The best of Outdoorsy 2024 | Outdoorsy Newsletter
🌕 Plus: A supermoon, and goodbye (for now)
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In today’s edition:
Outdoorsy wrapped: How did we spend this season together? I’ll recap the top moments.
Ready, set, go: Get everything you need to know about the 2024 Philadelphia Marathon.
In rural Pennsylvania: Who will care for the aging population in Pa.’s oldest county?
☀️ Your weekend weather outlook: Mostly clear and sunny skies. Bundle up — it’ll be a bit breezy with lows dipping into the 40s and highs in the 60s. Perfect conditions to catch the Beaver Moon, November’s first full moon.
— Paola Pérez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)
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Outdoorsy 2024 roundup
It’s time to say goodbye (for now). We plan to bring this newsletter back soon after the weather gets nice enough to enjoy the outdoors in 2025.
Before we part ways, here’s a recap of some memorable moments throughout this journey with you:
Favorite activities
🐦 Touring the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
🥾 Hiking the grueling ”1000 Steps” trail
🕷️ Facing our fears of the giant flying Jorō spider
🧗 Joining the rock climbing community
🧘🏽 Finding peace and quiet in serene places
Favorite Jason Nark features
🐝 Meeting the hornet king of Pennsylvania
🍄 De-mistifying the wild mushroom
🤝 Veterans using nature as therapy
🎃 Competitive giant pumpkin growing
🧑🌾 Young farmers bridging the generational gap
Favorite reader experiences
🐟 Brian Lennen on the art of (and appreciation for) fishing
🚶 Ken Alan’s excursion when he took the long way home
🌲 Tom Pluck’s escape into the Pine Barrens
🏔️ Guido Gaeffke’s adventure group in the Austrian Alps
🌄 Mike Schultheis’s tale of overcoming “a little terror if the end justifies the journey”
🚲 Peter McLoone, Drew Nantais, Rick Shorin, and Doug Slick’s helpful tips for beginner cyclists
Special thanks to everyone who submitted touching anecdotes.
What was your top Outdoorsy moment this season? Write me an email to let me know.
News worth knowing
Flood advisories are up for Philly and the Shore, but there’s no rain in sight. You can blame the moon, which is making a close approach to the Earth and will be knighted a “super moon” when it reaches fullness Friday afternoon.
A 14-year-old was charged with aggravated arson for starting a wildfire that consumed 52 acres in South Jersey, police said. Authorities are also investigating whether the Oct. 30 fire is connected to a Nov. 7 fire that consumed 375 acres.
After wildfires are under control, health effects from wildfire smoke can still linger. Here’s what to look for.
Ready for the Philadelphia Marathon next weekend? More than 30,000 people will lace up their sneakers, prep racing wheelchairs, and hit the pavement, with thousands more cheering along the race routes. Get all of the details.
One Cherry Hill bike shop is still going strong after 50 years of selling and fixing and bikes. It’s seen all the trends since: Road, mountain, hybrid, gravel, and now e-Bikes.
🎤 Now I’m passing the mic to Jason Nark. Jason reports on rural parts of Pennsylvania and the outdoors far from city life.
As an avid camper, hiker, and outdoorsman, I’ve been going to Sullivan County, Pa., long before I got paid to write about the place. It’s truly an outdoors paradise and the swimming hole at World End State Park, on Loyalsock Creek, might just be my favorite place on Earth.
When I was asked to travel into rural Pennsylvania after the 2016 presidential election, I found that this tiny, sparsely populated county was a microcosm of all the things people love and find challenging about rural America: poor internet service and cellular connectivity, few well-paying jobs, and little housing stock.
In recent years, the drumbeat of population loss has grown louder and the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to throw a wrench into the accurate counts and turned the real estate market upside down. It’s a fascinating place and, like a lot of nature lovers, I’d love to own a house there. — Jason Nark
Keep reading to learn about life in this rural county that’s only getting smaller.
A calming view
I took this at Maria Hernandez Park in Brooklyn on a recent weekend trip up to New York City.
🌳 Your outdoorsy experience
Outdoorsy reader Kathleen McFadden sent in greetings from The Nature Conservancy along with several gorgeous snaps of fall foliage, shot by Melisa Soysal. The one above was taken at the Dick & Nancy Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain, Lackawanna County. Here’s what Kathleen said:
I am a follower of your reporting and have really enjoyed the Fall Foliage Forecast in “Outdoorsy” this season (and special shoutout to Paola – I just love this newsletter and really look forward to it every week).
Happy to have you here!
📮 What outdoorsy (or indoorsy) fun will you get up to this season? Email me back and tell me about your experience.
👋🏽 See you later
Thank you all for joining me on this journey, for reading, sharing your stories, and tackling each challenge alongside me.
While Outdoorsy may be taking a break, I’m still here! Feel free to follow me on X. You can also sign up for The Inquirer’s Morning Newsletter to read more of what I write on Saturdays and Sundays, or check out Rosa Cartagena’s Things To Do Newsletter with the best fun things to do in and around Philly every week.
Take care, and see you out there.
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