The Great Outdoors

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52 Hike Challenge – Update the Fourth: Hikes #31-40

I’m falling way behind on this challenge – less hiking than anticipated this summer, and now I’m trying to make up for it just as I cruise into the busiest season of the year.  Between back-to-school meetings and obligations, a parade of September birthday parties (including throwing one ourselves), and powering through to the end of the fiscal year at work, it’s total craziness and hiking is taking a backseat – I’m pretty mad about that, but what can I do?  I need a few weekends of back-to-back hikes, and I’m finding myself dreaming of a situation in which I would have a week to catch up on trail time.

Hike 31: Monument Falls and Ausable River (North Elba, New York), August 25, 2018 – With time for just one more hike and to grab lunch before heading out of town at the end of our vacation (sob), we took in the views of Monument Falls, a pretty little waterfall with views of Whiteface Mountain, and then wandered up a trail alongside the Ausable River for a while, where we saw chickadees and a blue jay.

Hike 32: Lake Burke (Burke, Virginia), September 2, 2018 – Back in Virginia after vacation, and I was craving some time at one of my favorite local parks.  We strolled along Lake Burke, waved to dogs, tracked imaginary forest creatures and discussed holiday plans.  And it was refreshing.

Hike 33: Great Falls Park (Great Falls, Virginia), September 3, 2018 – A Labor Day weekend hike with some new friends who just moved to Virginia from California.  They’ve gone native already, and I am crediting Great Falls with some of their falling in love with NoVA.  The kids splashed in a little creek, the moms chatted about work, breastfeeding, hiking and more, and we all saw some awesome birds.  At the end of the hike, all three of the bigger kiddos (our friends have a kindergartener and a baby) earned their Junior Ranger badges.  It was the perfect way to kick off the school year.

Hike 34: Mason Neck State Park (Lorton, Virginia), September 16, 2018 – Such a lovely late summer day at one of my favorite area parks.  Belmont Bay was sparkling in the sunshine, the turtles were out in force, and the kids trucked along cheerfully and only bickered a little bit.  A  good day.

Hike 35: Jones Point (Alexandria, Virginia), September 22, 2018 – We only had time for a very short hike in between chores, (fun) obligations, and other weekend bustling.  But I wasn’t willing to give up on trail time all weekend – Jones Point it was.  You GUYS, this hike was buggy.  I even got bit by a mosquito, which is how you know they were everywhere – because I am usually disgusting to them.

Hike 36: George Washington’s Mount Vernon (Alexandria, Virginia), September 29, 2018 – Wandered all over our favorite places, including the nature trail, the farm and the upper and lower gardens.  (I count Mount Vernon as a hike when we include the nature trail in the wanderings.)

Hike 37: Huntley Meadows Park (Alexandria, Virginia), October 6, 2018 – Fall has come to the wetlands and brought with it ALL the birds!  We saw a green heron, several great blue herons, and at least three snowy egrets – gorgeous.  The only downside was that the park was crawling with people, including some large and rather shouty family groups.

Hike 38: Piscataway Park (Accokeek, Maryland), October 7, 2018 – We got moving too slowly to make it to a park outside of the metropolitan area, but the consolation prize was the most adorable piglets and a hike on the story trail at Piscataway Park.

Hike 39: Bears Den Overlook (Bluemont, Virginia), October 8, 2018 – Just a quick hike after apple-picking with friends, but the views of the Shenandoah Valley were stunning.

Hike 40: Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park (Luray, Virginia), October 13, 2018 – My birthday request was to finally explore Big Meadows, and I was not disappointed!  The meadow in fall was a beautiful kaleidoscope of greens, reds and browns – completely spectacular.  What a way to spend a birthday!

Just one more update to go – I’m nearing the finish line here!  This update contains what I’m sure will become some of the highlights of the year – from hikes with friends at Great Falls and Bears Den to a birthday in one of the most beautiful spots in my beautiful state, every hike brought fresh joys.  Onward to 52!

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ADK Adventure 2018: Heaven Hill

With two stiff parents, still sore from hiking Big Slide the day before, and two kids ages six and under, we were looking for a nice, easy, short shake-out hike on Thursday of our vacation week.  We found one, but apparently we were cursed, because it was the unluckiest hike I’ve ever taken.  Beautiful!  But unlucky.

