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08-31-2006, 03:09 PM
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Hi KT, my favorite resource of choice for finding trails, bike trails, kayaking areas and even scenic drives is http://www.trails.com/ I have a yearly subscription ($49.95), but you can access Trails.com for general information about various outdoor related activities in your area. It's how I found some cool places to hike and visit when I was with my daughter-of-my-heart and grandchildren in Idaho earlier this year.
 My second resource of choice is my states state park and forest website. And my third resource choice is: http://www.nps.gov/parks.html The National Park Guide. I've also found trails going to our states Audubon Society webpage and our Trustees of Reservations website. (I'm not sure if other states have Trustees of Reservations sites, but I think many have Audubon sites.) Every Sunday our local paper has a recreation guide of what's going on at various area attractions, from guided hikes and canoe trips to garden tours and hay rides as well as art exhibits and outdoor concerts. Some of the most amazing places my buddy Gypsy and I have found were tucked into or not far from major metropolitan areas of the state. I suspect that once you start looking you are going to be amazed at what you will find that is close to you. 
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... |
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09-02-2006, 05:17 AM
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thats fantastic...........I really appreciate that!!!!
I gotta keep the ole man moving...I try to find ways to get him to excercise with him knowing it  Ill let you know what I find and were we end up going...Thanks again !!
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LOVIN' LIFE!! |
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09-02-2006, 04:18 PM
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Friday's Hike
D.A.R. State Forest 09-01-06
Well last Friday Gypsy and I headed out to the DARSF hoping that the rain would abate and we could hike. It didn't happen. We did take a drive around the park and a short walk with our rain jackets on to check out the camping facilities...but we didn't get the chance to backpack and so decided to come back to the DARSF So with this Friday dawning a bit on the cloudy and cool side but sans rain we headed out to the Daughters of the American Revolution State Forest in Goshen, MA once again. We avoided the highway and pretty much took the long scenic route. The small rural hill towns on the way out are much too beauteous, peaceful and abundant to hasten by. In spite of our leisurely ride out to the DARSF we arrived at the park shortly after 10AM, happily collected two trail maps from the park workers at the arrival gate and eschewed the busier camp ground area near the Upper Highland Lake for the ride through the forest and up to the parking area for the Goshen Fire Tower which brags a five state view...and was posted with a "No Trespassing" sign. So much for the view. Next time we go out we are going to check with the rangers on duty to find out if indeed one may climb the tower. The tower was only part of our planned trek for the day so Gypsy and I headed out on the Long Trail to meander our way around and down the mountain to the lake edge. We followed a trail we found off the map at one point in the hopes that it might dead end at an old foundation and were delighted when it did indeed do so. After happily checking out the foundation we headed back out along the trail enjoying the abundance of old growth trees. Oak, maples and pines. We had expected to find other hikers out on the trails as it was the beginning of the Labor Day weekend. But we didn't encounter anyone else until we got down to the lake edge. As were were coming down to the lake we found an area that had been previously flooded by beaver activity. We went in for a closer look and spotted trail markers out in the swampy marsh left by the beavers. Trekking along at a steady pace we arrived at the campers beach area and continued on to the pavilion near the nature center to have our lunch. The smell of campfire and grills was a bit enticing and we have decided that we want to do an overnight soon at the DARSF. After relaxing with our lunch we pulled our packs back on and headed back up the mountain in the opposite direction we had come down it. With a trail that had a 'balancing rock' on it as part of our destination back to the top. Well...darned if we didn't find a trail that wasn't on the map. With what we thought was the balancing rock...it wasn't the correct trail as a short time later we found the trail to the true balancing rock. I had wanted to head back out that trail to a trail that was going to take us through the Goshen ball field and give us a bit more hiking time. Darned if the trail we were on didn't loop us back...it also wasn't on the map. Now as we trekked along on the multi-use trails at the DARSF we noticed that NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike Association was very active in trail maintenence around the park. We should have suspected that might mean that there were trails in the area that might not be mapped...that happens quite often when the hiking trails and ATV trails are in the same area. We hiked without further incident to the Goshen ball field only to have our trail connection completely drop out. It was missing. Nothing, nada...no sign of the trail connection anywhere. And we even followed along the state forest