Author Archives: Freedom Hiker

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About Freedom Hiker

I served in the USMC directly out of high school and then taught for two years in the Bronx, NY. I was then a Special Education Coordinator/Special Education teacher at a public high school in the Lower Hudson Valley in Westchester County, New York, for over 20 years. Although I love going to Anthony's Nose, I try to get to different spots in the area. One great thing about living in the Hudson Valley is the abundance of great hikes. You can do the same hike in different seasons, and it will be as if you were hiking that trail for the first time. It doesn't get much better than that!

“We Hate Everyone On The Right!!!!”

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screaming

Someone in the “resistance” screaming at the sky. Oh my…

A quick question for my friends on the left. What is the purpose of harassing Republicans and members of the Trump administration in public? Do you not see how childish you look? How infantile? Since election day it has been a temper tantrum thrown on a daily basis because Trump was elected.

So what exactly are you hoping to accomplish by not allowing public figures to live their lives in peace like everyone else?

Do you honestly believe that screaming and accosting people in public is going to help your cause? I know that when I was growing up, yelling, screaming and stamping my feet like a petulant two-year old never succeeded in getting me anything. At some point I realized that and grew up.

Does it soothe your ego to verbally accost people who have been put in place by a duly elected President? (Sorry, we don’t elect the President by popular vote)  Does it make you feel good?

The behavior shown by those on the left since election day has truly been disgusting, and I think that is an understatement. The crying, screaming and ridiculous histrionics have done nothing but further alienate the two parties and quite frankly, made the left look like the unhinged loonies they profess the right to be.

Any rational answers out there for such moronic behavior? 

And that, dear friends, will end my rant for the day.

As always, if any of this offends you, I don’t care.

Hmmm…What About The Men??

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I have tried my best to keep this blog free of politics because quite frankly, I like hiking more. But for the longest time now politicians on both sides of the aisle have proven that they are nothing but lying cretins who thrive on a scorched earth policy. I have listened to the accusations being thrown at Brett Kavanaugh since he was nominated. But one thing I have not heard, especially from the left is, what about the man? What if he is truly innocent?

Now before you get all self-righteous and start calling me names and saying I don’t care, it is about time to talk about the other side of this. We all have friends, relatives and acquaintances who are male. What if one of them were accused with something as horrible as what we have seen? Knowing your friend, relative, or acquaintance as well as you do, would you immediately jump on the she’s right and he’s wrong band wagon?

I have an almost 22 year old son who I have spent years preaching the importance of avoiding situations that might be misconstrued. I have gone on and on about drinking, over drinking and using drugs at parties. I have tried to raise him with a moral system that would make him think about putting himself into a situation that could damaging. I hope that he has listened. To this point he has not been in any type of compromising situation that could ruin his life. Is it by luck or through his upbringing? Or both?

Is it just a matter of time before he becomes one of the accused?

Of course I am not saying women are not sexually assaulted. They are. But’s let’s focus on that instead of demonizing every living male. The calls for all Republican males to be castrated is repulsive. Where is the anger at that.

Yes, women do make up stories for whatever the reason might be. Yes, that is a fact. But the left keeps coming up with more and more ridiculous claims. Think about that when it is your son, father, cousin or friend who has been accused. Will it matter if you know he is innocent? If you know that he couldn’t have done what he is accused of? According to the left it won’t matter. He’s guilty. He has to pay!

Be it through career, job or reputation,  (or all three) he will pay!!!!

Once again, think about it if your friend, relative or acquaintance was on the receiving end of a vicious attack like this. I’ll bet you would sing a different tune.

As noted on some of my Facebook posts recently, if you are in any way offended by this post, I don’t care. Comments are more than welcome but please keep them clean.

I’ll end my rant here.

A Zombie Like Existence

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Technology has improved all of our lives, yes? Is that a fair statement? We can’t deny that not only have we seen improvements, but every day activities are made easier. We can shop on computers, iPads, lap tops and even our phones! We can have anything that we want or need at our door in a day or less.

