First Day Hikes

From a First Day Hike in 2014

The New Year is often about starting things fresh, making commitments, and working on goals. Our family has started out New Year intentionally the last 3 years by taking a First Day Hike on January 1st at a local natural area. It shows our commitment to getting outside this year in different temperatures and sets the mood for a year of getting outside.

In Indiana, many of the area state parks host first day hikes. We can get to about 4 different state parks in just under or over an hour. We’ve been to several places in the past. On a particularly stormy First Day, we chose to go to a nature preserve near our house. While we missed the comradery, group experience, and guided hike with additional learning opportunities, we still were able to have good family time and renewed our commitment to getting outside that year.

Here are past First Year Hikes we have taken:

2013—Pokagon State Park

2014—Pipewort Pond, Lieber Nature Preserve

2015—Potato Creek State Park

2016—Lots of options!  

10:00am Indiana Dunes—Three Dunes Challenge! 1 ½ mile hike ending with a fire and snacks. Meet at the Nature Center.

1:00pm Pokagon—Hike to Lake Lonidaw and back. Less than a mile. Enjoy marshmallows and a campfire near the toboggan run after the hike from 2-3pm. Meet at the Pokagon Inn Lonidaw Lounge.

2:00pm Chain O’Lakes—Take an old fashioned walk to school by walking 4 miles. Expect a 2 hour hike. Meet at the Stanley One Room House. Coffee and hot cocoa are available.

7:00pm Potato Creek—Start your 2016 Bird List by taking an owl walk! The 1 mile hike will take about an hour. Meet at the Nature Center auditorium.

We found the State Park options a great way to visit a nature center, meet others, and enjoy natural areas we visit once in a while. There have also always been snacks, which motivates my kids! There is a $7 entry fee per car for Indiana residents.  If a State Park is not up your alley this year, we have great local options in Elkhart County and nearby areas. Check out my winter or summer guide for places we enjoy visiting in the area.

While we have had unseasonably warm weather so far this winter, expect a dip in temperatures for the New Year. We use layers, warm boots, gloves, hats, etc. Sometimes, we even bring hand warmers.

As we enter 2016, I encourage readers to think about getting outside in the New Year. Perhaps, a First Day Hike fits in your plans. Perhaps, you have another outdoor option in mind. Let us know in the comments how you plan to commit to getting outside in 2016!

Finding Nature While Hunting for Morels

A good friend took me morel hunting the other day. It was a great way to get outside and a tasty treat later. He shared a bag of morels to take home. After frying them up with the boys (see the blog post here), the middle two were very interested in finding more. Since it was later in the day, we just went to our nearby nature stomping place (which my 6-year-old said was his FAVORITE--glad to hear it! It reinforced my thought that we all need a quick, go to nature spot.). It's a preserve, so we weren't looking on keeping the morels, but to see if they were up and if we could actually find them. They blend in so well!

I'll go ahead and tell you we didn't find the morels, but we had a great night exploring! We scanned the ground as we walked. They blend in so well, it's hard to tell they are there sometimes. Once we passed the meadow and entered the woods, we happened upon a dead raccoon rather quickly. It looked like squashed fur, bones, and a tail. Yes, this is really cool to a passel of boys! Aren't you glad we shared this right away?

We had followed a smaller trail around the pond in the woods. It might look like an animal path; however, there was a bench along it, so we felt legit. There are several large trees that are down, which make a perfect place for climbing. In the following pics, it's hard to tell but these are several feet off the ground. They have to bend, twist, grab, and challenge themselves to get in these spots! I love watching them figure it out and then the feeling of triumph as they tackle something challenging. Our children need to learn to negotiate risk and to rise to the challenge of difficult situations. Nature is a perfect spot to do that! 

Easter Nature Walk

It's been good weather to be outside so we took an Easter Nature Walk this weekend. We used a simple printout we found here.  Thanks for the inspiration, Bless this Mess. To see other Easter activities and scavenger hunts we do, check out this recent post of 6+ ideas for a Natural Easter.

First Day Hike 2014

We really enjoyed our First Day Hike last year at Pokagon State Park. However, we were under a winter weather advisory and needed to drive about an hour in possibly inclement weather. Instead, I took the older boys to Lieber Nature Preserve, which is close to our home.

Approaching Fall at Lieber Nature Preserve

We had a little extra time this last week and thought we'd take a stroll at a nature preserve in our area called Lieber Nature Preserve or Pipewort Pond. It is actually one of the reasons I started this blog. When I initially looked for information on this little spot, I only found about a paragraph about it. I asked around the circles, emailed the appropriate people, etc. but didn't find much. Also, as I talked to people who lived within a couple of miles of it, so many didn't know that it existed. So, we started making and recording our own observations!

First off, it looks so different than when we last recorded about it in May on the blog! Some of the grasses and plants were up to our shoulders! It's also less green right now. The fall colors are really popping!

This goldenrod was gorgeous! Many people think this is giving them their allergies; however, it's really the Giant Ragweed which often grows nearby. There is also Staghorn Sumac near the entrance. These leaves are really changing! I've noticed it all around the area right now and the fuzzy branches are soft to touch. I have had several people mention poison sumac recently, wondering if plants like these are poison sumac. From what I understand, poison sumac is very rare and not generally in the area that most of us would be in. Here is an article that sheds a little light on it.

