Symphonic Monkeys
Marching through the winter white
Fluffy death awaits
Snowy Morning
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Tag Archives: hudson valley ny
The First Hike Of December!!!!!
“While I relish our warm months, winter forms our character and brings out our best.”
-Tom Allen
The first hike of December!!!! As you probably can imagine, it was pretty cold when I started my hike this morning. Not frigidly cold (as it certainly could have been), but cold enough to where I couldn’t just where shorts and a t-shirt (my favorite hiking attire). At 22 degrees, this was one of the coldest mornings that I have hiked this year. With no wind blowing, although it was chilly, it made the hiking easy.
A frosty way to start the day!
2017 Mileage:
12/2/17-6.4-349.32
The Sunset At Ward Pound Ridge
It was truly an odd feeling to be on the trail today and after almost always being a party to the woods waking up, I was instead for once looking at the coming night. Being pretty deep in the woods and surrounded by many hills, the darkness enveloped me much quicker than the morning light does as the sun rises. As I exited the woods in almost total darkness, I was able to catch the last of the sunset off in the distance.
The sky at Ward Pound Reservation as the sun sets.
More of the same sunset.
Happy Hiking!!!
2017 Mileage:
11/27/17-3.8-342.92
A Sunset & Naked Trees
Two of my favorite things: A beautiful sunset and naked trees!
Another Beautiful Day, Another Great Hike…
It’s a rare day in late, late November when you can actually hike for a few hours in shorts and a t-shirt and not feel chilly at some point. Today, I decided to hold off starting my hike until around 10:30 am. My original thought was that it would be much warmer than the usual 6:00 am start which would make things a little more comfortable.
The one thing that I tend to forget when I start my hikes later, especially on days like today, are the number of people who come out to hike. Because I usually get out so early, I rarely see anyone with the exception of some trail runners. On my hike today it seemed like I was running into someone ever couple of minutes. I actually started wondering where they were all coming from…
All in all it was another excellent hike. I got to meet a couple of nice people and as usual they had some incredibly friendly dogs who were eager to make my acquaintance. I really should start taking picture of all of the dogs that I meet when I am hiking.
Happy Hiking!!!
2017 Mileage:
11/25/17-7.7-339.12
A Thanksgiving Hike
Have you ever had a day when you were hiking where everything just clicked? Where each stride you took was effortless and you felt like you could hike forever? These days don’t happen very often, but when they do, watch out!
Luckily for me, today was one of those days. From the minute I started, I knew that I was going to be able to add a few miles on to what I had originally intended to do. My legs were loose, the air was a crisp 27 degrees and with no discernible breeze, the woods were silent.
2017 Mileage:
11/23/17-8.2-327.32
Start In The Dark, End In The…
“Nature is not our enemy, to be raped and conquered. Nature is ourselves, to be cherished and explored.”
-Terence McKenna
What a beautiful and exhilarating morning! I decided that on my hike today (11/4/17) I would test out the headlamp that I recently purchased (previous post). Starting out at just about 5:20 am, it was still fully dark and would remain so for almost the full duration of my hike. I also finally got the chilly morning that I have been waiting for! Even though the temperature was 35 degrees, it didn’t feel that cold and as I entered the woods, it was almost perfectly silent. The only sound that I could hear were my boots shuffling through the fallen leaves as I walked up the trail.
With the exception of the last 15 minutes of the hike, I used the headlamp to illuminate the ground as I walked. I thought at first that it would be difficult to see the trail in front of me, but the lamp proved to be very effective in making sure that I could see any rocks or roots that could prove to be an issue as I hiked.
The picture below, although it is a really crappy cell phone photo, shows you how well the trail was lit during this hike.
As I made my way out of the woods, I saw the last of a huge moon setting and when I turned to the east, I was treated to a beautiful sunrise.
Happy Hiking!!!
2017 Mileage:
11/4/17-5.3-313.92
The Cree T6 Headlight
For several months now I have wanted to get a headlamp so I could either do some night hikes or just start my hikes earlier than I normally do. I went to Amazon and google just to do some research and I decided that the LED Waterproof Headlamp Flashlight, Rechargeable Zoomable Headlamps Adjustable Cree T6 Headlight for Camping Hiking Hunting Running Working Outdoor Sports with 18650 Batteries,Charger and USB Cable was the best choice for what I am looking to do.
At $16.88, the headlamp is basically everything that it was advertised to be. I was actually surprised at how bright the lamp is and how well it illuminated the trail and surrounding woods. In regards to the fit, after about 15 minutes of wearing the lamp, I didn’t even notice that I had it on. When I bent over to tie my boots or open my pack, it stayed securely on my head.
Instead of getting into all of the nuts and bolts of this headlamp, I have included the description below that was on Amazon. Overall, it was definitely worth the money. This will open up an entirely new world of hiking!
- Ultra Bright & Modes: Max Output 800 Lumens CREE XML-T6 LED Bulbs with a Lifespan of 100,000 hours, Light Up to 200 meters (600 feet) Above. 3 Modes (High / Medium / Strobe), the Synchronous Rear Red Indicator Light on the Battery Holder Plays a good Warning role at Night
- Focusable & Rotatable: 90 Degree Rotatable Lamp Head (Stretching to Adjust its Focus) allow you to Light Up Anywhere you need. Elastic Headband make it Fit Snugly on your Head or over a Baseball Cap, No Brain Squeeze or Bobbing. Detachable Lamp Head also can use a Headlamp or Waist Lamps, Easy to Install in Pocket Travel Bag, Backpack, Hat Brink etc
- Multipurpose: Hands Free Headlight Prefect for Indoor and Outdoor Activities, like Jogging, Biking, Caving, Backpacking, Night Fishing, Walking your dog at Night, Household Work, Auto Repair, Emergency Kit or on Construction Helmet Hat
- Waterproof & Heatproof – GREAT FOR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR USE: No more struggle in hot or rain Or ultra sunny weathers makes this light qualified and usable at all seasons all the time, Made with high quality Aerial Aluminum Alloy to prevent damage in rainy or hot weathers Great for camping, hiking and running.
Happy Hiking!!!!
The Green Machine
“If you don’t have a plan, you become part of somebody else’s plan.”
―Terence Mckenna
Autumn this year has been a strange one. Even though you have to expect some pretty drastic temperature changes during the months of October and November, at this point it has been way to warm to count as weather that you would associate with the coming winter. With that said, at four in the afternoon today (11/2/17) it was a toasty 72 degrees. Even with the higher temps, the absence of any humidity actually made for another incredible hike.
It seems that with my afternoon hikes I am resorting to a “go to” on the Green Trail at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. It is a nice loop wth a couple of hills that will actually make you work.
Happy Hiking!!!
2017 Mileage:
11/2/17-4.1-308.62
Simian Surrealism
Across the wet grass the sinner moves.
Sweat drips from a furrowed brow,
Symphonic monkeys
Live alone,
Mad
The Zen Hiker 