But as with every advancement we see in society, it comes at a cost. Unfortunately that cost is our children. You see, I work in a high school. For 20 years I have seen the dependence on cell phones and other forms of tech increase to the point of no return. Heads bent and shoulders hunched, students and teachers alike move through the halls from class to class like zombies in the Walking Dead. Unfortunately, like in the Walking Dead, we can’t dispatch kids or colleagues to a better place for living a zombie like existence.

We are raising what could be generations of young folks who can’t hold a conversation and are content with staring blankly at a screen. How about reading a book?

Ask them to put them away in class and you get attitude. For that matter, ask just about anyone to put their phones away and you would think you are asking them to give up a limb. Wait, maybe we are…Anyway, I found these outstanding images that give a pretty honest look at what life is like today. Enjoy!!

cell on face

cell on hand

computer

I know that the second image was done by Angel Boligan Corbo. I’m not sure about the other two. If you know, please let me know!

The First Day Of School

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Holy crap yes, that day is finally here,

The brand new start to a whole new school year.

Lessons and meetings plus excuses galore,

Mind numbing students who stare at the floor.

You’ll do what we want, you’ll do what we say,

Put them in groups or pairs every day.

Higher level questioning on things they don’t get,

Forget those state tests, you don’t have to fret.

So enjoy these last moments, and then just jump in the fray,

Watch the stupidity but stay out of the way.

It’s no doubt you will live, It’s no doubt you will thrive,

Just keep your sanity and stay fully alive.

So as you sit there tomorrow, eyes covered in glaze,

Remember that summer is in 187 short days.

 

The First Ride Back

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“Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind you  have to convince.”

-Anonymous

After 65 days of no form of aerobic exercise, I was finally given permission by my surgeon and physical therapist to start riding the stationary bike again. Up until June 28th I had either hiked or rode my stationary bike no less than 6 days per week for the past three years. Of course I had regularly exercised prior to that, but not at the distances that I had been able to work up to.

When I decided to ride bike today I really didn’t know what to expect. How long should I ride? How much resistance should I put on the bike? And the biggest question, How much is it going to hurt?

So I climbed on the bike with just a little bit of hesitation and set my stopwatch for 15 minutes. I took a deep breath, put the resistance on two and started pedaling.  Starting pretty slowly, I was surprised that I didn’t feel any pain. Of course the doctor and the PT had told me that since it is not a weight bearing exercise it probably wouldn’t hurt, but what do they know?

One minute passed, then five, and at the fifteen minute mark, the alarm sounded. Since I didn’t feel any pain, I decided to go for another fifteen minutes. When that fifteen minutes ended I was even more shocked to find that I still wasn’t in any pain.

I will admit that as I climbed off of the bike and began stretching, I felt a great sense of relief.

I’ll count this first workout on the road to recovery a success!

 

 

Camino de Santiago

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camino

A couple of days ago I wrote that after careful consideration, a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail was not going to happen. After consulting with my doctor, the fact that something could happen during a thru hike related to being dehydrated and my kidneys was too much to ignore. Also, if I were to get injured on the trail, I’m not confident that I would be able to either get out under my own power or be able to contact someone for help. This latest incident really made me think!

So what am I to do? A couple of years ago two of my colleagues completed a portion of the Santiago de Compostela. As I sat in my usual spot earlier this summer waiting and waiting for my ankle to heal, I thought about that and began researching what it would take to hike the entire Camino Frances.

What is the Santiago de Compostela you might ask? (taken from Wikipedia)

“The Camino de Santiago “Pilgrimage of Compostela”; known in English as the Way of Saint James among other names, is a network of pilgrims’ ways serving pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. Many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. It is also popular with hiking and cycling enthusiasts and organized tour groups.”

