Being the first to write an entry to our new Pride of Lions blog is about as unsettling to me as walking into a real lions den. I am a bit technologically handicapped so everything here in cyberspace makes me uneasy. But today after researching web sites about blogging, reading blogs about blogging and scouring through the book Blogging for Dummies, I am going to walk into the den of lions at Happy Valley and ROAR.

My pride of Lions (there are nine of us) are all family members crazy about Nittany Lion football. We are alumni or current students and hope to fill our blog with different perspectives of everything PSU football. Some of those will be tailgates, road trips, our experiences from various sections in Beaver Stadium, and anything else relevant to our football experience.

So here I sit two days after a win against Akron that kicked off the 2009 season and ponder what there is to write. All the other bloggers and writers have hashed over the details of the game itself and there was nothing of great significance other than we won 31-7. The fans weren’t anything to write about. A noon- time game always means the student section won’t fill up because it’s too early and too many hangovers. Our tailgate was good with the combination of family and friends all together to support our team but still nothing to write about.

So I’d have to say my hike up Mount Nittany was the most memorable experience I had all weekend.

Mount Nittany is the “most prominent natural landmark” towering above the Center Region and Penn State according to the Mount Nittany Conservancy brochure. There are two trails one blazed blue the other white that are maintained by the Conservancy and Lion’s Paw. The trail going up to the top is rocky and steep but the top is fairly flat. We hiked the white trail and at the top it made a big loop. From one of the lookouts we had a great view of Beaver Stadium and the Bryce Jordan Center.

This was my first time to hike here and it was wonderful. The mountain boasted large oak, birch, hickory and maple trees. There were wild flowers, berries, and mushrooms. I’m sure there was plenty of wild life here, but because of the many hikers the game remained well out of view.

I did get an up close experience with some insects on the trail because my dog stuck his nose into a hornets nest and got stung. He jumped around like a hyena as the hornets swarmed him then they turned on me. I don’t normally get too excited about bugs but I ran up and down the trail swatting my head and screaming so loud that my husband who was behind me thought I had encountered a bear. I finally got rid of the hornets but not before they got me good on my arm.
So while I can say my football weekend was a little understated my hike was very memorable. I recommend anyone who enjoys hiking and scenic vistas to visit Mount Nittany. Just don’t stick your head anywhere it doesn’t belong.