So You Want to Start Hiking - Picking Out a Trail

It's been a couple weeks since my last post, and what a crazy couple week's it has been! I always forget how busy the fall season is with events, deadlines, classes, and get-togethers, not to mention prepping the house for the upcoming holiday season! Whew!

Unfortunately in the midst of this super busy time, only a small portion of that has been spent on the trail. I've been so looking forward to hiking this fall season, to see all the beautiful leaves and colors of nature. Which brings me to announcing my 3 part series..

So You Want to Start Hiking?

First of all, let me be the first to say "AWESOME"! Hiking has provided me with so many hours of enjoyment and time for reflection. There's nothing better than sitting on top of a beautiful vista and thinking about life (or escaping from it). It's a great thing to do with your special someone, family, and friends. It builds community, and it gives you a sense of yourself and what you can handle.

But where do you start? If you're not an outdoorsy kind of person, how do you find out where to go, which trails are best for beginners, or even what to take and how to dress (which was obviously a big one for me =P)?? These questions plagued me when I first thought about hiking. Maybe that seems silly, but it's true. If you're like me, a thorough plan is imperative. That's what I hope this series will help you do.

As a beginning hiker, the first thing is to select your trail. Selecting your trail will give you an idea of what else you'll need to have with you. In the Maryland/Virginia/Pennsylvania area, we have a plethora of parks and trails. I am truly grateful for that. If you happened to read my first post, you know that my dad took me on my first trail (and that I wasn't prepared for hiking!). So when Hubs and I set out on our first hike, we went right back to that same trail, and since it's my favorite we tend to go back to it all the time.

When picking out a trail for your first hike, it's easy to be super excited and think "I'm going to scale this mountain and hike 10 miles in 4 hours!".. Ok, so that's a lot of an exaggeration, but you get my point. Take it easy. It's better to spend an hour or two on a short trail and learn what your body can handle, than to kill yourself the first time and never want to hike again.

How does one find a trail to hike? If you aren't familiar with parks in your area, or you don't know of any trails, don't worry! There are resources available to help you find trails. Below are some of my favorite.

1. Everytrail - This is a great resource where users upload trails that they've hiked, including maps and photos. Some even post complete trail guides. Most are free. If you've never hiked before, use a trail guide - it will have the best information about blazes and what to look out for.
2. Mid-Atlantic Hikes - If you're in the MD/VA/PA/WV area, this is a great resource. Not only are the guides fantastic, but you will find maps, GPS files, and even restaurant suggestions for after the trails. I highly recommend this website.
3. Gorp - Another great website to find hikes in your area. It uses an interactive map to help point you to great trails.

There are many other great sites out there that can point you to local trails. This weekend is a great time to get outside, as the trees will be hitting their peak colors in many areas! There's something magical about being outside when the weather is turning towards fall, and the leaves are brilliant shades of reds, golds, and oranges! 

For those of you who are hikers, how do you find your trails? What websites do you use/recommend?

Where are you headed this weekend?

Next up: What to bring with you on a day hike.

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Like me on Facebook and share with a friend - You know you want to ;]  Now get out there and hike! Happy Trails!

Dreaming of Changing Leaves and a New Wardrobe

WE INTERRUPT THIS REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG POST 

FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

I discovered Polyvore today. Be afraid..!

Fall is here! And of course, since its a change of season I must have a new wardrobe. That's the way it works, right?

Right????

Ok, so not so much. A girl can dream though!

These are my fall must haves for an overnight hike. I love the sweater particularly!

Fall Hiking Must Haves by kerry-hiett featuring flower jewelry

Ok, carry on!

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Like me on Facebook and share with a friend - You know you want to ;] Happy Trails! 

Cascade Falls - A Family Hike

Photo Credit: Sarah Maier

As I said in my last post, we had family visiting last week. Momma Cloudy and Fort Cloudy were both in from out of state. We all had a fantastic week visiting together, and ended it off with a 6 mile family hike. After many late nights and lots of extended family get-togethers, it was nice to have a day out enjoying nature with just us. We loaded up the dogs and headed off to hit the trail.

We hit up our favorite haunt, Cascade Falls and Buzzards Rock trails, and enjoyed the first signs of fall heading our way. The weather was perfect - sunny, with just a touch of cool in the air. Momma Cloudy had hiked Cascade Falls with us before, but Fort Cloudy had not. So we all enjoyed leisurely hiking in the cool weather with the dogs. We stopped often to take pictures or to enjoy a particularly nice view. We laughed, we chatted, we spent time together. That's what made this hike so special to me. I was able to spend time with my favorite people doing my favorite thing - hiking.

