🐾 Coyotes in the wild | Outdoorsy Newsletter

Welcome back to Outdoorsy, your guide to exploring the peaks and valleys of our lush region — with confidence.

Saturday is National Trails Day — perfect timing for the Wissahickon Trail Classic Run! I’d love to know your favorite trails in the region. Email me here, and I’ll feature your responses among other great area hikes in this newsletter.

Today we’re talking about:

☁️ Your weekend weather outlook: Warm and muggy. Rain is expected. See what Canadian wildfire smoke and air quality means for your plans.

— Paola Pérez (outdoorsy@inquirer.com)

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You may hear them howling and yipping in the distance before you see them. Some say their cacophonous sound is unmistakable.

Coyotes are no strangers to much of Philadelphia, but neighbors and visitors of Wissahickon Valley Park in Northwest Philly say sightings are on the rise.

Here’s what we know:

🐾 It’s a hybrid animal: The Eastern coyote, the largest wild canine found in Pennsylvania, is the result of breeding between coyotes and gray wolves.

🐾 Why you may be seeing more: The coyote population is growing. This is also the time of year when coyotes are foraging to feed their young.

🐾 But don’t panic: Coyotes rarely attack humans. Experts shared important tips on how to coexist with them, like keeping pets on a leash.

🐾 Remember where you are: Their presence underscores that the park is still wild at heart — and home to coyotes and plenty of other critters.

Learn more about these creatures, including what they eat and what to do in case you run into one.

Have you encountered a coyote before? Write me an email about your experience.

🎤 Now we’re passing the microphone to rural reporter Jason Nark. You’ll always find his work here.

HESSTON, Pa. — On a blustery Memorial Day weekend, customers trickled into Seven Points Bait & Grocery looking for fingerling trout and nightcrawlers, for scoops of sweet and salty caramel ice cream and propane refills.

They browsed the racks of tourist sweatshirts, too, most of them emblazoned with “Raystown Lake” across the front.

Judy Norris, 81, has owned the store by Pennsylvania’s largest lake for 49 years, though, and she’s seen enough seasonal Saturdays to know the foot traffic wasn’t adding up as summer unofficially kicked off.

“We’re way off, maybe 40 to 50% down,” Norris said, beside the bait tank. “This is Memorial Day weekend. You normally can’t move in here. The parking lot is usually jammed.”

Just down the road, along the shore of the lake in Huntingdon County, gates to some U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds were shut, and the hundreds of campsites beyond them sat vacant. The playgrounds were empty. A headline on a local newspaper at Norris’ store spelled it out: “Campground closures impact businesses.” — Jason Nark

Read on for Nark’s full report.

Going outside is good for us. It can feel healing, rejuvenating, and calming. On the other hand, feeling “under the weather” is not just a saying.

Our bodies and the atmosphere are profoundly intertwined. Fascinated by this magical and complex intersection, resident atmosphere expert Tony Wood’s new book explores how weather conditions impact everything from allergies to migraines, to arthritis to mood swings.

“I have long been fascinated by the dramas of the atmosphere and rhythms of the seasons and how they play out in my own mental and physical health,” Wood writes. I couldn’t agree more. Dive into the science with Wood.

I recently spotted these wild geese and company near the The Manayunk Canal Towpath portion of the Schuylkill River Trail.

Last time, I told you about Philly-area farmers’ markets worth stopping by. Louis P. wrote in to recommend Lansdowne Farmers Market as one to check out: “It is directly across the street from the Lansdowne Theater that is being restored and opening in the fall as a music venue.” Farm fresh goodies and a concert sounds like a perfect day to me.

And shoutout to Barry B., who told us to add New Jersey’s Arrowhead Farmstead to our list of must-see tulips next year. Much sooner, though, there’s a fall fest to look forward to.

In 200 words, tell us about your favorite adventures or special outdoor memories. We love pictures if you have them. You might see it featured in a future newsletter.

Take care out there.

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