Weekly Photo Challenge-Textures
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Monthly Archives: August 2017
Weekly Photo Challenge-Satisfaction
“My sense of satisfaction grew as I crested the hill and saw the Appalachian Trail stretch out in front of me.”
-MPD
The Daily Post Photo Challenge-Elemental
As I sat on Anthony’s Nose I was treated to this delicious sky as it cast shadows over some of the best hiking in the Hudson Valley.
100 Mile Review
“Life is better in hiking boots.”
-Anonymous
Now that I have hiked just over 100 miles in my Vasque St. Elias GTX Boots and awesome Meriwool Merino Wool socks, it’s time to write a review. Let’s start off with the socks. Since I have three pairs of the socks, I can pretty much rotate them every time I go hiking. I am sure that this has saved on the wear and tear on each of the pairs. As I mentioned when I first got them, they are much better than any cotton sock. To this day they remain comfortable and well worth the extra money that they cost. Still no hot spots (I used to get them all the time with cotton socks!) or blisters!
I did have to do some research as to what would be the best way to wash them. What I do is I fill my kitchen sink with warm water and add some soft liquid soap. After 15-20 minutes I rinse them in pretty cold water and squeeze out any excess water. The one things that many sites I looked at were very specific in saying that Merino Wool socks should not be wrung out as the wool could be compromised. Lay them on a flat surface to then let them dry.
Overall these socks have been a blessing. They have performed above my expectations and I fully expect that they will continue to do so.
Wearig an 12 W, the Vasque St. Elias GTX has also performed even better than I thought they would. With an exact fit, they provide the amount of ankle support that I need to be able to hike a short distance, or a hilly 10 miler that leave my legs rubbery! The best thing about these boots is you would think that a boot that offers so much support would be pretty heavy. At 3 lbs. 1 ounce, the St. Elias has enough support to keep your feet and ankles protected, but light enough that you really don’t feel them.
Happy Hiking!
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation-Red Trail (21)
“Walking is magic. Can’t recommend it highly enough. I read that Plato and Aristotle did much of their brilliant thinking together while ambulating. The movement, the meditation, the health of the blood pumping, and the rhythm of footsteps… this is a primal way to connect with one’s deeper self.”
-Paula Cole
“Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.”
-Thomas Jefferson
Today (8/14/17) marked the third day out of the last four where I have hiked at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. As with the first two hikes, I have never hiked the Red Trail prior to today so I was hoping that it would be as good as the others. Needless to say, even though this one was the longest, I enjoyed it the most. The trail varies from soft earth to rocky and had a minimal amount of ascents. With that said, none of the climbs were that bad.
As I pulled into the parking lot I was met by this wonderful metal sculpture. Just awesome!
Starting on the right just off of the Michigan Road parking lot, you will pass a gate with a kiosk filled with the usual warnings. After looking at the map and reading the section on the Red Trail in Walkable Westchester, they even recommend tackling this hike in a counterclockwise direction.
The Michigan Road parking lot
The Red Trail begins and ends just after the kiosk.
Immediately after the kiosk, the Red Trail starts off level and on soft earth.
As you wind your way through the park, the surface of the trail changes throughout the duration of the hike. Earth, rocks, gravel, this trail has it all.
The one very cool thing about this Ward Pound Ridge is that they have cabins and shelters scattered throughout the park. This one happened to be just off the Red Trail.
Here are some interesting rock formations along the trail.
Happy Hiking!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
8/14/17-6.0-107.32
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation-Brown Trail (20)
“The closer you get to real matter, rock air fire and wood, boy, the more spiritual the world is.”
―Jack Kerouac
“I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all”
―Jack Kerouac
***With this hike I finally went over 100 miles for the summer. Woo Hoo!!!! Hopefully no more rain!
Just the other day I ventured onto the Blue Trail on the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. I chose to tackle the trail in a counterclockwise manner and I am glad that I did. Although the trail was pretty steep at the beginning and had several demanding climbs and even more demanding descents, the last section of the trail was relatively flat. To get a better idea of the rest of the trails in the park, I purchased Walkable Westchester by Jane and Walt Daniels. This book gives detailed descriptions of trails in the parks in Westchester County, NY.
Parking in the Kimberly Bridge parking area again, you actually stay on the parking lot side of the road to access the Brown Trail. Starting off on the DH trail, you follow that until it intersects with the Brown Trail.
The Cross River just off of the Kimberly Bridge parking area.