Too often, family gets caught up in the hectic pace of every day life and we think "Oh, I can just catch up with her later". But when does "later" really come? If your life is like mine, it never seems to. I find myself continually playing catch up with important things, or making phone calls I've been meaning to make forever. Email overflows your inbox, text messages sit unanswered, and feeling overwhelmed is normal. The reality of life is that we don't know if we'll have a later. Stop putting things off for the future. Have you been meaning to call your brother, but just never seem to have time? Stop reading this. Right now. Seriously! Go call him! Let the people in your life who are important to you know that they're important.

I say all this because I think that hiking is a great way to connect with your family. Not only are you away from the distractions of life (TV, phones, email.. yeah you get the picture), but you're working towards a common goal, which builds camaraderie. You don't even have to be a great hiker to enjoy it. There are a plethora of trails available to us in our local parks. It could be 1 mile, it could be 50 miles. The distance doesn't matter. What matters is that you step out with your family and say to them "The most important thing to me right now is to spend time with you". Well meaning words can't take the place of deliberate actions.

So, are you ready to hit the trail with your favorite people yet?

 

Photo credit: Sarah Maier

My next post is going to be about finding local trails, and what you need to take with you for a day hike. There's so many great resources available, and local parks to explore! Join me, and get outdoors!

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Like me on Facebook and share with a friend - You know you want to ;] Happy Trails!   

The High Heels Side of Life: Crab Feasts and Family

No hiking this weekend because my family is in town. But I think having our last crab feast of the season makes up for it.

Just sayin'

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Like me on Facebook - You know you want to ;] Happy Trails!

Big Schloss Overnight Adventure

Labor Day has certainly not been very laborious for Hubs and I. We've been recovering from our first overnight backpacking experience! I'm happy to report that we didn't get lost or attacked by wild animals! And Hubs hung a bear bag! It was a great weekend, but totally exhausting.

A friend recommended we go down to Big Schloss in VA. It's in the George Washington National Forest. After reading the fantastic reviews from multiple places online, we decided to give it a go. I'd been searching for a good place to do a group weekend hike, and this place seemed perfect! So Hubs and I packed up after work on Friday to scout it out for a group hike next month.

We followed a trail guide from MidAtlantic Hikes again. Just like the last one, it did not fail us. It was simple, concise, and clear. On the trail guide, there were many suggestions of places to camp out for the night, which were very handy. Props to MidAtlantic Hikes on another great guide =].

The fun (hah!) background story to this is that Hubs and I were unable to arrive as early as we planned. In fact, we pulled into the park shortly before dark, and rushed to the first camp site to get set up as quickly as possible. Once we had the tent all set up, it dawned on me that we would be doing the entire hike in one day.. 11.5 miles.. with 25lbs+ on our backs.. O..M..G..

But on the plus side, look how cute our tent was!

So the next morning we packed up and hit the trail. The first part of the hike was the hardest, as it was mostly uphill, but overall the hike wasn't too bad. We enjoyed the quiet of the woods together with the dogs. There were very few hikers on the trail, probably because of the clouds that seemed to be threatening rain at any moment. We had some great views, and I'm really proud of us for hiking so far.

The first overlook we came to.

 

Big Schloss (we didn't climb it this time)

So, while everything might not have worked out as planned, it was the perfect trip for our first overnight adventure! We're looking forward to the next one in a month. Next time we'll actually climb up Big Schloss to see the view. I've heard its spectacular!

After 11.5 miles in one day (another record broken!), you can imagine how tired we've been. The pups are still a bit worn out, too. So while the bathroom is calling out to be scrubbed, I must admit that I'm comfortably tucked into my bed snuggling with my doggies. And after such a weekend, I don't feel bad about it for one second.

Been on any hikes recently? What did you do this Labor Day? I'd love to hear all about it =]

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Happy Trails!

Hiking News - A Photo Op Isn't Worth Your Life

A very tragic story came out of Denali National Park this weekend. A hiker was killed by a grizzly bear while taking pictures of it.

To read the whole story, click here.

It's important to supply yourself with knowledge before you head into the woods. Read up on the wildlife you can expect to encounter while on your trip. Keep your food and personal hygiene products in a bear bag at night, and read these tips here for what you should do if you encounter a bear. Also, remember the 7 P's: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance - and in some cases can save your life.

Pulled from Wikipedia

Summer Clearances are Oh So Sweet!

The REI Summer Clearance sale started Friday. I had a whole long list of things I wanted to look at for our first overnight hike. First on the list was to get fitted for a pack. Needless to say I was pretty excited when Hubs said that today would be a good day to head over there.