Backing up – we got a late start in the morning, after sleeping in and then bumming around the Airbnb for awhile (and frankly, longer than I wanted to bum around, but the rest of the family was maddeningly slow-moving).  Plan A was to hike the circumference of Heart Lake, over by the Adirondack Loj.  I’d heard it was a nice, easy, flat trail, and that sounded darn good to me.  But when we arrived at the Loj, we discovered – unlucky event #1 – that all of the hiking trailhead parking lots were full.  (The Loj is the starting point for a great many Adirondack trails, including the trail to Mount Marcy – we had a lot of competition.)  The closest overflow parking was a mile down the road, which was clearly not happening on our post-Big Slide legs and with two generally uncooperative children.  So we moved on to Plan B – Heaven Hill.

I’d wanted to hike Heaven Hill, but was planning to save it for Friday.  No matter – Thursday it was.  We arrived, found parking, and let the kids sit in the trunk of the SUV to eat their snacks.  Don’t mind the underwhelmed expressions on their faces.  They were tickled to have snack back there.  What is it about kids and the trunk of an SUV?  I used to LOVE sitting in the “way way back” of my parents’ Explorer.

Once they finished eating, we hit the trail.  Heaven Hill is a community preserve, owned and operated by a private foundation, so it’s marked and maintained a little differently from the trails and herd paths of the state park.  (Not better or worse – just differently.)  Since it is still the ‘dacks, there are still tree roots, which led to unlucky event #2: Nugget, who was at the time (and is still) going through a running-ahead-of-the-pack phase, tripped over a root and face-planted on the ground.  Ouch.  Poor guy!

A piggyback ride from Dad helped.

Our goal was the Orchard Loop, around a large-ish meadow with gorgeous mountain views.  To get there, we followed the orange “Old Orchard Connector” trail markers.

To distract Nugget from the effects of his fall, I pointed out the sights of the wooded connector trail – including a pretty mushroom growing out of a tree stump.  Finally, we arrived at the meadow, and…

WHAT A VIEW.  I was in awe – it was absolutely breathtaking.

Nugget and I walked up a little ways and checked out the waving grasses and the tall wildflowers, with the incredible mountains all around us.  We made it probably about a quarter to a third of the way around the meadow when unlucky event #3 happened–

PEANUT WAS STUNG BY A BEE.  Apparently the thing about a meadow full of wildflowers is that it’s also full of pollinators.  Yikes.  A bee was buzzing around, very interested in Peanut in particular.  Steve and I were talking her through as we do with the kids – telling her to stand still, don’t make any sudden movements, etc.  The bee landed on her back and we cautiously guided her forward, very slowly, until it flew off into the wildflowers.  Hoping that was the end of it, we continued our hike, but realized quickly that something was wrong, beyond the fear that the bee would come back.  Peanut was complaining about her foot, so we sat her down and took off her shoe and found – a bee sting.  OUCH!  Poor kiddo – it seemed that before it made its way to her back, the bee had gotten stuck in her sandal and had stung her as a warning.  It was a bumblebee, so it didn’t lose its stinger after pricking her.  What a brave kid she was – walking calmly away from the bee even after it had stung her foot.  After a hurried whispered adult conversation, we decided that she didn’t seem to be having an allergic reaction more than the standard human reaction to a bee sting, so the ER was not in order.  We asked her what she wanted to do, and she said she wanted to go get ice cream, so naturally, we went and got ice cream.  Hardcore ninja Peanut gutted it out on her bee sting foot all the way back to the car and was rewarded for her bravery with a BIG scoop from Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery.

Heaven Hill!  You were beautiful, and I’d love to come back some day – but maybe after bumblebee season.

Next week: our final hike of the vacation, along the iconic Ausable River.  Check back! 

