Garret Mountain Christmas Hike

On Christmas afternoon (12/25/16), we decided to go for a walk at Garret. Growing up in Canada, I'm still not getting used to having a snow-less Christmas, but I must admit the weather was fabulous for a little family hike!

My three kids

Sitting ducks

Geese were skating on the pond. So funny!

So many ducks! Did they fly from the north?

Oh, deer!

Just as we were about to leave, a horse passed by

Rifle Camp Park sunset

The colors were majestic!

Anthony Wayne Recreation Center

Group hike with the NJ Biking and Hiking Group, 11/5/16, my first time in this part of Harriman State Park. We passed a shelter where other hikers had stayed overnight. This was a perfect hike, not too fast, but challenging enough to get a good workout, while also allowing time for taking picutres and admiring the view. Rodney is the BEST hike leader!

A little rock scramble to keep us fit!

Fall colors

I'm loving it!!

Cute little shelter for hikers to warm up or sleep in

Magnificent view!!

Color palette to inspire artists at heart

Shadow and light play

Are we all here?

A little rocky path

Can everyone fit in there?

You can see more pictures of this hike on this meetup event page.

It's All Downhill From Here!

This is by far the most challenging hike I've done so far. This was a new group on Meetup I had just joined, called "It's All Downhill From Here." They were a group of co-workers who were hiking together regularly, and they had decided to post their activities on Meetup to invite other people to join them. The problem is, they were going at a VERY fast pace, to keep the hike under three hours. They were used to that pace, but newcomers weren't. Some turned around after twenty minutes. I consider myself a good hiker, but I had a hard time keeping up. They would stop once in a while to catch their breath, but because I was last, as soon as I caught up with them they would be on the move again. Man! On top of that, the trail was tricky to follow, with turns that were not obvious and could easily be missed, and in a part of Harriman State Park I wasn't familiar with. The trail started with a very steep rock scramble, and was pretty much up and down all the way, to culminate with the hardest climb twenty minutes before the end. I survived, but barely!

Interesting rock patterns where glaciers used to be

Blue sky, sunny day, and I'm still smiling!

I love how the sunlight seeps through the trees

What? We have to go through this??

Barely enough space for one skinny person to fit in

Rock scramble, one of many

Up, we go! One step at a time...

We made it!!

Norvin Green Foggy Hike

On October 2, 2016, I went hiking with a group at Norvin Green (Weis Ecology Center). As you can see, it was eerily foggy that day. The fog cleared out midway through our six-mile hike.

Like I said, ... foggy!

VERY foggy!

The green of the trees stands out more with the fog

Our little group, and Mike, the trail leader (wearing a hat and red shirt)

So peaceful here

Rocky path

The fog is starting to clear

Admiring the view

More info about this hike here, but no additional pictures.

Hiking at Ramapo Lake

I went on a short group hike yesterday after work. We were only seven people, including the guide, and a one-year-old beagle called Bella. The hike started with a little steep rocky hill and went all around the lake on a generally even ground. It took us about an hour and half to go all around, and we had to use our flashlights for the last fifteen minutes or so. Yup! Days are getting shorter!

Beautiful view!

Our youngest hiker

Frog kingdom

Our little group

Bella is having a great time!

You can see more pictures of this hike on this meetup event page.

Frogs!

Many little frogs were jumping around at Garret Mountain's Barbour Pond yesterday. I'm glad I wasn't with my dog and I could capture them on cam.

Watch carefully for a frog screaming and jumping at the end of the video:

Garret Mountain Hike

I went to Garret last night, and I saw a young buck:

The pond was bursting with life!