Yesterday, I met with a small group of students and caretakers to lead them on a simple discovery hike through the woods in Racoon Creek State Park on the Mineral Springs Loop Trail! I love field trips and experiences where kids can touch the Earth and learn about the things all around them. Overall, I allotted about 2 hours for the hike with the intention of stopping along the way to catalogue our finds and it did take us about that long. If hiked straight through, it is said to take about 45 minutes. Large parts of the trail were muddy as it follows along the creek bed and also leads up to the springs. Make sure to bring a change of shoes! Below is the path that you walk up to get to the natural springs!
Here is the address: 3000 PA-18, Hookstown, PA 15050 (This takes you to the main park office, but the trail head is immediately to your left as soon as you enter the park.)
One of my passions has always been plant medicine and edible foraging. It was so cool to be able to share my knowledge with a group of students so eager to learn about it! Below is a cluster of Crepidotus Mollis Fungus mixed with Sphagnum Moss.
Before we began our hike, I gave them all nature journals to begin and showed them how to set up the first page. We also talked about the power of observation and how we can use our 5 Senses in the woods to make observations (and of course stressed the fact that we would not be using the TASTE sense while in the woods without a seasoned professional). Below is a colony of Golden Scalycap (or Pholiota Aurivella) growing in the knot of this tree.
I provided field guides for moss, lichen, mushrooms, fungi, and native plants and we all worked together to identify the various things we came across. As we identified certain things, I was able to share the medicinal value of the plants and mushrooms, as well as talk about their symbiotic relationship with the other things around them. Below you can see a large cluster of Liverwort Lichen!
About half way through the hike, we came upon the Mineral Springs which are rich in iron and also history! Back in the 1800’s the site used to be home to a naturalist resort where patrons would come to seek healing in the supposed magical powers of the mineral water for a variety of ailments. We also passed the ruins of the old entrance to the resort before heading back to the parking lot via the Upland Trail. Below is a colony of beech blight Aphids or Wooly Alder Aphids that we found on a section of the upland trail on our way back to the parking area.
If you are ever looking for things to do with kids in Beaver County, I highly recommend the Mineral Springs Loop Trail! Below is a Wooly Bear Caterpillar that is not poisonous, but can actually be helpful for predicting the winter!
Above are Wooly Bear Caterpillars that are not poisonous, but can actually be helpful for predicting the winter! Welcome to fall in Southwestern Pennsylvania!
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