Hike 1 of 52: The 52 Hike Challenge

I don't really make New Year's Resolutions anymore, but I do make goals for myself to try to accomplish in the coming year.  One of those goals is to try to hike every week at least once.  So I signed up for the 52 Hike Challenge.  
There are three different challenge options.  The first is just committing to hike 52 hikes (1 for each week of the year) anywhere you like to hike.  The second option is the adventure series and the third is the explorer series.  I opted for the Adventure series.  





It asks you to complete these 17 specific types of hikes within your 52:

• 5 Waterfalls (even if they are dry)
• 1 Forest (if not possible, go to National Park/ Site)
• 1 National Parks, Monuments, Preserves, Recreation Area or Historic Trail
• 2 Hikes to bodies of water: Lakes, Rivers, or Ocean
• 1 Stewardship hike (pick up trash or join group to help with a restoration project)
• 1 Group hike (if you are regular to one group, visit a new group to meet new people)
• 1 Introduce someone new to hiking (on an easy trail)
• 1 Sunset or Sunrise hike
• 1 Hike from your Bucket list (somewhere you have always wanted to go)
• 3 Reflection hikes (journal at the beginning, middle, and towards the end of your challenge).

The weather here, as with much of the East Coast, has temperatures in the teens.  My area hasn't gotten too much snow, really just about an inch with the "Bomb Cyclone" that came up the coast.  Still, those temps in the teens have kept me in the house. So, I missed the First Day Hike because of the weather.  This made me more determined to get the first hike of 52 accomplished. 
Because the temperature was supposed to rise to the 20's (balmy compared to the weather we've been having), my husband, mother and I planned a short hike.  So yesterday we headed out to Cunningham Falls State Park to do a short mile hike to Cunningham Falls.



I don't think the temperature ever reached 20 degrees.  And I'm pretty sure my husband asked me 5 times if I was sure I really wanted to hike.  But I was/am determined.  So we headed down the trail.  I wanted to get a look at the waterfall frozen.  The trail is only a 1 mile round trip trail.  I'm horribly out of shape and didn't want to push it- plus it was cold. 
It didn't take long to get to the falls.  It was cool to see it frozen, though it wasn't as spectacular as some other ones I've seen photos of. We took a few photos and then headed back towards the car.  We all said we could have gone longer, but the other trail option was more difficult with steeper inclines.  Since I'm so out of shape, I felt it was best to stick with the easier trail.



It felt great to get outside.  Hiking definitely helps clear out the brain funk when you're stuck inside in the winter.  I'm looking forward to the next hike

Me on "Little McAfee Knob"

Caledonia to Old Forge Road

This past Saturday, we went on an extended day hike from Caledonia south to Old Forge Road parking area which is just past the Tumbling Run Shelters.  We had originally planned an overnight trip from Caledonia to Pen Mar Park, but Sunday's weather was calling for heavy rains, high wind and temperatures dropping into the low 40's.  I don't know anyone who would willingly sleep and hike in that weather, so we changed our plans and opted to complete the first leg of the journey.  It fulfilled one of Chuckwagon's (my son) 10 mile hike requirements for his hiking merit badge, and got us out in nature away from stress.
We met up with a thru hiker at the bathroom off the parking lot in Caledonia.  He was headed south after reaching Katahdin and finding it closed for the season.  He was heading south to Georgia where he intended to turn around and hike back to Maine.  To each their own.
Our hike started out easy enough as it meandered through some laurel hedges.  I was feeling good.  the weather was great for hiking, and the terrain wasn't too difficult.  But that wouldn't last.  We hit our first gradual incline not long after crossing route 30.  As uphills go, this one wasn't too bad, but I'm discovering that the gradual inclines are the worst for me.  Like old joints can tell when rain is coming, my butt injury can detect even the slightest change in elevation.  I made it to the end of the hill without too much trouble.  I just take my time.  It isn't a race so I just go at a comfortable pace.


