Black Rock Sanctuary is a short walk on the banks of the Schuylkill River at Phoenixville, but it has significance for me as the first place I hiked following my knee replacement in March 2012. The small county park has a circular paved walking trail, less than a mile long, but it’s attractive and has interpretive displays along its length. My first attempt at the Interpretive Trail, six weeks after knee replacement and with a cane, required an hour to finish the walk and caused me to fall asleep in my car when I finished. Six months later the walk, including stops for photos, took less than forty minutes.

For more information on Black Rock Sanctuary, visit http://www.chesco.org/index.aspx?NID=1745 . I plan on hiking at Black Rock, on the Interpretive Trail as well as other trails in the park, frequently in 2014.