Shawnee- Firetower Hike

Shawnee State Park and Forest, a breath taking view from the firetower.

Good fortune placed me near Portsmouth Ohio this weekend, in order to accomplish some Flora-Quest business.  The weather, low 60's in January, was too perfect to pass up on the opportunity to hike with some friends- starting at the firetower.

Speaking of breath taking, this is certainly the tallest firetower I have climbed. THAT was breath-taking!

 Jenny Richards led the hike and she started us out with a good look from the inside of the tower.  What a thrill that was!  I can't imagine the day when someone spent hours upon hour in that high roost top, watch for forest fires.

 Doug and Connie were along for the hike.  We have met before at Flora-Quest events.  One of the best parts of attending Flora-Quest in Shawnee is the interesting people you meet.

Bob Scott Placier and John Howard were along for the afternoon as well.  Both are excellent naturalist and guides for Flora-Quest. In fact, the top twenty reasons for attending Flora-Quest are the guides.

Most are full-time naturalists, many retired or currently working for the state. They have a wealth of knowledge to share and the small groups allow them to teach more about flowers, trees, birds, rocks and butterflies.

The trips descriptions for 2012 are nearly finished- and you will soon find them on line at http://www.flora-quest.com/.  Can't wait to see you there!

Volunteers Deserve a Gold Star

Goldenstar, Erythronium rostratum photo by John Howard

And here's to all the volunteers that make our various organizations work! Yesterday at the Ohio Botanical Conference we met up with all of our wonderful guides, and MANY of them were noted in the Rare Finds portion of the program. Congratulations to all of them!

Without these knowledgeable guides, and staff volunteers (like Paula, Jules, Shelly, Yvonne, and Colleen) who don't get listed in bios and such, we could never put on these great events.

So here is your gold star or more correctly, Goldenstar, a plant so rare I have yet to see it in bloom!

Thanks for all you do!