How did this hike come about?  In case you missed the front page article in the Philipsburg Journal I will give give you some details!  Two West Branch senior girls decided to go the extra mile to help raise money for cancer research.  Kyra Hughes, 18, and Myra Sanderbeck, 17, both have been experienced the dreaded disease with someone close to them and wanted to make a difference.  Mariah’s grandfather, Andrew Sanderbeck, died in 1999 with lunch cancer.   Kyra’s grandmother, Yvonne Fetcenko was diagnosed with Cancer in May.  After contacting the Black Moshannon State Park Supervisor, Chris Reese, for approval of 2 routes they were on their way.  Mel Curtis, Moshannon Valley YMCA Program Director, helped in securing corporate sponsors ~ Black Moshannon Lodge, Jack Frost Construction, and Certified Builders Wholesale.  The ladies than contacted Chuck Navasky and The Navasky Foundation for Life.  Their donation will go to support local youth programming and scholarships. 

On Sunday, the Bryan family set out to the unknown!  The “little ones” opted to do the 4 mile hike - instead of the 1 mile one!  WOW!  We were in for a long hike!  The hike started out on a trail past the dam and than continued onto Shingle Mill Trail.  When we got to the road, it looped back along the water and back to the beach.  The boys did great! Yes, we had to carry Ben a little, but all in all he did wonderful.  We sang several songs, filled a ball cap with colorful leaves, looked at several bugs and had 2 hours of quality family time! 

We learned some very valuable lessons on Sunday.  First, Mariah and Kyra thought outside the box and did something remarkable ~ something we can all choose to do!  Congratulations to them and their achievement!  Second, we learned turning off the TV and going outside has greater value than we will ever know.  We will always remember our first family hike!  Third, carrying one bottle of water couldn’t hurt!  We were very thirsty when we were done!

If you would like to make a donation to the the Hike-A-Thon please send a check payable to Mariah Sauderbeck P.O. Box 102 Lanse, PA 16849. Checks payable to Navasky Foundation for Life!  You can also check out Navasky Foundation. 

P.S. When the boys woke up today they asked…”Mom, Can we goto Blackie and do another Hike?”  Of course! So today we ventured out to a trail right behind the Lodge.  We took Hollow Trail, to Seneca Trail, to Indian Trail, to Hay Road Trail, back to the Lodge.  The forest was so serene and beautiful!!  Our dog, Murphy, also enjoyed herself!  Thankfully we took water and stopped at the Park Office for a map!  This hike was a little quicker and took about an hour!

What about Black Moshannon Lodge?  We, Curt & Tracy Bryan and the 4 kids, purchased the Lodge in Fall of 2004.  Our hope was to provide a fully furnished Lodge for families to comiserate and enjoy the great outdoors! Many people remember the “Lodge” as the old convenient store that sold the 12 inch hoagies in the early 2000’s; but more people remember it has “the Bar”.  After 4 months of gutting the “bar”,  we transformed it into a beautiful lodge and our first rental was New Year’s Eve 2004 into 2005! 

We are just are just a stones throw from the entrance of the Park!!  Over the past 4 years we have tried our absolute best to provide a clean, peaceful place for our guests!  We have about 10 repeat customers every year!!!  These people don’t leave without booking their next weekend!!!  This past January we started providing all the linens~sheets, blankets, towels~ for the Lodge.  Our guests seem pleased!!!  We also provide all the kitchen items you might need ~ coffee pot, pots/pans, toaster, microwave, etc.  We are always looking for ways to improve our guests stay.  Currently we are working on a “Welcome to the Lodge” book which will include tons of info about the Park, places to eat if you would like to venture out a bit, places of Worship, etc.  Also we are looking to provide games and puzzles!  Everyone in our home loves to do puzzles when on vacation!

So this is our Blog!  Look for more information to follow!  Our family is just starting to hike and we will share our adventures with you!

P.S.  This blog and wonderful website could not be possible with our Web Designer, Julie Tomlin!  The Central Pennsylvania Visitor’s Bureau recently brought in Susan Sweeney, an expert known nationwide for Internet Marketing for Travel and Tourism.  Susan reviewed all the websites listed at the Visitors Bureau and gave special recognition to the Bear Mountain Lodge Bed & Breakfast and their website which was designed by Julie!  A couple clicks and we were connected!  Julies’ website services are found at www.julietomlin.com!  We highly recommend her!