Kayaking the Cove

Ready to kayak The Cove with VO North? Read more

Spring Peepers Walk

With nets in hand, we walked and “scooped” our way along the shorelines of the ponds and around the wetlands of this beautiful area that is home to the Beaver County Conservation District for our family-friendly Spring Peepers Walk. Joined by guest Susan Boser, water quality educator for the Penn StateExtension/BCCD, we were there to learn about Spring Peepers as well as other residents that are active at the education center at time of year. Read more

Spring Garden Walk

Take a relaxing Sunday morning stroll with VO North and naturalist Ryan Stauffer on the grounds of Succop Conservancy during our Spring Garden Walk on April 15th. As part of this activity, we’ll make our own seed balls. We’ll use clay, compost and native seeds. Read more

Take a Hike with Mike

VO North took to the trails of Moraine State Park on Saturday, March 24 for a Half Day Hike and McConnells Mill on Sunday, March 25 for a Day Trek.  Both activities were led expertly and enthusiastically by Mike Kuzar, a student at Slippery Rock University who is fulfilling his practicum through an internship with VO North. Read more

Going Green

The wearin’ o the green was still going strong as VO North extended its St. Patrick’s Day celebration to Sunday, March 18 with a sold out Bagpipes & Brews Hike. Naturalist Ryan Stauffer was our guest leader on an easy two-mile hike at Jennings Environmental Education Center near Slippery Rock.

Green, of course, was a popular color among our participants and Mother Nature dressed accordingly. The prairie and woodlands of Jennings are greening up for Spring a bit early this year. Of special interest to our group was a writhing ball of green and yellow striped garter snakes just off the Old Field Trail. Very interesting!

Following the hike, we traveled to North Country Brewing Company where general manager Keith Kolarsky led us in an entertaining and informative beer tasting. We learned about the fascinating and “spirited” history of NCB while sipping fan favorites like Northern Lite and Station 33 Firehouse Red and munching on delicious pup pretzels served with yummy cheese sauce and homemade, spicy Black Bear mustard. Read more

Doggie Day Adventure

The Doggie Day Trek at Brush Creek Park in Beaver County on Sunday, March 11, was made even more extra special as Jeanie Barrett, owner of Larry’s Laundromutt, and her canine companions Larry and Sam joined us for a 4-mile hike on a picture-perfect morning. Once the dogs and people had the chance to introduce ourselves and get to know one another, we set off on our Doggie Day adventure.

There were just a few spots of Spring-time color along the trails – patches of wild, deep-green chives and bunches of sunny, yellow coltsfoot were in vivid contrast to the dull leaves of the trail, dim reminders of the Winter that was. The azure sky, warm sunshine and wagging tails of happiness added to the light-heartedness of our group as we set off on the Creekside Trail. We enjoyed a break at the covered bridge, one of the park’s most well-known landmarks.

While the two-legged folks fortified themselves with chocolate treats, our four-legged companions took a rest. Larry tumbled down the bank to the creek’s edge.  His normally black and bright white coat was now more black and muddy brown! Not to worry. As the namesake for Larry’s Laundromutt, it was a sure bet that Larry was going to receive the royal treatment once he got home. Thanks to Jeanie, all our pups received gift cards for a free dog wash and treat bags full of natural, wholesome food and goodies.  Jeanie spoke to us about proper grooming and feeding and also shared her tips for treating dogs naturally for fleas and ticks.

We continued on, crossing the swinging, bouncing bridge to traverse Brush Creek (fun!) and hiked to the open field used by park visitors to fly remote-controlled planes. While no planes were air born, plenty of birds were: a large, red-tailed hawk checked us out while riding the currents in small circles above us, red-winged blackbirds flitted across the field, their beautiful song one of the prettiest harbingers of Spring and a male bluebird flew beside us, perching on a branch very close to our group. Just as one participant asked “what does a bluebird sound like,” the bright blue winged fellow opened his beak and gave us a perfectly-timed solo performance – “cheer, cheer, cheerful, charmer.” Bravo, little bluebird. Bravo!

And, bravo and thank you, to Jeannie Barrett & Larry’s Laundromutt for sponsoring our Doggie Day Treks in VO North!

How Sweet It Is – Maple Syrup Hike

On March 3, participants of the Maple Syrup Hike received a sneak peek of the work involved that makes the Maple Syrup Festival at Brady’s Run Park such a delicious success. Paul Farkas, who has volunteered at the maple camp for over 30 years, led the group through the maple syrup-making process.  At 81-years-young, Paul shared his expertise in an informative and entertaining way!

The 2500-acre park is well known for many reasons, including the fact that it’s the home of the annual Maple Syrup Festival, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary on March 31 and April 1. Over 40,000 guests visit the park over that weekend with the main attraction being pancakes topped with maple syrup that has been tapped from the trees just steps away from the festival.

The process gets underway in early January when approximately 3500 to 4000 maples in the park are tapped. Paul showed us a display of tools used in the early days and led us through to today’s modern advancements in syrup making. Despite the convenience of updated equipment, it’s really Mother Nature who has the final say when it comes to making maple syrup.  We need the combination of nights with temperatures below freezing (clear, cold and in the 20s is preferable) and sunny, warmer days in the 40s to create a bumper crop.

This year’s warmer-than-average Winter has negatively impacted the maple syrup industry nation-wide. When temperatures stop falling below freezing at night, sap stops flowing. With Mother Nature being so uncooperative, our plans to pitch in and work at the camp were downgraded.  With the wind whipping and the wind chill dipping, our trip to Maple Camp was brought to an end with a tasting of warm maple syrup. Some folks took small, dainty tastes while others went for a complete sugar rush and drank it down like water. Either way, everyone agreed that it was the best maple syrup we had ever tasted.

Thanks very much, Paul and the Beaver County Conservation District! Congratulations on 35 years of making maple syrup in Brady’s Run Park. Sweet!

Yoga and Harmony

It’s a perfect match: Yoga and Harmony.

Join VO North and The Center of Harmony for Intro to Yoga on Sunday, March 4th. Our activity begins with an easy walk through the village of Harmony and ends at the historic Harmony Opera House, which has been renovated and reborn as The Center of Harmony.

The Center is a group of collaborating businesses that are focused on preserving the environment, strengthening the community and empowering people to live healthy, happy lives.  “This is a place where positive, forward-thinking and dynamic people come together to thrive and grow,” said Dana Lowers, co-founder and events coordinator. Read more

New Merchant Discount: Free Massage!

Too much paddling in one day? One hill too many on that hike?  Muscle ache and discomfort may sometimes accompany fun in the great outdoors. Thankfully Russ Medical & Sports Massage Clinic is a new merchant partner with Venture Outdoors, and they’re offering our members these “ahhh”-mazing specials: a free 30-minute Orthopedic, Sport, Deep Tissue, Swedish or Relaxation Massage or  an upgrade to a one-hour treatment for $30.

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Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good hike!

‘Twas the week before Christmas, and it sure looked like it! It snowed from beginning to end on our 4-mile hike along the North Country Trail in Beaver County. From big, lazy flakes to fast, furious squalls, the snow was our constant companion as we made our way through PA Gamelands 285 back to the Watt’s Mill Trailhead.

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