Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source
Hikers take advantage of cold but sunny day to walk through Murrysville trail, park | TribLIVE.com
Murrysville Star

Hikers take advantage of cold but sunny day to walk through Murrysville trail, park

Renatta Signorini
3511101_web1_gtr-murrhike6-020721
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Antonio Thompson, 10, of Plum, navigates fallen logs Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 while group hiking at the Caywood Reserve located near Murrysville Community Park.
3511101_web1_gtr-murrhike5-020721
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Hikers descend from the trails Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 while group hiking at the Caywood Reserve and Murrysville Community Park.
3511101_web1_gtr-murrhike2-020721
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Rich Wengrzyn, and his wife, Debbie Wengrzyn, of Murrysville, bring up the front of a line of hikers navigating the Caywood Reserve on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 at Murrysville Community Park.
3511101_web1_gtr-murrhike7-020721
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts spend Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 navigating the snowy trails at the Murrysville Community Park and the Caywood Reserve.
3511101_web1_gtr-murrhike3-020721
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Jennifer Rivera, of Plum, listens with her son, Antonio Thompson, 10, while Shelly Tichy, of the Westmoreland Conservancy, explains the history of the area on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 while group hiking at the Caywood Reserve and Murrysville Community Park.
3511101_web1_gtr-murrhike4-020721
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
A group of hikers spend a moment at the location of the former Caywood homestead, of which the stones are the only remains of, on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 while group hiking at the Caywood Reserve at Murrysville Community Park. Hikers made the trek and enjoyed hot chocolate afterward.
3511101_web1_gtr-murrhike1-020721
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Antonio Thompson, 10, of Plum, navigates fallen logs Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 while group hiking at the Caywood Reserve located near Murrysville Community Park.

The cold weather didn’t stop a group of adventure seekers from taking to a snow-covered wooded trail Saturday in Murrysville.

Maybe it was the promise of hot chocolate at the end of the nearly 3-mile hike or a desire to get outdoors with others during a time when indoor activities are limited because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Murrysville recreation director Carly Greene said she is planning more hikes around the municipality as a way to enjoy the season and encourage others to get out of the house. Attendance was capped at 40 participants, but plenty more showed interest, she said.

“We had a really strong response,” she said.

The recreation department partnered with the Westmoreland Conservancy for the event that started at Murrysville Community Park. Hikers met at Valley Trail and then moved through the woods under blue skies onto the Don Harrison Trail and into Caywood Reserve.

A recent poll conducted by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources showed that 86% of Pennsylvanians who visited a park or trail during the pandemic reported that time outdoors has been key to their physical and mental health. Attendance at state parks increased by nearly 27% in 2020, according to department officials.

Getting fresh air can be important during the winter months when there is less sunlight and opportunity to recreate outside, Greene said.

“Just a few minutes, a couple miles, brightens your day,” she said.

Dressing in layers is important and some feet or hand warmers can ward off the chill, said Shelly Tichy, president of the Westmoreland Conservancy.

“People don’t realize just the fact that you’re moving makes it quite not so miserably cold,” she said.

There is plenty to do and see on a winter hike, Tichy said.

Without leaves on the trees, bark is more visible and there are certain species of fungi and ferns that do well in cold weather. Birds are out looking for berries and they can be easier to spot with a white, snowy background.

“Just because it’s the winter doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to see,” she said.

Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.

Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.

Get Ad-Free >

Categories: Editor's Picks | Local | Murrysville Star | Westmoreland
Content you may have missed