Cathedral Trail & Kreibel Way

Two Shady Trails were appropriate for Saturday, June 1, a very hot and humid day.   Perry was working in the farm despite the heat and told us about the raised beds, cover crops, and so forth.   Maggie took group photos on Cathedral Trail and Kreibel Way.   This fuzzy seed pod was interesting.  We need to ask Jane what plant produced it.

Cathedral Trail

Kreibel Way

mystery seed pod

Sharp's Run in April

Sharp's run goes under Medford Leas Way.
When it floods, the gate is closed. 

The trail goes between these "trees" which are actually
branches of the fallen tree which is on the ground to  the left

The trail group maintains plank bridges on Medford Leas trails.

Steps were added by trail group volunteers.

Two culverts carry Sharp's Run under the railroad embankment

There were white, purple and lavender violets

Spring Cress

Ralph's photo of the Spring Cress is better.

Test Drive - Cathedral Trail

I'ts a long story; this is the short version, followed by photos. 

Sally, who uses an electric wheelchair, asked for a Nature Walk for people like herself, one where scooters and wheelchairs could be used. Okay.  So o I scouted the route on  Wednesday, March 28.  My planned route would avoid the  two trees that were so close together that a scooter cannot  pass.    I took  photos, some of them are shown below.

 Having planned a workable route,  I was confident that today's test drive would go well.   It did start well.  Up the macadam path, past the sculptures and the bat house.  The cherry trees were no longer in full bloom but the tea crab apples were.   Cathedral Trail was great.  But then, somehow, we were at  the two trees too close together.  Oh oh!, I did something wrong! Okay, we'll just cut across the grass toward the road.  Everything was going well -- until -- I had the bright idea of taking a photo of Sally up close to the beehives.   Very bad idea.   No problem getting there, but... after the photo shoot  the wheelchair was stuck. Really stuck.  It had sunk down into the pine needles and the wheels would spin like a car stuck on snow.   After about 10 minutes of struggle -- trying to lift, trying to put sticks under the wheels to get traction,  Sally was ready to call for help.  But not me.   Sally patiently waited while I continued to try one thing and then another (here's where the story could very get long).  Finally reason prevailed -- at least one of us was reasonable.  Sally phoned the desk, explained our situation and location, and within  a few minutes Wolosin and his sidekick were there.  Jim picked up the extremely heavy wheelchair; he moved it around and we were free!  I should have taken pictures of that .   It was HEAVY!    


Fearlessly (or foolishly),  I intend to revisit the route.  Plan it again and have another test drive, this time with a resident driving a scooter. Sally thinks I should also bring along a strong man who can lift. 

March 28, Macadam path to Rushmore

April 2, beehives at the edge of the lawn and brilliant tea crabapple in full bloom, far right 

March 28, same crab apples trees, just starting 

March 28 - statue in front of cherry trees

 =

March 28, cherry trees in full bloom,  April 2 they were past bloom

The bat house, March 28

Three Graces, March 28, 2012

Original color - 2002

Interesting Carved log

March 28 -- near the eastern entrance to Cathedral Trail

April 2, Sally driving on Cathedral Trail 

March 28, Cathedral Trail 

April 2, Trees too close - We're in the wrong place

Sally up close to the hives -- after that she was stuck and there was no more picture taking. 

Orange Trail

There were seven of us and the weather was perfect – sunny skies and a comfortable temperature.  We measured some big trees – two oak, two beech, and the “Rancocas Tree” – the tree that Hurricane Irene took down last summer.   “Big Trees” and “Rancocas Tree” are ongoing topics, discussed in the links provided.  We checked on the beaver damage at Yellow Trail 7 – another ongoing topic which will be photographed over time.   Ralph Berglund walked on past the end of Trail 7 in order to take these two lovely photographs across the Rancocas.  Earlier in the walk he had taken pictures of the walkers and of herb and Maggie measuring a 34-inch beech.

Two geese stand at the point where Sandy Run enters Rancocas Creek

The reflected trees are at Camp Dark Waters

l to r:  Maggie (hidden), John, Judy, Herb, Barbara, Vince

Maggie and Herb measure a big beech

March6-CleanupDay

March 6 was cleanup day.   I took my camera.   First is  a series of photos of the cleanup workers, both staff and residents.   Next, a photo of the "dog lady"  walking her six dogs.  I found out that she's from the  Puppies and More Rescue in Marlton.  She has adopted six dogs, and she fosters dogs that are waiting for adoption.   In the last two weeks the shelter has placed about 20 dogs.  They receive quite a few dogs from Ohio which does not have any no-kill shelters.  This week they've been receiving dogs from Kansas where there have been some terrible tornadoes.   Then I went to The Island and took some photos of emerging Skunk Cabbage.  I'd seen photos of the the spadix of flowers inside the spathe, but this is the first time I'd looked inside the spathes to see the spadices.    Walking back  through the berm I saw Craig Gower dumping the trash into the Waste Management dumpster.  He uses a back hoe to pick up the trash from the wind-protected cinder-block  "cage"  (my word), where trash is placed by maintenance crews.   Craig has worked at Medford Leas for 30 years.  He collects trash from Bridlington, Rushmore, and Lumberton Community Center; Kevin Crain collects trash from the courts.

Bill Conte and Bob Costigan

Ila Jane and Ruth

Holger

John

Herb Minkus

Dog lady -- and six dogs 

Skunk cabbage --

Craig Gower moving trash -

Irene Trail 16

About 10 o'clock the Trails/Woodlands Group disbanded.  Maggie then started an inspection of Trails 16 and the RR trail, the 2 trails that she monitors.  On trail 16, not far from the entrance near the tennis courts, the trail was blocked by a fallen tree covered with vines.

After the tree was "untied"  (the vines removed) as much as possible, the 2nd photo was taken, with the lopper hanging on the base of the vine where it was too thick to cut.  Enlarge the photo to see the vine and the place where it was cut - just left of the capital C in "Cut."

It turned out that the tree was not dead.  The small branches of the tree that were thin enough and near enough to be cut were removed after the photo of the untied tree was taken.

It's now an attractive gate to Trail 16 from the tennis court entrance.  I hope it remains.

my beautiful "Japanese Gate" (now removed) click the pic to see it large

Irene - Sweating the Small Stuff

Residents clear the paths as much as they can. Enlarge and look closely at the 1st photo and you can see John H sawing this fallen tree.  John C. is holding the end with branches so it won't drop abruptly.   After the tree had been cut, John C. put the top of the tree to one side and Carol, John H., and Maggie pivoted the heavy base of the tree so that it lay along side the path, not across.

There were many places on the trails where fallen trees would have to be removed by landscaping. Click photos to see them big. 

Irene - Bridge across Sandy Run

A "bridge" across Sandy Run had been dislodged.  "Bridge" is in quotes because the bridges that the trails committee maintains are planks, chained to the ground so they won't float away in floods.   In order to relocate the bridge the working group approached the run from different directions.  John C. and Ruth were on one side of the run.  Maggie, Carol, and John H. were on the other.   As it turned out the water level was much lower than it had been when John made his observations the day before and it was not difficult to step across the run.    In the 1st photo the photographer is on one side of the run while John C. and Ruth are on the other side, discussing strategy for shifting the plank -- which is heavy.  The 2nd photo shows John H. crossing the dislodged plank and Carol in the foreground. The 3nd photo shows the plank back in place. Click photos to see them large.