Sterling Ridge Forest, NY 3/21/10

Glorious sunrise, isn’t it gorgeous? Something I wouldn’t typically take the time to see- but as I was driving along 78, right before I turned in Lebanon to pick up Carra, there it was… like a spill of orange and pink paint splashed together in a puddle in the center of the sky. I wanted to yell to the quiet world, “Wake up everyone, How can you sleep at a time like this?” (Jason Mraz, Make it Mine) , but thinking better of it- I snapped a photo to share with the “world” later on and helped Carra pack up and settle in for our hour and a half drive.

Sterling Ridge Forest, located in New York State… our destination. A place where we would take time to be “grateful for the precious gifts in life” (Jason Mraz, Anything You Want) and avoid “worrying our lives away” (Jason Mraz, The Remedy). It would be the place where we would each burn 2,444 calories, take 25,000 steps, and hike ten miles over the span of 7 hours. (Believe it or not, among our counterparts- there were devices to track all of these items).

A note about the weather- it was absolutely perfect. It was about 70 degrees, sunny, and bug-free.

Plus, when you are “making new friends along the way” (The Sunshine Song), everyone “sends out their own ray of sunshine”… making for a carefree, happy afternoon. Through our walks and talks, we found out that we had 3 Danielles among us- (from left to right in the photo)… Danielle Anne, Danielle Kathryn, Danielle Marie. Now what are the chances?!






While the last signs of snow were evidenced on the trails, we began looking for signs of wildlife along the way. The only breathing beings were a chipmunk and a butterfly. HOWEVER, can you see the signs of a beaver and a woodpecker in these pictures?






The trails along the ridge were narrow in spots, making it essential to “balance, careful and steady” (Make It Mine) and for those of us who are a little afraid of heights, it was important to NOT look down. We were faced with elevation on this hike, as you can see from the photo- we were face to face with the tops of trees in some cases. The terrain was interesting, a mix of rock and incline, flat shale-like rock slabs and incline, and just woodsy trail AND INCLINE.






Our favorite however, was the incline scrambles. Carra, Greg and I took a pre-scramble photo, a “during” scramble photo, and an after-scramble photo. As you can see from the “during” scramble photo, we would follow a narrow trail where rocks would hug you as you made your way up the trail- using your hands to hold on as you scrambled your way to the top.
The top presented the opportunity for some shout outs of “Good Job” and “Gimme that High Ten!” (The Dynamo of Volition) . At the top, we found a comfortable shady area to take off our packs, share some lunch and good conversation!
Carra had her i-pod so we played some tunes, caught up on the events from the past week, and refueled our bodies.

I’d love to say “there’s no need to hurry” (The Remedy) however, one of us had made afternoon plans that “nothing was gonna stop him from but divine intervention!” (I’m Yours). So, as a team, we pulled together- and trudged on to the visitor’s center to hail a cab for our fellow hike-mate. Lucky for him, he made it to his destination with a minute to spare!

The rest of us, enjoyed the comforts of an actual rest-area, before heading back for yet another five or so miles. Shortly into the hike, I just couldn’t ignore the forming blister that was on my foot. I had heard at a gear training seminar that duct tape was a save-all for many things, blisters included. So, I pulled out my Sharpie pen (in my estimate- these are save-alls as well) which I had carefully wrapped in purple plaid duct tape (so I didn’t have to carry along the whole roll, and for those of us who are fashion-istas, they sell all colors at Target!). Sorry for the photo of my foot, but really, I had to “rid myself of vanities and just go with the seasons”, (I’m Yours) and de-sock, duct-tape-up, and get ready for the remaining inclines to come.


The rest of the hike was a quiet one. I felt like a member of the elephants who migrated in the Planet Earth video- it was like “survival of the fittest” as we literally trudged up hill for miles on end to the parking lot. It sounds simple, but the inclined was laced with running water and muddy paths, making it more difficult to find secure places to step. We were already becoming “sloppy” in our walking, so the mud just really didn’t help!

