Winter Afternoon ...

“Music comes from an icicle as it melts, to live again as spring water.”

                  ~ Henry Williamson

                     ~ 1895-1977

    ~English army officer, naturalist, 

                farmer & ruralist writer

Cascading waters frozen in harmony illuminate winter’s beauty along the snow sugared trail of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail) that hugs the Kittatinny Ridge at Lehigh Gap on a January afternoon in this monochrome shot.

In the shadow of the Kittatinny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain, The Lehigh Gap in Slatington, Pennsylvania, is a crossroads where the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s trails connect two historic trails – the Appalachian Trail and the D&L Trail.

The Appalachian Trail, a foot path, follows the ridge on both sides of the Lehigh Gap, running 1,245 miles south to Georgia and 930 miles north to Maine. Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

Walking On Frosting ...

  “To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.”

                    ~ Aristotle

                       ~384-322 B.C.  

In the shadow of the northern Blue Mountain Ridge, a frosted, frozen and snow covered Leaser Lake glistens with winter’s artistry as a man walks his dog across the frozen water on a sunny February afternoon in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania in this selective color shot.

I really enjoyed being able to actually walk on the lake and take photos!

Leaser Lake’s namesake is Frederick Leaser, an American patriot who in September 1777 with his farm team hauled The Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown where it was concealed in Zion Reformed Church for protection during the Revolutionary War. His homestead is located one mile north of the lake.

Leaser Lake was built by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission for water-oriented recreation and opened for public use in 1971. Lehigh County leases this area from the state and operates and maintains the park. The land north of the lake was purchased by the county in the early 1970s. It is entirely wooded and is used for nature study and as an addition to the State Game Lands No. 217.