The Brodhead Watershed Association will host a Get Outdoors Poconos hike on October 15 to explore the Shuman Point Natural Area on Lake Wallenpaupack near Hawley in Pike County.

Naturalist Carol Hillestad will lead the 3-mile jaunt beginning at 10 a.m. at the Shuman Point parking area.

The moderately difficult hike includes a steep start, with a stretch of rocky footing leading through stands of chestnut oak and low-bush blueberries to a small open flatland at the top.

From here, the blue-blazed trail drops steeply downhill, passing massive, lichen-covered boulders left behind by the most recent glacier, 12,000 years ago.

At the lower elevation, it is wetter and cooler, and neon-hued fungus glowed among the leaf litter. The trail becomes squishy in places, with seeps and moss, and an abundance of hay-scented, ostrich, and interrupted ferns.

Glimpses of the lake gleam through the trees, and side spurs lead to its rocky shore. You might see mallards, a great blue heron, and evidence of humans, too — tall, elaborate rock totems clustered like people at a party.

The 300 acres of the preserve form one of the last undeveloped areas on the lake, and the trail is well used, but more than enough nature to heal, soothe, and cheer the human spirit.

To get to the Shuman Point Natural Area parking lot, take Route 6 to Route 590 West. Follow Route 590 West for about 2.5 miles. The parking lot for Shuman Point Natural Area is on your left, about 100 yards past Crazy Fingers Restaurant.

The hike is free, but registration is required.  Call 570-839-1120 or 570-629-2727; or send email to: info@brodheadwatershed.org. 

For information about this and other hikes in this series, visit the Get Outdoors Poconos webpage. The hikes are administered by the Brodhead Watershed Association and supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.

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10/3/2016