It was when we would see new faces that we knew we were close to the parking lot. We really didn’t see many people when we were far into the hike, it is always only around the parking lots where people and dogs are smiling, and enjoying a hike. Each step to the parking lot felt just a bit easier as we would hear the sounds of fellow human beings.

We couldn’t wait to get our boots off, change into sweat-free clothing and set our sites on a place for an early dinner. It was 4 p.m. when we all crossed the finish line from trail into parking lot. We quickly packed up, and caravanned to a local hot spot called “Rhodes North Tavern” where we enjoyed food, drink and revelry- especially for the weary traveler. (I got that saying from their business card).

Afterwards, we parted ways, for some strange reason- with anticipation of our next hike together… BUT- Carra and I will not be joining the next couple of hikes due to our own hiking plans. We are off somewhere to prepare for the heat of our Canyon hike.
3 hints as to where:
- there is a lot of fresh fruit,
- it is near the equator
- the show “Lost” is filmed there…

My next blog will reveal! Until then…

Sterling Ridge Forest, NY 3/21/10

Glorious sunrise, isn’t it gorgeous? Something I wouldn’t typically take the time to see- but as I was driving along 78, right before I turned in Lebanon to pick up Carra, there it was… like a spill of orange and pink paint splashed together in a puddle in the center of the sky. I wanted to yell to the quiet world, “Wake up everyone, How can you sleep at a time like this?” (Jason Mraz, Make it Mine) , but thinking better of it- I snapped a photo to share with the “world” later on and helped Carra pack up and settle in for our hour and a half drive.

Sterling Ridge Forest, located in New York State… our destination. A place where we would take time to be “grateful for the precious gifts in life” (Jason Mraz, Anything You Want) and avoid “worrying our lives away” (Jason Mraz, The Remedy). It would be the place where we would each burn 2,444 calories, take 25,000 steps and ascend 2,444 feet, and hike ten miles over the span of 7 hours. (Believe it or not, among our counterparts- there were devices to track all of these items).

A note about the weather- it was absolutely perfect. It was about 70 degrees, sunny, and bug-free. Plus, when you are “making new friends along the way” (The Sunshine Song), everyone “sends out their own ray of sunshine”… making for a carefree, happy afternoon. Through our walks and talks, we found out that we had 3 Danielles among us- (from left to right in the photo)… Danielle Anne, Danielle Kathryn, Danielle Marie. Now what are the chances?!

While the last signs of snow were evidenced on the trails, we began looking for signs of wildlife along the way. The only breathing beings were a chipmunk and a butterfly. HOWEVER, can you see the signs of a beaver and a woodpecker in these pictures?

The trails along the ridge were narrow in spots, making it essential to “balance, careful and steady” (Make It Mine) and for those of us who are a little afraid of heights, it was important to NOT look down. We were faced with elevation on this hike, as you can see from the photo- we were face to face with the tops of trees in some cases.
The terrain was interesting, a mix of rock and incline, flat shale-like rock slabs and incline, and just woodsy trail AND INCLINE.

Our favorite however, was the incline scrambles. Carra, Greg and I took a pre-scramble photo, a “during” scramble photo, and an after-scramble photo. As you can see from the “during” scramble photo, we would follow a narrow trail where rocks would hug you as you made your way up the trail- using your hands to hold on as you scrambled your way to the top. The top presented the opportunity for some shout outs of “Good Job” and “Gimme that High Ten!” (The Dynamo of Volition) . At the top, we found a comfortable shady area to take off our packs, share some lunch and good conversation!
Carra had her i-pod so we played some tunes, caught up on the events from the past week, and refueled our bodies.

I’d love to say “there’s no need to hurry” (The Remedy) however, one of us had made afternoon plans that “nothing was gonna stop him from but divine intervention!” (I’m Yours). So, as a team, we pulled together- and trudged on to the visitor’s center to hail a cab for our fellow hike-mate. Lucky for him, he made it to his destination with a minute to spare!

