A few tips

Bad Sinus Infection
Means no hikes for me this week

I have been suffering from seasonal allergies, like many people are, and this week I went to the doctors.  I was told I have a sinus infection and was sent home with some antibiotics and a nasal spray.  I decided it would probably be best I stay indoors for the week until I am feeling better so I thought I would give a few suggestions and tips in relation to clothing to wear while hiking.

Long Pants
Always a must!  Even in the 90 degree weather.

Always wear long pants!  That is a tough lesson I learned first hand.  I had gone on a hike one summer afternoon and thought it would be ok to wear a pair of athletic shorts.  Not only did I get numerous bug bits and a small patch of poison ivy, but I also had a lot of cuts all over.  That was the last time I wore shorts during a hike.  For those really hot day I suggest light weight yoga pants or breathable spandex.  Jeans are always a good idea but they can get a bit clingy on the hot days.  Stick to light colors and breathable fabrics.

Sneakers…
Not always the proper choice.

While wearing sneakers may be a good choice for flat terrain or maybe even slightly rocky walks, majority of the time you will want to wear hiking boots.  Although one might assume wearing heavy boots is not a good idea, they provide very important ankle support.  A good pair of hiking boots may be a bit of an investment so make sure the pair you chose has both high top ankle supports, a good grip on the bottom as well as strong laces.



Always Stretch
Even if you are going on a short, easy hike.

Many people under estimate the importance of stretching before, and after a hike.  Be sure to do a few hamstring and calf stretches before starting out your hike.  These are the muscles you will use the most during your hike especially when walking up-hill.  The last thing you want to happen is to be halfway through a hike and have to stop because you have pulled something.  Most importantly after the hike be sure to do a few stretches before hopping into your car.  This will prevent soreness from creeping in the next day.

Ramapo Overlook

So Much Rain!!
Makes for a great waterfall

With the large amount of rain that we have been getting I thought a trip to a nearby waterfall would be a sight to see.  I did some digging and came across a highly recommended hiking trail with a water fall in Ringwood, NJ.  The best part about this trail apart from the waterfall was that it was dog friendly.  Many of the user reviews started that their dogs had a great time and did not have to remain on a leash for the entire hike.  Walter had been going a bit stir crazy being cooped up inside due to the rain so this place seemed perfect.  The drive to the park was a short 25 minutes from my home in Hillsborough, NJ.  When I first arrived I was confused about where to park, there are two parking lots that are not well marked.  I parked in the second lot, farthest from the road and that turned out to be the correct lot.

Walter has Never Been so Happy
This trail is made for dogs and their owners


Walter and I went for the hike on Monday morning and we were the only two on the trails.  He had a great time running ahead of me on the trails and exploring the woods on either side of the trails.  The parking lots are located off of a busy road so I did keep him a leash until we reached the head of the trail.  The park itself consists of two trails, the white blazed Todd Trail and the Yellow Blazed Trail.  The white blazed trail is directly across from the parking lot, which is where I began my hike.  The trail begins out with a lot of rocky terrain through a densely forest area.  The loop is pretty short and if you retrace your steps you will arrive back where you began to pick up the yellow trail.  The Yellow trail begins by taking you through a swampy area; Walter was covered in mud within a minute.  Due to the vast amounts of moss there are not many trees along the beginning of the trail, making it a bit boring.  Eventually you will walk back into the forest where you will be able to hear sounds of small waterfalls.  Exploring around a bit Walter and I were able to find the falls where we both did some climbing and he was able to swim around and wash a lot of the mud off.  The one downside of this trail is you have to retrace your steps to return back to your car, both of the trails do not seem to loop around like majority of the trails I have hiked in the past.  I plan to return again when the weather warms up so I will be able to take a swim in the falls with Walter.

If you can't hike why not research??

Due to the weather I missed yet another week of hiking.  So I spent the time I usually would be hiking researching some popular hiking trails in and around Philadelphia.  Although I have not hiked any of these trails I do plan to at some point.

Wissahickon Trails

Over 57-Miles of trails!!

Wissahickon is 1,800 acres and according to their website has 57 miles of trails, a total of eight separate trails.  I downloaded the map from the website which is not very detailed, a more detailed version is available for purchase.  The park is open to the public, but you did need a permit to ride your bike, something I am not too thrilled about.  Purchasing a permit seems relatively easy, a link to do so is on the website as well.  Wissahickon is a small part of a much larger 9,200-acre Fairmount Park “one of the largest city parks in the world.”  Wissahickon starts in Chestnut Hill and extends to Manayunk.  It’s a short drive from University City and has a small creek running through the length of the park.

Delaware Water Gap

Plan your whole trip before arriving!

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area has a great website, on which you can plan your entire trip before heading out the door.  There are links for hiking in New Jersey and PA.  The website has a large number of trails to chose from in both states ranging from 2 miles up to a 6 hour hike.  You can hike on a historic trail, along a waterfall or along flat ground.

