Tag Archives: ward pound ridge reservation

All Hail No Humidity!!!

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“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”

-John Ruskin

With thunderstorms out of the way for the time being, the humidity is finally back at a point where you aren’t suffocating and drenched after walking for five steps. From what the weather forecast looks like, thunderstorms aren’t expected back in the area until Thursday afternoon. I’m sure that the humidity will begin creeping back up as the week progresses.

Unfortunately, I can’t do anything about the fog.

Even though I’m still not at 100%, I decided to do a short hike anyway. I know it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do but out into the woods I went. Obviously, since I’m still not fully recovered, I kept the pace slower than I would have. That was cool though because it gave me a chance to just think. I also took quite a few more breaks than I normally would have.

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The point where the Green and the Red Trail split. This makes about a decent 4-mile loop.

It was actually nice to sit on a rock and hear nothing but the wind blowing through the trees and the animals running around. As a matter of fact, I thought it was odd that I saw a deer staring at me and for probably about 300 yards he kept pace with me. Walking when I walked, stopping when I stopped. Could it have just been a coincidence that he was following me???  It went on for about 20 minutes before something else spooked the deer and it took off into the woods.

I certainly felt much safer doing this with a deer than I did two years ago with the bear!

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Overall. another great day to be hiking here at Ward Pound Ridge. It never gets old.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Hike #17-7/9/19-4.5-76.6

Bronchial Pneumonia??? More Summer Fun

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“The greatest wealth is health.”

-Anonymous

“Going to the woods is going home.”

-John Muir 

Even though I have been hiking pretty regularly over the course of the last several weeks, I have had a nagging cough that has produced abnormally (in my opinion) large amounts of phlegm. I really haven’t felt bad but the cough and the phlegm had me worried.

So after delaying the inevitable for a couple of weeks, I bit the bullet and went to my doctor. At first, I was only expecting to hear that I had a cold and that I should just take it easy to give it time to clear up. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear that I had Bronchial Pneumonia. In the middle of the summer?? Who has ever heard of such a thing? If it was January and they told me that I would have been able to accept it better than the first week of July!!!

And since I had been coughing so hard, I pulled a muscle in my chest, which was more painful than when I actually cracked a rib coughing. So I haven’t been hiking since Friday and that has me bummed out. I have, however, been riding my stationary bike which has given me some peace of mind.

So here I sit, waiting to go out into the woods again. I believe tomorrow may be the day.

GOOD HEALTH TO YOU AND HAPPY HIKING!!!

 

A Fine Friday For A Hike

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“Walking is man’s best medicine.”

– Hippocrates

Another incredibly humid day to go hiking here in the Hudson Valley. As it turns out, I was out even earlier than I usually am, hitting the trail at just about 5:15 am. Obviously, by the picture on the left, it was more than a little foggy at the start of the hike. When I finished just a little more than two hours later, it was cloudy, but the fog had lifted.

Even in the woods during the hike, the fog made things more than a little eerie. At one point a trail runner snuck up behind me and scared the crap out of me. I’m used to not seeing anyone in the early morning, and since it was even earlier, I really wasn’t expecting anyone. If anything, it kept me on my toes.

Today I did a reverse loop of one of the hikes that I have done several times before. Even though the first mile was uphill, it was a gradual climb and not too intense. Going in the opposite direction allowed for a more rolling hike with a few downhill sections. Either way, it is a challenging hike and well worth doing.

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About halfway through the hike and right off the trail was this bees nest. This one was about the size of a small children’s basketball. I was going to get a closer photo, but even as early as it was, all I could see were bees hovering around the nest so I stayed where I was and took the photos.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for heavy thunderstorms so who knows if I will get out or not. I would like to start increasing my mileage a little bit. Maybe to start I’ll add in a couple of longer days.

Right now it feels good just being able to get out as often as I am.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Hike #16-7/5/19-4.1-72.1

Independence Day!!!

