Tag: hike

A Solo Day Trip Might be Just What the Doctor Ordered

If you’ve been paying attention, you know I love a good day trip. From the choosing of a location, to the planning and timing and mapping out of desired stops, to discovering something surprising, I love everything about it. One of the best things is grabbing a spouse, daughter, son, sibling, friend or group of friends to share the adventure. But sometimes no one is available to join you. This happened to me recently. It was Father’s Day weekend and my kids were spending time with their dad, my boyfriend was hanging out with his son, and a quick text to my friend group returned similar responses of plans already made for that day.

Cut to me excitedly rubbing my hands together, thoughts already swimming in my head. What? I can go wherever I want? So yes, I decided to venture out on my own. Since it was early spring, I immediately knew I wanted to include some flower viewing on my agenda, so I checked my lists for places that might fit this requirement. After pinpointing a neighborhood famous for its tulip gardens, and a nearby farm boasting of its beautiful flowers, I decided on an area, about 40 minutes from my house. From there I filled in some more gaps with a hike, a local spot with beautiful trees, and a lunch stop. The only thing left was to map out my stops, fill my coffee mug, and hit the road.

Although I often like to start my day trips with a hike, today my first stop was in the center of my hometown, where there are beautiful trees and flowers that were currently in bloom. I parked on a street and took a walk around the common, snapping pictures as I went. It was a beautiful sunny day with lots of blue skies and everything looked amazing. I spent quite a bit of time here taking photos at different angles and aiming to get some beautiful historical buildings in the background (see photo above). Already I am enjoying the fact that no one is sitting in the car, impatiently waiting for me to finish. When I was ready I hopped back in my car and drove a little further down where there is a fountain and a nice circle of tulips surrounding it. I continued to meander, taking my time and snapping pictures. Today, I only had myself to please.

Next, I headed for my hike, ensuring I get in my exercise, and also a little quiet time. This was particularly true on this day. I had selected a spot on the water but as I headed that way, I passed several additional, unplanned spring trees in full bloom so I did something I never would have done had I not been alone: I stopped randomly to take pictures of the trees lining the roads and even stopped to take a picture (discreetly) of someone’s yard! I was consciously aware of how nice it was to not answer any questions like “where are we going?” or “why are we stopping here?”

Although well behind schedule–with no one to care–I did finally make it to my planned hike, a Mass Audubon property. I had read that the main trail, which was about 2 miles long, was a loop, which I tend to prefer as it means I don’t generally have to worry too much about watching for turns and trail markers. The path should start and stop in the same spot. I set out and was immediately slowed down by the beautiful scenery and my need to take pictures. The trail started off in a large field where I saw many different kinds of birds, before disappearing into a wooded area, that I soon realized took me on a path that ran along the ocean. It was gorgeous. I’m continuing to get behind schedule but no worries, guess why? It’s just me! There’s no one else I have to please. No one groaning that I’m stopping again, or hinting that they’re hungry and its time for lunch, or that they’re tired of walking.

I continued on the path, which eventually led through an area where the water became a stream and there were several times when I crossed a brook via a rock bridge or wooden bridge. In a particularly muddy section, a boardwalk had been constructed to making passing easier. One spot even had a bench for pausing to appreciate the view. I passed an osprey nest with two birds in it, and a farm area complete with sheep. Around the time I thought I should be coming to the end I started to see the trail opening up and as I looked around, I realized I was not in the same spot where I had parked. It was indeed the end of the road, however, so , I had obviously missed a turn somewhere and needed to turn around. I was a little frustrated at this development as it probably meant a significant amount of time would be required to retrace my steps. However, I was once again glad that I only had to deal with my own disappointment, and not someone elses. I headed back at a brisk pace, and soon discovered where I had gone wrong, arriving back at my starting point in record time.

The next decision about where to go was, again, mine alone, and since I was hungry, lunch seemed a good option. I had selected a well-reviewed bar pizza restaurant as bar pizza is not only one of my favorites, but also is not a a favorite among my family and therefore, a good option for a day on my own. I thoroughly enjoyed my pizza–at the bar of course– and was ready to move on with renewed energy. I think if I’d had a travelling companion, this might have been the final stop for the day, having made several stops already, but I did not have a travelling companion and I still had things to see!

My last stops were the tulip neighborhood and farm. While the neighborhood was not as easy to locate as I had hoped, it was still a beautiful location and on my way I passed a couple of other signs for parks that looked like they might be interesting to visit. I was starting to run out of time so I made a note of them to investigate on another day. I made a quick stop at the farmstand, picking up some beautiful cut flowers and vegetables, before jumping back into my car for the ride home.

The day was a very enjoyable for me for many reasons: beautiful scenery, picture opportunites, good food and a relaxing flow. The main benefit was the ability to stop, change, alter, and enjoy the scenery and schedule. I enjoyed being alone, and forging my path, adjusting, altering, never worrying about what someone else would want, if someone else was bored, tired, hungry. As I look back, it was heaven. I often keep track of places I’d like to visit, and as I’m making notes of those, I’m thinking that some of these are only interesting to me, and therefore best explored alone. In fact, I’m already planning the next one. All I need now is a day to myself!