There’s more to do than simply hike the trails.  You can hike, bike, canoe, kayak, camp and fish.  There is not fee to actually enter the park but if you want to use some of the park’s facilities there are some fees as well as permit requirements.  The website provides information on all the various fees as well as ways to reserve picnic areas and different ways to obtain permits to hunt and fish.

After researching these two places it looks like I will be heading to the Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area within the next week to try out all these trails!  Updates coming soon.

Rain Rain Go AWAY!

I thought April showers were over...

It has been raining all weekend long so I haven’t been able to go on a hike.  So instead of writing about my hiking experience this week I thought I would explain some of the basics I bring with me for every hike.  My list may seem a bit long but it has been created based on numerous hikes and years of experience.

In my backpack

First and foremost I always bring water with me.  Even if you are only hiking for a mile you should bring water to make sure you maintained hydrated throughout your journey.  For those longer hikes I make sure to pack a protein bar and some fruit.  A lot of the hikes I go on are over five miles and having a protein bar or an apple halfway through my hike gives me a boost of energy that I sometimes need.  If possible I always bring a map of the trails I will be hiking.  I find these on websites for the park before hand or at a visitor’s center.  I like to make sure I know where I am going before I begin or where to go if I wander off the trail a bit.  I also always make sure to have a few Band-Aids handy.  Nothing is worse than being a mile into a hike and realize your boots are giving you a blister.  You won’t be able to enjoy your hike and you’ll be stuck with a painful sore on your foot for a few days.

Bag’s all packed!  What else should I do?

I’m not sure how many people saw the movie 127 Hours but it sends out a very clear message: tell people where you are going.  Before leaving on any hike, weather I am going with a group or by myself, I always tell someone who is not going with me where I will be.  By doings so, I have ensure that someone will know where I am if something happens.  A bit paranoid, maybe, but I like to play it safe.  I have looked at the weather for the weekend and it looks like more rain but hopefully things will clear up so I can get back on the trails soon!

Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust

Pennypack 

10 miles of woods, meadows and trails, all naturally preserved.

Pennypack is about a 30-minute drive from Drexel University.  The park itself has over ten miles of woodland and meadows with a large number of trails to pick from.  Before making the trip to Pennypack I researched the park and learned the trails are divided into two categories: multiple use and hiking only.  The multiple use categories consist of three trails ranging from .5 miles to 1.6 miles.  Pets (on leashes) are only allowed on these three trails.  The second category of hiking only tails consisted of many more options ranging from a .2 mile muddy hike to a 1.3-mile meadow hike.  Due to the strict pet rules I decided to leave my dog Walter at home for my first trip to Pennypack.

Which trail to choose?

Good thing I printed out the trail lists before hand.

It was a bit overwhelming arriving to Pennypack and deciding which trail to chose from.  Although their list of various trails on their website were very helpful.  I highly suggest referencing their list before getting to the park.  The list includes specific details about the trails including the distance as well as the terrain you will be hiking through.  Although the trails offered beautiful scenery the hikes themselves were not much of a workout.  The Papermill Woods trail was especially beautiful because you are walking along a crystal clear stream for majority of the walk.  The Papermill Road trail brings you across the second oldest bridge in Montgomery County (it was built in 1817).

Wonderful Sights, but not really hiking.

No trails over two miles long??

Like a mentioned before Pennypack has a large number of trails to chose from, but none of the trails are very long or strenuous for that matter.  The longest trail Raytharn Trail is only 1.3 miles long and you spend majority of the hike walking through meadows.  Most of the hikes at Pennypack are on level dirt footpaths or are too short to feel like you are truly on a hike.  Pennypack is a great way to spend the day leisurely walking through beautiful scenery but not a place I would recommend coming to if you are looking to go on a true hike.

Hiking in South Jersey

Hiking on the beach?

There’s much more to do than just lay out and get a tan.

My boyfriend lives on Long Beach Island and it’s been quite a boring winter with all of the snow and not much to do outdoors.  Now that the weather has finally warmed up we have decided to explore the surrounding areas.  A few days ago we came across the Manasquan Reservoir Perimeter in Monmouth County New Jersey.  The trail itself has many entryways and we decided to begin by walking through the environmental center.  In the center there is a video from the Eagle Came where you can watch of a birds nest being built by a bald eagle.  I wish I had known to bring binoculars because at the environmental center there is a short trail around the building where they would have come in handy.

Wetlands and shore lines

 MTV's Jersey Shore doesn't do this place justice.

Once we left the environmental center we had a choice to go left and stay on the trail or go right and take a short detour around a small wetlands area.  We decided to go rights and we were very happy we did.  The wetlands area is full of beautiful plant life and wildflowers.  Since we went in early spring we were able to see a lot of the flowers in full bloom.  The detour took up about a mile out of the way and rejoined the main hiking trail a quarter of the mile from where we started. 

 

April showers bring lots of May flowers.

All those heavy rainstorms were defiantly worth it.