boundary, bushwhacking through deep underbrush and brambles (ouchie!), along the way. Frustrated and now looking at being stuck on the darker side of the mountain under a heavy green canopy with a single and very narrow trail that crossed through a gully we had to make a decision. Continue to bushwhack and hope to find that connecting trail or backtrack knowing that darkness was going to catch us and there was little hope of moonlight to aid us. We chose to backtrack. As we headed through we found a connecting trail we had seen coming out. It was heading up the mountain in the correct direction. It was not on our map. But it had MB tread marks so it was going to eventually connect us to one of the bigger NEMBA trails or one of the multi-use trails on our map. Dayumed if it didn't loop into a dirt road, over a half mile from where we planned to be. If we were on the dirt road I thought we were on...we had to head north up and around the mountain and darkness was moving in as we were still a ways down the mountain and still under a heavy canopy. We had picked up our pace over 45 minutes earlier when we had realized that our trail had been dropped on the town side of the trail and we had some backtracking to do. We continued to hoof it, and I mean we hoofed it, up that dirt road. Gypsy was getting tired out and about the time she asked if we could please slow down, (We had now been keeping a very brisk pace for well over an hour.) we began to pull out from under the heavier tree canopy and into the type of mixed conifer forest we had passed driving up the mountain to the tower. We arrived back at my truck, a bit tuckered after trekking along for well over a mile and half all up hill, with over a half mile of that through steep narrow and brushy trails, with loaded packs on. (25-30 pounds) It was one hell of a trek...and we want to go back and start from that dayumed trail that was lost on the town side and figure out where the hell it went to! Yeah, we're nuts! *Note...I checked the NEMBA website to see if they had a map of the area we were in. Nope....darn. It would be nice to have.
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... |
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09-03-2006, 08:13 AM
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Week 10 - training day 2
Romanian deads:
Set 1 - 20r/65# Set 2 - 20r/65# *Aight...after pulling 110# last week this was just too easy, hence the high reps...plus I was doing some serious thinking. My training is coming along better than I expected, and that in spite of an 11 week lull in my normal routine when I was busy with my son's family earlier this year. I checked my calendar and my next 10 week cycle will drop me right about the mid-to-late November time frame. Right about when my backpacking comes to a very decided lull. So I will probably contine with my full body day, upper body day, and dead day for my three days of training. I have developed a deep appreciation for taking that odd day on the weekend and using it to work on a weak area. I have dropped the pullup and bench work for a bit. I needed my upper body to be a bit less sore during my backpacking. Anyhow, never in my wildest dreams did I expect to get my squats and deads over 100#. I just didn't think that I could manage it with the chronic numb hands and feet thing going on. But I did and now I'm starting to wonder...How much heavier can I safely go? and Do I want to even try it? Well...you gotta know that this little ole hippie is thinking...Hellz yeah! *You do know that if my specialist knew what I was thinking he would shoot me! I'm evaluating where I'm at. So I'll probably be 'mulling' my training over frequently in the coming week or so. 
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... |
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09-04-2006, 04:41 PM
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Rock House Reservation 09-04
So Gypsy and I have been trying to get to the Rock House Res for a while now. Our plans kept getting waylaid. Today we drove out to the Brookfields with our maps and packs* in spite of cloudy skies. The RH reservation wasn't quite a 'big' as we are used to trail wise, and we kept being surprised when our crossings came up so fast, but the reservation is an absolutely beautiful little spot that will be a great place for me to bring my grandchildren then next time they are in MA for a visit. *I just brought my hydration pack. We were able to explore, under, over and around the 'rock house' as well as climb to a spot looking out over a man-made pond with a little cabin museum. The RHR also has a 'balancing rock' and we climbed up to check it. Gypsy had be in stitches when for the heckuvit I decided to 'push' at the 3+ ton 'balancing rock' and she teased "don't knock it over!" Well then we got to wondering how we would push such a boulder back in place if indeed it were so easy to roll it off its perch! We trekked out to a butterfly garden and followed meandering trails that took in beautiful serene pastureland on one side and old growth trees throughout the forest we were hiking through. There was a scenic vista of sorts along one of the trails and we came across a mini 'balancing rock' that looked rather like a giant clam. I gave that a shove too...and of course there was no budging that boulder either. But hey, one can always give it a shot. Our hike ended all too soon and since we were not ready to head back and right on route 9 we decided to head to the Quabbin and visit our 'dear old friend' for a short hike along the reservoir. To be continued...
