“Hiking is the answer. Who cares what the question is.”
-Anonymous
Greetings my fellow hikers. I don’t think I need to say anything else, do I?
Hiking IS The Answer…
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Tag Archives: Hudson Valley Hiking
Naked trees on the years first hike. I love my naked trees!!
Happy Hiking!!!
The First Hike Of 2018
My trusty companions!
With a starting temperature of 56 degrees at 7:30 this morning I made my way to Ward Pound Ridge for my first hike of the new year. With my daughters hockey schedule, weather concerns and no real daylight in the afternoon, hiking really hasn’t been a possibility. For several days now, we have known that today was going to be a warm one.
With that in mind, I knew that I had to get out!
With a new pair of boots that needed breaking in, I decided to keep the distance relatively short and the pace kind of slow. Needless to say, it was great to get out.
Hike#1-4.2-4.2
Happy Hiking!!!
Roses
“Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose.
-Gertrude Stein
Here are some photos of the roses that my daughter got from her boyfriend on Valentine’s Day.
It’s Now Or Never
“Wake up! If you knew for certain you had a terminal illness–if you had little time left to live–you would waste precious little of it! Well, I’m telling you…you do have a terminal illness: It’s called birth. You don’t have more than a few years left. No one does! So be happy now, without reason–or you will never be at all.”
Dan Millman
This quote sends a very powerful message. One that not many people think about it. Whether you like it or not, you are, in fact, dying. The process began the second you were born. I can tell you that in my twenties, thirties and even into my forties, I was so wrapped up in the intricacies of every day life that I never gave death a thought. Now that I have ventured into my fifties, I have come to the realization that I have much less time on the earth than I have spent on it.
This is an odd feeling. I find myself thinking about my mortality and how it has laid claim to how it plays a role in the decisions that I make every day. My priorities on what it means to be happy, and how I can get to that level of happiness have evolved and is now paramount in my life. It also continues to be an ongoing exploration of seeing that being happy is much easier than we think it is.
I’m not talking about gaining material goods to see if I can make myself happy, it’s more of a choice of how I interact with everyone around me. These personal interactions are what I consider to be true measures of happiness.
Being happy is a choice made by every person every day and should last until our last day.
Thinking About The Summer
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”
– Jawaharial Nehru
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
-Henry Miller
After a lengthy cold spell, within the last week temperatures have actually made it up into the high forties to the mid fifties. I have to admit, feeling the (relatively) warm air made me think of spring days and being out in the woods. Looking over my maps of Harriman State Park and Bear Mt., I decided that just after the school year ends in June, I’ll backpack the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail.
Starting at the Tuxedo Rail Station, the trail runs through Harriman state park into Bear Mt. where it ends on route 9W right next to the Hudson river. At just about 22 miles, the current plan is to split it up into three days and two nights of what some web sites have said is relatively difficult hiking. Although the trail does have two lean to shelters along the way, I am bringing a tent just in case I show up at one and it has already been occupied by too many fellow hikers. With that saud, I am not thinking that this is going to be an issue because I am planning on doing this hike from a Tuesday to a Thursday so I will miss the weekend folks. More on that later.
So what am I doing now? I spent some time on the internet looking for a checklist that would help me get the stuff together that I will need for this short adventure. The decision to find a list was an easy one. I have backpacked before and gotten to my destination only to find out that I forgot to pack things. Here is the REI checklist that I am using:
As I continue to plan for this excursion, I will post updates with some gear info, planned route and other stuff.
Happy Hiking!!!
Gray Skies
Gray skies,
Suns rays absent
Cool mist of tomorrow
Falling quietly from within
Seeking a time and space for peace
To be left alone, one
Waiting for the
Blue skies
Please Unplug
“There are few times that I feel more at peace, more in tune, more Zen, if you will, than when I force myself to unplug.”
-Harlan Coben
With technology the way it is, it almost doesn’t seem possible that we can disconnect or unplug from our every day lives, if even for an hour. This quote by Harlan Coben, however, sums up the truth more than anything that I could tell you. As always, I relate most of the quotes that I find directly to my love of hiking. That is my time to “unplug” and when I am out in the woods, I truly am at peace.
As like everyone else, I do carry a cell phone when I hike. However, I turn it off prior to hitting the trail and I don’t check it until I am finished. The only time that I will deviate from this is if I am going to be late or I change my route. At my somewhat advanced age of 52, I make a conscious effort to do this because if I am late my family will assume that I have been eaten by roaming groups of wild animals.
I do find it a shame that we have to “force” ourselves to unplug. It would seem like a natural thing to do, especially after sitting behind a computer screen all day. Or after the many hours doing whatever it is people do on their cell phones.
The bottom line is this-You have to unplug and disconnect at some point. It is imperative for your mental health, and for those around you!
UNPLUG! UNPLUG! UNPLUG!
Happy Hiking!!!
Snow Falling
All day long
The snow softly falling
Gentle flakes, no longer one, alone
Brought together, intertwined, sorrow
Descending, is now my
Existence
Is There Anybody Out There?
“Nature is not mute; it is man who is deaf.”
―Terence Mckenna
Think about it-When was the last time you were hiking and actually listened to what the woods were saying to you? If you pay careful enough attention, you will be able to hear the many conversations that are occurring right where you stand.
The myriad of animals, both large and small, speaking to each other, warning one another of any dangers lurking as you make your way down the trail.
The trees, moving as the wind blows through them, each season telling a different story.
It really is that simple. Don’t rush through your hike. Take the time to just sit and listen. You will be absolutely amazed at what you hear.
Happy Hiking!!!
The Zen Hiker 