The D&L Blog

by Imogen Wirth-Granlund, D&L Program Coordinator

Join us in making your New Year’s Resolution to traverse the D&L Trail’s three regions in 2022: Delaware Canal, Lehigh Valley, and Anthracite. Whether you’re biking, hiking, walking, rolling, snowshoeing, or skiing, get your tail on the trail to stay active and healthy in the new year. We encourage you to log miles on all 12 sections of the D&L Trail and earn the D&L Trail badges on your Get Your Tail on the Trail dashboard. 

Keep an eye out on Get Your Tail on the Trail’s Facebook and Instagram pages for information on random giveaways for those who earn the badges. We’ll be right there with you—be sure to say hey if you see our team members along the way! 

When Claire Sadler became our new Executive Director this June, she instituted two new health and wellness initiatives. We now take 30 minutes of “nature time” weekly so we’re spending time outdoors on the clock. Often, team members go for mid-afternoon walks together along the towpath near our office. While in the field for meetings and site visits, we’ll take the opportunity to detour for a short bike ride or hike along the trail. We get to experience the D&L Trail and THE LINK Trails throughout the changing seasons, as well as “forest bathe,” a practice that boosts mood and immunity. 

We also spend half-day outings on the D&L Trail and in our D&L Trail Towns. In December, we explored “Christmas City” with a tour of Historic Bethlehem, followed by a hike on Sand Island from Bethlehem to Freemansburg. In October, D&L Trail Tenders cleared brush and litter from Lock 42, cleaned and waxed interpretive signage, and removed litter to beautify this section. We were thankful to witness the fruits of the volunteers’ labor, reading signs and marveling at the lock and aqueduct.

 Everybody asked questions about the industrial heritage of the canal of our resident historian Martha Capwell Fox. We visited the site of a native perennial garden planted by D&L Trail Tenders years ago that has suffered washouts and strategized with our new Director of Trails & Conservation Mandy Tolino about how to mitigate this by planting shrubs and trees in the future. These outings accomplish team-building and educational efforts while we enjoy the fresh air on the trail! 

Take a page from our book and start your 2022 off right with a First Day Hike on January 1^st. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is hosting First Day Hikes throughout the Commonwealth. Of course, we recommend planning yours on the D&L Trail in Delaware Canal State Park. Starting at Bowmans Hill Wildflower Preserve, walk four miles on easy, level terrain with a naturalist. Afterwards, be sure to explore the arts, shops, and eateries of downtown New Hope. Don’t forget to log your miles!