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... |
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09-04-2006, 05:00 PM
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Quabbin Reservoir 09-04
So Gypsy and I headed to a parking area in the midst of fields that border the reservoir. We've trekked part of the trail in much colder weather there, so it would be a bit of change to trek along the edge of the reservoir during warmer weather. The water level of the reservoir is still up quite a bit, but we did get to trek along some of the 'beaches' and outcroppings. We remembered a spot quite a ways out and off the marked trail with a memorial to a woman that had been a resident of the former town of Enfield that was nailed to a pine tree and we decided to make our way out that way since many people don't know of it and it would be quiet and serene. We hadn't gotten too much further than that point the last time we were in that area as when you get around a particular point of land the wind comes down and across the Quabbin rather strongly and it was cold as heck the last time we were out that way. Well...it was windy and cold when we got around that point this time as well...but, we spotted what looked to be a continuation of the trail. So of course we decided to go check it out. Me hoping to find some long lost foundations and Gypsy always up for a bit more hiking and adventure. We trekked along a trail that became fainter and fainter and it soon became obvious that we were now traversing a game trail along the reservoir edge. We don't mind following game trails so we kept right on going. We got a view across that Quabbin that we've never seen before and we did come upon an old well and very nearby, bones! The remains of a deer, a rather large one actually, just the spine and a hip and some ribs were all that were left. We hunted around looking for a foundation and didn't find one. It very well could have been under water the well was so close to the reservoir edge. We also had noticed that the wind was so strong in this area of the reservoir that is was leaving a frothy wake a few feet out from the shore. And when we got down to a nearby 'beach' the waves had pushed up a white froth in areas along the edge of the beach. Our trail only meandered out a bit further before it started to disperse due to a sharper drop down to the waters edge. About the time we decided to turn back Gypsy checked her watch and we figured we needed to head back after all. We had toyed with the idea of trekking up to a wild wall that ran parallel to us up in the woods. We decided to save that for another day. We headed back to the memorial area and decided to have a late lunch there. The wind was still pretty fierce so I pulled my long-sleeved shirt out and pulled it on. The cloud cover had been getting steadily heavier, darker and more menacing. We ate an unhurried lunch fully expecting the heavens to open up on us. It did start to drizzle a bit on the way back. Only for a short while though. By the time we got back to my truck the sun was out in that area of the Quabbin and I had to pull that long-sleeved overshirt off. Gotta love the onset of autumn. At least Gypsy and I have learned to be prepared for weather changes. We had a great day and have decided to head back to DARSF on Friday. To conquer that trail that dropped out us! We do not like to leave a trail unfinished!