 

Lieber Nature Preserve

I like visiting the same place in different seasons as the experience is so different in each part of the year. Pipewort Pond/Lieber Nature Preserve is close to our house, so it's a quick and easy, favorite place to get out for a short hike or nature exploration. It's actually one of the reasons I started the blog. We loved going to this place, but only found about a little more than a paragraph of information about it on the internet. I e-mailed the provided addresses, but found little useful information. I asked with Elkhart County Parks--they shared a little more information, but not much. I would LOVE a guided hike through the area, though we seem to be learning more about the area as we frequent the place. And . . . I find people who live near an area and are there often have so much to share about places in nature. They watch, they observe, they share experiences, compare and contrast, and look at the same place through the seasons. Here is our report from Winter.

The kids wanted to stay home with dad when I headed out late last week, so I had some time to myself.

I checked out the fuzzy coverings and leaf rebirth of the staghorn sumac.

The grass is green again. While we had a long start to spring, once it decided to hit, it emerged gracefully and quickly.

Other shrubs and trees have buds and are starting to open up.

Young, light green leaves are filling in many of the trees.

Other colors are filling in as well.

Walking down near the pond, I saw a huge bullfrog jump in the water.

The Canada geese were loud, honking back and forth to each other.

Black raspberry canes are getting their leaves. There are lots of these there! We have some in the yard, too. Looking forward to a better crop this year!

Violets were popping up . . .

There were sizable sections of Mayapples.

This was a neat looking snag . . . sculpture at its finest!

Garlic Mustard appears in nature preserves as well. It is getting taller and even flowering in some areas nearby.

I am curious as to what is going on with this tree. A few were removed since our winter jaunts. I need to stop by when I see one of the work trucks out at the preserve and ask a few questions.

Trees are filling in more and more with leaves. I look forward to seeing more upcoming changes!

Winter Tracks at Pipewort Pond

We had a little time before dinner and I was itching to get outside . . . the boys had already gone sledding near the house, but I wanted a good walk in the snow! I admit fully that I tried bribery with one boy to go--I think technology was involved. However, once we arrived, there was no need for cajoling. They were engrossed!

This isn't too far from our house, so if we need a quick nature fix, we usually come over to Pipewort Pond. I usually call it Lieber Nature Preserve, but there is a pond there as well. It was great to see the trails well used!

The boys immediately started playing with the snow. It took a long time to go a short distance as they kept stopping to make snowballs. One hit me in the noggin!

It was really neat to see the animals paths and tracks. We could see paths in the brush previously, but the visual path made by the tracks was something else!

As we found different prints, the three-year-old was pretty impressed by his handprint. I guess I do like holding it! :-) I find that if I hold his hand on hikes that we go much faster. It's not always as fast as I'd like but faster than if I let someone linger behind.

The boys checked out the ice at the end of the dock. Glad there was just mud under there.

Can you say snowball/cone?

Snow will not keep this one from climbing trees!

We found some wildflowers.

While my oldest (8) has always been more of a trailblazer, I've noticed he wants more freedom recently. I let him stay just close enough for me to see him, but he tried different paths, took shortcuts, stalked us, etc.

We found an oak tree still holding on tight to the leaves.

Just like the younger boy liked seeing his hand print, it is kind of neat to see our own tracks. My boots have flowers on the bottom. Someone that has been hiking out here has very large feet. I have fairly large feet, yet mine were small compared to these LL Bean tracks. It was also neat to see cross country skiing tracks.

This boy kept hiding from us . . . he was looking for places that animals might rest or hide.

Another great day! Even better when we made it home and my hubby had dinner almost done!

Nature's Playground

Scat . . . it's what it's all about! After hearing of the tragic events in Connecticut this afternoon and realizing we had great weather, I decided to take my boys out for a hike. As my preschool aged son started lagging behind, I encouraged him with the thought of finding some scat. Certainly enough, we did, but I think it was from dogs walking the area. Later his older brother found this scat we had to capture on digital pixels! Lesson learned--looking for scat can give me more hiking time! Let's go find some scat!

There were so many interesting textures out today. We took advantage of the warmer weather and died back plants (read--not as much poison ivy!!) and did a little bushwhacking. The snow added another lovely sensory element to our exploration time.

Seriously, nature's jungle gym! There are several areas with large downed trees that are perfect for climbing on. The boys find holes and see plants growing on the trees. I've been hearing more about sensory play for children . . . we experienced so many textures, sights, colors, sounds in our hike!

We also found animal tracks!

And animal remains . . . they thought it interesting that there was still fur by the hoof. We actually took a hike out here last January on a nice day and found a dead deer as well. This isn't the same one; however, we did find the other, covered with even more sticks, yet we could find some of the bones.

More textures . . . I always tell one of my boys his eyes are the color of moss (greenish brown). As he found moss today, he asked, "Mom, are my eyes this color?" Aww . . .

More climbing places and gorgeous skies . . .

More hiding places . . . there was litter though. Need to add plastic bags to the great bag my husband just got me so it's easier to pick up litter when we're out.

More textures . . .

We found many fuzzy branches early in our hike, which are most likely from the Staghorn Sumac near the entrance of Lieber Nature Preserve. Did you know you can make tea with it? We might have to try that next year if we find a good source that is not protected. My son still talks about the natural tea he had through the Elkhart County Parks programs.