The DH Trail as it re-enters the woods. Shortly you will veer right onto the Brown Trail.
As you begin hiking on the Brown Trail, it ascends quickly and steeply for a short time. As with the blue trail, unless you are looking for a hike with what seems like never ending climbing, you should do this in a counterclockwise direction.
The Brown Trail moving to the right.
After climbing, leveling off and then descending, the trail turns sharply to the left and with the exception of a very short climb, stays level or moves downhill for the rest of the hike.
The hiking was easy on this portion of the trail.
The Brown and the DH Trail stay together for a short time.
One of the more interesting things about this hike is the varied terrain that you come across. Woods roads, forest, Cross River and now an almost tunnel like experience as you hike through this portion of the trail.
A bridge connecting the Brown Trail with the FH Trail.
The Cross River again, this time deeper in the woods.
After completing the Brown Trail Loop, I crossed the street and hiked some more on the DH Trail until it came to Reservation Road. At this point I turned left and headed back to the parking area.
Happy Hiking!!!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
8/13/17-5.1-101.32
Change?
Seeing past the day
Empty minds drained of logic
Idiocy thrives
Blogging
Sitting on the couch
Laptop screaming in silence,
Word Press feeds the mind
Some Food For Thought (Or Walking)
As I was looking for quotes to put with my last post, I came across two that were a little lengthy but convey how I feel every time that I am in the woods. They are both by Frederic Gross from his book A Philosophy of Walking. Feel free to read them and leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Happy Hiking!
“Walking: it hits you at first like an immense breathing in the ears. You feel the silence as if it were a great fresh wind blowing away clouds. There’s the silence of woodland. Clumps and groves of trees form shifting, uncertain walls around us. We walk along existing paths, narrow winding strips of beaten earth. We quickly lose our sense of direction. That silence is tremulous, uneasy. Then there’s the silence of tough summer afternoon walks across the flank of a mountain, stony paths, exposed to an uncompromising sun.”
“None of your knowledge, your reading, your connections will be of any use here: two legs suffice, and big eyes to see with. Walk alone, across mountains or through forests. You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs heavy with greenery. You are no longer a role, or a status, not even an individual, but a body, a body that feels sharp stones on the paths, the caress of long grass and the freshness of the wind. When you walk, the world has neither present nor future: nothing but the cycle of mornings and evenings. Always the same thing to do all day: walk. But the walker who marvels while walking (the blue of the rocks in a July evening light, the silvery green of olive leaves at noon, the violet morning hills) has no past, no plans, no experience. He has within him the eternal child. While walking I am but a simple gaze.”
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation (19)
“I wanted to unfurl my toes for a little while. I wanted silence, isolation and an invitation to exhale life’s complications. I heard nature’s melody and I harmonised with every single note. I needed the trees, their colours, and the sounds of wildlife breathing. I inhaled the essence of the forest and smiled as life coursed through my veins”
―Amelia Dashwood
“There is always an adventure waiting in the woods.”
―Katelyn S. Bolds
“Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.”
-Janice Anderson
Today I decided to try hiking a little more locally than I usually do. Instead of traveling to Dutchess or Orange county, I went in the opposite direction to Westchester County. Located just off of route 121 in Pound Ridge, NY, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation offers many hiking trails, camping and picnic areas in what is truly a pristine area of the county.
The standard warnings located on the opposite end of the Kimberly Bridge parking area.
The Blue trail heading up towards the remnants of a fire tower.
This is the spot where a fire tower used to stand.
I am not going to lie, whenever I do a loop hike I look at the map and try to determine the easiest way to traverse it. Even though this hike started with a pretty steep climb, when I finished I was glad that I hadn’t gone the other way! If you look at the picture below, I took it after hiking down this section. If I had been coming from the opposite direction I would have had to scramble to get up this section of the trail.
As with other parks in the Hudson Valley, these woods are filled with enough varied terrain and landscape to keep things interesting!
An inchworm making its way to safety!
The first half of this hike was a decent mix of soft earth, grass and rocks. The second half was all on a woods road. After climbing pretty steeply and then navigating some pretty tricky descents, the hiking was easy all of the way back to the parking area.
The woods road leading to the parking area.
When I finished, I did take the opportunity to sit on the bench to rest and enjoy the view.
If you are looking for a place to hike and maybe have a BBQ or picnic, then this is the place for you. I don’t know how crowded this park is on the weekends, but when I was here today, it was very quiet.
Happy hiking!!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
8/9/17-4.1-96.22
The Zen Hiker 