The Art of Walking

The simple task of walking has become an art. We forgot how to walk, yet we walk everyday. I work with disabled individuals and they understand the art of walking. Nothing should be taking for granted. Appreciation for the world outside our four walls is a fading thought. If you try to save the earth your a tree hugger, we have forgotten balance. Hence walking has become an art. It is much more convenient to get in your car and drive to your destination, and then you need to get the closest spot to park. We then look at a time to venture out and we need to calculate the distance and time to say I did this many miles in this amount of time. It takes a lot nowadays to just slow down and small the coffee (as the expression goes).
Let us break down the art of walking. We shall go in steps(nice pun).
1. Pick a spot. The hardest part of all, but for short we'll say the park.(2 blocks away)
2. Put on your shoes, sneaks, boots, you know what I'm talking about.
3.Open the door and close it behind you.
4.Walk!!!!!!!
5.Eliminate all thoughts, empty your mind. See the trees, flowers, animals and kids(that are not yours)having fun. Breath in the air, not recycled through the A/C or some other purifying device. Hear the birds and nature as you walk. Find the serenity of nature and respect it. Remember the joys of your youth in the great outdoors(even if it was in the woods drinking Boones Farm).
6.Go home a feel less stressed.
We dont need to go overboard with walking just need to remember to do it while we can.

Pyramid Mountain

Some steep climbs and as always follow the maps

Notice my feats of strength!!

What I thought would be a short easy 2-3 mile hike turned out be a good six mile hike. I had read other comments on Pyramid Mountain, thought it to be simple. Ha, I was wrong. It was a lovely day temps comfortable, I believed we overdressed and their were a lot of hikers out there. That makes the SPES a happy group. Anyway back to the hike, good inclines some steep, and rocky plus a great view from the top. You can also see the Tripod rock formed from the glaciers. (As a sceptic I believe somebody got a crane up there).

We followed the blue trail to the yellow up to tripod rock then the red/white to blue back to red over to white and made it back. We found a lost family out there worrying about it getting dark, not knowing the markings but Keith bravely lead them home. They thanked us and we shook hands and returned to home base. I in the mean time had text ed my wife, because I believed we were lost also, imagine that the SPES lost. However due to our wonderful SPES sweatshirts we looked professional and they believed us. It was my fault my GPS batteries had died time to return to the old fashion compass and map. Orienteering classes next. Good thing Keith had a clue, in the woods okay we just got lost following road directions. Ah I love these Sunday expeditions. Remember compass and maps are your best friends out there. Next week another adventure maybe during the week some rants about unemployment.Now get out there and hike!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all. It doesn't seem like much to be thankful for yet we strive to keep our heads up and remember what are forefathers came here for. Same thing we complain about Today. I am thankful to all those in the service keeping us safe, a hearty Thank you and keep safe. Remember after that big meal to take a nice hike and enjoy the outdoors, a nice Nor-Easter tomorrow and black Friday may prevent some from enjoying a truly wonderful outdoor experience. I naturally will be at the beach. Happy Thanksgiving once again.

Chester is not enjoying the Holidays, no turkey for him!!!

Bass River and the economy

The time has come to finally let it all out. This economy SUCKS!!!!! Big Time. Not only do we have to fight the depression, anxiety and wonders plus doubts of job security and financial stability, now it effects our expeditions. that's just wrong. we are to go out and see this great country of ours and let them know what the beauty of it all. I now get to deal with the pressures of a weak economy instead of trips.

However, I finally got to take a hike with the SPES to non-other than Bass River park. A 2 hour drive and a six mile hike will make you feel a little better. Also found something you don't see to much of any more a phone booth. Anyway we had a tough choice to make on this trip and Bass River won the draw of the cards. Nice lake , campsites and Even lean-to's. Hopefully next time we can camp out for the night. We were hoping to find the Batano trail 49.5 miles a nice trek one weekend. I hope that things turn around so that the US doesn't have to lose it's self worth and have a nation depressed from all. My suggestion is to go out and seek the great outdoors.

Princeton Canal Paddle

After some bad weather with rain and wind, a beautiful autumn day like today lead to a paddling expedition. We were joined by some friends and we packed up the mini van to the canal at Princeton. The sun was shining there was a slight breeze to keep you cool as we paddled our way down the Raritan canal. Had time to stop for a small snack on the banks and return back to go pumpkin picking.

On days like this you truly get to appreciate the fall season. We seem to take it for granted, thinking more of the leaves to rake up then the beauty that it brings. To me summer is to hot but the fall has some wonderful days.

We also made a quick stop at the Terhune farms with pumpkin picking live music and hay rides.

Not bad for a Sunday drive or paddle. Once again good friends and family with some outdoor activity, this is truly priceless.

Nor-easter

It seems that when their is something going on outside it makes a better expedition. Rain, snow, a little gusty wind just adds a tad bit of adventure challenge to it. I do not profess in storm chasing, personally I would chase maybe one, but smart judgement is essential.

The society got together a few votes for the Mt Schooley and then the choice of Pt. Pleasant was set. Checked out the beach web cam 20 mph winds, pounding surf and the Tiki Bar.

Took a walk along the beach to the jetty climbed up and enjoyed the power of mother nature.

The good part about an expedition here is you don't need to pack so much. We did think of stopping at Allaire State Park and checking it out, we haven't been there since we were kids.

Time once again is a factor in all we do. Between the work schedule and maintaining the homes we try to get in as much as we can during these autumn months.

It was a good choice for the shore and hopefully the next choice will be as good.

The Essentials; Stoves

As the fall and winter approach its time for the essentials list.
1. Warm comfortable clothing
2.Good waterproof boots
3.A hat and gloves
4.A stove
Nothing like a good cup of noodles or soup on the trail. A great website that helped me develop my stove www.Zenstoves.net. Anybody can build one and if like Heineken their keg cans work the best. Check out the site lots of good info and tech advice on tweaking your stove or building your own.
Wont work if your climbing Mt.Everest, but does the job for Jenny Jump.
Happy cooking on the trails.
Maybe next some good old fashion recipes, if you got some send em over.