Hawk Mountain Family Hike
Saturday, October 2, 2010 at 10:00am

On Saturday, October 2 we are organizing a family hike to the Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary.  This hike will be for persons of a variety of ages, including parents with small children. We will be going slow, so that small feet can enjoy the trail, too.

During October is when Hawk Mountain has the most variety of raptors migrating through. During the fall is when you are most likely to see a Bald Eagle there.


The planned schedule is:
     Meet at the bird sanctuary visitor center at 10:00am.
     Hike 1 mile, stopping at each of the many overlooks.
     Have devotions and lunch.
     Turn around and hike another mile back to the visitor center.
     Walk around the nature enclosure and visitor center.
     Depart by 2:00pm.


For more information, please contact Pastor Ben. To sign up, please contact the church office at 610-933-4243 or stvincentucc@gmail.com.

The sanctuary’s fees are: $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for children 6-12; and free for children 0-5.



Directions from St. Vincent UCC:
1. St. Vincent UCC
2. Get on Ridge Rd and drive east
3. Turn left onto Hares Hill Rd -- 1.0 mi
4. Turn left onto Schuylkill Rd (Rt 724) -- 0.4 mi
5. Take the US-422 ramp to the right -- 6.8 mi
6. Take the US-422 W ramp to the left towards Pottstown/Reading -- 141 ft
7. Take the Pa-12 E ramp to the right towards Pricetown -- 20.7 mi
8. Take the Pa-61 N/Centre Ave ramp to the right -- 2.1 mi
9. Turn right onto Summer Valley Rd -- 19.2 mi
10. Turn right onto Hawk Mountain Rd -- 2.5 mi
11. HawkMtnSanctry -- 2.1 mi
          GPS: N40 38.023 W75 59.242

          Total Distance 54.8 miles; Total time 1 hr 10 min


The following is a general guideline.
Actual ability will vary based on child’s build, experience, physical fitness, etc.....

+ Children under 5 years old may not be able to carry much.
+ Children 5-8 years old may be able to carry 2-3 lbs (i.e. a water bottle and pack of fruit snacks).
+ Children 8-10 may be able to carry 5 lbs (i.e. water, snack, & rain jacket).
+ Children 10-13 may be able to carry up to 10 lbs.
+ Youth 13 and older can generally carry based on a percent of their body weight.
(For backpacking this would be 20% of their weight; however, that would be too much stuff/weight for this trip). 

Recommended list of what to wear and/or pack:
+ sturdy shoes (such as sneakers or hiking boots - NO flip flops)
+ socks (bring a spare pair especially for children in case of stepping into water)
+ shirt and slacks
+ rain gear (such as a rain jacket, poncho, or windbreaker)
+ suntan lotion
+ bug spray
+ hat (optional)
+ sunglasses (optional)
+ bandana (optional)
+ Small Pack, which should include:
+ packed lunch
+ 1 to 2 qts of water or sports drink
+ snacks (optional)
+ small water-less soap (1 per family is more than enough)
+ map
+ camera (optional)
+ binoculars (optional)
+ compass (optional)
If a young child is carrying a pack, parents should be careful not to overload it, and parents should be prepared to carry the pack for the child. 

Depending on your child’s age, you might also be packing:
+ diapers
+ wipes
+ cream
+ plastic bag for dirty diapers
+ changing pad
+ spare clothing
+ bottle/sippy cup
+ formula
+ pacifier
+ small blanket
+ baby/toddler backpack or baby bjorn 

Depending on the expected temperature for the day:
+ sweatshirt or long sleeve shirt (especially if cool weather is expected)
+ knit hat (especially if cool weather is expected)