The rest of us, enjoyed the comforts of an actual rest-area, before heading back for yet another five or so miles. Shortly into the hike, I just couldn’t ignore the forming blister that was on my foot. I had heard at a gear training seminar that duct tape was a save-all for many things, blisters included. So, I pulled out my Sharpie pen (in my estimate- these are save-alls as well) which I had carefully wrapped in purple plaid duct tape (so I didn’t have to carry along the whole roll, and for those of us who are fashion-istas, they sell all colors at Target!). Sorry for the photo of my foot, but really, I had to “rid myself of vanities and just go with the seasons”, (I’m Yours) and de-sock, duct-tape-up, and get ready for the remaining inclines to come.

The rest of the hike was a quiet one. I felt like a member of the elephants who migrated in the Planet Earth video- it was like “survival of the fittest” as we literally trudged uphill for miles on end to the parking lot. It sounds simple, but the inclines were laced with running water and muddy paths, making it more difficult to find secure places to step. We were already becoming “sloppy” in our walking, so the mud just really didn’t help!

It was when we would see new faces that we knew we were close to the parking lot. We really didn’t see many people when we were far into the hike, it is always only around the parking lots where people and dogs are smiling, and enjoying a hike. Each step to the parking lot felt just a bit easier as we would hear the sounds of fellow human beings.

We couldn’t wait to get our boots off, change into sweat-free clothing and set our sites on a place for an early dinner. It was 4 p.m. when we all crossed the finish line from trail into parking lot. We quickly packed up, and caravanned to a local hot spot called “Rhodes North Tavern” where we enjoyed food, drink and revelry- especially for the weary traveler. (I got that saying from their business card).

Afterwards, we parted ways, for some strange reason- with anticipation of our next hike together… BUT- Carra and I will not be joining the next couple of hikes due to our own hiking plans. We are off somewhere to prepare for the heat of our Canyon hike.
3 hints as to where:
- there is a lot of fresh fruit,
- it is near the equator
- the show “Lost” is filmed there…

My next blog will reveal! Until then…

Life Is Good @ the Water Gap

Hopefully I will capture the laughs and the lows of the hike through a "life is good" approach! Enjoy!

1. Arriving at the Gap in the early hours ensures a spot in the lot! (It gets really packed later in the day!) This day brought approximately 60 degree temperatures and sunshine. It was a beautiful day to hike. However, Carra and I never read the "hike details" email that shared with us that this hike would be approximately 6 hours in length... (and we forgot lunch).

2. Early in the hike, grab a group shot- while everyone is still smiling!


3. Earth, wind, and water... they are beautiful as long as you bring your friends. (see #4)

4. Stream-crossing's are refreshing! (and for novices. Or so I thought OUT-LOUD. Good thing Tara had an extra pair of socks for when my left foot slipped off the rock and into the water. - Oh, and then the second sock came in handy at the next stream crossing, only for my right foot this time. :) Thanks Linda for sharing your hiking poles with me; apparently, I need the extra set of legs!



5. Life is Good when you have friends who prepare lunch for you. (Because they know you are going to forget yours!) Thanks Alan for bringing along an extra PB and J for Carra and me! Here we are at Sunfish Pond after 3/4s of the hike through deep slushy snow and in other areas, mud! This hike also increased our experience with elevation, adding to the challenge.

6. Life is Good when another friend knows that we are going to need GORP (Good Ole' Raisins and Peanuts) laced with M&Ms. The chocolate saved us Greg!

March 7th, 2010

7. Those Trio Bars that Roger recommends? Well, they are HARD to find (or so we say!) Thanks Roger for bringing along a plethera of flavors to share!

8. Life is Good when you can wear short sleeves in early March and still enjoy a mix of snow and well, MUD. Wait, I think only Roger and I got down to short sleeves on this hike? I could be wrong...

