Monthly Archives: July 2019

Taking It To The Trunk

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“Nothing haunts us like the antiques we didn’t buy.”

-Anonymous

At least once during the summer and sometimes once in the fall, we head on over to the Elephant’s Trunk Flea Market in New Milford, CT. Today, however, many vendors were missing. Of course, this could be due to people vacationing or maybe the number of vendors is diminishing. I can’t answer that question but I was thinking about it.

Even with the missing vendors, we still had a huge amount of items to look at. One of the nice things about The Elephant’s Trunk is that you get to know the vendors and what they sell. If you get to know the people, it seems they are more likely to make deals with you. I am sure that they will make deals anyway, but it is a nice thought.

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By 8 am people are already leaving with the things that they have bought. At the same time, people are also arriving. Today, it was already over 70 degrees when we got there at 7 am.

 

I love the area surrounding the Elephant’s Trunk. Many flea markets are dropped in the middle of a vast open space and lack any definable character. The Elephant’s Trunk, however, has a beautiful wooded area behind it. Obviously, at this time of year and with the amount of rain that we have had, the trees are an incredibly lush green. In the fall, the colors are spectacular.

The empty areas seen here are usually occupied by vendors.

 

Of course, what would a flea market be without food vendors? My daughter had a sausage egg and cheese from this guy and she said it was outstanding! They also had a bakery where we bought some apple cider donuts which were really good as well. I do apologize, but I don’t have any picture of the food. I ate the donut too quickly so preserving it in a photograph was not possible.

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One of the more unique finds for me today was this poster announcing Jerry Garcia’s Fall 1989 tour. Unfortunately, the vendor wanted way too much and he wouldn’t come down in price. Sure, it would have been nice to have, but that’s cool.

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Overall it was another successful trip to the Elephant’s Trunk and I am pretty sure that I will be returning sooner rather than later to see what else they have.

Happy Hump Day!

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“After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value.”

– G.M. Trevelyan

It took a couple of days but today was noticeably cooler than the last three or four. When I started out at just around 6:00 am it was a nice cool 59 degrees with no real humidity. I decided to take the Green trail to the yellow trail back out to the parking lot. All told, it was a nice easy four miles. I’m still not at 100% yet so once again I walked at a slower pace than I usually would and took in everything around me.

I am finding that I actually prefer the slower pace because it allows me to better clear my mind. I do have to still pay attention to my surroundings so I don’t have a repeat of last summer, but walking slower gives me a better sense of what I’m doing, or at least trying to do.

When I stopped for a quick rest and some water, I found myself staring at this log. I have no idea why, it just had me thinking.

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Water sources are drying up with the lack of rain.

Even with the lack of rain, the woods are still a vibrant green.

But for how long?

 

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The same nest from a few days ago, only a little bigger.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Hike #18-7/10/19-4.0-80.6

Can I Speak To Your Beard?

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“When Someone Has A Problem with Your Beard, Remember This… That’s Not Your Problem.”

“Beards Are An Acquired Taste. Don’t Like Them? Acquire Some Taste.”

“Awesome dads have tattoos and beards.”
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Does a beard make you more approachable?

One thing that I have noticed over the last couple of years is that since I started growing my beard, more people engage me on the trail. When I was clean-shaven, most times I would barely get a nod from other folks, but now I am drawn into full-blown conversations with my fellow hikers. Even children speak to me (of course they think I look like Santa). But is it the beard? Is it the power and epic awesomeness of the beard that draws people in? 🙂 I can’t answer that question.

In a paper from 2014, it was found, however, that bearded men were found to be more trustworthy than our clean-shaven counterparts. For the life of me, I can’t figure that out.

Why am I writing about this you might ask? I really have no idea. I just saw this photo and figured I would make some observations. I’ve mentioned my beard in the past but as it grows longer, the more it grows on me (no pun intended). If you have been following my blog, or you know me, you know that I prefer solitude when I hike. I am am not a big people person when I am on the trails. As a matter of fact, I am not a people person period. Say that three times fast.

So will these kinds of forced interactions make me more of a people person and will I now choose to go out of my way to interact with hikers I don’t know?

I’m thinking that the answer to that is…no.

Let me know what you think. If you see a bearded gentleman and he doesn’t look like a crazed killer (or even if he does), are you more likely to say something to him than someone without a beard?

(If I haven’t said this already, I can write about just about anything,)

HAPPY HIKING!!!

All Hail No Humidity!!!

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“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”

-John Ruskin

With thunderstorms out of the way for the time being, the humidity is finally back at a point where you aren’t suffocating and drenched after walking for five steps. From what the weather forecast looks like, thunderstorms aren’t expected back in the area until Thursday afternoon. I’m sure that the humidity will begin creeping back up as the week progresses.

Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about the fog.

Even though I’m still not at 100%, I decided to do a short hike anyway. I know it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do but out into the woods I went. Obviously, since I’m still not fully recovered, I kept the pace slower than I would have. That was cool though because it gave me a chance to just think. I also took quite a few more breaks than I normally would have.

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The point where the Green and the Red Trail split. This makes about a decent 4-mile loop.

It was actually nice to sit on a rock and hear nothing but the wind blowing through the trees and the animals running around. As a matter of fact, I thought it was odd that I saw a deer staring at me and for probably about 300 yards he kept pace with me. Walking when I walked, stopping when I stopped. Could it have just been a coincidence that he was following me???  It went on for about 20 minutes before something else spooked the deer and it took off into the woods.

I certainly felt much safer doing this with a deer than I did two years ago with the bear!

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Overall. another great day to be hiking here at Ward Pound Ridge. It never gets old.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Hike #17-7/9/19-4.5-76.6

Bronchial Pneumonia??? More Summer Fun

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“The greatest wealth is health.”