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ADK Adventure 2018 (and 12 Months of Trails for August!): Hiking Big Slide Mountain

With a whole week to spend in the Adirondacks, it wasn’t a question of will we hike a high peak? but how many high peaks will we summit?  Steve and I are slooooooowly working on the goal of summiting all forty-six high peaks (loosely defined as the Adirondack peaks over 4,000 feet above sea level – but they were measured over 100 years ago, and more accurate measurements have since revealed that there are a couple of peaks under 4,000 and at least one 4,000-footer that didn’t make it on the list).  When I say slowly, I mean slowly.  At the rate we’re going, it will take us approximately 90 years to finish the challenge.  But it’s all about the journey, right?  (I’m not kidding.  It is all about the journey.)

Anyway, when we actually sat down and looked at our schedule for the week, we realized that there was only one day that was going to work for a high peak – Thursday.  Monday and Friday we didn’t have all-day babysitters, Tuesday was Peanut’s birthday (and high peaks are a grownups-only affair), and Wednesday looked to be gloomy.  Thursday it was.  We looked over our list of possibilities and decided on Big Slide Mountain.  Relatively short, breathtakingly scenic, and lots of people say it’s their favorite – sounds good to me.

Actually, I was nervous.  Steve has been running consistently all summer, but my time has been consumed by work for months on end.  I wasn’t in as good shape as I was when climbing our first three high peaks (Cascade and Porter, and Giant) and I was just hoping I’d be able to summit.  Anyway – we woke up at the crack of dawn and got ready to hit the trail.  It was in the low 40*s, so I decided to wear yoga pants and a flannel.  Steve went for mesh shorts and a tech t-shirt.  We’d see which one of us was going to regret our life choices.  (Spoiler: it me.)

The first 0.7 miles of the hike was moderate climbing through the woods.  Despite the climb being just that – moderate – and despite knowing that the altitude gain was going to slow down once we gained the ridge line, I complained the entire time.  I was actually kind of relieved when we started hitting some of the technical spots.  It gave me a chance to slow down and catch my breath while I thought about how best to tackle each section.

Whenever I plan an Adirondack high peak hike, I go back to every ADK46r blog I know and read their trail reports, but I’m rarely able to discern from there what to expect.  I finally figured out why that is: when you’re thinking about how to approach a section of steep and probably slippery Adirondack granite, you’re not taking photos.  My phone was in my backpack for most of the hike – until the views started.

Big Slide can be tackled from two directions: over three smaller peaks known as “the Brothers” or via Johns Brook Valley.  A lot of hikers choose to do the hike as a loop – up over the Brothers, down via the Valley.  We decided to stick with the Brothers for both ascent and descent, for a few reasons – it meant less distance overall, the views would be better, and the trail would be familiar so we probably wouldn’t get lost.  And ohhhh, the views.  Once we hit the ridgeline, it was all panorama, all the time.

We spent a lot of time loitering at various overlooks, pouring over guidebooks with our fellow hikers and trying to work out whether we were on one of the Brothers and if so, which one.

(see the big hulking monster about two thirds to the right there? that’s Giant, which we climbed last year)

(a view of the Great Range)

Eventually, even these breathtaking views started to get old, and I began to whine again.  I was a real peach!  If you’re wondering how Steve puts up with me, don’t expect me to explain it to you.  It felt like an eternity before we hit the junction with the Johns Brook Valley trail and saw this sign:

Just 0.3 miles to the summit!  At this point I knew there was no way I was turning back without reaching the peak.  Unfortunately, I also knew (thanks, research!) that the toughest part of the climb lay ahead.  In just a little more than a quarter of a mile, we were going to gain 700 feet of altitude.  Ouch!  My quads hurt just thinking about it.  Also, a good chunk of the altitude gain came via this freak:

Yes, that is a section of rock so steep that they put a Helpful Ladder up for hikers.  So, this is a weird thing about me: while I love heights, and will happily perch on a mountaintop precipice, I am weirdly skittish about exposure.  Steve, meanwhile, hates heights but isn’t bothered by exposure in the slightest.  Together, we make one confident hiker and one basket case.  Anyway, this ladder gave me the willies.  But–

I did it!  Adirondack high peak number four in the books!

