It's easy to get depressed about the gas prices, but if you love the outdoors you should really consider the enjoyment of spending time walking, hiking or backpacking. You may be surprised at the opportunities there are for these activities withing 50 miles of your home. Even a $4.00 a gallon you can get there and back for $20 or less if get 20 miles plus per gallon. I just spent more than that to see a movie in a local theater. Get out and enjoy some of the Pennsylvania nature. It's great fun and it won't break the bank.

The PNG (PA Nature Guide) trip to the PA wilds was great. We found some new areas to explore in eastern Elk State Forest. The picture (fawn) you see was taken on a walk about a mile from route 6 in western Potter county. We rounded a bend and there was a doe on the path and she was not ready to leave the area. Snorting and stomping and stepping back to try and draw our attend to her. I immediately suspected a newborn fawn in the area. After some careful searching and walking right by the fawn we discovered it hiding in some ferns and dry leaves. If you have never seen this before, it's quite an experience. Nature's camouflage is outstanding. We spent a few minutes taking pictures and there was not a single flinch from the fawn. Even it's eyes did not move. We ended the photo session as soon as possible then vacated the area so the doe could reunite with her little one. She had not gone far and we could hear her calling.

We also spent time in the Quehanna wild area at Red Run road. We did not see any elk. They and the deer do not have to move much this time of the year for food. Birds of special interest that we observed were, Eastern Kingbird (nesting pair), Belted Kingfisher, and Northern "yellow shafted" Flicker. We also saw plenty of tree and barn swallows, a couple pairs of house wrens, blue birds, humingbirds and a nesting pair of Northern Baltimore Oriole's.

In addition to the hikes we took some driving tours. A particularly enjoyable drive was a back road that starts not far from Wrights PA and passes near Keating Summit then on to Gardeau and ends in Sizerville (state park). The history in this area is interesting and includes stories of hidden silver dating early 1800's exploration and travel through the area. The Susquehanna and Sinnemahoning rivers were used to travel to Keating Summit and from that point the water shed feeds the Allegany river system. These rivers in turn provided access to lake Erie and Canadian settlements.

We visited the tomb of Colonel Noah Parker who supposedly was commissioned to find the silver and later settled in the area. A narratitive on the subject written by Francis X. Scully can be found at http://www.coudy.com/Austin/Scully3.htm. The history of old lumber ghost towns such as Gardeau and Sizerville are very engaging and worth the time to investigate if you are at all interested in early Pennsylvania history.

Stay tuned to www. panatureguide.com for new pictures and hiking and touring recommendations.