Help Your Favorite Shelter - Just Take a Walk

Do you like to support animal shelters but don't have the time to volunteer or the money to donate?  How about taking a walk?  Check out Wooftrax.  This is a wonderful app.  Add it to your smart phone.  Click settings to set up - you add your name, e-mail address, add dogs, select your rescue by state.  You can even set an auto save for when motion stops.

Then, the next time you walks, select the app.

You can select any combination of the dogs you are walking with.

Click start walking.  It tracks your distance and time.  It can even be used in conjunction with other trackers (I also use Runkeeper).  Stop the app when you are done, and it records for you.  You can use the History button to see the walks you have done.

Want more information about how you are helping, click about.

Yes, there are ads in the app but you don't have to click on them.  SOOO, start walking to benefit your favorite shelter.  They will appreciate it, it will be good for you and those that walk with you (two or four legged).

Lebanon Valley Rail Trail

I took a walk on the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail recently.  I started at the trail head in Cornwall, PA (N 40 degrees, 16.581 minutes by W 76 Degrees, 24.710 minutes).  The parking area is uniquely identified by a barrel under a pavilion:

Abby was very excited to be out for a walk, so getting her to stand still to view the wealth of information provided was a challenge.

I started by crossing the road and heading toward Mount Gretna.  Not long after you cross the road, you come to a restored railroad bridge.

While walking, we saw many Snow Geese flying over - this section is not far from the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area that they like to rest.  Hubby was out hunting them that day and saw many more than we did, but most were just as far away.

We went about a mile and turned around because I just could not get my hands warm.  That could be related to all of the times i took my gloves off to take all of these pictures, because they were warm when we got back to the car, so we walked about two and a half miles the other way.  Abby was okay with the walker and the cows, but she saw her first horse and rider.

This section of the rail trail is especially horse and rider friendly as there is a parallel track for horses for most of the section that we walked.

So it is getting nice - get out there and get moving.  You'll be glad you did.

Conewago Recreation Trail

The Conewago Recreation Trail is a 5 mile rail-trail that is managed by Lancaster County Department of Parks and Recreation.  To get to the beginning:  From Harrisburg, take 283 toward Lancaster and exit at Tollhouse Road.  Turn right.  Go to the red light and turn left.  The parking area is three miles ahead on the left.

This path is mostly level, quite wide and gravel covered. 

It is also recognized by the Audubon of Pennsylvania as a Susquehanna River Birding and Wildlife Trail. 

The trail is marked at approximately every .5 mile (some are missing) and road crossings are clearly marked.  Just across from this crossing is a passage through rocks.

Both sides of the trail are heavily posted for no hunting, but please remember that this is a notice for strangers only.  Landowners could still be hunting their land, as could anybody they give permission to.  So, if it is hunting season, as it was for this walk, make sure you and everyone with you is wearing orange.

This hunter appreciated that we could be seen...

Continue down the path, cross the road and you will see 283 ahead of you - you are about to walk under bridges.  Past the bridges on the left is the Hershey Meadows Watershed Restoration Project.

 The sign for the 2.5 mile mark is a stones throw away from this stop and just before the route 743 crossing.  If the road is busy, you may want to turn back here.  We continued on, expecting to go to the three mile mark.  It was a bit of a surprise to me when we saw 3.5 - the three is currently missing.  It also seemed a good time to turn around as the trees were getting thicker on each side and the ability to see hunters - and them to see us - was limited, so turn we did.  On the way back, we passed a gentleman that had two huskies on a harness and they were pulling him on a wheeled cart.  When we crossed 743 again, we got another good view of Hershey Meadows.

We walked back to the car, pausing to enjoy the stream just before the rock pass.