I love REI. There's so much to look at, and so many cool gadgets, it's easy to get sucked in and want to buy everything. If you couldn't tell, I'm a huge impulse buyer. Hubs balances me well because he contemplates every purchase before he makes it. We make a good team. So of course before we headed to REI, he's researched a whole bunch of packs, bed rolls, and tents. Shopping informed is a great idea.

I tried on a bunch of packs, wanting to make sure I got one that was as comfortable as possible. REI will stuff them with weight for you, so you can get an idea of what it will feel like on the trail. The associate that helped us was so patient, moving the weight back and forth between packs for me. After a lot of deliberation, and walking around the store with weighted packs, I decided on the REI Flash 52.

We have loved our Flash 18s. They've been a perfect little day pack, with just enough space to throw what we need in. So it seemed like a natural progression to move to the larger Flash. It fit me well, particularly around the neck. I discovered as I tried packs on, that my short torso makes fitting through the upper back/shoulders/neck difficult, but we found that the Flash 52 adjusted well to fit me, and gave me the most room in my neck.

While we were talking to the man who was fitting me, we mentioned, our Flash 18s and how much we've used them. He suggested using it as a bear bag! You can put all your food and hygiene products in there, and then string it up in the trees. What a fantastic idea!

We also got an REI Lightweight 1.5 Women's self-inflating bed roll. It's insulated against the ground temperature, and provides more cushion than a traditional foam bed roll. I'm excited to use it for the first time!

I feel like a real hiker now, guys! I'm so excited!

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Please take a moment and like me on Facebook. Happy Trails!

Susquehanna State Park and Breaking Records

9.9 Miles.. Our longest hike ever! To some of you, that might seem really, really lame. To Hubs and I, it's huge! We finally broke our record of longest hike! It seemed that we kept getting stuck in a 5-6 mile range, fearful that if we went too long or too far we wouldn't have enough [fill in excuse here] to go that long. Maryland Heights was the exception at over 7 miles. Now all excuses are gone, nullified, void! We know we can hike that long, we know the pups can hike that long, and I'm still living off the adrenaline!

 Last week a certain *cough* friend *cough* of ours was supposed to hike with us (love you!!). We arranged our trip so that we could go on Sunday with her, and then she bailed.. lame, right? Ok, ok! Not lame! She was sick. We decided to stick to our original plan of a Sunday hike, and after church we loaded up the dogs and headed to Susquehanna State Park. We followed an awesome trail guide from Midatlantic Hikes. It was so well put together and thought out! The trail guide wound us around the park, following the Susquehanna River for a bit, and then heading off into the hills. The trail guide says it's 8.7 miles, but our GPS recorded us at 9.9 (see my EveryTrail map). The guide was written in 2006, so it's possible that the trails have changed a bit since then.

Grist Mill, where you pick the trail up

We had a fantastic hike, and saw a lot of cool nature things! There were a lot of deer. A. LOT. OF. DEER! It seemed like every time we turned around there was another deer and fawn, or deer and fawns, or deers and fawn.. you get the picture (no bucks, sorry!).

Deer hiding in the tree

We also got to see some trees that looked (to me) like they'd been woodpeckered (yes, I do enjoy making words up) to death!

I did some research (I Googled), and all of these type of holes in the tree came up for woodpeckers. If I'm wrong, let me know in the comments! Share your knowledge, people!

We saw beaver damage:

But sadly, no beavers.

We also saw this:

And we have no idea what it is.. Do you?? Hubs tried to figure out where the wire goes to, but it gets pretty overgrown there and we didn't want to disturb nature. Leave no trace, and all. While we were checking this out, the dogs were getting restless..

And we saw some berries (again, please share your knowledge. Google failed me).

The coolest part of our hike was walking through a field. It was amazing. One minute you're trekking through the woods, wondering when is this hill going to END! and then BOOM, you're in a field.

As the hike continued through the woods, there is an old stone wall that weaves its way around. The trail crosses it a few times. You see it mainly as your on Old Farm Trail. The history in this area is palpable. I loved every second of it!

The longer our hikes get, the less I am able to do them justice in a post. There were so many adventures from this day that I want to share, like Cocoa learning to eat an apple!

Or the really awesome, really old White Oak we saw. This tree has a special sign pointing hikers towards it.

And even the super cute red mushrooms! I wonder how many power ups those are good for in Mario???

But then, I haven't even mentioned the river or Old Flint Tower or the rail road tracks!

I guess you'll just have to go see for yourself! It really is something!

By the end of the hike my feet were sore. I couldn't wait to rip my boots off. However, I'm happy to report that I still haven't had a blister yet! I'm sure I've just jinxed myself, but it's worth saying that these boots have been pretty awesome. I think that I'll be getting some gel inserts for our next adventure, though, because my feet have never hurt so bad in my life. I live in high heels. That's saying something. 