The views were pure gorgeousness.  Big Slide’s summit, like Giant’s, is partially wooded – but there was plenty to soak in from the summit ledge.  Steve and I took off our backpacks, plunked down on the granite, and enjoyed a summit snack – some high protein nut and seed mix, Babybel cheese, apricots and mangoes.  We eavesdropped as a local hiker gave some French Canadian visitors the lowdown on which high peaks we were looking at, snapped more pictures, and thought about how lucky we were to have a beautiful day and grandparent babysitters along to watch the kiddos.  And then it was time to head back downhill for dinner and, after, hugs from our babies.

(Giant again!  Can’t believe I stood on top of that bad boy last year.)

If you’re wondering how Big Slide got its name – that’s how.

It was a beautiful, if exhausting, day in the mountains!  We booked it down the trail and took our sweaty, dirt-covered selves straight to Big Slide Brewery to celebrate our achievement with local beers and carbs.  (Steve had a burger, if I remember right, and I had pasta with Impossible sausage.)  The brewery staff didn’t bat an eye when we staggered in.  I think they’re used to seeing people just off the mountain.  They asked where we’d been hiking and seemed genuinely tickled when we said we were celebrating Big Slide at Big Slide.

Another high peak handled!  It’s been a couple of months now, so I’m already forgetting how painful it was and starting to think about the next one – Phelps, maybe?  Or possibly Nye and mighty Street.  Next week – a hike with less altitude but more drama.  Check back!

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The Fall List 2018

After summer was such a bust, I am almost hesitant to make a fall list.  If my favorite season falls flat this year, I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle it.  (Yes, I realize that I am basic.)  But the fact is – we need a fun fall.  We need sunshine, fresh air, and the chance to unplug and reconnect as a family.  The last few months have been stressful in the extreme, and we could really use a break and some joy.  So I’m going to make this list largely as an act of faith that the universe has good things in the works for us.

  • Pick apples at Butler’s Orchard (and maybe some raspberries too?).
  • Hike Big Meadows at Shenandoah National Park – moving this one over from the summer list.
  • Roll up my sleeves and do some fall baking with Peanut.
  • Catch up on the 52 Hike Challenge before it gets really cold.
  • Read cozy mysteries – as many as possible.
  • Run the Wonder Woman virtual 5K (and maybe the Alexandria Turkey Trot).
  • Volunteer in Peanut’s classroom.
  • Get back into Barre3.
  • Pumpkin picking, of course!
  • Take the kids trick-or-treating (they already have their costumes!) at Mount Vernon and in the neighborhood again.

That’s ten things!  I think that list looks pretty approachable.  There is some outdoor stuff on there, so hopefully it stops raining one of these days.  But there’s plenty on there that I can do no matter the weather and with even just a little spare time.  I’d love to sneak off for a weekend away, too – maybe to Virginia Beach, or maybe to the mountains – but I’m intentionally not putting it on the list.  If it happens, great.  If not, I’ll live.

What’s on your fall list?

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ADK Adventure 2018: Owls Head Mountain

Steve and I definitely each have our strengths when it comes to vacation planning.  He excels at logistics – knowing where we are going to be, how to get there, etc. – and so he’s usually the one who does things like booking plane flights and rental cars, planning driving routes, and all the other boring but necessary tasks.  I prefer (and think I’m good at) the part of planning that has to do with making sure everyone has a good time – picking good lodgings and especially planning fun adventures.  The Adirondacks was a test even for me, though, because there’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to fun and adventures, but not all of those adventures are realistic for a family with small children.  So while we were planning to get out on an adults-only adventure or two, I also had to call upon all of my knowledge of the area and my fun-wrangling skills to find activities that were adventurous and/or scenic enough for the parents, but safe and easy enough for the kids.  As I searched, there were a few trails that came up over and over again, and one was Owls Head Mountain in Keene.

Owls Head is a lovely and charming little mountain, situated right off Route 73 – one of the main arteries in this part of the Adirondack Park – just a short drive outside of Lake Placid.  It’s a short and sweet hike – just over half a mile of moderate-grade, non-technical climbing to the summit, and the views from the peak are breathtaking.  It’s also technically on private land, and a couple of years ago the trail had gotten so popular that the property owners closed it to the public on weekends and holidays – after the hordes of hikers abused the landowners’ generosity by actually parking them into their own homes.  (If that’s not a case for limiting public use of natural resources, I don’t know what is.  What if one of the landowners had a medical emergency and wasn’t able to get to the hospital because they were completely blocked in?)

