hiking – Tara Kingston

After a long winter during which I sometimes wondered if I were living in a snow globe, spring has erupted all around my home in Northwest Pennsylvania. (I refuse to count the couple of cool days we’ve just experienced, although I have to admit being shocked by the sight of snow on Mother’s Day. That was a first for me, you can be sure of that!) With that glorious weather, the world has gone from a collage of gray and white to a lush green that is truly beautiful. It also seems that the people of the town have emerged, just like the wildlife and foliage that spent the winter patiently waiting to savor a setting that seems that gorgeous payback for all those dreary winter days.

On one of those delightfully warm, sunny spring days, my husband and I ventured out for a hike on a nearby trail that runs along the Allegheny River. The hiking path, a converted railroad track called a rail-trail, has a wonderful sense of history. I walk along the trail, wondering about the people who enjoyed that same view of the river as they steamed into town a century earlier. Were they coming on business or visiting family? What were their joys and sorrows? Their celebrations and their tragedies? I also drink in the colors of the river, the sounds of the birds’ serenade, and the smell of fresh air. There’s so much to appreciate here. Every time I walk that trail, I feel a sense of amazement that I see something new and, in its own way, spectacular.

One of the most spectacular sights along the trail is a bald eagle’s nest, perched on a small island in the river. My husband and I have observed this nest on various occasions, but now, that spring is here, the eagles are out and about, soaring through the sky, perching on the nest, and feeding the eaglets who are now visible in the nest. I’ve seen bald eagles in zoos, but that sterile environment cannot compare to the sight of a bald eagle, wild and free, in its own majestic setting. The photos on today’s blog are ones my husband took on our last walk. Hopefully, throughout the spring and summer, there will be more to come.