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... Last edited by Hawkwind; 09-04-2006 at 05:03 PM. |
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09-05-2006, 05:56 AM
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Morning gals and guys! Today is my last day in the gym for a short bit! I'm so mixed with emotion. I did ten fawking weeks without any serious problems or setbacks!  (And I still can't believe it!)I've been doing so much thinkin' thinkin' thinkin' about my training. I believe I'm making myself dizzy!  The other night I sent an e-mail off to my friend that designed my routine and monitors me. He hasn't been able to get online much. So I have no idea when he'll get back to me. I wanted to let him know where this past ten weeks have brought me and my general plan to keep the next ten weeks about the same since I'm still backpacking. And that during the next ten weeks I'll be researching and putting together an 'agility' training day to eventually replace my dead lift day. (I'll still be doing my deads...but I'll back the weight down as I'm suspecting that by the end of another ten weeks the hammies will officially no longer be a 'weak' spot on me.  )Anyhow...I need to just put this out there: What we were hoping to accomplish didn't quite happen. (I know he's gonna be scratchin' his head over this one.) We were hoping to help me lean out more, and since I was getting so freakin' frustrated with my hammies we pulled my ham work out of my full body day and decided to go with the two sets of 20 rep squats. And I was supposed to do more HIIT. Well...I was doing more HIIT until I nearly tore the right knee to shreds. So I've had to be even more creative about my cardio. Plus I lost approximately 11 weeks of concerted focused training and diet before my heavy backpacking season started, so I didn't have my normal two full body days for that cycle of 10 weeks and leaning out a bit more before my backpacking season swung in. Once I got home from Idaho it was 'on' for backpacking season so I had to cut back to one full body day so I didn't burn the legs so badly for the trails. Now in all this diet totally got skewed too. During that 11 weeks I was with my son's family. Eating to train was out of the question and my training was sporadic. I had to drop the cals back to maintain. I didn't gain any weight, but I also didn't lose during the time frame I had been wanting to lose. Backpacking season being 'on' means I have to bump my caloric intake pretty high for my hikes. Again...I didn't gain, but I didn't lose. And I learned the hard way a couple backpacking seasons back that I should never attempt a cut during backpacking season if I want to be optimal for the trails! So...I'm starting to also play with the idea of working to cut some of this body fat I want off so badly after this next ten week cycle is complete...although...that is going to fawking put me at the start of the dayumed holiday season! I can hear the b*tchin' from the family now...Ugh!
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... |
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09-05-2006, 02:55 PM
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Tuesday's training - last day of week 10
Squats
set 1 - 20r/50# set 2 - 20r/50# Sissy squats 12r/bw Seated calf raises 12r/50# BB calf raises 12r/50# T-bar rows 12r/55# *I Macguivered a "T"...eh, it worked. Need to come up with something better though. Chest to incline db rows 12r/15# DB Arnold press 12r/15# Incline DB raises 12r/8# DB bench 12r/15# Incline DB flyes 12r/10# EZ bar-curls 12r/25# DB Spider-curls 12r/10# Tri-rope press 12r/30# Overhead tri-extensions/Warriors 12r/30# Now...it's time to rest!
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... |
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09-07-2006, 07:12 AM
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Still here...in the middle of my rest. Backpacking tomorrow.
Cardio 1 - 20 minutes heavy bag work. Cardio 2 - 22 minute self-defense workout.
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... Last edited by Hawkwind; 09-07-2006 at 10:24 AM. |
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09-08-2006, 04:04 AM
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Morning all. Loading my pack for a day of hiking...jeez...cold weather means more to pack. I was starting to like being a pack minimalist!
 Anyhow...I've been mulling over my training like mad and I've decided on a few things:
I don't have a set goal in mind for my squats and deads. Basically I never know when I'm going to hit a wall. So I've learned not to set myself up for failure. I'm just going to keep going up in increments until I feel I've gone as far as I safely can. And...this is going to sound funny, but I was rather irritated with myself this year when I realized that the agility and balance are a bit of an 'issue' with me on the trail. So adding in training to specifically address those issues was irritating the hell outta me. But now that I'm working to get familiar with some of the oddball exercises I will want to incorporate I'm finding that I'm starting to look forward to that change at the end of my next 10 weeks. I certainly won't be bored with my training this coming winter...in fact, it may end up being a hoot in many ways. Have a good day all.
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... Last edited by Hawkwind; 09-09-2006 at 07:46 AM. |
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09-08-2006, 04:24 AM
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Well send some cold down here! Good for you making these changes. You go girl and enjoy the weather!
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Papasmurf: "there are no miracle supplements, fix your diet" http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39994 |
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09-09-2006, 07:25 AM
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Narc...you can have all the cold you want!