Fortunately, since we were in town for an extended stay, we had a week’s worth of days to choose from, and on Tuesday morning we headed down to Keene to check out the trail.  It was an absolute delight to hike, as you can see – enough of the Adirondack granite to make things interesting, but not so much that it was beyond Nugget’s abilities.

Little hiker on the trail!

The birthday princess hitched a ride on Daddy for the uphill portion of the hike.  Yes – this climb was our celebration of Peanut’s sixth birthday!

As we neared the summit, there was one steep/technical part of the trail.  Grandad helped Nugget navigate the terrain.  I have to say this for Nugget: he’s your typical rambunctious three-year-old boy, but he does seem to understand when it’s actually important for him to listen carefully and follow directions.  He did a great job climbing the steep terrain with his Grandad’s coaching.

There were a few false summits on the way up, which I never mind in the Adirondacks, because there’s no better opportunity to relax, take a deep breath and snap a few pictures of the gorgeous mountains all around.

Stunning views of the high peaks!

And then, before we knew it, we were at the summit!

Nana and Nugget relaxed and drank in the panoramic mountain views, while I dug through the pack for the trail snacks I’d brought along for the whole family to enjoy: little packets of olives, salt-and-pepper macadamias, delicious dried apricots, Babybel cheese, and brownie bites for the kids.  We all dug in and slurped on our water bottles while soaking in the scenery.

Family picture time!  Summit smiles:

After a good long rest and snack session on the summit, it was time to head down and get on with the rest of our day.  Nugget hopped into the backpack and Peanut put boots – errrr, sandals – on the trail.

Owls Head did not disappoint!  I can see why it’s a popular mountain, but I’m glad the owners are limiting access to the trail – we saw several other hiking groups, and one family rock climbing, and I can’t imagine what it would be like on a popular holiday weekend – probably so intrusive that there’d be no trail left.  Opening it during the week and closing it on weekends and holidays seems like a good compromise to (generously) allow people to continue enjoying the mountain without destroying the trail or seriously impeding the landowners’ movement.  Makes sense to me!  And as for the trail itself, it absolutely lived up to its billing as a perfect family hike.  There was enough climbing and terrain to keep it interesting, but it was approachable enough that my small children were easily able to manage it with attentive adult supervision, and it was short enough that we were able to get a late start and spend considerable time hanging out on the summit, and still be off the mountain in time for lunch.  Wins all around!

Next week: Wild Center Wednesday!

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ADK Adventure 2018: Brewster Peninsula and Mirror Lake

Finally, some vacation recaps!  It feels like it’s been forever, and it has been a year since our last trip of a week or more.  Last year, we flew twice – once to California for a wedding followed by a family reunion and vacation, and a month after that, to Florida for another wedding.  So my one criterion for this year’s vacation was this: no flying.  I picked four driveable locations – the Adirondacks; Maine; Smith Mountain Lake or Congaree National Park – and told Steve to choose.  He picked the Adirondacks, so we started gleefully planning a week of hiking in and around Lake Placid, New York.  We drove up to my parents’ place on a Saturday in late August, crashed overnight, then drove the rest of the way on Sunday morning – and on Monday, our first order of business was to hike.  For our first trail, we picked the Brewster Peninsula Nature Trail.  Steve signed us in at the trail register – an Adirondack must – and we were off.

First views of Lake Placid!  I grew up coming to this area all year ’round, but especially in the winter – for skiing, ice skating, and snow fun.  Our Adirondack summer fun was concentrated around the Sacandaga, although we did come to LP to kayak from time to time.  So it was a treat to get to immerse myself in the Lake Placid region for an entire week.

The sun was sparkling on the clear mountain lake.

Nugget and Peanut dove right into their favorite hiking activities.  Peanut immersed herself in tracking “the Blood,” a forest creature of her own invention (shhhh) and Nugget set up a camp kitchen.  We probably loitered by this stump for twenty minutes while he cooked up trail delicacies for the rest of the family – and the Blood.

Get your trail snacks!

