Spending a day in the sun
Last weekend, I was able to finally make my New York hiking debut in Harriman State Park. I learned how easy it really is to get out of New York & into nature with only the assistance of public transportation. While I had been startled awake at 4am to the sound of pouring rain, the weather had lifted to "overcast" by the time we started our hike, & proceeded to burn off the clouds as the day progressed.
Even though I was a newbie to the group, I went with the intermediate level group (actually the majority of us were new to the group, but not to hiking). This was the perfect group; we covered the same distance as the advanced group, only ending about 30-40 minutes after they did, but we didn't feel absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. Our leader was great, taking us through some scenic areas, giving us some challenges with a scramble, & attracting more wildlife than any of the other groups!
We actually saw a snake in the water as well as a big bull frog, but I wasn't so concentrated on picture-taking at that point! The day was nothing short of incredible, with a fantastic first hike in New York, meeting really great people, & running across the train tracks in front of the train to catch it! Whew, glad that last one turned out okay!
Even though I was a newbie to the group, I went with the intermediate level group (actually the majority of us were new to the group, but not to hiking). This was the perfect group; we covered the same distance as the advanced group, only ending about 30-40 minutes after they did, but we didn't feel absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. Our leader was great, taking us through some scenic areas, giving us some challenges with a scramble, & attracting more wildlife than any of the other groups!
We actually saw a snake in the water as well as a big bull frog, but I wasn't so concentrated on picture-taking at that point! The day was nothing short of incredible, with a fantastic first hike in New York, meeting really great people, & running across the train tracks in front of the train to catch it! Whew, glad that last one turned out okay!
Comments