Although there are many different routes to get to Santiago, “The commonly agreed-upon route for El Camino de Santiago (a.k.a. the Way of St. James) begins at Saint Jean Pied de Port, France, and travels 500 miles through four of Spain’s 15 regions, ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.” This is the route that I intend to take.

Because so many people choose to hike, walk or bike the Camino, it has actually become a livelihood for the poeple living there and as a result has been broken up into 32 stages. Although the distance of each of the stages are similar, the difficulty can range from really difficult to really easy. It all depends on the day. They say you should allow for a total of 35 days to hike the Camino Frances, but some take longer, some shorter. There are so many towns and villages along the way so that if you decide that you want to go longer one day or cut a day short, it’s all up to you.

This is the main reason I have chosen to hike the Camino Frances. The fact that being isolated along the Camino is next to impossible, water is plentiful and places to stay are in abundance makes this an ideal place to spend a month or two right after I retire. You can even add on mileage at the end to add a hundred or so miles to your trek!

So the dream for now to thru hike the AT is gone. That’s ok. The large amount of other places to experience what it offers can be found elsewhere and I think that I have found it.

Has anyone reading this hiked any part of the Camino de Santiago?  Is anyone planning to do so? Let me know. 

 

 

Disconnect

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shhhh

In his essay about silence, noted explorer, author and publisher Erling Kagge notes three things-1) The basic state in our brain is one of chaos, 2) An abundance of activities leaves us with a feeling of experiential poverty and 3) We are living in the age of noise.

Why does he say this? Think about it. What do we do every day? We wake up and what is the first thing we do? We look at our phones. We check e-mails, texts and phone messages. We get to work and do the same. After work we repeat the process and it never seems like we get off of the electronic devices crazy train.

One of the things I learned while I was in the hospital a couple of months ago was that nothing happened to me when I couldn’t use my cell phone or ipad (to face time). The world didn’t end, I didn’t cease to exist or go crazy. I just did what I did when I was a kid, I read books. Honestly, I didn’t care that i couldn’t access my phone.

Imagine this-six days of quiet. Not total silence (I was in a hospital), but I did not have the usual distractions that we are all forced to endure every day. I will admit that it was nice. My mind became uncluttered and I didn’t find myself checking the phone or ipad for messages, notification and e-mails.

My idea is a simple one. Take one day a week and disconnect. It’s not that difficult. As a matter fact, it’s really quite nice. I did it and survived.

Does anyone out there do anything to disconnect on a daily basis? I would love to read some of your thoughts.

One Small Slip For Man…

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slippery when wet_edited

I have mentioned in previous posts that the one thing the last two months has given me is a chance to think. And since I have been doing a lot of thinking, I find it kind of funny how one small and seemingly insignificant event can change plans, goals etc. For the longest time I have wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. My original plan was to retire and then soon after that start the trail on Springer Mountain in Georgia. That has changed just a wee bit since the end of June.

As I leaned against the slab of rock in Harriman waiting for the park rangers to carry me out, I knew that I was in for some time off from hiking. What I didn’t know at the time was the extent of how dehydrated I was and how that could possibly have an effect on future hiking. The ankle I can deal with. The surgery repaired it and the PT will help me get back on the trail.

The dehydration thing is a whole other story. After spending four days getting bags and bags of fluids pumped into me, I also knew that I was going to have to make some changes in regards to a thru hike.

After much deliberation, I don’t think that a thru hike is possible. Why you might ask? Even though the AT crosses many roads and you do have access to towns, the amount of time that you can be isolated in the woods is somewhat daunting. If something happens or access to water is limited, that could spell trouble.

Am I making to much of this? I don’t think so. At my tender age of 53, I have developed a healthy respect for staying alive. Watching videos of folks who have vlogged their thru hikes, although water is plentiful at times, at others it can be scarce. My doctor has said that I can not afford to have another episode of dehydration like this one.

So what to do? With all of the time to think and ponder that I have had, I believe that I have found a suitable alternative. One that makes me happy and one that makes my family happy (and less worried!)

Stay tuned!