I passed on the dirt pies in favor of a much more delicious trail snack – wild raspberries!  (Of course, you should never eat anything that you can’t identify.  But I grew up picking wild raspberries from the large thicket that grew around my grandparents’ camp on the Sacandaga, and I can easily tell them apart from less palatable trail produce.)  There were wild raspberries growing all over Lake Placid, and I plucked a few whenever I spotted them – which was often.

What a welcome to Lake Placid!  The Brewster Peninsula trail was fun and family friendly, but still an Adirondack trail – so there were plenty of roots and rocks to keep the terrain interesting.

And plenty of incredible views to soak in!  I kept pinching myself, because I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to be looking forward to a whole week of this.

That afternoon, Nana and Grandad arrived to share in our Adirondack fun, and we all headed over to the municipal beach on Mirror Lake.  My memories of this beach are all wintery.  I’ve tobogganed down the hill and onto the frozen lake, and practiced my skating moves here on freezing February days – but I don’t think I’ve ever waded in on a warm August day.  Time to correct that!

The kids both enjoyed running and splashing in the crystal clear water.

In addition to being gorgeous and clear, the water was also quite bracing – refreshing, sure, and we did get used to it, but after a good dousing both kids were shivering.  Time for the action to move to the beach – good thing we were well stocked with sand toys.

Nugget enjoyed dumping buckets full of sandy water all over Grandad’s feet.  Meanwhile…

It’s not an official day at the beach until Peanut has a mermaid tail.  Thanks, Nana!

What a fun welcome to Lake Placid!  I’m already plotting a way to return to that bright mountain sunshine and sparkling water.  For now, more soon.

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52 Hike Challenge: Update the Third – Hikes #21-30

The 52 Hikes Project chugs along, almost under its own steam – I’ve slowed up a bit because of unexpected family stuff, but getting out into nature is always healing for me, and so I’m still hitting the trail whenever possible.

Hike 21: Theodore Roosevelt Island (Washington, D.C.), June 24, 2018.  This was possibly the muddiest hike I have ever done.

Hike 22: Huntley Meadows Park (Alexandria, Virginia), July 4, 2018.  We desperately needed some trail time on Independence Day, so we re-visited Huntley Meadows.  The last time we were there was in March, and it sure has changed with the seasons.  Lots of animals spotted on this one.

Hike 23: Bash Bish Falls State Park (Mount Washington, Massachusetts), July 7, 2018.  Still needing that nature release, we checked out one of my parents’ favorite hikes near their home, and it was just beautiful.

Hike 24: George Washington’s Mount Vernon (Alexandria, Virginia), July 22, 2018.  We saw a hawk!  The hike was a bit curtailed as a result – we turned back rather than hike the whole nature trail, in order to give the hawk space.  But well worth it.

Hike 25: Turkey Run Park (McLean, Virginia), August 4, 2018.  Holy switchbacks, Batgirl!  This was a new park for us and definitely a good one.  Last Thanksgiving I was thinking this would be a good Friday-after-Thanksgiving hike, just because of the name, but we didn’t get to it then.  Maybe this year!

Hike 26: Mason Neck State Park (Lorton, Virginia), August 5, 2018.  We were planning to kayak on this day, but after seeing how high and fast the Potomac was at Turkey Run the day before, we scrapped that plan (sob) and decided to knock off another hike instead (yay!).  My favorite Virginia state park was clearly the perfect spot to celebrate being halfway through the challenge – wahoo!

Hike 27: Brewster Peninsula Nature Trails (Lake Placid, New York), August 20, 2018 – Starting off our Adirondack vacation right, with expansive views over Lake Placid.  Also, Nugget set up a camp kitchen in a tree stump, and I ate wild raspberries directly off the bush.

Hike 28: Owl’s Head Mountain (Keene, New York), August 21, 2018 – There’s no more epic way to celebrate a sixth (!!!) birthday than by climbing a mountain, right?  We hiked this fun mountain as a family with Nana and Grandad, and gave our birthday girl some summit kisses.

Hike 29: Big Slide Mountain (Keene, New York), August 23, 2018 – Fourth Adirondack high peak in the books!  Big Slide was kind of a big slog for me, but I gutted it out and made it to the summit, and the views were 100% worth it.