Eventually we came to a much bigger elevation change over a short distance.  These I find more fun than overwhelming.  Chuckwagon was the first one to head up.  So we all scrambled up to the top of the ridge.
This is one area that shows exactly why Pennsylvania's other name is Rocksylvania.  There were rocks and boulders strewn every where.  For the most part, the rocks weren't really a problem at all.  It made for some more interesting terrain.
There are rocks all along the ridge of South Mountain, something that must be a common occurrence in the area. These rocks contribute to one of the many paranormal stories I've been slowly collecting over the past few years for a book I hope to manage to one day write.  There was a highwayman known to roam the area of Central Pennsylvania, and he made the caves and crevices in the mountains his hideouts.  He was known to the locals as somewhat of a "robin Hood" character who sometimes used money from his heists to assist those who were less fortunate.  He was eventually captured.  There are two different stories associated with him.  One is that there is a cache of money. around $10,000 worth, still stashed somewhere in the Caledonia/Michaux area.  The highwayman apparently hid the money in one of the caves along the mountain ridge and was captured before being able to claim it.  I considered poking around in some of the crevices, but figured I was more likely to stumble upon a rhumba of rattlesnakes (really, that's the correct term for a grouping of rattlers).
The other story associated with our North American East Coast Robin Hood is that his ghost is known to still ride in the Central Pennsylvania areas where he was known to roam.  So perhaps one night while you're sleeping in your shelter, you might hear horses hooves approaching.  If you're quick enough you might catch a fleeting glimpse of the highwayman riding and protecting his lost fortune.
We never saw a thing, which was disappointing.
We continued our travels on the ridge.  At this point, Chuckwagon was starting to talk about lunch.  Honestly, he was talking about eating after about the first 20 minutes of the hike.  The granola bar he snacked on apparently wasn't enough to hold him over.  We planned on stopping at the Rocky Mountain shelter for lunch, but we ended up stopping at an area off the trail mostly because Chuckwagon was getting a little hangry.  We picked a spot where someone had set up a fire ring and had some log seats.  I don't know why peanut butter and jelly tastes so much better eaten on the trail, but it does.
Once lunch was done, we headed back onto the trail. It wasn't long before we hit more inclines.  Perhaps it was because my muscles had stiffened while sitting and eating lunch, but I was having a harder time during the second half of the hike.  The gradual changes in elevation were kicking my butt.  I was exhausted, and I was in pain.  I was thinking in my head that I was done with the whole hiking/backpacking thing.  We eventually made it to Chimney Rock, and the view was worth the the long hike.  We dropped our packs and climbed up Chimney Rock to see the view.  We took a few minutes to take some photos and rest.  We were nearly back to the car, but we had a steep hill to hike down.  The elevation change is about 900 feet change over about 1 mile.  It was rough going most of the way.  My mom and Chuckwagon went on ahead of my husband and I.  We were losing light, and we were in a bit of pain.  I've never been so happy to see a parking lot in my life.

In total, our hike was actually 12 miles instead of the 10 we thought it was.  We all agreed that the weather forecast that forced us to change our overnight plans was a Godsend.  There was no way my husband and I would have physically been able to hike 10 more miles the following day, especially with 20-25 pound packs.  While I usually struggle with my old injury, it was not the source of my pain- which was new and surprising.  It did bother me while I was going uphill, but it stopped when the incline did, and that's something different- and positive.  My pain stemmed from being incredibly out of shape, and that's something that can be fixed.  Sometimes your life is so busy you feel tired and exhausted like you're doing all this physical exertion, but you really aren't.  So the lifestyle change has commenced, and the treadmill is getting cleaned off.  Our goal is to plan a hike each week/weekend of about 5 miles. Once we master 5 miles without feeling like dying in the woods, we'll add miles.  Here's to many more hikes to come!

Quick Out and Back

This past Sunday, my mom and sister and I headed to Pen Mar Park to do a quick hike.  We headed north on the Appalachian Trail.  We didn't have any specific plan for the length of our hike.  I'm sadly out of shape, so we decided to just hike until we reached a good spot to turn around and head back. 
Before crossing the Mason Dixon Line into Pennsylvania, we had to cross over a set of railroad tracks.  There's just something about a set of railroad tracks in a rural area that stirs the wanderlust.  Perhaps I was a Hobo in a past life, because part of me was thinking it would be pretty cool to hop on a passing freight train and head out to who knows where.