The trail itself is about a five-mile long loop (not including the brief detour around the wetlands).  The trail is marked well with mile marker posts, although the numbers go backwards if you begin at the environmental center like we did.  The trail itself is mostly on a wide gravel or dirt path.  Dogs are allowed on this trail although they need to be kept on a leash.  Due to the heavy rainstorms over the past few weeks the flowers were in full bloom and we were able to see lots of frogs and turtles in the various pools alongside the trail.  We were told to keep our eyes open for eagles’ nests but we weren’t able to find any.  Eaglets are hatched around mid February and care for their young through September so we decided we will defiantly be making another trip to this trail around that time and we will definitely remember the binoculars.

"Hiking" in Poughkeepsie NY

A bridge across the Hudson River

Vising my sister turns into walking across water

My little sister goes to school in Poughkeepsie, NY at Marist College.  She is involved in the Marist Dance Ensemble and had her recital this past weekend.  Driving to her school I noticed a pedestrian walkway bridge and decided I would check it out after her show.  I asked her about it and she told me it was a two-mile walk to the end of the bridge and back and is quite scenic.  Getting to the bridge from her college was an easy drive because there are a lot of signs directing you to the bridge.  Finding a parking spot, on the other hand was not as easy.  Once my car was parked and I had my sneakers on and camera in hand I took off for my hike.

A walkway of history
Why would there even be a bridge here?

Leading up to the actual pedestrian bridge is what I will call and introductory walk.  The walkway leading up to the bridge was lined with picnic tables, and small sheds.  At each shed were posters explaining the history of the pedestrian bridge.  From these posters I learned a lot about the history of the bridge.  At 6,767 feet the Walkway Over the Hudson is the world's longest pedestrian bridge and that the Walkway is 212 feet about the Hudson River, a fact my boyfriend Mike who is afraid of heights wasn’t too thrilled to read.  The bridge was first used as a railroad bridge across the Hudson River.  It was first used in 1889 and at the time was the longest bridge in the world.  In 1974 a fire damaged the bridge and rendered it useless.  In 1992 Walkway Over the Hudson began its efforts to provide public access to the bridge and broke ground on the project in 2007.  In 2009 Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park opened to the public.

Cross Bridge Winds

After reading about this history Mike and I began our walk across the bridge.  For the first part of the walk there are fences on either side of the bridge making it difficult to see the beautiful view.  After some thought I realized those fences were most likely places there to prohibit people from dropping things off the edge of the bridge onto cars passing below.  Once we were on the portion of the bridge over the water the sights were beautiful.  You are able to see the breathtaking view of the Hudson River and the mountain range on both sides.  There are a few viewing stations as well as additional posters with more information about the bridge and it’s transformation from a railroad bridge to a pedestrian walkway.  The hike itself, if you can even call it that, is about 2.5 miles walking from one end of the bridge to the other and back with mostly level terrain.  Bicycles as well as rollerblading and skating are allowed.  You may not get a great exercise but the views are spectacular. 

A Brief Encounter with a Giant Bird

A Blue Heron

How seeing one started my affinity for hiking

Since I can remember I have been going on hikes.  The first one I can remember was when I was around six years old.  My dad and I had gotten up early on the weekend to spend some time together.  My younger sister was just born and I was still adapting to no longer being the baby of the family.  I don’t remember a lot of the details about the hike, but one this I will never forget was seeing a Blue Heron.  A Blue Heron is a large bird with a wingspan that stretched longer than my dad’s height.  My dad had been an avid bird watcher all of his life and documented many of the birds he has seen over the years in the back of his Audubon bird book.  Since I was the first one to spot the bird my dad let me document it in the back of his book despite my sloppy handwriting.  Since that day I have taken hundreds of hikes, by myself with friends and family and most recently with my black lab puppy Walter.

Hiking in the Dirty Jerz

New Jersey isn’t one giant landfill

I live in New Jersey in a beautiful natural preserve known as the Sourland Mountains.  I usually like to hike early Saturday mornings.  If I get to the parking lot by 7:00 am I don’t have to worry about keeping Walter on a leash.  There is a park ranger walking around some days.   She will give you a lecture about keeping your dog on a leash if you are spotted, but this can usually be avoided by arriving early in the morning.  I start off by letting Walter run through the small pound at the end of the trail.  He is a lab and is naturally drawn to water.  It’s a bit murky in the early spring, but after a few April showers the water clears up and he really has a great time.  We then begin our five-mile hike. 

The Sourlands

Hiking one of New Jersey’s treasured natural preserves

The trails are well marked with different symbols for the different trails.  There are a total of three trails: one mile, three miles and five miles.  The hike is a lot of up-hill walking so you will want to wear proper shoes to avoid slipping on your way down.  Along the trail you will notice some small bridges built and maintained by a local Boy Scout troop.  Before beginning your hike there is a small shed where you can pick up a map of the mountains as well as information about the history of the mountain.  The park is well maintained and protected by the Sourland Planning Council.  Below you will find a link to their website giving you more information about what they do to protect the Sourlands and a bit of local history.  Hope you enjoy the area as much as Walter and I do.

The Sourland Planning Council