Hike 30: Heaven Hill Trail (Lake Placid, New York), August 24, 2018 – This hike was beautiful but unlucky.  First, we were shut out of the hike we had intended to do (Heart Lake) by a full parking lot – oof.  Then Nugget face-planted on the wooded connector trail leading to the field.  Then, no sooner had we started taking in the views of the wildflowers and the mountains, but Peanut was stung by a bee – ouch!  She’s a tough cookie, though.  She gutted it out on the way back to the car and was fine almost immediately.  But we called a stop to the hike and took her out for ice cream instead, obviously.

Well, I’m still WAY behind on the 52 hike challenge, thanks to this weird summer we’ve been having.  But this last stretch of hikes has been pretty great.  It’s taken us rambling on trails in four different states/jurisdictions – Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Virginia and New York – past waterfalls and up mountains, and even up close to a hawk.  I can’t wait to see what the next few months, and the next batch of hikes, has in store.

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Sisterhood of the Traveling Boots

I’m not exactly a gearhead.  Oh, I’m not above spending hours exhaustively researching the kayak, paddles, and SUP outfit I’d love to have someday.  I’ll click dreamily through Canoe & Kayak, REI, Werner Paddles and Hurricane Kayaks, mentally outfitting myself and imagining my paddles slicing through the water and the bow of my kayak tracking steadily along through melting Adirondack ice or warm southern rivers.  (Sometimes, in my more outlandish fantasies, I’m kayaking with whales – orcas in the San Juans or Antarctica, or humpbacks in Hawai’i – but I’m always in an orange Hurricane Sojourn 126 with Werner Camano – or sometimes Little Dipper – paddles.)  Okay, maybe I am a gearhead.  But less so when it comes to hiking, even though I hike much more frequently than I paddle.  But there’s one exception.

Last summer as I climbed Giant Mountain with Steve, more than once I caught the eye of another woman on the trail.  We’d nod, smile, and then one of us would say, “I like your boots.”  And then we exchanged the secret handshake.  (Just kidding.  Or am I?)  Because it seems there is an it boot for Adirondack hiking, and that is the Oboz Bridgewater BDry.  In raspberry red, please and thank you.  I swear I didn’t know this when I bought them.

But while I may not have realized that I was joining a sisterhood – the Sisterhood of Oboz – when I bought my boots, I like having this connection to other women on the trail.  I especially like that this connection is through boots, which carry us all so many miles, over ridges, past vistas, to summits and cols and goals.  My boots aren’t as bright red anymore – they’re faded from love and adventure.  But when I eventually replace them, I plan to buy the exact same ones.  Red as the sky at night, hiker’s delight.  And I’ll cherish every connection I make on the trail, a friendly place already that just becomes friendlier when I catch sight of a flash of red and a smile.

I’m not in the market for new hiking boots, obviously, but what are your favorite hiking sandals?

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12 Months of Trails: Bash Bish Falls in July, 2018

After we had an unexpected death in the family, Steve and I were both totally thrown for a loop and didn’t entirely know what to do with ourselves.  We’d been planning to take a long weekend and go up to New York State to visit my parents around the Fourth of July, which we thought about cancelling (they’d have totally understood).  Ultimately, we decided that we wanted the distraction and to be around family during a sad time for us, so we packed our bags and headed north, as planned.  We did the normal things for our summer visits to my folks’ – a day at the lake, pizza at Kay’s – and my parents also asked us if we felt like a hike.  We did, and they took us to one of their favorite spots – Bash Bish Falls State Park.

Bash Bish straddles the border between New York State and Massachusetts – so much so that there is one parking lot in NYS and one parking lot in Mass, and you can approach the waterfall from either.  We headed to the Massachusetts lot, because my parents told us the hike was more fun – down an actual trail, into a ravine.  (From the New York side, the approach is just a dirt carriage road – easier than the Massachusetts hike, but not as interesting.)  We loaded the kiddos up and started the hike down, down, down.

The falls were gorgeous!  And it was a hot day – the water looked so inviting.  There were people wading and swimming (despite signs warning visitors not to swim) but having kids on our backs, we stayed well up on the driest part of the boulders.

