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Monthly Archives: July 2016
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Feast
Cresting the hill, and moving only a little slower than when he started hours earlier, one thought kept pushing him forward and placing one foot in front of the other, mile after mile. As tired as he was, and as long as the hike would prove to be, he couldn’t stop now and be denied what every hiker cherishes, because he knows what awaits him as the journey nears its end. Coming around the final bend after a long day, he can smell the burning wood of a warm fire and the almost extinct odor of burning charcoal. This would prove to be the genesis of the nights feast.
Feast
Frail
After the leaves have been swept away by falls cool winds and the sun no longer rules the sky, the guardians of the woods, although still standing tall, shiver and sway as winter approaches. Don’t be fooled, however, by their frail, outward appearance. They are still strong and will continue to act as the shepherd of all who enter the woods, watching over and protecting all who enter its domain.
Frail
Breaking Out Of Your Comfort Zone
This week was an excellent one. I broke out of my comfort zone and decided to follow some predetermined hikes, and ended up completing some hikes that I had not done before. I hate to admit it, but a great deal of the time when it comes to hiking, I stick with the tried and true and just do something that I have done before. Case in point, Anthony’s Nose.
With that said, the hikes that I did this week challenged me physically as well as mentally. I wanted and needed to do something different, so I did. I also have tried some new things in the blogging world that I hadn’t done before. So this week and the week before have been pretty eye-opening and I have learned a great deal from just having some time to do something different. As I think more about it, the past couple of weeks have been a kind of mental purge. A purge well in the making.
Here are some of the highlights:
- I had the opportunity to do more blogging than I have at any time since I started.
- I have found some new blogs that have really been extraordinary.
- The blogs that I have found have covered many areas, not just hiking and the outdoors.
- Overall, the blogs that I have chosen to follow have been only positive. People are stressing the good things instead of harping on the negative and I firmly believe that we all need more of this.
- Blogs that I never thought that I would have liked have proved to be some of the most interesting ones that I have explored.
- Most importantly, I have been able to catch up on blogs that I have been following but have been too busy to read as frequently as I would like to.
So, while doing things out of your comfort zone may not feel right at the time and you may be nervous or anxious even thinking about it, the end result is what you are looking for. Feel free to step out of that box. How did it make you feel?
Another take on the Nose
Since I have written about my love of Anthony’s Nose and you have seen many, many pictures of it before, I will only share with you the new pictures that I took this time (7/15/16). I can tell you that I didn’t see anyone on the way up, on the top or on the way down. It was bliss!
I usually don’t get up to the Nose early enough to catch its silhouette as the sun rises behind it. Today, however, although it was somewhat hazy, it wasn’t bad enough to ruin the picture.
Even though people have been flying the American Flag at the Nose for years, this is the first time that I have seen a Marine Corps flag flying with it! I wish that the wind had been blowing the other way because I couldn’t get to the other side of the flag without risking life and limb. Very treacherous!
If you have some time, research Hessian Lake, which is located at the bottom of Bear Mountain.
As you look to the right of the Nose, you will find another excellent hike that will take you to the “Torne.”
And finally, this huge cairn that has made an appearance since the last time I was here. This had to have taken hours to complete!
And of course the cairn with my signature day pack pose:
If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again-You gotta love the Nose!!!!
Happy hiking everyone!
Lake Sebago and Skenonto-I Dub Thee…Solitude…
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity”
― John Muir
“In solitude there is healing. Speak to your soul. Listen to your heart. Sometimes in the absence of noise we find the answers.”
–Dodinsky
WOW!!! All I can say about this hike is solitude…If you are looking for hike where after being on the trail for less than a mile you pretty much don’t see or hear any signs of civilization, then this is your hike. Of course this is just another quality hike that I got from Don Weise’s book, Circuit Hikes in Harriman-35 Loop Hikes and Trail Runs in Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks. (I completed this hike on 7/13/16).
If you look at this hike on the map, it resembles a melting lollipop!
Starting off at the end of Johnsontown Road (which is a circle), the beginning of the trail is clearly marked with horizontal white bars.
The beginning of the trail immediately starts heading uphill, although slightly and for a short period is, at first, a mixture of dirt and road. As you move deeper into the woods and away from everything, the trail goes through many variations and runs the gamut from dirt to rocks to a fine grassy surface.
A pleasant surprise that I had on the trail today was the wildlife that I encountered. Usually I don’t get to close to many animals, but today, I could have reached down and touched the rabbit that you see in this picture. It was truly amazing!
I am not going to lie, I love rabbits!
The trail, meandering its way through the woods, continues to move uphill ever so slightly and at times you don’t even notice that you have been gaining any elevation until you turn around and look at where you have been.
Although you do spend time on trails at the start, you also find yourself traversing a woods road that is easy to walk on. As I have noted on other hikes, this is also one in which you could introduce small children to the joys of hiking.
One and a half miles into your trip you will pass the Dutch Doctor Trail on your right. You will also encounter this shelter again on the return trip, this time on your left side.
One of the other scenic wonders that are in abundance in this area are the isolated and stray boulders that just appear to be cast throughout the park. These boulders seem to have just been placed where they are by some unseen force.