-Anonymous

“Going to the woods is going home.”

-John Muir 

Even though I have been hiking pretty regularly over the course of the last several weeks, I have had a nagging cough that has produced abnormally (in my opinion) large amounts of phlegm. I really haven’t felt bad but the cough and the phlegm had me worried.

So after delaying the inevitable for a couple of weeks, I bit the bullet and went to my doctor. At first, I was only expecting to hear that I had a cold and that I should just take it easy to give it time to clear up. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear that I had Bronchial Pneumonia. In the middle of the summer?? Who has ever heard of such a thing? If it was January and they told me that I would have been able to accept it better than the first week of July!!!

And since I had been coughing so hard, I pulled a muscle in my chest, which was more painful than when I actually cracked a rib coughing. So I haven’t been hiking since Friday and that has me bummed out. I have, however, been riding my stationary bike which has given me some peace of mind.

So here I sit, waiting to go out into the woods again. I believe tomorrow may be the day.

GOOD HEALTH TO YOU AND HAPPY HIKING!!!

 

Creative Altruism

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“Having a purpose and knowing exactly what your values are will add additional years to your life.”

-Dan Buettner

Hey Folks. I just read an incredibly interesting article by Dan Buettner with the title, Making Creative Altruism a Part of Every Day Life. Dr. Martin Luther King used the term “Creative Altruism” and he said, “These two words stand out; joined at their hip, they form a close-knit brother and sister relationship advancing humanity, no matter what the benevolent cause. More than ever our world needs creative altruism.”

Of course, I recommend pretty much anything that Dan Buettner writes because so much of what he says makes sense. Our disconnect from nature and dependence on technology in my mind is not helping us overall as a society. We are more socially isolated than we ever have been and it is not looking good that it will get any better,

Although the article is short, you will find several links at the bottom of the article to other pieces that he has written telling us how to lead a more purposeful life. I suggest that you take some time to dig a little deeper into what he has to say. You won’t regret it.

 

A Fine Friday For A Hike

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“Walking is man’s best medicine.”

– Hippocrates

Another incredibly humid day to go hiking here in the Hudson Valley. As it turns out, I was out even earlier than I usually am, hitting the trail at just about 5:15 am. Obviously, by the picture on the left, it was more than a little foggy at the start of the hike. When I finished just a little more than two hours later, it was cloudy, but the fog had lifted.

Even in the woods during the hike, the fog made things more than a little eerie. At one point a trail runner snuck up behind me and scared the crap out of me. I’m used to not seeing anyone in the early morning, and since it was even earlier, I really wasn’t expecting anyone. If anything, it kept me on my toes.

Today I did a reverse loop of one of the hikes that I have done several times before. Even though the first mile was uphill, it was a gradual climb and not too intense. Going in the opposite direction allowed for a more rolling hike with a few downhill sections. Either way, it is a challenging hike and well worth doing.

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About halfway through the hike and right off the trail was this bees nest. This one was about the size of a small children’s basketball. I was going to get a closer photo, but even as early as it was, all I could see were bees hovering around the nest so I stayed where I was and took the photos.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for heavy thunderstorms so who knows if I will get out or not. I would like to start increasing my mileage a little bit. Maybe to start I’ll add in a couple of longer days.

Right now it feels good just being able to get out as often as I am.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Hike #16-7/5/19-4.1-72.1

Independence Day!!!

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“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” 
― Henry David Thoreau

No hike today. Summer break for me started a week ago and it’s rolling along quite nicely. I have to admit that so far this is a vast improvement over last summer when I was confined to my couch for two months. Two very long months. However, I did have an excellent orange cast. You can’t beat that with a stick.

But this year, I’m paying a great deal more attention to my surroundings when I hike. So far I have been averaging about 4 1/2 miles when I do get out and that’s ok. Because I’m out so early, I rarely run into other people, and when I do, it’s usually a brief hello and both of us are on our way.  Some folks may take issue with that, but that’s ok. I enjoy the solitude as well as the peace and quiet.

So my suggestion to everyone out there is to get out early and get out often. Find a rock that you can either sit on or lay down and just take it all in.

Nobody’s going to tell you to move.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

 

They’re Back-The Humidity And The Horseflies

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“Going to the woods is going home.”

-John Muir

Wow…The humidity this morning was the worst that it has been. And this is at 5:50 am. The equation is simple: Humidity=Horseflies. I didn’t get a half a mile into today’s hike before I was drenched. But the trail was as good as it always is and despite the humidity, it was nice to be outside.

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Besides the humidity, the only other thing missing was a nice breeze. The air was perfectly still and all I could hear were the birds chirping. I didn’t even see or hear any squirrels. I’m assuming they hate they humidity as well.

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Overall, however, it was a good hike and any time spent outside is far better than being inside or at work.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Hike #15-7/3/19-4.5-68.0

A Breath Of Fresh Air

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REI has come up with these “A Breath of Fresh Air” meditation spots that are absolutely fantastic. They say in their description that:

“We believe that a life outdoors is a life well lived and that we all could use a break from everyday life. We suggest getting outdoors, but if you can’t in this moment, we’re bringing the outdoors to you. Slip on your headphones and give yourself a quick reprieve. Breathe in, breathe out, and let go.”

They range in length from a bunch that are under thirty seconds to those that run 3-4 minutes.

So if you can’t get outside or you need a few minutes to just get away from it all, listen to one or more of these. They are very well produced and especially when you are wearing headphones, all you have to do is just shut your eyes to experience the wonder of the outdoors.

So get the headphones out, Google “REI  A Breath of Fresh Air” and then pick and choose where you want to go.

HAPPY HIKING and HAPPY RELAXING!!!!