I had Peanut, who – as I told Zan on Instagram – only weighs one pound more than Nugget these days.  (Amazing.)  She’s actually a little easier to carry, because she’s taller, so her weight distribution is a little better (for me).  But since they’re basically equivalent, we just let them decide where they want to ride these days.  Anyway, even if she’s a little easier to carry, I was kind of regretting it, because she wanted to get down and swim – and when I said no, she had a good, solid tantrum right in my left ear.  Lovely.

Steve’s burden was much quieter.

Anyway, after listening to Peanut whine for 15 minutes (keeping it real, folks) I told her I was done carrying her and, also, time to go.  I plucked her out of the backpack and told her she was hiking out of the ravine on her own two feet.  Which she did, powered by her five-year-old rage, without breaking a sweat.  When we got back to the parking lot, the four adults were heaving out-of-breath and dripping with sweat, and she looked like she’d been sitting on the couch watching cartoons.  So unfair.

Bash Bish Falls, you’re lovely!  I’m so glad we got to visit and try out one of my parents’ favorite hikes – and to add another state to our total for 2018.

Have you hit the trails recently?

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12 Months of Trails: Minnewaska State Park and Preserve in June, 2018

Our June hike – and twentieth of the year, almost halfway to 52! – is definitely going to be one of the highlights of the year.  Lake Minnewaska is a small gem set in the Shawnagunk Mountains of New York – just a stone’s throw from New Paltz and an easy drive from downstate.  My mom vacationed there with her parents, sister and brothers as a little girl growing up on Long Island, but the lodge where they stayed burned down long ago and my parents never took us.  (We had the Sacandaga for lake fun and plenty of Adirondack and Catskill adventure closer to home.)

Still, my mom often shared her memories of summer vacations on Minnewaska, and after my grandmama passed away last year, I think it became more important to her to share this place with us.  We had a golden opportunity to hike at Minnewaska as a family when my brother and sister-in-law visited from Colorado a few weeks ago – and we were in New York to attend Cornell Reunion – so we all piled into the cars and drove downstate for some family bonding on the trails.

Our first glimpse of Minnewaska was from the picnic area on one of the many cliffs, but after we enjoyed our sandwiches we all made our way down to the shore.

What a treat to get to hike with Dan and Danielle!  We only see them once a year if we’re lucky, but since we’re all avid hikers we always try to make sure that we hit the trails at least once on those occasions.

The whole group!  (Minus me, behind the lens.)  My dad, Steve (well-hidden), Dan, Danielle, Nugget, Peanut and my mom.  All together in a beautiful place – it doesn’t get better than that.

 

After a few minutes of taking in the view at the water’s edge, it was time to climb again.  My mom explained that the trail circumvented the lake and stopped at several overlooks along the way – which meant it was time to go up, up, up.

The trail was beautifully maintained and marked – Nugget made it his mission to be the first one to spot every red blaze along the way – and the views were well worth the elevation change!

World’s best sister!  How lucky am I?  She’s the coolest.  (Thanks, Dan, for finding her.)

Stopped to take in the view at one of the overlooks.  (See how well-contained Peanut is?)  Uncle Dan decided to do a little impromptu bouldering.  Brave!

Wave hi to Steve!

 

Back on the trail – Nugget kept us all on track with his map.  We were all revolving doors of kid-transport.  Nugget and Peanut both made the rounds of Mom and Dad’s backpacks, hand-holding with Nana and Aunt Danielle, and hitching rides on Grandad’s and Uncle Dan’s shoulders.

Back down to the water’s edge, all the way on the other side of the lake.

We found a little friend!  This guy was hanging out in the shallows with about a dozen of his family members.  At first, Uncle Dan thought these were tadpoles mid-transition, but when Aunt Danielle scooped him up we realized he was a newt (or salamander? anyway, not a tadpole).

Back up!  The views from the other side of the trail weren’t too shabby, either.

I’m so glad I finally got to experience Minnewaska, after hearing so many stories of it (and seeing so many pictures of the lake resort in the 1960s, looking like Johnny and Baby were about to come tangoing down the trail).  And getting to hike it with the whole family was gravy.

Until next time, Minnewaska!

Where have you been hiking lately?