Just past the tracks, we got to the Mason Dixon Line. Now I can really say that I've completed Maryland. Since my previous hikes started from Pen Mar headed south, I never actually hiked this short stretch of Maryland Trail.  Right at the Mason Dixon Line marker is a mailbox covered in stone holding a log book.  I love reading log books.  We looked for entries from the hikers we fed when we did Trail Magic, but none of them took the time to stop and fill out the log.  I imagine sitting and eating with us ate up too much of their time (pun intended).  The log was full, so we weren't able to add anything to it.
We continued on down a hill that I wasn't thrilled about having to go back up on the return, and came to a stream/creek and an area where it looks like people camp.  There was a footbridge crossing the stream and leading to another hill- this one we had to go up.  As some of you know, I'm not fond of going up.  It all has to do with the problem I have with my hip.  Inclines make it hurt more, and after breaking my foot and being in a boot and on crutches, it seems like I've gotten things all out of whack once again.  We kept on going up before finally reaching a point where I felt it was time to turn around.  Just before heading back down the trail, a large group of backpackers passed us one their way to the Tumbling Run Shelters. 


The one great thing about this hike was that I was finally able to have that bear encounter I've been hoping for.  I'm not sure if this is an albino Black Bear or a Polar Bear who traveled to far south.  Or perhaps I wandered into the world of Lost.  Either way we were quiet so as not to disturb his obvious hibernation.
It was a nice 3 miles hike, and now we're planning our own overnight Caledonia to Pen Mar southbound next month.  In the meantime, I have even more motivation to hit the treadmill and lose those extra pounds I've added.
On a side note, we went into Waynesboro to check out an antique store of sorts.  They don't have just antiques, some items are reproductions, but it was a great store.  All three of us picked up some stuff.  It's called James and Jess House of Goods.  If you're in the area for a hike, maybe check them out.  Also, there's a fabulous (though super expensive) chocolatier.  We didn't sample anything, but it was great just standing in there smelling the store.

Swallow Falls

Muddy Creek Falls

The last weekend in June, my husband and I went on a camping trip to Swallow Falls in western Maryland.  We arrived Friday night along with some serious torrential rain.  Luckily, we made the decision to use the truck bed (it has a cap) as our "tent" so we didn't need to worry about setting anything up in the rain.
The next day we went out to check out the falls. My broken foot had healed enough to be able to walk without the boot, but I was restricted with the amount of hiking I was supposed to go.  But, really, why listen now.  The first falls we came across on the hike was Maryland's highest waterfall Muddy Creek Falls.  It's a 53 foot
waterfall and thanks to the abundant amount of rain the day before, it was thundering.

Swallow Falls

We made our way along the trail following the Youghiogheny River until finally coming to the area of Swallow Falls.  The amount of water and the speed of the current from the rain was astounding.  We weren't able to swim or get wet thanks to the raging waters, but it was beautiful just to watch.  We eventually headed back to camp.  Later that evening we also went on an Owl Prowl hike.  We were able to hear a couple of barred owls, but even cooler was the old cemetery in the middle of the woods and the old house foundation.  There was even a ghost story associated with the area.

On the way home, we made a pit stop at Sideling Hill.  I was disappointed to find that the little museum that was once housed in the visitor's center is gone.  When a previous Governor closed the Maryland visitor Centers, the museum exhibits were donated to a place in Hancock.  When a new and better Governor was elected who
reopened the Visitor's Centers (because really, doesn't Maryland want to be friendly and hospitable?) they couldn't really ask for their exhibits back.  The former museum is now going to house offices.  Bummer.  It's still well worth the stop to check out the scenery!

Hunting the Woo Woo

In June, a group of us decided to head out on a cryptid expedition.  That is, we were looking for a creature known as the WooWoo (AKA the Bighoot). 
I know, some of you are probably scratching your head wondering what in the world this has to do with hiking or backpacking.  If you remember, I've been working on a book of paranormal stories along the Appalachian Trail for a couple of years 3 years long ass time.  The WooWoo is a creature that has been described as a giant owl that lives in the Delaware Water Gap area of the AT.  It's said you can hear it's cries at night, and naturalists have been unable to identify the type of bird making the sound.  So we booked a campsite at Worthington State Park in New Jersey as base camp and headed out into the woods. 

