Tag Archives: Hiking

Another Near Miss….

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“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”

-Roger Miller

Another day, another hike, another near miss with the rain. Only this time I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain! Heading out right after work, I decided to do the loop that I did on Sunday, only this time I would go past the connector trail and continue on the Red/Yellow Trail to the finish.

When I was about a half of a mile from the end, I saw this leaf suspended in mid air. At first I was a little freaked out because I couldn’t see anything holding it up. It just kept turning with the slight breeze that was blowing.  Even when you look at the picture, you can’t see anything!!!

As I finished the hike and stretched my legs, I felt the familiar drops of rain as it went from barely raining to pouring in a matter of a couple of minutes. Once again, I got lucky and didn’t get soaked!

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Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

10/11/17-4.8-274.42

R/G->R->RT->Y->Connector->R

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“One of the riches the wilderness has to offer is a prolonged immersion in absolute silence.”

-Colin Fletcher 

When my alarm went off this morning I knew that time was against me. The forecast was for rain, and after ever so slowly crawling out of bed, I looked at the radar on my phone and just as I thought, things didn’t look good. So the battle in my brain began. Do I just forget about hiking for the day? Do I take the risk and get out before the rain starts? Do I listen to that pesky little voice that was telling me to go back to bed? Or do I ignore it and just head out the door.

Since I hadn’t hiked since Thursday, I grabbed my water bottles, shouldered my pack and made my way to the jeep. Yes, even though the odds were against me, I made my way to Ward Pound Ridge.

When I got to the reservation, it was still creepy dark. Knowing that I was going to have to wait about 20 minutes before I could get onto the trail, I looked at the weather again and saw that I had 105 minutes until the rain would start. Five minutes later, it said 115 minutes. Five minutes later it was down to 108 minutes. What was happening? At that point, I made the command decision to start hiking.

If you take a look at the title of this blog entry, it details the route I took today. When I got to the end, it was in the realm of possibility that I could do a few more miles if the rain wasn’t to close. I took out my phone and checked the forecast. Sure enough, I had ten minutes until the rain would start. But would it? Was it telling me the truth? Did I want to chance it? I decided to head back to my car.

Sure enough, ten minutes later it started rain, no, pour….

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

10/8/17-4.5-269.62

R/G->RT->Y

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“Mostly, two miles an hour is good going.”

-Colin Fletcher

As I was leaving the parking on Michigan Road the other day I saw the familiar markings of a connector trail. This is the first time that I have seen this particular trail despite the fact that I have been by the start of the trail about thirty times. So instead of making the customary left turn from my jeep to get to the trail, I went right and headed down Michigan Road. Turning right, I headed into the woods and after a short time I found myself at the site of an old mill.

After looking around for a few minutes I headed back up to the road. On the map it is shown as a loop, but for the life of me I couldn’t find any blazes on the return route. When I got back to the road, I made the left and made my way to the Red and Green Trail. I took this trail until the green trail left the red and intersected with the RT. Shortly after that the yellow trail comes in until you go back to the parking lot.

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

10/5/17-4.5-265.12

Reverse Green

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“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”

-Lauren DeStefano

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

Another beautiful autumn day means another day to get out and hike. Since it’s the end of a work day and daylight is dwindling, that means a shorter hike than usual. That’s no problem however, because it’s just good to get out into the  woods, no matter what time of day!

Today I did the Green Trail again and instead of going in the direction where I would end my journey on a steep downhill, I reversed directions and went up the steepest portion first. Even when I do the Red and Green Trails (they are together for the first 2.4 miles), I usually go in one specific direction. The opposite way proved to be much challenging than I am used to. That’s ok though, sometimes you need to get the old ticker moving!!!

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

10/3/17-3.6-260.62

The Power Of The Pole

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As I made my way through the woods today, I found myself thinking about my hiking poles. This pair, as well as the many I have owned over the years, have served me well. I never really gave much thought as to the reason why I actually used them in the past, but I do know that because of weak ankles and bad knees, I have a need for them at this point.

But today, as my poles were clink, clink, clinking on the rocks, I actually starting thinking about the mechanics of how I was of using them. Was it just a mindless action? One where you just put one pole in front of the other or is it something more calculated? As I walked on a nice flat section of the trail, it did seem like more of a mindless repetitious act of putting one pole in front of the other.