Hey hrpiii, Thanks! Glad you stopped in. You should go hiking. It's a blast. DAR 09-08 So Gypsy and I headed back out to the DARSF. A bit earlier than usual for a few reasons. We stopped for breakfast at a friend of Gypsy's roadside diner and because we are losing our daylight sooner this time of year. And of course so we could take the scenic route back out to the DARSF. Our mission this week: Climb that tower and find that dayumed trail that dumped us in the middle of nowhere near dark. We arrived at the state forest to find it very quiet compared to last week. There wasn't even a ranger on duty at the gate this week. That alone told us we were going to have a very quiet hike. On our way through Sunderland and over the Connecticut River we had hit a rather heavy early morning fog. By the time we arrived at the forest much of it had burned off. We were hoping that was the case when we headed up the tower. We left our packs in the Blazer and just took our cameras up with us. Don't we both leave our binoculars in our packs! The view was pretty good, but the early morning fog was still hanging out over the mountains so it wasn't as spectacular as we had hoped it would be. So we agreed to climb back up the tower when we got back to the truck later in the day and check out the view then. So back to the Blazer to pull on our packs. Which we both grumbled are now heavier since we are back to carrying a bit of extra clothing for safety sake as the weather in New England can be rather changeable and it can happen suddenly and it often does when we are a few miles out from the truck or shelter. It's a "Murphy's Law" sorta thing. If Hawk and Gypsy are having a grand time and are too far away to change out quickly a weather front will move in to soak them or freeze them! And this time of year you can start out in long sleeves early in the AM and end up in a crop top by noon then need to put on a short sleeve top by 3. So you learn to be prepared. Heck! I've been known to hike in a cropped top on an unseasonably warm day in the middle of the winter. New England can be a very interesting place to live. So after mulling over the map a second time (We had made a partial decision of where to start over breakfast.) we decided to take a trail that would loop us back up to about where we were parked and drop us right at the trail head of the trail we couldn't find last week. In theory we would be able to see where we came into the dirt road we had not expected to hike last week and then we would go find that dropped trail on the town of Goshen side of things. The first trail would also take us past a beaver pond. Both would be good loop trails to follow on the far side of the park and in the general area maintained by NEMBA. (New England Mountain Bike Assoc.) We were also going to be on the steeper side of the mountain all day. (Hint: two sets of 20 reps squats and deads...even at only half the normal weight used previous to hiking the steeper side of a mountain...is not a great idea. Let's just say I felt my earlier in the week workouts all of yesterday, and of course today I'm still sore.) Gypsy and I headed out and right off the trail went down twisty and steep. I had also aggravated my knee in a bit of an experiment with my squats the other day. So of course I felt that a bit too. Nothing very severe, just enough of a twinge to remind me not to be doing anything too wild on this hike. We really had a gorgeous day to hike. It was warming up nice, we had a good steady breeze and no hint of humidity. We are still in the time of year with a good canopy overhead and the forest was 'buzzing' with the sounds of insects and birds. Even the occasional piercing call of hawk drifted through the canopy to us. And that reminded us that we want to get out to the Holyoke Mountain Range to catch some of the hawk migration this year. Gypsy and I have been hiking together like this for about four years now, so there are certain areas around the state we like to hike at particular times of the year. The trail was great. Very little leaf litter and very few mucky spots to deal with. Early on as we were heading down the mountain we came upon a slightly opened area in the forest. We couldn't decide if it was storm damage or forestry work, but as we came around a switchback on the trail I spotted a nice sized buck standing completely still in a semi-clearing gazing at us. I sucked in a huge stunned breath and brought my arm up to try and show him to Gypsy, she didn't see him right away and had started to tell me something, as soon as he heard her voice he turned and bolted gracefully out of the clearing and up the mountain. She saw him then! Big ole white tail and all. There was no time for me to grab a shot of him which was too bad as he was magnificent. We continued on at a good clip, all the trail crossings and intersections clearly marked even though we were on the far side of the park. (It was making us wonder how the hell we lost that trail last week!) We took the loop out to the beaver pond and were rewarded with some very cool pictures standing at eye level with the beaver dam. Gypsy and I have come to appreciate the amazing workmanship