The Elk Of Winter ...

“There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm.”

               ~ Theodore Roosevelt

                     ~ 1858-1919
   ~Naturalist & Conservationist

  ~26^th President of The United States of America

                      ~ 1901-1909 
                                                                           
The Elk of Winter strike a regal and thoughtful pose on the first day of March at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, where elk live as a herd on the hillsides of the 1,100-acre preserve’s Central Range.

When the late General Harry C. Trexler established the preserve in the early 1900s, he did it to save the American bison, elk and white-tailed deer from extinction and assure the species’ survival. 

A conservationist along the lines of Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, General Trexler understood the importance of nature and preserving wildlife in its natural habitat.

A successful businessman who amassed a fortune in the timber and cement industries and founded the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company, General Trexler began purchasing small farms in the low hills of Lehigh County in 1906. By 1913, he had transported eight bison and 20 Virginia white-tailed deer to the preserve. The elk followed soon after.

When General Trexler died in 1933, he bequeathed the property to the residents of Lehigh County. Today, the Trexler Nature Preserve is open to the public for passive recreation and nature watching.

Snowlight ...

“Kindness is like snow – it beautifies everything it covers.”

                    ~  Kahlil Gibran

                                        ~ 1883-1931

The banks of the Jordan Creek are draped in snow as sunlight sprinkles its sparkling beauty on the creek’s icy waters at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania on a January afternoon soon after the historic Blizzard of 2016.

In a winter shorn of snow until the blizzard, the storm plonked 31 inches of snow on nearby Allentown in a 24 hour period.

Miles To Go ...

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.”

                                Robert Frost

                                      ~ 1884-1963
       ~ Four Time Pulitzer Prize Winner

        ~ “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

                          ~ 1923                                                  

There are miles yet to go on a snowy trail by the Jordan Creek that highlights winter’s beauty at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania on a January afternoon soon after the historic Blizzard of 2016.

In a winter shorn of snow until the blizzard, the storm plonked 31 inches of snow on nearby Allentown in a 24 hour period.