Continue to follow the white bar trail for 1.75 miles where you will see the start of the yellow triangle trail. This, and the victory trail (later) will signify the head of the lollipop. Stay to your right and now follow the yellow triangle trail.
One of the more unique things that I did notice after I moved on to the yellow triangle trail was the almost immediate change in the terrain of the trail. The triangle trail represented a calmer, more meditative and deliberative approach to this hike. Notice how the lush woods seem to envelop you as you become one with the terrain. It is more earthen and the sound of your boots striding along the trail signifies the solitude that I was seeking.
At almost three miles, you will be able to see Lake Sebago on your right. I decided at this point to stop for a water and picture break.
The trail becomes a little tricky at this point as you should continue on to the right along the shores of Lake Sebago. The markings aren’t that clear, but even if you follow what looks like what should be the obvious trail, you will end up back on the yellow trail triangle trail shortly. Staying on this trail, you will eventually come to the shores of Lake Skenonto.
After you spend some time at Lake Skenonto, a short walk will bring you to the Blue “V” (victory) trail (this is a woods road for the time you will be on it). As it was another incredibly humid morning, it was a great relief to find that when I turned onto this trail, a strong breeze began to blow. Luckily and thankfully, this breeze stayed with me for the rest of the hike.
After walking on this road for almost a half of a mile, you will see the familiar markings of the horizontal white bars that you had left to go on the yellow trail. Turn left here and you will now stay on this trail for the remaining three miles of your hike.
Please note that once you turn back onto the white bar trail, it begins a nice uphill climb that will get you breathing pretty hard! As you move up the hill, feel free to periodically look to your right to enjoy the views.
After you crest the hill, you will start a descent that takes you to the end of your hike.
Another interesting rock formation.
As I noted at the start of this post, this is an excellent hike if you are looking to get away from everything for a few hours and still get a good workout. During this hike I heard nothing but birds singing, chipmunks and squirrels running through the woods and the distant sound of freight trains. The breeze, which I gladly welcomed on the latter part of the hike, provided its own mystical soundtrack as I moved through the woods. There were no car horns, trucks, anything that resembled the civilized world. To say that it was bliss would be an understatement.
That is why I dub thee…solitude.
Another awesome hike!!!
Storm
With arms outstretched at his sides, head resting on a pillow and eyes closed, the storm swirled around him, enveloping his entire being. He shook as the memories rushed to the surface of his soul and he knew that stopping them would be impossible. As they overtook him, he wondered if the anguish from the past would ever end. It was useless to fight them and as the storm continued to rage, he hoped that it would be quick. He did know, however, that if he waited long enough the storm would pass. But when?
The Journey of Life
The journey of life is a strange one. Every day we wake up and are faced with challenges and obstacles that we can choose to face or ignore. Making these difficult choices is what defines us and makes us the people that we are.
But even though we are given the right to make our own choices on this journey, do we always make the right choice? Should we? Do we encounter factors, at times, that would prevent us from doing so?
On this journey we can be independent thinkers or we can follow the group like sheep. Where do you stand on this journey? Will you allow yourself to be shouted down for making choices that others may not like or agree with? Or will you stand up and make this journey your own?
Making choices on this journey is not always easy. But was it meant to be?
It is official-I am now the “Old Guy”
“Age fast, age slow-it’s up to you”
-Kenneth Cooper
For several years now, I have gotten used to people, both men and women, who will open doors for me and refer to me as “sir”. Although I am 51 years old, I still feel pretty young, even though sometimes it is harder to get up in the morning. The way I look at it is, if I wake up and can get out into the woods for a hike, it has been a good day. Today, however, I actually felt old-if only just for a minute.
The hike that I did today was a loop that looks like an oddly shaped and really demented lollipop. At a length of a little bit over 6 miles, it goes up one trail, loops to another and then another before coming back on the original trail.
I passed the Dutch Doctor Shelter on the way up the trail at about 8:30 am, and then again a couple of hours later on my return trip. When I passed it the first time, I heard voices coming from the shelter so I didn’t stop to investigate and kept on going. On my return trip, I had planned to stop and take pictures of the interior, but somehow I missed it!
As I moved down the trail, I heard voices once again and came upon a group of about 10 teenagers. I could tell by the discussion that the group leaders were having with several of the “campers/hikers” that they were not happy. I stopped and asked one of the group leaders the usual questions-“Where were they from? How long were they hiking?” and she told me that they had hiked to the shelter yesterday and were hiking back this morning to return home.
I could sense the frustration of the young leader as she tried to get the group moving again. Some of the kids she said had complained the entire way to the shelter and were still complaining even though they were only about 3/4 of mile into the return 1.85 miles this morning. Listening to some of these kids you would think that they had been out in the woods for days and had hiked many, many miles. Obviously this was not the case.
Here is the reason I am telling you this story. The leader asked me how long I had been hiking for (since it was early in the day) and was interested in knowing how long my hike was. I told her that I had been out for almost three hours and was about to complete 6.35 miles. After a few minutes, I took my leave and only got about 20 yards away when I heard one of the leaders say with a certain level of sarcasm (I think)-“Holy shit! That old guy is about to finish almost seven miles and you can’t hike for a mile or two? Stop bitching and start walking.”
Wow…It’s bad enough to have everyone call you sir, but when did I become the “old guy”?
The Zen Hiker 