of those industrious little creatures, even though they are a bane to the cellars and lowland properties of home owners near their ponds all around New England. The trail took us out to some rarely traveled dirt roads that border the DARSF and are part of the trail system. They were not 'marked' on the town side, but it was rather obvious just where we were at and no trouble at all finding our intersecting road back into the park. We headed back in the access road to the fire tower and early on found a trail system that looked to be the one we came in on last week. A bit further up the road we found familiar land marks. Sure enough! We had indeed come in from that area last week. And I was right, we had gone well out of our way to get there! Gypsy and I decided that the steep climb back up the mountain at a decidedly less unhurried pace verses last weeks 'we have to get to the top before dark' pace was pretty nice. Especially since I had needed my inhaler during the early morning hours before we even left for our hike and that always makes assents a royal pain for me as my heart rate is always faster than I like. It always takes hours for the albuterol to work out of my system enough. We made it to the top and in good time and decided to have our lunch before heading back down the mountain on the second loop. This week during lunch we heard some rather loud and heavy brush snapping rather close by. We took note because we were in fact having lunch in black bear country, ironically sitting at a trail head named Black Bear Trail...and Gypsy was eating rare roast beef! No sign of bear and we never did find out what made all that noise. We finished lunch and headed back down the mountain, once again at a good clip. We found all the noted trail intersections and trail crossings on the map, again without problem on the park side. It didn't take us long to find the trail that we would have taken to Black Bear last week had we found it on the town side. Let me tell you. We were pissed at first. The trail was clear and wide! We could not believe we missed the dayumed thing! It was irritating us something fierce! Then we hit the 'end' of it on the Goshen Ball Field side and it became crystal clear to us how we managed to not find it! The 'end' of the trail emerges out from a very small brushy opening on the top level (note that word) of the Goshen ball field. Standing on the ball field, if you do not know where the opening is you cannot see it! At all! The Goshen ball field has two and half freaking levels! And on top of that, the town side of the trail that was supposed to go back into the park was destroyed by repairs made to the lower field. That end of the trail for all practical purposes is gone! Now if you are on a mountain bike and familiar with the area you would know just where to back track up a town brush dump-site road to get back to the trail system. But for someone like us, that had come to hike from out of the area...finding that section of trail is near to impossible as we had discovered the hard way last week. Satisfied that we had solved that little mystery, we trekked back across the upper level field and crawled, yes crawled, back through the very tiny 'opening' to the trail system that adjoins the park. We continued at a good clip back up the mountain, found the other trails that brought us to the NEMBA trail and around 3:30 we found a large open boulder area almost to the top of the mountain and the end our hike. We hadn't stopped often or long all day and we had kept up a very determined pace. Even coming up that access road. We decide that it would be a good spot to drop the packs and take a long break, enjoying the sun and the breeze. Rested and refreshed we pulled our packs on one last time and headed back to the Blazer. We still had clear skies and daylight so we decided to climb back up the tower with our cameras. Once again forgetting our binoculars in our packs! We were rewarded with the spectacular five state view the park web site brags about. We even spotted the War Memorial Tower at the top of Mt. Greylock and that reminded us that we are due to trek back up our old friend...so it's off to Mt. Greylock for us next Friday. Normally that would be the end of our day other than a leisurely ride back through the hill towns, but on the way out to the DARSF today as we were approaching Mt. Sugarloaf Gypsy said she felt like tackling the ride up today. So...since we had our handy-dandy park pass hanging on my rear view mirror and plenty of daylight left to us we decided that the top of Mt. Sugarloaf would make a great spot for supper. We were rewarded for Gypsy's tenacity to face her fear of sharp drop-offs with a fan-freakin'-tastic view down the Connecticut River. The view was so clear and so wide reaching that in some of the photos I took you can literally see the 'curve' of the earth. Now that was awesome! Then we finished off with a leisurely ride back home and plans to head to Mt. Greylock next Friday weather permitting. All in all a great hike today and an irksome mystery solved as well.
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...I am the wanderer's wandering daughter... |
