Larry A. Smail's Blog

   I had been planning an adventure to the 975 acre Marion Brooks Natural Area for quite some time. (Southeast of Medix Run, Pennsylvania.)This site is very unique to Pennsylvania. The forests of northern Pennsylvania are a typical mixture of oak; hemlock; maple… but this is a special area consisting of many White Birch. Typically this specie is more common farther north as northern New York, etc. I know of a couple of sites locally but not very large with this specie surviving.                                      

Many years ago, my neighbor Bob Bullers showed me a site of many white birch and a clear moving water source where a beaver had built a dam with birch. Native brookies could be viewed in the dammed-up water. It was beautiful. I had hoped my memory and search would find the same place. It wasn’t!

  Several factors were involved with planning this particular day. (October 4) One was Laurie was away visiting her aunt near the Poconos. Another was the timing for the birch should be yellowing at this time and the third reason was words of tropical storm Karen possibly heading into the northeast next week. We could get rainy and windy weather conditions depending on her path.  

I was up at 4:30 A.M. and headin’ northeast  by 5:30.  I arrived on site around 7:40. The forests were wet from yesterday’s evening  rains. The waist-high Bracken ferns were numerous and soaked.  I elected to walk the Losey Road for over a mile when rains began. The weatherman was predicted a good day for the most part. I turned and the rains soon stopped. I made my first mistake of the morning! I decided to enter the woods here and circle around and into the white birch growth. (I altered my plans without much thought.) Second mistake was that I didn’t put the state forest map in my shoulder bag. (I traditionally do not hike off-trail without a topo map and I didn’t have such a map.) The third mistake was that I was so intent on photography that I didn’t watch my surroundings well. I always carry fire-making methods with me; knife and two flashlights just in case! (I took my friend Ruger with me too.) Oh well, I had some lessons that I relearned!

As I was walking about I could hear a roar of either high winds or hard rains. The rains came quick and I perched tight to a large tree, but within moments I was soaked from every hair on my head to the bottom of my feet! The only place that was dry were my arm pits and the waters soon wicked around them too!

I was walking about looking for great photos scenes. I exited the birch area and somehow, after turning left, walked  slightly off my desired course. I would come out about a mile or so north of where I wanted.   I spotted some camps and talked with two utility workers. They said I wasn’t way off but it would be a walk back to get there. They told me to get in and they would drop me off.

Black-phased Timber rattlesnake

The walk proved interesting  for I removed another specie from my “Bucket List.” I was tramping along when I saw a dark-colored snake. A second later I realized I was seeing a black-phased Timber Rattlesnake. I was about four feet from the snake. I began taking a few photos and noticed several young rattlers. I was elated! I touched the adult snake with my walking stick and I heard the rattles too.

Young rattler

Other wildlife species I saw throughout the day were  plenty of deer; a couple of distant elk; two separate flocks of turkeys and several squirrels.

I was a great day despite the couple of mishaps.