Excitement is Building!

Big thanks to everyone who's helping either build excitement for Mountain to Sea or who made a financial contribution in honor of the trip (or both!), which in turn will support Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. We are so grateful for your support!!!!

Shout-out to Kathy Lauer-Williams who wrote a great article in The Morning Call with photos by Kevin Mingora (Fri, Nov 19), thank you both! The piece helped generate even more exposure, and hopefully will help us meet the $10,000 goal before December 1st departure. 

To read this article click here now, and check out the great pix Kevin took of my practice run at Mauch Chunk Lake (photo, left). Kevin, your photo really caught people's attention!

Another thanks to our partners at the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area, the same folks who bring you the Schuylkill River Sojourn. Now they are helping to support the Mountain-to-Sea journey and are sharing the news with their Schuylkill River Heritage Area network.

Their book Along the Schuylkill River was written by their own Laura Catalano and Kurt Zwikl, and is our official go-to guide on the historic places we'll pass during the journey. For more information on the book, click here or visit http://www.schuylkillriver.org/. We're excited to blog about the cultural history along the river, and this book is an incredible resource.

Looking forward to sharing more information on the trip's ITINERARY and our other partners, friends and supporters in the days leading up the trip.

Until then, thank you again for JOINING THE JOURNEY!!!

More Preparation for the Voyage

I was invited back in October on a prep paddle by Sally O'Byrne.  Sally is a Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Board Member, an educator for Delaware Nature Society, and more important to me, a friend.   We departed on our mini expedition on the morn of October 12th.  Our primary objective, to circumnavigate Pea Patch Island, we shoved off from Delaware City.  Our secondary objective, to storm Fort Delaware.   

Sally looking very much in her element

Check out the geese flying towards the ship

We came ashore and started our approach.

We approached the Fort from the South with the stealth of Ninjas

The moat scared me, but not Sally.

Searching for an entry point

We located our entry, so with the speed of a falcon, we swooped in.

Our point of entry

We moved in and very quickly were apprehended.  Despite all our charm and wit, and believe me we tried it all with a double team approach, we were escorted out.  And I do mean escorted all the way back to our vessel and advised, politely, but none the less advised, to leave immediately.  

Despite the unsuccessful overtaking of the Fort, it was an incredible day of discovery!  The weather was perfect, the company exceptional, and the paddle, awesome!  I want to thank Sally and her husband Terry for opening up their home to me for two days.  Sally, aside from the exploration of Pea Patch Island, also spent a whole afternoon showing me around Wilmington and several of the Delaware Nature Society (DNS) holdings.  DNS is a very diverse organization offering many programs, from a hawk watch to an organic farm, and everything in between.  I also want to thank them both for their wonderful generosity and support of this trek.

JOIN THE JOURNEY

Todd Bauman

Schaumboch's Tavern

I realized that in the last post I identified Schaumboch's Tavern as the workshop site.  Well it is.  It has also been my home for the past 13 years.  It is a place surrounded by rich folklore.

The historic tavern dates back to the late 1700's.  With the earliest recorded resident being a Jacob Gerhardt in 1793.  Gerhardt was the only survivor of an Indian attack which took place just down the road in Eckville ("the Eck") during the French and Indian war.  Moving up the timeline of its colorful past brings a resident by the name of Mathias Schaumbocher,  Mathias comes onto scene sometime during the mid 1870's.  This is where the origin lies of the name that identifies it on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.  This inn keeper, as folklore goes, led travelers into the barn across the road, dispatched them with an axe, and dumped the bodies down a well.  That is, in a nutshell, the story. This story can be found in Charlie Adam's book,  Ghost Stories of Berks County, Book I.

The story I like is that of the sanctuary.  It was acquired by the sanctuary in 1938 and served as the headquarters and living quarters of Irma and Maurice Broun.  First keeper of the gate and warden of the once shooting grounds gone sanctuary.   Thus, the "School in the Clouds" is born.  This fantastic story of Hawk Mountain (including this dwelling) is best expressed in the conservation classic, Hawks Aloft.  Written by Broun in 1948.  This is a must read for all Hawk Mountain supporters and any one interested in a passionate success story.

Back to what makes the tavern very special to me, I have been very fortunate to call it home for many years.  The tales and memories I have forged here, on this mountain, in this structure, with all that have passed through its doors, has changed my life forever.  It is truly a "Crossroads of Naturalists".

A very recent photo in front of the tavern of myself with former intern and friend Vaclav Tikalsky  

      
I am very excited, I will get to spend the night in many historic structures as I make my way south along my water route.
More to come!
Todd Bauman

More Preparation for the Voyage

As mentioned prior there is a number of details before I shove off.  One that has been somewhat ironed out was the tech package.  Last post with Mary Linkevich was the result.  Another part of my tech package is the use of a SPOT locator.  This is a satellite messenger that will provide my location on a google map.  Because it works off of satellites it is a reliable tool for remote locations.  So, even when I cannot receive a cell phone signal for BLOGGING this will send out my whereabouts and post my movements.  I want to thank Educator Denise Peters for getting this up and operating!

This brings attention to all the folks assisting with this voyage.  I am far from doing this alone.  There are many who are a part of this trek.  I want to thank everyone for their support.  It is very inspirational and guarantees success!  Thank you all!!!

On to another part of the preparation.

Welome to the workshop, Schaumboch's Tavern

The drawing board

Another person that has been donating an enormous amount of time has been a very special friend, Judith Kohn.  I had identified a need for a spray deck cover for my canoe, especially on the larger water of the Delaware River and Bay.  Custom deck covers carry a significant expense.  So, Judith, as talented as she is beautiful, is constructing one from some old tents I have collected over the years.   This is absolutely amazing to me!  She just started one afternoon by throwing some material over the canoe, and poof, look at this progress.    

preliminary layout

first work space, backporch

then it moved into the living room

Well, the whole house is now expedition headquarters

During the creation of this serious piece of artistic perfection, I needed to test it out.

Rough seas ahead, it is not as easy as it looks, paddling while on top of a couch

More preparation to come!

JOIN THE JOURNEY!

Todd Bauman

Testing the technology

YES! Looks like the first test of technology is working. Out on the river with laptop, smart phone (to connect to Internet) and all the waterproof protective cases, and guess what, folks? I'm online and blogging!

Watch for photos of the test run, coming soon -- yes, we should have brought the cord to connect camera to computer, but we're not perfect. More later
Mary Linkevich (test-trip co-pilot)


This is Mary BLOGGING river side on test-trip after returning back, after trek for forgotten keys, and forgotten cord to connect camera.  With all that a very successful excursion on the Scenic Little Schuylkill River!
Todd Bauman (other test-trip pilot)

Preparation for the Voyage

Greetings Hawk Mountain Supporters!

It is really counting down now.  This is no longer a far off trip to start to think about sometime soon.  It is crunch time!  There is still a number of things to get ready.  This is quite different from other treks I have done.  It is not all some remote wilderness corridor, it travels through one of the most populated regions of any watershed.  Some of the preparation is typical of a significant winter paddle.  But, with this route, there are a number of folks that are involved and more needed.  It is this involvement, this cooperation, this connection that makes this journey important.

When asked why?  It is the kind of trek that demonstrates a connection we all have to something much bigger.  Mary Linkevich, Hawk Mountain's communication and grants manager, said it best, "A spirit of rugged adventure has always been central to Hawk Mountain's history, but more importantly, Todd's trip will demonstrate how interconnected we are, and the importance of safe passageways for migratory wildlife."  

More Preparing for the Voyage to come!

JOIN THE JOURNEY
Todd Bauman
 

ONLY ONE MONTH AWAY!