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“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” 
― Henry David Thoreau

No hike today. Summer break for me started a week ago and it’s rolling along quite nicely. I have to admit that so far this is a vast improvement over last summer when I was confined to my couch for two months. Two very long months. However, I did have an excellent orange cast. You can’t beat that with a stick.

But this year, I’m paying a great deal more attention to my surroundings when I hike. So far I have been averaging about 4 1/2 miles when I do get out and that’s ok. Because I’m out so early, I rarely run into other people, and when I do, it’s usually a brief hello and both of us are on our way.  Some folks may take issue with that, but that’s ok. I enjoy the solitude as well as the peace and quiet.

So my suggestion to everyone out there is to get out early and get out often. Find a rock that you can either sit on or lay down and just take it all in.

Nobody’s going to tell you to move.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

 

They’re Back-The Humidity And The Horseflies

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“Going to the woods is going home.”

-John Muir

Wow…The humidity this morning was the worst that it has been. And this is at 5:50 am. The equation is simple: Humidity=Horseflies. I didn’t get a half a mile into today’s hike before I was drenched. But the trail was as good as it always is and despite the humidity, it was nice to be outside.

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Besides the humidity, the only other thing missing was a nice breeze. The air was perfectly still and all I could hear were the birds chirping. I didn’t even see or hear any squirrels. I’m assuming they hate they humidity as well.

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Overall, however, it was a good hike and any time spent outside is far better than being inside or at work.

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Hike #15-7/3/19-4.5-68.0

No Hunting, Except For Horseflies!

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“Take a course in good water and air, and in the eternal youth of Nature, you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.”

-John Muir

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Today was another beautiful day in the Hudson Valley. I read that a cold front was supposed to move through after a day of thunderstorms and high humidity and it appears they were correct. Refreshing for both the mind and the soul! And even better, not a horsefly in sight!

I had switched things up a little bit yesterday and I thought that I would go ahead switch it up again today. That’s one of the best things about Ward Pound Ridge. Not only do they have many miles of main and named trails, they also have connector trails that allow for many more options in terms of potential hikes. So as long as you have a map of the reservation, you can mix and match all you want.

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The long and winding trail…

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Hike #14-7/1/19-4.1-63.5

Yes, Forest Bathing Is A Real Thing

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“Walking is the only way proven to stave off cognitive decline – it works.”
-Dan Buettner

Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner sends out via e-mail many different articles that relate to well being and reducing stress so that you can live a longer and more productive life. Yesterday, I received a link to an article that described “Forest Bathing.” Anyone that hikes will read this article and have several “AHA” Moments.

For those of us who do hike, we already know the benefits of being out in the woods. Of being out early in the morning and hearing nothing but the wind blowing through the trees, the squirrels and chipmunks running across the forest floor and the sound of your own breathing and feet striking the earth on the trail.

For me, it is incredibly reassuring. It also helps to clear my mind of all of the negative nonsense and grounds me.

So copy and paste the link below into your browser and read the article. You will be amazed that what we have been doing as hikers and known for so many years could be so beneficial.

***Apparently something is up with the link. Follow it to the Blue Zones page and just enter Forest Bathing. I apologize for the inconvenience.

https://www.bluezones.com/2019/06/forest-or-nature-bathing-ancient-practices-modern-uses-and-the-science-ofrelaxation/utm_source=BLUE+ZONES+Newsletter&utm_campaign=8ef30576dc-forest-bathing-cranberry-nut-energy-bites&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9642311849-8ef30576dc-199275553&mc_cid=8ef30576dc&mc_eid=08164130e2

HAPPY HIKING!!!

Let’s Not Repeat Last Year

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“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

– John Muir

A year ago today, after a night of heavy rain, I experienced the single worst day of hiking that I ever have had in over 40 years of being out in the woods. For those of you who don’t know, at approximately noon on 6/28/18, I slid on rock and as my left foot became wedged between a “^” shaped stone, I fell to the right and heard a loud crack. As I tried to get up, I knew something was really wrong.

