Report by Currie Marr – Despite early morning rain, 22 ADKers hiked in Riddell State Park. Fran Darrah led a group of 10 people in Lower Riddell. Along the way Fran challenged the group to guess the number of seeds in a milkweed pod. Psychic Maureen Willis won the contest by confidently declaring 140 seeds. The Marrs led a group of 12 people on a hike in Upper Riddell with the purpose of exploring a rarely used trail looping around Mud Lake. Along the way several mushrooms were found. The most spectacular was the Sulfur Shelf Fungus growing on the trunk of an Oak Tree. The brightly colored caps orange above and yellow beneath are shown in Norma Lee’s photograph. At the finish of this 5.7 mile hike, still smiling participants expressed a sense of accomplishment. Participants on both hikes were surprised by the reconstruction of trail areas damaged by Storm Lee. Recent improvements in Lower Riddell were a pleasant surprise. Eagle and Boy Scouts troops from Milford, NY, along with help from the Park Service have constructed new fences, tables, and bridges. They are developing new trails some overlooking Schenevus Creek while others along I88 are perfect skiing slopes. Also, 14 tree markers suggested the development of an educational guide to tree names. First 4 photographs are of Upper Riddell and the others of Lower Riddell. Norma Lee Havens took photos 1 and 3, Fred Johnson contributed photo 2, and Currie Marr took the others.
Susquehanna Chapter 