The Delaware Water Gap is actually an active paranormal spot for the most part.  There is the WooWoo, the Messing-W which is a Bigfoot type creature know to the Native tribes of the area (and also thought to possess supernatural powers), Old Red Eyes another Bigfoot type creature and the ghost of an old witch.  I was pretty excited about going on this trip to see what I could find for the book and get some photos.  Unfortunately, I was still wearing a boot because of my broken foot.  No one wanted to head out on the AT without me, so we didn't get to do much in the way of WooWoo hunting.
I did hike a short distance into the woods near our camp.  How did I do this on a broken foot you ask? Well the orthopedic said to "make sure you wear your boot".  So I did.  I wore my hiking boot. It is a boot and it is mine. I didn't make it far before I opted to head back. 


While we didn't spot any WooWoos or Bigfoot creatures or ghosts, we did spot about 30 Red Efts (newts) and a few small toads.  And there were a couple of waterfalls on the short hike.  And I will say, listening to my three year old grandson tell another little boy at camp about WooWoos and the ghost witch on the mountain that they have to stone to kill (I swear that's not what I told him) was pretty amusing. 
We did actually have one strange occurrence with an odd light on the very top of the mountain.  Was it a house, a hiker with a large light, the ghost witch?  Who knows.







Worthington State Park is on the list of places to definitely return to.  I want to be able to hike the AT in the area and spend more time checking out the other larger waterfalls in the area. 

Red light in the woods

Kittatinny Ridge home of the Ghost Witch

Trail Magic Year 2

Last year, my mom, husband and son decided to try out offering some Trail Magic to thru hikers at Pen Mar Park near the MD/PA line.  It was a success and extremely rewarding, so we made sure we planned it again this year.  

Our Trail Magic was planned for June 10th.  It coincided with my unfortunate circumstances.  I managed to fracture my foot by stubbing my toe, and I was on crutches.  It didn't stop me from "hiking" along the trail a bit and taking advantage of being able to get an awesome photo op.  Now my Trail Name "Badass" isn't just because I have one, 

in this photo I look like one hiking on crutches.

When we do Trail Magic, we go all out.

It isn't just a few sodas and snacks, 

we transport our gas grill to Pen Mar Park and grill up burgers and dogs.

There's cheese, sliced tomatoes, onions, 

potato salad, macaroni salad, chips,

fresh fruit, candy, sodas, water, lemonade,

and homemade cookies.

The one thing we were told over and over was that each hiker was afraid to get excited about the Trail Magic signs, because in their experience, the signs could actually be old ones.

They had run into that often.

So keep that in mind if you're doing your own magic,

make sure you take down the signs when the magic is gone!

We served over 20 hikers and 2 dogs.

Gino here was owned by thru hiker Cookie Monster,

who did, in fact, eat the rest of our cookies.

This little Chi-Weenie had a trail name- Drumstick- because of her

very meaty back legs.

Thru Hikers think about food a lot.

It was a great day, and we met a lot of great hikers.

I heard later that we had the most significant amount of Trail Magic.

We've made a few notes for next year

like being there an hour earlier to accommodate the early risers

and have coffee and donuts.

We'll also bring some dog treats and a bowl for water

just in case we get some more 4 legged hikers.

Trail Magic continues to be one of my favorite things to do.

Never have I done anything else that has been so greatly appreciated.

Them's da Breaks

Literally.

A couple of Sundays ago (May 21st specifically), I was on my merry way to the loo at 1:30am when my little toe made a sudden and painful contact with a very thick heavy wooden step stool. While a little sore, there was no discoloration other than a small bruise on the tip of my little toe and minimal swelling if any.  I even walked on it.  But a voice kept telling me to get it checked out.  I managed an Orthopedic appointment the following Wednesday and surprise! It's fractured.  I have a non displaced fracture of the fifth metatarsal.  I'm now wearing a boot and I'm on crutches because I'm currently non weight bearing (most of the time anyway).  Needless to say, this has thrown a wrench into the works.  There will be no strenuous hiking for 6 weeks (4 left).  There is a camping trip coming up at the Delaware Water Gap area of the Appalachian Trail.  Not sure I'll actually get to step on the AT there, but hoping I am able to do something.  It's going to be a long 4 weeks.  The one positive is that not being able to use one foot has made the muscles in my bad butt work better and get into better shape so that injury is actually feeling better.