Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area

Beep~beep~beep! Slam! The sound of my alarm clock wrestled me out of my warm bed and into my hiking clothes for today's training. My sister had slept over the night before, so I knew a pot of coffee would be necessary to get us both up and moving. We dressed, packed our bags, and hustled into the car for our drive to Pyramid Mountain.
Relief set in as the dashboard displayed a 20 degree increase in temperature from that of our last hike. We knew that today's challenge would be a mix of thawing earth (mud!) and frozen areas along the terrain. It was a day for sunglasses, as the sun was wide awake in the January sky.
Our training team was ready to go when Carra and I arrived, so as Alan (our hike leader) updated us on our plans for the morning, we put on our boots and our packs and locked up the car. We were eager to get moving, because even though the temperature was warmer than the hike to South Mountain Reservation, it was still winter.
The early part of the hike offered snow-covered trails and in some instances, areas of hidden ice. You had to keep your eyes on the trail below to help you zig-zag to trail paths that were safe for walking. We passed numerous families with leashed dogs...every kind from Jack Russel Terriers to Golden Doodles. I would sometimes stop to pet them, knowing that my team would move ahead. But it was worth it! (Is it just me? Or do dogs just always bring a smile to our faces?!)

This hike began our uphill hiking training. We had two mountains to climb (some would call them small, but not me!) today and we were lucky that the rocky inclines were not laced with ice or snow. I liked the rocky inclines. It was kind of like a game, which rock should I trust to hold my weight? Some were very strong and didn't budge when you stepped on them and others, well, I'm glad I didn't step on many of them!

My favorite part of the scenery was when we reached Pyramid Point. Located near the top of Pyramid Mountain, there is a puzzling glacial structure. When you look at the pictures, can you figure out why it is so puzzling?


Carra and I were happy to take a break here, considering we just finished our first major uphill jaunt. We shared some granola and craisins, and even took a moment to pose for a picture or two!
After the team re-fueled and re-hydrated, we headed back toward the parking lot. We noticed that at this point in the day, the sun had warmed the earth enough to thaw the earth and create slippery sections of mud. At one point, I took the coil tracks off of my boots, and my hands were covered in mud. I quickly learned that in the absence of a sink or running water, a quick wipe across my pants would have to do! :)

On this hike, we had the chance to tackle one or two hikes. Our Pyramid Mountain hike was approximately 4 miles. We decided to take on the additional hike up the 100 Steps Trail of Turkey Mountain. A few of us tackled the challenge, and enjoyed the success of reaching the top! The 100 Steps Trail was beautiful. The trail was blanketed in full sun, making the challenge just a bit more pleasurable. I could hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears I could feel the burn in my thighs, and I used the hope of spectacular scenery as my motivation to continue.

Once we reached the top of Turkey Mountain, we shared the beautiful view and offered up some words of praise for enduring the extra challenge. We saddled up our packs, and with what seemed to be a second wind, we headed back down Turkey Mountain to the end of our hike.
While this hike was slightly shorter in length than the last, it took us longer to finish, due to the sketchy inclines.

So what did we do after the hike? We went to the spa of course! :)

South Mountain Reservation

It is challenging enough to wake up EARLY on a Sunday morning, but to prepare for a 6 mile hike in single digit weather? That really put the icing on the cake. Yes, it was 9 degrees on January 10th, when I ventured out at 7:30 a.m. to meet my team of hiking buddies in South Mountain Reservation. I have a motto to do something that scares me everyday, and for today, this was it.

I arrived on time, prepared to fight the wind and cold with two layers of pants, three layers of tops, and a full face mask. My backpack was equipped with survival equipment: tissues, snacks and mini-handwarmers. I also had my "spikes" attached to my pack...more about those later.

The smell of the ice-covered trails and the sounds of the crunch from our hiking boots took my mind off of the frigid temperature. My sister Carra and I caught up on a week's worth of stories, which in part were muffled due to the full face masks that we were wearing.

The scenery was breath-taking. I was in awe of the "sleeping water fall". It was so still, waiting to be awakened by the warmth of spring. We stopped for a moment to get a drink and any other materials from our packs. Many people noticed that their hydration pack's mouth piece was frozen. They had to blow into the mouth piece to release the ice, and take a drink. Lucky for me, I had large water bottles that did not freeze.

I opened up the portable hand-warmers and slipped them into my gloves. I hadn't used them before, but it was like having the warmth of a living room fireplace in the palms of my hands. I was ready to explore some more!

Our hike continued for 3 1/2 hours. The challenge of the frozen-glazed earth, made for slippery downhill trots and uncertain footing on snow covered trails. It was necessary for us to put on our micro-spikes or our coiled footwear. As you can see from the picture of Carra's and my boots, there are different types. Carra's have some serious spikes, making it easier to dig into the ice. Carra (on many occasions) had to stop to unhook her spike from the ice and to remove branches from her gear. My footwear was a coiled attachment, and seemed to provide the right amount of traction.

We circled behind Turtle Back Zoo, where we saw a beautiful mountain lion in his cage. He seemed to be moving slowly on this cold January day. We stopped on different occasions to capture the scenery and to enjoy the bond that we as a group were starting to develop.

Our day ended with a chance to hang from tree vines (literally, just like Tarzan would do!), and to watch in awe of water-fall climbers. It was a day of rejuvenation, challenge and appreciation for Mother Nature. And surprisingly enough, what started out to be "scary", ended up being really exciting and worth the challenge!