As I made my way onto a portion of the trail that was downhill and much more rocky, the placement of my poles didn’t seem so random. I thought of a comparison to something that has absolutely nothing to do with hiking. I am thinking of chess players. When you think about it, they say that chess players have to be thinking 4-5 moves ahead of their current one in order to stay in the game. The same is true when you are traversing difficult terrain.

Although it may seem random, I really don’t think that it is. Somewhere in my subconscious something is telling me where to place my trekking poles to save the wear and tear on my knees and ankles. This is especially true when I am moving quickly. Your mind has to be thinking at least a couple of steps ahead of your current one in order for you to stay on your feet.

So what does that mean for you? I think that if you take a step back and look at how you use your poles, you’ll come to the same conclusion that I have-that using trekking poles is a conscious act but what happens when you are hiking with them is not. Think about it…

Happy Hiking!!!

The Rock Trail

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“It feels good to be lost in the right direction.”

-Anonymous

“Only one who wanders finds a new path.”

-Norwegian Proverb

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A beautiful day to be hiking!

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A stone chair right off of the parking lot.

Today I decided to mix things up a little bit. Although I started on the Red Trail, after a mile I took a connector trail until it met up with the Leatherman’s Loop. The Loop eventually meets back up with the Red Trail which I stayed on literally for about 100 feet until I veered off to the left onto another connector trail which led me to a point further along the Red Trail. Here is where things got interesting.

If you have followed my posts about Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, you know that the Red Trail is not that strenuous. It does have some inclines, but nothing that I would call difficult. With that said, I decided that at the 1.9 mile mark I would take another connector trail to the Rock Trail (RT).

Not having been on the RT before, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Although I absolutely love WPRR and its many trails, the only issue I have with them is that they do not have a map that adequately represents the demanding nature of some of its ascents and descents. I include the descents with this because they are actually more taxing on my legs than going uphill. The portion of the RT that I did today was a mixture of punishing uphills, even more steeper and punishing downhills as well as some nice flat areas.

Meandering its way through the woods, the RT finally meets up with yet another connector trail that once again joins the Red Trail. Making a left, I stayed on the Red Trail until it met up with the RT. This time, however, you only stay on the RT for a very short time until you start hiking on the Yellow Trail. You will end the hike by following the Yellow Trail back to the parking lot.

Although this hike was only 1.2 miles longer than yesterday’s, this one was much more demanding. With the addition of the portion of the RT, the added up and downs did a lot more to tax my legs than just staying on the Red Trail. With that said, it was more than worth the added exertion.

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

10/1/17-6.7-257.02

Check That Forecast!

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Rule #1 of hiking: Check the weather forecast before you plan to go out on a long hike.

My original plan yesterday was to hike between 9 and 10 miles, all depending on how I felt. As I closed in on around 4.5 miles, it started raining. I looked up at the sky and immediately knew that I wouldn’t be finishing that long hike. Since I hadn’t bothered to check the forecast, I didn’t bring ay rain gear. With the temperature at the time at around 51 degrees, hiking in the pouring rain was out of the question.

Well folks, another lesson of live and learn!!!

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

9/30/17-5.5-250.32

 

How Lucky We Are

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Close to the end of my hike today, I crossed paths with two older gentleman. The first man, probably around my age, tipped his hat and greeted me with a hearty “good morning!” The second man, quite a bit older than his hiking partner and moving very slowly, also greeted me warmly. It was what he said next that has stuck with me all day. As we passed each other, he looked me in the eye and said, “aren’t we lucky to be out here?” Indeed we are…

St. Elias GTX 200 Mile Review

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As I close in on 200 miles with my Vasque St. Elias GTX boots (197.62), I can happily report that they are holding up very nicely. They remain very comfortable and with the aid of my awesome merino wool socks, I haven’t had one blister or hot spot. Also, one of the biggest issues that I have had with every pair of boots I have owned the laces always had a tendency to come undone. This would drive me crazy! With these boots, I have not had this problem. They stay laced and they also stay tight.

As I have noted before, these boots are outstanding medium weight backpacking boots that I use for day hiking. With my weak ankles and knees, I need all of the support that I can get when I am traipsing through the woods.

In terms of the wear and tear, they also doing well. I haven’t seen any noticeable wear on the soles, top or tongue of the right or left foot.

I said it when I first got these boots-they are outstanding! They have proven to be all around excellent and would continue to recommend them to hikers who either backpack or day hike. You won’t be disappointed!

Happy Hiking!