Tag: #Hiking

  • ODDS and ENDS – England v Scotland, REI, and Father’s Day

    I have no one to talk to about this, which makes me think I am the only American watching EURO 2021. I know that’s not true as the matches are on ESPN, but still… No one to talk to about it. Today, England is playing against Scotland which has all kinds of implications for this group. If England wins, they pretty much are guaranteed to move on to the knockout round. While Scotland, at the bottom of the group, has to win to stay alive. Then there is all of that history between the two nations, and I am sure that some idiot out there has all of his BRAVEHEART memes rip roaring to go.

    On Saturday, I will head to REI to see if their 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed Policy is for real when it comes to hiking boots worn once. I am fully aware that I was upsold on some boots over Memorial Day, but they are just a half size too small. I can feel my toes rubbing against the top of the boots. I know it’s not an end of the world problem, but I think if I were to hike longer than an hour, then I would have a real issue. Anyway, to find this out, I had to ware them, so, let’s see what they do. Balls in your court REI!

    Speaking of which, at least REI that is, I’m also going to pick up a day-backpack while I’m at the store tomorrow. Yup I’m buying more gear as a Father’s Day gift to myself. As with my wife’s birthday, in which I played no part in planning, so that she could have exactly what she wanted, I have also been granted this gift. So, I’m getting a daypack, and on Sunday, the whole family is going out for a hike in the woods. If you would have asked me a year ago what I wanted to do on Father’s Day, I would have told you sleep, and sleep late. Now, I want to get up early and sweat in the woods. It’s been a strange year.

  • Hiking Review: Rockefeller State Park Preserve – David’s Loop and Swan Lake

    The Summer of Hiking is under way. At least it was on Saturday. We used the AllTrails app to look for a place to go, and though we enjoyed the Old Mine Trail from last week, it did take us over an hour to get there. The idea this week was to find something closer to home, which meant under forty-fine minutes to get there. The wife found a high rated trail, David’s Loop, which is in Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

    We got on the road by 9am, taking the Saw Mill Parkway, which isn’t know for being traffic free on weekends, but at that hour it was an easy drive. Exiting off the parkway, we made our way to Bedford Road where the trailhead was. We did have to park along the road, which wasn’t awful, but with a kid, it did make me a little nervous to walk there.

    The hike went well, even though it was a very hot day. Now, I wouldn’t necessary call David’s Loop a trail, so much as it was a well-maintained gravel path. For that reason, it was easy on us, and never felt too taxing. I did enjoy the fact that the forest made a canopy over the path, so we never felt the direct heat of the day. The Preserve itself was quite beautiful, and peaceful. We crossed at least two streams, which the kid got down and splashed in. It took us about forty-five minutes for us to reach Swan Lake. We had an early lunch picnic on the shore of the lake, and saw several different varieties of bird flying through the trees. We finished the loop back to the car, which was more uphill, and though the kid wasn’t happy about it, this was more of the “workout” part of hiking, which I was looking for. We made it back home in the City by 1pm, so all on all, it took us for four hours for our adventure, which still gave us enough of our day to do other things. Like nap on the sofa.

  • ODDS and ENDS – A-Holes, WWE or MMA, Make the Call, and Parking

    “Odds and Ends” is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    I know that I am not the first person to say this, or even the best at articulating this sentiment, but we all agree that people who recline their seat on an airplane are assholes. No one likes the people who do it, and if you are a person who reclines your seat, we all hate you; You should know that. (Really? Does the two inches of reclining make that much of a difference?) But I started wondering why the airlines leave that function on the seat? Is there a torture quotient that they need to fill for Coach? Sorry, Economy. Was there a meeting where airline Executives brainstormed ideas that would lead to more fights on flights?

    “Fights on Flights” sounds a WWE event. Or MMA. You make the call on that.

     “You Make the Call” commercials had the best music. Manly, sports music.

    So, I tried to explain parking in New York to someone who does live in here. What I discovered is that I sound crazy, like I have accepted Thunderdome as a way of life, and that’s normal way to live.

    And finally, we are going hiking again this weekend. We haven’t decided where, but the Summer of hiking continues.  

  • The Summer of Hiking 2021

    At the start of Summer 2020, as the pandemic was going strong, our family unit thought it was a good idea to take day trips on most Saturdays, and a few Sundays. The goal was simple, just get out of the City, and at that time the guidance was all good with going out to the woods and taking your mask off. Provided no one was around. This lead us to hike a few trails in New York, and Connecticut. We all enjoyed it and I even wrote about it last year.

    And we have been talking about doing it again. The Spring came, and we were still talking about it. I even got my AllTrails app up and running, and started looking for places we all could go, including the dog. But we just kept talking…

    Well, this weekend, we collectively got off our butts and did something about it!

    We went shopping!

    Down to the REI store at Broadway and Lafayette to get hiking boots and all-weather pants. Hell, throw in some socks while we’re at it. I had a feeling that the shoe salesman was upselling us when we were honest and said we were beginners, but I didn’t want to rock the boat, as everyone else was having a good time with trying the boots on.

    Now, it was a rainy mess up here in the Northeast over Memorial Day, but Monday was clear. We got in the car and headed out to the Old Mine Road Trail, which is rated moderate and good for kids and dogs. We had a good time and felt like we were being active as a family, which really is the point here.

    I also know myself well enough that if I spend money on an activity, I will follow through on it. Hence why I had to buy the boots; I got some skin in the game. Now, hiking is something that I have to do.

  • No More Late Night Snacks

    Spring is here and Summer isn’t too far away. The seasons of rebirth and change is upon us. I think I have mentioned that I have put on twenty pounds of the course of the pandemic, and before that, I had put on a stress ten pounds from my former shitty job situation, my mother’s death, and moving away and then back to NYC. Food was the only thing giving me any comfort, and ice cream was my best friend. So, I’m front loaded now; just completing my slow transformation to middle aged white male – balding with a belly. As you can read, I’m not too happy about this.

    I am trying to wrap my head around getting back to a healthy lifestyle, as I don’t think I have really ever had a healthy lifestyle. I just sort of lived, and it all took care of itself. Well… those days are over, and I have to move this to the forefront of my thinking. This week, I am starting small; no more snacking after 9pm. This might be low hanging fruit, so to speak, but I think it is the lynchpin of the issues I am having. Mainly, no discipline. I want to see if I can go a week without snacking, controlling my behavior. If I can do this, then I think I can move on to more complicated things.

    And the complicated things are; running, maybe daily; eating better, or at least what we all can agree on as a family; and the really ambitious one, hiking.

    But before I can get there, I have to say goodbye to my 11pm ice cream break.