Hubs and I are getting closer to our first overnight hike! We're heading to REI this weekend to start looking at gear. Y'all know shopping is my favorite thing, and I smell a sale! The Baltimore market REIs are having their end of summer clearance this weekend, so if you've been looking for an excuse to go, you're welcome!

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Please take a moment and like me on Facebook. Happy Trails!

Hiking News - Broken Ankle but not a Broken Spirit

Hubs stumbled across a story about a 21 year old girl who was hiking with a friend in Wyoming recently. After they saw a gorgeous sunset, they started towards their intended campsite. On the way, they came across a deep trench - 6ft wide and 8ft deep. As Lexi attempted to jump across she slipped, fell, and broke her ankle (pretty severely).

As her friend rushed off to get help, she made a video to try to keep herself positive and to take her mind off the pain. It's pretty awesome! Take a look!

Keeping your fear at bay is so important to be able to survive in an emergency situation. Whatever situation you find yourself in, take a deep breath, let go of the "what ifs", and allow yourself to think in terms of survival. 

And like I seem to be saying quite a bit - Always be prepared!

Way to go, Lexi!

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Please take a moment and like me on Facebook. Happy Trails!

Wolf Rock - Catoctin Mountain Park

All last week I was singing "On the trail again! I just can't wait to get on the trail again"! Saturday we finally did! Due to problems with our GPS logger, I'm unable to show you a map of what were we hiked =[ but I imagine in the not too distant future we'll be back up at Catoctin Mountain. It was just that beautiful!

We set out intending to do 8-Mile Loop. Unfortunately, the 'bugs' we thought we avoided from the Dominican Republic picked Saturday to bite us, so we only did about 3.5 miles of 8-Mile Loop. Believe me, nothing is worse than trying to push through a hike when you stomach is screaming "NOOOOOO!!! Stop moving!!" However, we're both feeling a lot better now, and we're hoping that our energy will be back up for this weekend's adventures!

So, on to the good stuff!

Catoctin Mountain is so incredible! The area that we hiked in was rocky, and there are large rock formations jutting out of the mountain. It's so cool!

We started our hike from the visitors center heading towards the Park Headquarters. If you do this, pay careful attention to the trail. Catoctin does not blaze the trails, and we ended up getting a little lost when the trail made a sharp turn to the left that we missed.

You'll know you missed it when you come across this big "rock field"

If you see this, turn around. DO NOT go down the hill like we did.. oh my were we lost..

On the trail, we came across some Fairy Houses! I first saw a Fairy House when I was in Maine for the summer with a friend. I love coming across them! They're so whimsical looking =]

I have no idea why people make these (or should I say fairies?), but they're really neat to look at!

As we were walking up the mountain, we were feeling pretty out of it. So we stopped for a minute to rest up. The dogs were none to happy.

 Can't you just see in Cocoa's eyes "COME ON, Mom! I want to keep moving!"

And really, who can resist those eyes? So keep moving we did.

 The best part of the hike was obviously Wolf Rock. I've heard people say that they were unimpressed, or that the views weren't great, but I think it's amazing! You have to do a bit of rock scrambling to get to it, but it is so worth it. We stopped there for a long while to eat lunch and just to enjoy nature.

Cocoa decided to take a nap while we were eating lunch =]

Sprocket laid down, too.

And of course, I couldn't just sit there for too long. I had to go explore the rocks! The formations were so neat, and some of the splits were really deep. I'm sad to say I noticed a lot of trash at the bottom of the crevices. If you're hiking, please remember to pack out your trash. Let's not ruin the beauty of our trails for others.

After we were done hanging out on Wolf Rock, we headed back to the trail. The trail was really busy! I couldn't believe how many groups of people we saw! A lot of the groups had children with them, too. I was really excited to see so many families out enjoying the day with their kids.

Of course all the rain that we've gotten recently left it's imprint on nature. Anyone know about mushrooms? I know zilch.

There were mushrooms all along the trail, but this double mushroom was definitely the coolest.

Even though it was a short hike, it was so nice to get outside and get moving! There's something about being outside on the trail that speaks to my soul. It's peaceful, invigorating, and so awe inspiring to see God's beautiful creation. It preps me for the long week ahead, and helps me relax from the week I just had. There's nothing like sitting under the trees on a sunny day =]

I have to leave you with this adorable picture of the pups. They were all tuckered out after our hike =]

I hope you had a chance to get outside last weekend. Been anywhere fun recently? I'd love to hear about it =] Feel free to leave a comment here, or on Facebook. And when you get a chance, please pop over to Facebook and Like my page.

Thank you so much for visiting My Journey from High Heels to Hiking Boots! Please take a moment and like me on Facebook. Happy Trails!