9. Berries, I mean ANY kind of berries- they just make me smile!

10. Arriving at your destination, LIFE IS GOOD! Seeing Sunfish Pond was a welcomed sight. Not only did we eat lunch there, but we got to see Alan rig up his stove to cook up some soup, I got to dry my socks on the rocks, and we all got to catch a little Vitamin D in the early spring sun! Plus~ we were 3/4s of the way through our 8 mile hike at this point (and the remainder was down-hill! phew!)


It's amazing how relationships between all of us have grown over the short time we have spent together. Are we really planning an over-nighter before a NY State hike this spring?! :)

Watchung Reservation, February 21, 2010

First Lady Obama had once shared during a televised interview that at dinner time, her family shares the "roses and thorns" of their day. Today's events lend themselves perfectly to adopting the "roses and thorns" in my blog.
Before our 9 a.m. hike today in Watchung Reservation, NJ I had plans to make one very important stop at ShopRite. I know this sounds odd, but I have been WAITING for the grand opening of the new Washington ShopRite since 2009. The day had finally come and I had my coupons all clipped and ready for the big event. I went in with my itemized list at 7:30 a.m., when the store opened. I immediately felt like I was at a party, as I observed people laughing, talking and smiling, and my nose enjoyed the smell of fresh baked, hot cross buns. I admired the neat, fully stacked shelves and wished I had more time to shop! I was on a time crunch, so I was in the checkout lane by 7:45 (15 minutes of speed shopping was a nice warm-up before my hike!). Just as I was about to pay the cashier, I was handed a canvas ShopRite bag, a free loaf of bread, and a dozen multi-colored roses! I was told, "Thank you for being the first female customer!" -AND THERE would be my first, of many "roses" on this beautiful Sunday!

Carra and I quickly caught up on a week's worth of "happenings" during the 1/2 hour ride to the parking lot where we were to meet out hiking buddies. We were so happy to see many new faces today, and to catch up with some people we hadn't seen since the first hike, back in December. This hike however, presented some "thorns" for me.
First of all, literally, there were a lot of thorny branches, like the one in this picture. You'd have to hold them (gingerly, as to avoid being pricked!) off of the path where you would be walking, and in the event that you didn't - they would say "hello" in quite an unfriendly way! They latched onto my pants and rubbed across my un-gloved hands on various occasions!
I also have to say, this hike did not allow for a lot of spicy conversation (or any conversation for that matter!) The crunch of the snow under your feet, and the narrow trails made it difficult to hear people in front or behind you. We were happy to spend a little time together under a pavilion, equipped with benches and tables. Many of us removed a layer or two of clothing, due to the mild temperatures today (40 degrees), but not Linda!
As the day progressed my right foot's yak trak (coiled foot gear) snapped (THORN!!!!), which required me to be even more cautious in the icy trails to come. Luckily, as the morning went on, we encountered less snow and ice, and more mud and brooks. One of the prettiest things on our hike was seeing the awakening waterfalls housed on the massive rock. While you can't see it in the pictures, the water was dancing off of the rock to the slushy, snow-covered ground.

Today's hike incorporated a little bit of history. Here is a picture of a still, which was used during Prohibition to store whiskey and other types of liquor! We also happened upon some natural bridges that we hiked underneath, and climbed to new heights where we were able to see waterfalls and the beauty of the woods from above!
One of my favorite parts of the hike was finding this tree trunk to climb upon, and hang upside down (opposum-like!). I wonder why no one else wanted to do the same?!
After our jaunt of 7 1/2 miles, a group of us headed to 22West Diner for brunch. This was definitely a rose in the day! We talked about our future trip to the Canyon, started planning out our Celebratory Dinner (that follows the hike), caught up on some of the Olympic events, and had a hard time parting ways after eating. My final rose of the day was finding a Whole Foods store out near Springfield. One of our fellow hikers mentioned the need to get bath salts from there...well let me tell you~ they had a WHOLE BAR of bath salts that you could smell and pack up for home!
After a HOT bath (with my new 'salts'), I started thinking about the week ahead's Soup Cook Off (Friday) and our hike to the Delaware Water Gap on Saturday! The weekend can't come fast enough!

