DREHERSVILLE — Even in the pitch-black darkness of predawn, the telltale rumble of crossing railroad tracks and the mist rising off the Schuylkill River indicate to visitors they are just minutes away from reaching their destination.
They are winding their way to the top of the Blue Mountain where the visitor center parking lot and hiking trails of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary await them. For visitors living in central Pennsylvania, these trips to participate in a sunrise hike require little effort other than self-discipline and dedication.
For visitors such as Marissa Hipp, however, traveling to Hawk Mountain during the early morning, or late night, hours requires a true commitment. Hipp, who is a resident of western Maryland and is involved with several women’s hiking organizations, drives north for a trip that lasts slightly more than three hours through the night on Interstate 81 to arrive at Hawk Mountain before daylight and get on the trails to view the sunrise.
Hipp usually makes the trip alone, but she knows the rewards of welcoming a new day atop Hawk Mountain are worth more than can be measured. Listening to the excitement in the tone of her voice when talking about her experiences visiting Hawk Mountain during a recent outdoors writers conference in Maryland served as a reminder — not that it was needed — to several writers from Pennsylvania how fortunate they are to live within the shadow of the mountain.
“I can’t wait to return there for the upcoming season,” Hipp said. “There have been so many amazing sights that I’ve seen over the years, and the trail system is well maintained and an attraction onto themselves.”
Although the annual Autumn Hawk Watch at Hawk Mountain opened last week and will remain open until Saturday, Dec. 15, Hipp and other veteran visitors know the best opportunities to see migrating raptors are still 6-8 weeks away. Most visitors who come for the primary purpose of seeing and photographing south-bound flights trek to the North Lookout, however, reaching the South Lookout is a shorter walk and also offers the opportunity to see a variety of birds of prey.
“Most commonly seen are broad-winged hawks, kestrels, vultures, ospreys and bald eagles,” Hawk Mountain information specialist Gigi Romano said. An average 18,000 raptors pass each autumn, and daily counts are posted throughout the season at www.hawkmountain.org.
During the fall migration, there are weekend programs beginning Saturday, Sept. 1, and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 4, that are free for members and those with paid admission. During September and October there are several Saturday programs featuring speakers who will give talks on their experiences and expertise as part of the Autumn Lecture Series, and information about these programs is available at www.hawkmountain.org/events.
Although the count of 17,015 raptors in 2017 was disappointing overall, falling below the 10-year average, there were some highlights. A high count of 4,019 broad-winged hawks was recorded Sunday, Sept. 17, for the ninth-highest single-day count; 16 golden eagles were recorded Friday, Nov. 10; and 12 peregrine falcons were recorded Saturday, Oct. 7, both of which were the fourth-highest count in Hawk Mountain history.
“When people asked why the low counts for so many species, I told them there was likely not one cause, and we think for some species it was the weather,” Romano said. “For late migrating species, such as northern goshawk, red-tailed hawk and golden eagle, the above average temperatures and lack of snow cover to the north may have allowed them to remain on territory.”
Trails at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and access is free for those purchasing memberships, which are available online and at the visitor center. Daily trail fees apply for non-members, with reduced rates for seniors and children ages 12 and younger.
Memberships and trail fees help fund the programs and conservation work done by the staff at Hawk Mountain and are tax deductable. No matter the cost, a visit to Hawk Mountain is an experience that is priceless that is too close not to enjoy.
To learn more about Hawk Mountain Sanctuary programs, call (610) 756-6961 or visitwww.hawkmountain.org.
(Dietz is a member of the Pennsylvania
Outdoor Writers Association)
Contact the writer: outdoors@republicanherald.com
