It’s 2017, the beginning of a new year and new resolutions. It seems fitting that just this week we revised, printed and delivered an updated map for Hopewell Big Woods, with promises of new places to visit and explore for 2017. For those of you that have been following this newsletter for a while you’ll recall that Hopewell Big Woods is 72,000 contiguous acres that surround Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site and French Creek State Park, about an hour west of Philadelphia. Many moons, and quite a few hikes ago, art270 created a map for Natural Lands Trust to identify this Pennsylvania jewel of woodlands, streams and miles of walking paths. When we first sketched the borders of this vast area, my interest was peaked to explore the trails. I resolved to hike the entire 140-mile length of the Horse Shoe Trail which crosses the Big Woods on a meandering route between Valley Forge Park and the Appalachian Trail west of Hershey, PA. I’ve almost completed my adventure with just a few miles left, enjoying every bit of the adventure as the trail zigged and zagged through game lands, small towns, county parks, historic sites, and old and new farm roads. My resolution for 2017 is to finish the trail and look for new paths to follow. I’ve already started to plan to hike the Pennsylvania section of the Appalachian Trail, a trip I started years ago, and return to the Loyalsock Trail that follows the Loyalsock River in northern Pennsylvania, one of the most picturesque trails in the eastern United States.
What new adventures await you in 2017? A walk on the Schuylkill River Trail all the way to Manayunk via Wissahickon Park and Forbidden Drive? A long walk on a beach at least once a week? A strolling, unmapped tour of a city in Europe or the Far East? Or just a plan to get out, walk more often and simply enjoy the fresh air and exercise? Want to compare and share favorite hikes here, there and everywhere? Want to map out your design goals for 2017? Call or write me, 215-885-2756, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. There is nothing I’d like to talk about more than planning for a new adventure in whatever form it takes.
— Carl