Leader: Liz Guertin Location: Pine Barrens, New Jersey Members $270, nonmembers $320 Covering a quarter of the state of New Jersey, the sandy, coastal Pine Barrens are a world set apart from the endless city corridor between New York and Philadelphia. When established in 1978, the Pinelands National Reserve encompassed 1.1 million acres and remains the "largest tract of wild land along the Middle Atlantic Seaboard." (quote by President Jimmy Carter). Navigating the dizzying maze of sugar sand roads offers the chance to see plants you can't see anywhere else, hundreds of breeding bird species, and the remnants of American history. In this two-day whirlwind, we'll go deep into an Atlantic white cedar swamps and your leader's favorite ghost forest. We'll explore one of the world's few pygmy forests, visit the best heron rookery (where heron species breed in colonies) in the entire mid-Atlantic, and explore the beauty of carnivorous plants and unique summer wildflower species. Woven into our exploration, we'll step back in time to think about the significance of the Pines on the Revolutionary War, its role as an industrial hub in early America, and as a culture set apart from the mainstream. We'll take in a local favorite eatery or two (and PIE). Program cost covers field activities only; we’ll share information about lodging and food options to all registrants. Note: This trip requires a level of physical fitness to be able to be able to walk up to two (very flat) miles at a relaxed pace. We'll walk a couple miles at least a couple times over two days. The Pinelands are quite spread out, so while our agenda attempts to keep driving times reasonable, there will be about 75 minutes of driving per day.