Take a hike with regional group
The Otzinachson Regional Group of the Sierra Club and the Edward Abbey Hiking Society will hold a number of hikes throughout the region in the fall.
They are open to the public, but hikers must contact the hike leader prior to the event. Participants are advised to bring lunch and water on every hike.
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Hikes will be held:
Today and Oct. 14 - R.B. Winter State Park, Union County, 10 miles, moderate to strenuous. Meet at the parking lot at the breast of the dam along Route 192 at 8:30 a.m. Leader: Joe Rebar, 259-0134.
Oct. 20 - Rider Park and Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County, 10 miles, strenuous. Hikers looking for an easy-to-moderate hike can exit the hike after 2.5 or 3.5 miles. At Rider Park, we will walk the Katy Jane, Francis X. Kennedy and Cheryl's Trails onto adjoining trails on the Loyalsock State Forest before returning to Rider Park. Meet at the large pull-out on Warrensville Road next to Loyalsock Creek just beyond the Interstate 180 overpass over Warrensville Road at 8:30 a.m. or at 8:45 a.m. at the Rider Park parking lot 1.6 miles up Calebs Creek Road. The entire hike should take between five to six hours. Leader: Tom Schmick, 435-5539.
Oct. 21 - 1,000 Steps: Standing Stone Trail Hike, Huntingdon County, nine miles, strenuous. A great scenic hike with views and much historical interest, ending with the descent down the 1,000 Steps near Mt. Union. The steps were created for quarry workers who had to climb and descend Jack's Mountain every day. Meet at 9 a.m. at the K-Mart parking lot on Route 15 in Shamokin Dam or 10:30 a.m. at the 1,000 Steps parking area on Route 522 between Mt. Union and Mapleton. Leader: Paul Shaw, 717-215-8339 or pshaw@ptd.net.
Oct. 27 - Golden Eagle Trail, Lycoming County, nine miles, moderate to strenuous. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Sovereign Bank parking lot, Southern Avenue between Market and Hastings streets (Route 15) in South Williamsport or at the trail parking lot along Route 414 at 9 a.m. Leader: Roy Fontaine, 220-4707.
Guide to discuss fall trout fishing
Don Daughenbaugh, noted fishing guide, author and fly tyer, will discuss "Trout Fishing In The Fall" at the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited's regular monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church of Williamsport, 102 E. Third St. The meeting is open to the public.
Attendees should use the rear entrance. For more information, call David Craig at 971-4744.
Forest center to hold open house
WATERVILLE - The Tiadaghton State Forest Management Center will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, in conjunction with the Waterville Apple Butter festival.
Light refreshments will be served from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rangers will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The center's normal hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Family fun day scheduled
MILLERSBURG - The Ned Smith Center for Nature & Art will hold a Fall Family Fun Day on Saturday.
The annual event is designed to increase awareness of the natural world with many activities for children and families. See live animal presentations, get your face painted, visit the pumpkin patch, create a fall decoration at the Art Creation Station, try your skills with a round of pumpkin bowling or stroll across the Wiconisco Creek on the footbridge.
For more information, call 717-692-3699.
Learn how to avoid outdoor hazards
BERWICK - Learn how to prepare to avoid survival situations from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at PPL's Susquehanna Riverlands.
Avid outdoorsman Fred Gast will explain the hazards that can put someone in an outdoor survival situation. Knowing what might happen can help you prepare to avoid situations that might test your survival skills.
Meet at the PPL Susquehanna Energy Information Center. For more information, call 1-866-832-3312 or email pplpreserves@pplweb.com. For directions, visit www.pplpreserves.com, click on "Susquehanna Riverlands," then select "Contact Us and Directions."
Stroll amid the mushrooms at Montour Preserve
WASHINGTONVILLE - Learn about a wide variety of mushrooms at PPL's Montour Preserve from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Bill Russell, author of "Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic," will help unravel the often confusing world of mushroom identification. After an indoor slide show on Pennsylvania mushrooms, attendees will head outside to look for ones growing at the preserve.
Meet at the PPL Montour Preserve Environmental Education Center. For directions, visit www.pplpreserves.com and click on "Montour." For more information, contact the preserve at 437-3131 or jdbeam@pplweb.com.
Annual harvest festival planned
PENNS CREEK - Shade Mountain Winery's annual Harvest Festival will be held Saturday and next Sunday at the winery, 16140 Route 104.
On Oct. 13, T & D's Cats of the World will be on hand with a display. Grape stomping will be held in a handmade vat at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., food vendors will be set up and The Pepper Street Band will perform outside from 3:30 to 6 p.m., weather permitting.
On Oct. 14, carriage rides through the vineyards will be held from noon until 4 p.m. and guided tours of the facility by the winemakers will be offered at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
The vintner's pig roast and special bean soup available for a fee.
