The word "meadow" often conjures up visions of Little House on the Prairie in the American West: windswept landscapes, grass as far as the eye can see, and maybe some shadowy hills way off in the distance.

 

Little did I realize, Pittsburgh has its very own meadow fighting to take root on the grounds of the old Churchill Country Club. Is it windswept? Yes. Is there grass as far as the eye can see? Not really. Are there shadowed hills? All around, this is Pittsburgh after all!

 

This thriving slice of re-naturalizing land is located on the far east side of Pittsburgh and it was the location for Sierra Club Outing's latest hike. About 15 hikers gathered together on the afternoon of March 30 to walk the asphalt trails (old golf cart lanes) winding through this meadow landscape. Locals to the area claim there are resident coyotes, which may be why there are so few deer and the plant-life has been able to thrive? While we didn't see the coyotes, we did spot an abundance of birds returning after their winter down south.

 

Among the hikers was an avid birder with a constant eye on the sky. At the conclusion of the hike, when asked if he saw anything interesting, he smiled and said, "well, no...but the conversation was good." I couldn't agree more.

 

Join Sierra Club this spring and summer for hikes and outings of all types and lengths from short and sweet like this one to strenuous and challenging! Sign up for announcements of upcoming calendars here, or visit our calendar at www.sierraclub.org/pennsylvania/allegheny.