Wissahickon Wild

01/02/2022

Wishing you a bright and happy New Year!

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#2022

12/18/2021

Look what I found! Merry to me! Thanks for the new journal ! There are 11 other journals out there waiting to be found..

The Chasing Trail folks meet for a group run at 8:30am on Sundays at the

10/26/2021

I couldn’t help it, this 1907 photo of the boys fishing at Wissahickon Creek was screaming for me to colorize it. The photo credit belongs to the Library Company of Philadelphia and the colorization is courtesy of me Carl Manley your fearless leader of Old Images of Philadelphia :-)

10/20/2021

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Have you heard of the Hermits of the Wissahickon? Learn more about the 17th-century doomsday cult that once resided along the Wissahickon Creek on a 10/27 Halloween hike to Hermit's Cave: http://ow.ly/wmZ350GtbkS

In 1694, Johannes Kelpius, a brilliant Transylvanian scholar, led his followers to the banks of the Wissahickon wilderness to await the end of the world. The community of 40 celibate monks called themselves “The Society of the Woman of the Wilderness,” inspired by an elaborate interpretation of the biblical passage from the Book of Revelations. They built cabins along the Wissahickon Creek and occupied their time with astronomy, botany, and practicing medicine in the newly founded community of Germantown nearby.

When the world did not end, Kelpius’s health began to fail. After he died in 1708, some of his community stayed in Germantown while others headed west to Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster County. Little remains on the site of the hermits' settlement beyond a cave built into the side of the hill. While the structure may in fact be an old springhouse or root cellar, it has been known since the 19th century as Hermit's Cave.

Find more Halloween happenings in the park at fow.org/events!

08/29/2021

For those lucky enough, happy first pawpaws of the season!

Some fun facts:
• The pawpaw is Turtle Island's largest native fruit.
• Pawpaws look and taste like tropical fruit, which makes sense because their closest relatives are all to the south.
• In the Shawnee calendar, this month is known as Hisimenikisathwa, the pawpaw moon.
• The cities of Nacogdoches TX and Natchitoches LA are both named for the Násh*t'ush "place of pawpaws" band of Caddo.

08/22/2021

08/19/2021

@ Harper’s Meadow 😱

06/28/2021

If you are out on the trails today and wonder what these things are hanging in the trees, our nature campers are out on an adventure learning about orienteering.

03/27/2021

Have you ever heard the legend that dogs with different colored eyes can see both heaven and earth? 💚


“Yo Fri-yay! ¿Eres tú? 👀

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̈e “

03/23/2021

Stop by The Cedars House to see these beauties in person! Available to purchase through www.wissahickonwild.com

03/22/2021

If you see it on the street, chances are it will end up in a stream. Celebrate 🌎 by picking up a piece of trash in your community and improving local water quality for people and wildlife.