The Perfect Exercise. . . For Me

Exercise is a very personal matter. When, where, what type, what duration, what intensity. These are all very individual preferences and decisions. No one can tell you what will work best for you, simply based on what has worked for them. And you do hear a lot of conflicting information about what is best. Cardio or strength training? Long sessions or short bursts? Heavy weights or high repetitions? Gym or home?

I have done a lot of reading, experimenting and rejecting of exercise in my day. And I have learned that there are 2 basic truths:

  1. Exercise is good
  2. The BEST exercise is the one that you will actually come back to again and again

I suspect a lot of you have, at one time or another, obtained a gym membership. Maybe you’ve embraced these workouts, developed a schedule, made notes of your progress. Or maybe, you attended faithfully for the first month, then once or twice over the next several months, and finally, the only gym related activities you’re involved in are watching them debit your checking account every month.

So keep trying anything that is not dangerous, especially if its interesting to you. Many things won’t stick, for any number of reasons. But occasionally, something will, and it may become a part of your life for many years to come, or maybe even forever.

One such activity, for me, is hiking. “Hike” is defined as “to walk or march a great distance, especiallly through rural areas.” Pretty broad and wide reaching definition. Which sort of sums up hiking for me.

I fell in love with hiking over 20 years ago. At that time the motivation was the reward at the end of the trail. I climbed to my first stunning view of the White Mountains and I was hooked. Knowing that vista was waiting for me was enough to keep me climbing. Each time you attempt a different uphill hike, the view is different, but spectacular. To this day I have still not gotten used to, or bored with, the view you can get from such an altitude.

Aside from an amazing view at the end, there are so many other beautiful things to see: Wildlife like deer, snakes, birds, beavers and dams, and butterflies; amazing variants in trees and flowers; tunnels and caves; streams, rivers, and beautiful waterfalls. I remember one hike my friend Jeanne and I took with our husbands at the time which was a very difficult, constant uphill journey. Once we reached our destination we were surprised to find a gorgeous swimming hole. The guys stripped down to their underwear and we all enjoyed cooling off in the water before heading back down. A great adventure and a forever memory.

Sometimes there’s a known structure you might be heading for, or something unexpected. Stone walls are very common. On well travelled trails there might be a boardwalk to cover muddy areas, or a footbridge to cross a stream. Remains of something larger can often be found. Homes, castles, cemeteries, plane wrecks, towers, even whole villages are out there waiting to be explored. It’s not difficult to find such spots if you do a little digging.

Gorgeous sights at every turn are not the only reason I fell in love with hiking. Hiking can be any level of physical exertion that you wish. You can find a flat, wide path around a small pond with very little elevation or rough terrain. Alternatively, you can attempt a steep climb that will use every muscle in your body and leave you breathless at the top, and sore the next day. Or you can find any level in between. And you can choose not only the exertion level, but also the length of time you spend, from the 10 minutes it will take you to hike from the parking lot out to Doanes Falls in the Berkshires in Massachusetts, to an overnight, steep trip climbing Mount Washington in New Hampshire. In every case, its great cardiovascular exercise, and in many cases, also a challenging leg workout.

If the scenery and workout benefits aren’t enough of a reason, hiking can also offer a sense of peace that you will find nowhere else. I rarely hike alone–only on well-travelled, smaller, flat trails, with other people around and minimal chance of an injury–but when hiking with a partner like my boyfriend, Jay, we can walk along for periods of time in complete silence, literally leaving the hustle and bustle behind us. And, interestingly enough, if you seek the opposite, some social interaction, hiking is also ideal for that. Recently, during covid days, my friends and I would meet on a saturday or sunday morning for a hike in the woods where we could catch up, share some laughs, and still get in some much needed fresh air and exercise.

I’m sure it’s easy to see why hiking is my preferred method of exercise.

Itching to get started? When you are planning some hiking, be sure to do your homework, and be prepared. Figure out what type of hike you want to attempt and find a good spot. Alltrails is a popular app that lists hundreds of trails within driving distance and will give you the information you need: terrain type, level of difficulty, how long it should take. In most cases you’ll even find a map to help make sure you don’t get lost. Its good to familiarize yourself with the details of the trail before you start out. Take it from someone who gets lost easily, and has gotten lost several times in the woods. This is especially true if there are multiple trails in the area. You want to know which trail you are following and know which way you need to head if you come to an intersection or your 30 minute hike can quickly become a 2 hour hike. If possible, take a screen shot of the trail as you will often not have a signal on your phone once you’re out on your hike in the woods.

Be prepared to be comfortable with whichever type of hike you choose. Comfortable clothing and shoes are a necessity. A short, flat hike can be attempted with regular walking shoes or sneakers. When attempting anything uphill, or rocky, you’ll want a sturdier, traction shoe or hiking boot. Will it be cold or rainy? Plan for that. Bring water on any length hike, and snacks for longer hikes. You’ll want a comfortable backpack for your supplies. Lastly, bug spray is essential, particularly something to combat ticks, which are inevitable in the woods.

Hiking has it all: A Peaceful, short stroll in a beautiful environment or a heart-pounding, longer workout with lots of chatter and companions, you can alter hiking to any energy level, social level, timeframe, and goal. To pick out your first hike, identify the element that is most important to you and use an app, or an online search to locate options close to you. Or keep an eye on my blog, where I’ll be featuring some of my favorites in the future. In the meantime, if you’re looking for me, I’m probably on the trails.