A knapsack on my back!
Did a lot of hiking this summer. I joined the group Outdoor Bound on a few of their day trips, and took several treks with friends who have a car. Said friends and I both have copies of the excellent resource book "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles" and we'd each got a chance to choose the destination.
I love this pic, taken on a 4th of July hike with Outdoor Bound, to Terrace Pond in Wawayanda State Park in New Jersey [that's me in the orange shorts, third from the top]:
I took the Full Moon Hike with Outdoor Bound, as well as a memorable Hikes and Hounds trip where dogs were included. [Alas, Biscuit is not a hiker, but he was represented with a photo on my pack.]
My friends and I hiked most often on Mondays [free weekdays, yay!], sometimes we took advantage of the prolonged daylight hours and set out later in the afternoon. At my peak I went out four times times in 10 days: the full moon hike [5 miles], Storm King mountain [6 miles], the dog hike [7.5 miles], and the Teatown Lake Reserve [5.5 miles]. After a short vacation, this past Monday we went out to Jenny Jump State Park in New Jersey a walked a very pleasant 5.5-miler.
It's incredible that you can drive out of Manhattan and an hour or so later be in the deep woods. The ferny greens and craggy outcroppings are transportive and other-worldly, I've been known to repeatedly exclaim “this is very Peter Jackson!” Even when you're watching your feet while scrambling over rocks, it's so soothing, and quiet. Nature sounds instead of city sounds. Green instead of granite. Even when it's really hard, huffing up a steep incline, it's heavenly. Looking forward to more this fall!
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
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