“Hiking and happiness go hand in hand or foot in boot.”
-Diane Spicer
Monday April 23rd was probably the best day weather wise that we have had this year. With a temperature of around 60 with absolutely no humidity, a strong breeze and clear blue skies, it felt really good to be back out on the trail.
Happy Hiking!!!
Hike #4-4.9-21.2
“Every day is a new day. Don’t live in the past. Enjoy the now and make it count!”
-Unknown
“Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.”
-Unknown
I happened to look in the rear view mirror on my way to work this morning and I saw these clouds being bisected by the condensation trail of a jetliner. So of course I had to pull over and take a picture. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me and I had to use my inferior cell phone camera. With that said, the two together with the sun slowly rising made for a beautiful sunrise.
“Happiness starts with a wet nose and ends with a tail.”
-Anonymous
“Dogs are not our whole lives but they make our lives whole.”
-Anonymous
One of my favorite things to do besides hiking is taking photos of my animals. We finally have a day with clear blue skies and a temperature hovering around 60 degrees. When it is as beautiful as this, our dog Jase knows that he will be able to partake in the warmth with us. He is quite the handsome fella!!!!
Our boy soaking up the sun!
This is a photo taken prior to the start of a hike at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. The sky was void of any clouds and the sun was just rising to bring us a new day, a day of endless possibilities.
“Each morning we are born again, what we do today is what matters most.”
-Buddha
“Where are you? Here
What time is it? Now
What are you? This moment.”
―Dan Millman
I saw this quote and I thought that this was exactly how I felt this morning as I headed out on my hike. Total immersion in the now.
“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing the lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”
– Jack Kerouac
All week long the weather folks have been promising us that we were in store for a beautiful day today. With temps in the high 60’s, it hasn’t been this nice in a long, long time. After a winter of nor’easters, snow and freezing rain, I firmly believe that we were owed a day like today. Ignore the fact that tomorrow the high is supposed to be 38 and they are saying we might get some sleet, I’ll take a day like today anytime I can.
Starting at just around 6:20 am, the temperature was an incredible 52 degrees and the sky was devoid of any clouds. There is really nothing I can say to describe just how glorious it was! I can’t think of to many other things I would have rather been doing this morning.
My first critter sighting of the new hiking season. He came within a half of a step of going to froggy heaven.
My new friend giving me the peace sign after not losing his life.
My trusty pack and poles resting on one of the rocks where I take breaks.
Happy Hiking!!!
Hike #3-7.1-16.3
“Rest but never quit. Even the sun has a sinking spell each evening. But it always rises the next morning. At sunrise, every soul is born again.”
-Muhammad Ali
“There is always a way and always hope in the next sunrise, and in the next second, and in the next minute.”
-Ziggy Marley
As you well know, I am a sucker for a good sunrise or sunset. Today proved to be one of those days where I had to stop a few times to get photos as I made my way into the building. A start to the day like this means it should be a good day…(and it was)
“The time is now, the place is here. Stay in the present. You can do nothing to change the past, and the future will never come exactly as you plan or hope for.”
―Dan Millman
If you have had a chance to look through The Zen Hiker, you’ll know that I love sunsets (who doesn’t?) and naked trees. I think that we can all agree that the reasons to love a sunset are plentiful and obvious. Naked trees, however, might be a harder sell.
So, the pictures below have those two things together. As the sun started to set this evening, my daughter remarked that the colors were much darker than usual. Grabbing my camera, I went outside to get a picture of the sunset. Here’s what I got.
The view from my backyard. Naked trees and a sunset!!
After I took this picture, I turned around to change my lens and saw the sunset on the trees behind me. It had an eerily calming effect on me as I prepared to take another picture.
A very cool view of the trees behind my house.
This third and final picture was taken about 15 minutes after the first one. The only thing that could have made taking these photos any better was if I had been out camping and was able to get the same shots.
Since I have worked in a high school for 20 years, I thought it would be interesting if I included an entry representing where I have spent almost a third of my life. The photo was taken when I get in at 6:30 am and I always say that it is the calm before the storm!
The Zen Hiker 