city of Phoenix has won a place in my heart just as it has of nearly anyone who’s been there. Just ask the approximately 4 million people in the Greater Phoenix area and they’ll echo the praises just as this author has. It’s a little piece of Paradise on earth.
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From the low desert to the high peaks, from rolling midlands to red slickrock, Arizona offers some of the finest, most diverse mountain biking in the world. A year-round riding season and a staggering array of trails make Arizona a destination for mountain bikers from every corner of the globe. The state is also the home and training ground for some of the most accomplished riders you’ll ever meet…