The Super Bowl Hike

For real, the dog wouldn't even get up with me this morning. It could be because we had a late night celebrating my mom and dad's birthday the night before, or maybe it was because, once again, it was under 20 degrees outdoors! But regardless, I had a team that was waiting for me at the Cooper Mill in Chester, NJ this morning!
Carra and I met up at the Starbucks in Chester prior to our 8:45 arrival at the Mill. There, we sipped on our Skinny Vanilla Lattes, laced up our boots, and waved as the remaining "5" arrived for our hike (Linda, Liz, Danielle2, Alan and Roger). As we began our hike, I kept glancing across the street at the Old Mill Tavern, where we would finish off our day's trot with "lunch" in hand!
We hit various trails today, but primarily focused on the blue and red trails. As you can see in the picture, the trails are labeled with paint blocks which tell you what direction to head. For example, this picture shows that we are following the blue trail, and the top blue box tells us to carry on towards the left.

We saw an icy river where a meeting was being held among the geese. We shared some ideas of what they could be saying to one another, where they could be finding their next meal, and of course, why they remained in New Jersey instead of heading south for the season. We trailed on, enduring many snow covered, rocky paths. We had 3 falls among our members on this trip...mostly due to the uncertainty of what lies beneath the snow. You really can't look around while you are walking. You have to save your sight seeing for times when you stop for granola or a sip of water. If you try to sight see or take photos while you are hiking, there's a good chance you may end up face to face in a blanket of snow. We were lucky to "bounce" back from the falls, and continue to enjoy the trails.. We saw signs of wildlife, although other than the geese, we were pretty much the only visible living creatures among the trees on this cold Sunday morning. (Text to Real-Life Connection: Footprints in the Snow, The Mitten, Hansel and Gretel) In some instances, the only marks in the snow were footprints such as these. I felt like "Hansel and Gretel"...only we weren't laying bread crumbs to find our way home, we were following what appeared to be coyote tracks. Based on the size of the print, and the fact that there wasn't any "tail brushings" we eliminated the possibility of a fox. We also saw true deer prints. Do you think these are coyote prints, or something else?
At one point, we really needed to pull together as a team. Thank goodness for Linda, who had brought poles- we needed to use a pole, and the help of (our guide) Alan's hand and wisdom, to help us each across an icy creek. The rocks were icy, the water was semi-frozen, and today - we were crossing the creek (I just had to say that again, in case you didn't hear me the first time). I was second to go, and my ears couldn't have been working better. I was tuned in to Alan's directions, and my eyes were piercing into the icy rocks that I was depending upon to get me from one side of the creek, to the other. I stepped carefully, then sunk my pole into the mirky bottom of the running creek- establishing a point of stability. Before reaching my right foot to the large rock in the middle of the creek, I took a deep breath, grabbed Alan's hand with my left hand, and took off. The next part was a blur. Somehow, I took some swift steps across the remaining rocks and jumped onto the safety of solid ground. Luckily, we all made it across without any falls.
Considering the length of this hike and the increase in elevation, the hydration and snack breaks were very much needed. We noticed that there was more than icicles on the rocks, there was also icicles filling our water bottles today as well.
By mile 6, my mind was set on a juicy burger for lunch. I'm pretty sure that is what got me through the additional uphill climbs, snowy slippery rock trails, and snow-drifted paths.



Well, and of course the support of our newly found friends!


After 8 miles and 3 1/2 hours of hiking, I was so happy to see this sign. It meant that we were back at the parking lot, and it would be a matter of minutes before I would have a burger in hand, and iced-tea in the other! Cheers to another successful hike!

P.S. We selected Veggie Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries for lunch. There'd be enough fun foods later on in the evening! My husband Loren was home making home-made boneless hot wings to enjoy during the Super Bowl!