For more information, call 837-3644.
Take a fall foliage hike at Riverlands
BERWICK - Enjoy the beauty of fall at PPL's Council Cup from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 14.
Join Riverlands program assistant Joshua Miller for a scenic walk along Council Cup. Participants will identify trees and wildflowers.
Meet at the PPL Susquehanna Energy Information Center to carpool to Council Cup.
For more information, call 1-866-832-3312 or email pplpreserves@pplweb.com. For directions, visit www.pplpreserves.com, click on "Susquehanna Riverlands," then select "Contact Us and Directions."
Ramble through the woods
The Slate Run Ramble will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 14. The 10-mile hike is open to the public and will begin at the Clark Farm/Utceter Station Parking Area located between the villages of Cammal and Slate Run on Route 414.
Hikers will travel on and near the Golden Eagle Trail near Slate Run. The hike, considered strenuous, will be led by local naturalist and historian Bob Webber and will take five to eight hours to complete. Bring water, sturdy footwear and lunch. Well-behaved, sociable dogs are welcome.
For more information, call Ben Sands at 753-5409 or visit the Tiadaghton State Forest Facebook page.
Learn about photography at Audubon meeting
Montgomery County birds Paul and Anita Guris will discuss photography at the Oct. 24 meeting of the Lycoming Audubon Society.
The presentation, titled "Reflections on Our First Year (or so) in Bird Photography: Going from Photography Illiterate to Semi-literate," will explore the Guris photographic journey when they purchased their first digital single-lens reflex cameras in October 2009. They will review photography basics, explains what people can and can't expect when starting out, discuss modern gear and show what can be accomplished by beginners using consumer-level equipment if they're willing to put forth a little bit of effort.
The free public program will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Lowry Room at the James V. Brown Library.
For more information, visit www.lycoming.org/audubon.
Trout Unlimited chapter plans annual banquet
LOGANTON - The Lloyd Wilson Chapter No. 224 of Trout Unlimited will hold its annual family banquet at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Southern Clinton County Sportsmen's Association Clubhouse.
The menu is a family-style ham and turkey dinner. The guest speaker will be John Arway, executive director of the state Fish and Boat Commission. Door prizes and a raffle will be held. A fee applies.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, call Bill Bailey at 748-6120.
Club offers free snowmobile course
HANEYVILLE - Registrations are being accepted now for a free snowmobile safety course planned for Nov. 17 at the Hyner Mountain Snowmobile Club lodge, along Route 44, about six miles north of here in Clinton County.
State law requires that children ages 10 to 15 earn a safety certificate before lawfully operating a snowmobile, except upon lands owned or leased by their parents or legal guardians.
The goal of the course, which was developed by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is to develop safe attitudes in all Keystone State snowmobilers. Student manuals and workbooks will illustrate the sport's basic principles and safety concepts. Course content will cover winter clothing, machine safety and snowmobile laws and regulations. Class participants qualify for a certificate by completing their workbooks and achieving a score of 80 percent or better on the final examination.
Course instructors will be Henry Hartman, of Hanover, and Harrison Langley Jr., of Palmyra.
Parents must accompany their children to registration so required forms may be completed. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Class starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. The club will provide lunch.
Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 30 students. Registration priority will be given to those between the ages of 10 to 15.
Students who register in advance will be guaranteed a seat until 8 a.m. Walk-in students, including adults, only will be accepted if the class is not completely filled or if the registered students do not arrive by 8.
To register, contact Louise Davidson at 368-2288 or tomkat1952@verizon.net.
Outdoor events sought
Do you have a meeting or outdoor event you'd like to publicize in the Sun-Gazette?
Announcements must be submitted at least three weeks prior to the date of the event, preferably earlier.
Information and news releases may be:
Mailed to Outdoor editor, Williamsport Sun-Gazette, 252 W. Fourth St., Williamsport PA 17701
Emailed to outdoors@sungazette.com
Dropped off at the Sun-Gazette office, 252 W. Fourth St., Williamsport
Submitted through the Outdoor section of the Virtual Newsroom on the paper's website, www.sungazette.com.
All submissions must contain the name, telephone number and, if available, email address of a contact person.
Photographs by area residents of trophy fish or game animals or other interesting outdoor occurrences also will be considered. Digital photos may be sent by email.
Hard-copy glossy prints, negatives or slides may be dropped off or mailed. Polaroid prints typically cannot be reprinted in the newspaper.
Only photos sent with a stamped, self-addressed envelope will be returned.
Announcements published in the "Outdoor Briefs" section will print in chronological order as space permits.
The Outdoors section is published weekly on Sundays, but it goes to print early on Wednesday mornings.
Therefore, all information for publication on any given Sunday must be submitted by noon on the Monday prior.
For more help, call 326-1551, ext. 3116.
