TANNERSVILLE, Pa. — Bright and early, a group took to the trail within the Tannersville Cranberry Bog Preserve. A two-and-a-half-hour guided tour meant plenty of steps in for these nature lovers.
"Last time I was here was my son's fourth-grade field trip, and that was like 15 years ago," said Julia Shaykevich from Henryville.
The tour is guided by an environmental educator from the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center near Stroudsburg.
Hikers learn about the bog, owned by The Nature Conservancy, and all the plants and critters within it.
The bog walk was canceled last year because of the pandemic, but it's back on for those who want to learn about nature.
"We have gotten access through The Nature Conservancy to allow us to bring groups back into the bog," said environmental educator Alesia Gallo. "It's a really exciting day for us. We don't have a large crowd, but we are super grateful to be able to take people in and visit this special place again."
To start walks again, Kettle Creek needed to implement safety measures, including wearing masks and using hand sanitizer.
Another safety measure is the timing of the walks. Because of the summer heat, walks start early in the morning when it's a bit cooler.
But still, it was a little too humid for these 10 year olds.
"I love it, but the heat is miserable," Emily Lundberg said.
"It's hot, but sometimes, I mean, it's summer, so what do you expect?" Rachel Shaykevich asked.
Emily Lundberg and Rachel Shaykevich are elementary students. Normally, their fourth-grade field trip is to the Tannersville Bog, but it didn't happen because of the pandemic, so they used this walk as an opportunity to not miss out.
"The mushrooms are cool, but I also like the flowers, I don't know. Everything, I like a lot about the bog, so I don't know which to say," Rachel said.
"I think I love the mushrooms a lot," Emily added. "But I also just love exploring."