As my two hiking companions called 911 and set up a tarp for shade, I began throwing up and realized that something was much more wrong than my ankle. I began passing out and after several hours, park rangers arrived to carry me out of the woods.

To make a long story short, due to being dehydrated, my kidneys were failing and I spent six days in the hospital before they could perform surgery on the broken ankle. The end result? A summer of sitting on my rear end. It was a long and incredibly boring summer.

So now, a year later, the only residual effects I have is half of a foot that is numb most of the time. I was told that this might happen but now it is getting old.

But today, as most of the days have been recently, have been kind to anyone hiking. Temperatures haven’t been that bad and for the most part, and the humidity has been acceptable. Almost perfect hiking weather.

 

 

Now you have to remember that I am out on the trail usually no later than 6 am, with most days being earlier so I wouldn’t expect too many problems with the heat and humidity.

 

 

This morning I did a reverse loop of one of the many that I have completed in Ward Pound Ridge. Although it was pretty much uphill for the first mile, that was ok, I didn’t feel bad and I have to get used to hiking some hills anyway.

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That’s one of the many things to love about Ward Pound Ridge!

Happy Hiking!!!

2019 Mileage

Hike #12-6/28/19-4.1-54.3

Put One Foot In Front Of The Other…

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“I woke up this morning with a sense of peace. It has been many months since I felt this way. As I entered the woods a short time later, it felt as though a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.”

-MPD

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The entrance to the trails off of  Michigan Road in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.

Although the air was still and cool, the humidity was higher than I would have liked. With that said, it didn’t matter, I was out hiking. Obviously, the quote above is mine and it is 100% accurate. The peace I felt this morning as I got ready for my hike felt good, and thankfully it carried over to the hike itself.

As I made my way past the information board at the start of the trail, I could see that the trail itself was still wet from rain that fell the night before. As I mentioned in a previous post, the smell of the soft wet earth is unlike no other smell. It is awesome! As my boots sunk into the trail, I was quickly reminded how lucky I was to be out in the woods doing what I love. The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other is so basic, and yet it provides so much tranquility and well being.

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Silence and solitude.

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Many of the trails at Ward Pound Ridge look just like this, well taken care of and nice soft earth to hike on,

My goal for the summer is a simple one. To retain my peace of mind.

The question now is, how can I accomplish this?

2019 Mileage

Hike #11-6/27/19-4.5-50.2

Summer Break Is Here

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“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

-John Muir

Tomorrow is the official first day of our summer break. The quote I chose to welcome in the next 62 days is more than appropriate for the occasion. Tomorrow will be my 11th hike of the year. I was hoping to get out more prior to the end of school but it just wasn’t in the cards. My number one goal for the summer is to stay out of the hospital.

Although the hikes that I have done to this point have been pretty short, I have been carrying 2 48 oz Nalgene Bottles as well as a 32 oz Gatorade Zero (an excellent addition to the Gatorade Line). As it gets warmer and more humid, I will add a third 48 oz bottle of water and maybe even a fourth. I am doing my best not to have a repeat of last summer. Hydration is the key!

So, now that  the school year is officially in the rear view mirror, I can start checking off some of the hikes that I listed in a previous post. My plan is to start with a few longer hikes in Ward Pound Ridge Reservation just to get back into decent hiking shape.

The weather looks pretty hot for the rest of the week so when I do get out, it will most certainly be in the very early morning hours. Four thirty to five AM starts. That’s what I’m talking about.

I’ll leave you with this: John Muir said, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.” 

I read those words and they are sacred. You have to get out and immerse yourself in what cleanses your soul and allows you to put one foot in front of the other day after after day. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Everyone, especially my colleagues, have a great summer! Get out and hike!!!

HAPPY HIKING!!!

2019 Mileage

Hike #10-6/22/19-4.4-45.7