A Winter's Path Through the Pines

It never got quite as warm or as sunny as the weather folks predicted, but at the first decent glimpse of sunshine, my husband and I set out on a hike through our local gamelands to get some fresh air and exercise. This snowy path through the pines looked enchanting and green, and I thought you might enjoy seeing it.

I learned some news this past week that caused me concern. There is a proposal under consideration by our Pennsylvania Game Commission, the group that manages the PA gamelands, to require that hikers obtain (free) permits to use the gamelands. Licensed hunters and trappers, of course, would continue to use the gamelands for hunting and trapping activities. The fine print, though, if you read it closely, is that the gamelands would be completely off limits to hikers during the regular hunting seasons, which is to say most of fall and spring, except on Sundays.

Let's suffice it to say that my husband and I are just about floored by this proposal, as we access our local gamelands several times per week. There will be a vote on the proposal in Harrisburg later this month. The underlying issues are public land use and management, and who pays for upkeep. These are complex issues, of course; but of two things I'm certain: 1) these lands are OUR lands (that is, they belong to the people of the Commonwealth), and 2) banning hikers from the gamelands for most of the year is NOT a viable solution!

My husband and I plan to write a letter to the game commission telling them our opinion of the proposal, once we calm down and can find the words to express our indignation. We as hikers wouldn't be allowed to access the gameland that is the chief wild place within walking distance of our home? No more walks in the woods? Say it isn't so!

The soundtrack to this scene . . . My husband and I saw the Eagles live at the Bryce Jordan Center during their Long Road Out of Eden tour on October 22, 2010. They were fantastic; better than ever, in fact. One of the songs they sang was a most excellent a capella rendition of this tune. However, since I'm unable to find a decent video of the Eagles performing the tune online, here is a different group performing a fine cover of it: Lo Van Gorp, Nick Bult, and Ferry Van Leeuwen, performing an a capella rendition of it: No More Walks in the Wood.