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Alas, this year, we were not able to participate in any group walks on New Year’s Day, since we had the little grandkids visiting. So, my wife and I, after all had gone home and we were left with no noise and activity, set out for a ‘second day hike’ instead, and it was wonderful.

We headed up to Gifford Pinchot State Park, about nine miles east of Dillsburg and about a 40-minute drive from Gettysburg. Pinchot offers 18 miles of hiking trails, a campground, rental cabins, a 350-acre lake with swimming areas, boat rentals, and two disc-golf courses through the woods. In the middle of the summer, the place is hopping. But the lake is big enough that there are many trails that are far from the crowds. And in the bleak mid-winter, that which may sometimes appear dull and dreary can be beautiful and serene.

While we did not hike with a group, we did see many people out enjoying the warmer temperatures. Despite a slight off and on drizzle for most of the 8.5 miles we hiked, the fog rising off the frozen lake gave an eerie magical feeling to the place. Despite the muddy trail, it was nice to hike on the flat terrain of the Lakeside Trail. And despite all of the amenities being closed, there are two restroom facilities open in the winter, one on each side of the lake.

The Lakeside Trail is easy to follow, although it does get a bit confusing as it traverses through the campground area. Any time we weren’t sure where to go, we just took the trail that headed toward the lake, and never had any navigational…