When I was a little girl, I was active in girl scouts. That was my first exposure to hiking, camping and all sorts of outdoorsy stuff. My family was most certainly not into that sort of thing. To them, roughing it was Motel 6 and a manual can opener. Their idea of hiking was parking away from the door to the mall.
Then, there's me.
Living in Utah as a teen, I had a lot of opportunities to hike. There were many trails that were easily accessible and varied in level. One of my favorites was Donught Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It's a relatively easy hike, and the end result is just spectacular. You end up at this multilevel waterfall that is fascinating. Secret lake was a close second. The trail is surrounded by wildflowers and it's a relatively easy hike. By Brighton Ski resort, there are numerous trails that bring you to a variety of mountain lakes, and boast beautiful alpine scenery & animals.
I also had the opportunity to hike the Grand Canyon, dragging my aunt (not a hiker) along on the Cape Royal Trail. It offered some spectacular views of the canyon.
Later on that same trip, I had her hike the Watchman and Cascade Falls trails at Zion and Mossy Cave and Queens Garden at Bryce Canyon.
To paraphrase Queen Victoria, we were not amused.
When I moved back to NJ in high school, and had the benefit of driving, I used to go to the Ramapo Reservation in Mahwah. The trail itself is about 10 miles for the complete loop, but so worth it! Between Hawk Rock (scenic overlook) and the ruins of old homes, it's an awesome way to spend an afternoon.
I was fortunate to go to college in the White Mountains of NH. Franconia was a short car ride away from campus and it truly is a hiker's paradise. Aratheusa Falls in particular was a favorite. I also challenged myself with Mt Flume and Mt Liberty, all also in Franconia.
There is something about communing with nature, on a trail, where you are (somewhat) off the beaten path. It's especially relevant if you start and finish in a paved parking lot.
One day, I'd like to hike the Appalachia Trail (I probably would never be able to do it as a through hiker). I worked with a former teacher at Borders who was hiking the trail in stages. 11 years ago, he had a small section left and I would like to think he had finished.
Around this time, I read Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. If you are familiar with Bryson's work, he is extremely funny and has a way to make an encounter with the most dull person entertaining.
A Walk in the Woods is the narrative of Bryson and his out of shape, recovering alcoholic friend attempting to thru hike. Neither one have much hiking or outdoors experience, so the fact that they are attempting this is a testament to either courage or stupidity. Or both.
I find Bill Bryson funny; not as uproarious as David Sedaris, but really funny. I think A Walk in the Woods is one of his finest literary achievements.
I laughed myself silly reading about his preparations for the hike (and the fact his traveling companion shows up with a suitcase of Snickers bars).
The book is not a travel guide (although there are some parts that serve that purpose) nor is it a how to hike book. It is a memoir, and definitely a great read.
Who knows, it might inspire you to walk 500 miles or 2100 miles.
I love newton hills state park. My son goes there frequently with his Boy Scout troop. It's about a half an hour from our house, but a world away. Even on a cloudy day, it's gorgeous, lush and green.
My favorite place is even closer to home. We love to go to Good Earth state park, which is about 15 minutes away. There's something about hiking, being in nature, that restores my soul every time.
