FAMILY MATTERS

20TH HIKE: PILOT MOUNTAIN

Facts

Location: Pinnacle, NC

Park: Pilot Mountain State Park

Trail: Summit Trail - 3.5 mi

Elevation: 2,421 ft

Date: 12/11/11

Adventure

And so the journey begins with a jet pack finish to fall semester 2011! Friday was a fourteen hour day of work, volunteering, and celebrating! Saturday I had my final statistics course in which we did a practice comprehensive exam followed by a presentation of my dissertation research proposal. From 9am-11am I was a student, after that an adventure seeking vagabond! Adrenaline was pumping through my veins as my foot hit the pedal and cleared way on the open road to North Carolina. My mother in her most loving way told me, "Ashley you are the craziest person I know."

The knob

I arrived in Madison, NC...aka the "big city" to visit my cousin Andrew for the weekend. I had asked Andrew if we could go hiking on my trip and he said he knew just the place. I was happy to take a back seat on planning and just enjoy the ride for my final showdown. We drove to Pilot mountain laughing and jamming out to Reggae. We ascended to the top of the mountain where Andrew informed me that we could not hike from bottom to top, but rather up, down, and around the knob at the apex. It was a bright and sunny day with low temperatures. Andrew and I began in several layers. I had a tank, thermal, flannel, sweatshirt, leggings, and sweat pants. I was expecting the worst being on top of the mountain, but not even a mile into our trek I ended up removing the sweatshirt and sweating in the flannel. Andrew was able to walk around in a T-shirt comfortably as we circled around the mountain top. Stopping to take views from the pinnacle of the land surrounding us.

We sent this photo to mom just to piss her off!

On the hike Andrew and I used the time to catch up on each other's life. As kids we were close, but by the time we were teenagers the distance between North Carolina and Massachusetts took its toll. A decade has passed before Andrew's family and mine were reunited during a magical Christmas Eve filled with drinking, laughter, and of course a Little Mermaid sing-a-long. After that Christmas Eve, Andrew and I stayed in touch through email and phone conversations and were determined to hang out again soon, we recognized many distinct similarities between us, starting with our passion for working with the "old folk" and exploring the great outdoors. We mostly told stories about "Auntie Micky" or to many of you reading this blog, GRAM! Andrew was kind and reminded me how fortunate I am to have my grandparents around, to recount our family history and continue to build memories with them. Once we got passed conversation about Gram shrinking we moved on to our favorite topic, making fun of our mother's. We spent most of the weekend discussing silly things that our mom's say to us, for example if I were to not call my mother at least once a week she would call me and say "Ash are you alive?" and I would respond, "Yeah. I picked up the phone didn't I?" We could have gone on for weeks sharing momism.

This is why I hike!

The hike was gorgeous! The views incredible! We stood on the edge and looked straight down from the cliff. We saw hawks soaring. There was still green on some of the trees. We stopped to reach our hands out and catch running water. Nature was magical and in rare form as always and intended. The incredible part of the adventure was being with my cousin and growing up with him. I value storytelling and I was happy to be carve out time in my life, to not be spread so thin and just enjoy the company of my family. A part of my family that I do not get to see everyday. I do not take that lightly and feel truly blessed to have been afforded the experience to bond!

the edge

MAYBE WE SHOULD TURN AROUND?

19TH HIKE: WALKABOUT TRAIL

Facts

Location: Pascoag, RI

Park: George Washington Park

Trail:  Walkabout - 8 miles (we ended up walking 10-12 miles, we got lost!)

Date: 10/8/11

The Adventure

I was home for my grandparents 60th anniversary celebration up in Northampton, MA. That Saturday while back in Worcester I decided to find a local hike that I had yet to go on and naturally fell short of spots in Massachusetts. I had completed a limited amount of hiking in Rhode Island and through some research landed on walkabout. Erika and Eric decided to join me for the occasion and I selected the walkabout trail because it was close by, it had different trail options, and most importantly I loved the name. I would not so secretly love to go on a legit walkabout, as in a "spiritual journey" like the Aboriginal Australians did, at some point in my life. I was mostly excited for my first and only chance to spot the foliage in New England this year!


I was leaving for Philly that evening after the hike so Eric, Erika, and I decided that the 6 mile trail would be best because the 2 mi would be short and the 8 mi trail would be cutting it close to dinner time back at the Banner. The trail was really beautiful, full of hills, and obstacles through the woods. Erika and I spent most of the time catching up on our lives, discussing jobs, the future, and education. When the trail forked we went left deciding that there should be an end to the six mile trail soon. When we came out to the dirt road we determined that it must have been the six mile stop point and thought we should just walk down main path back to the car. It was getting late and we were all hungry.

We started going in one direction only to realize we were not quite sure if we were walking towards the car. We asked for directions and realized we were going the wrong way, thus turning around again. The people giving us directions were not entirely sure so I used my iphone to determine we should turn around for the third time. After walking for 1-2 miles and realizing that we were not getting any closer I consulted the phone one last time. It demonstrated that we were still another 2 miles from the car going in the wrong direction. I was waiting for Eric or Erika to beat me up for all the blunders I had made in trying to guide us back to the car. We finally got back to the road we drove in on and we're so grateful! A park ranger drove by and asked if we were lost and if we wanted a ride. Eric and I looked at each other and hesitated a moment given our high level of pride before finally submitting and taking the ride back (which saved us an additional ten minutes of walking.) It was a long day on the trail and despite the unnecessary walk back to the car I truly enjoyed it! Also even though I was slightly late I still made it to the Banner for dinner before the lengthy drive home.

Please don't kill me!

THE SPIRIT OF TUSCARORA

18TH HIKE: THE SPIRIT OF TUSCARORA

Facts

Location: Blain, PA

Park: Tuscarora State Forest

Trail:  The Spirit of Tuscarora - 4.5 miles

Date: 9/17/11

SHADES OF DEATH

 17TH HIKE: SHADES OF DEATH

Facts

Location:  near White Haven, PA

Park: Hickory Run State Park

Trail:  Shades of Death - 1.5 miles

Date: 9/10/11

RUN KELLY RUN!

16TH HIKE: KELLY'S RUN

Facts

Location: Holtwood, PA

Park: Holtwood Recreational Area

Trail:  Kelly's Run - 4 miles

Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Rating: Difficult - takes an experienced hiker 2.5 hours

Date: 9/2/11

Adventure

The adventure will be missing from the next four hikes. Too much time has lapsed since I completed the hikes and my brain is fried as a result of being over extended (and loving it!)

I will mention that I completed this hike with Mauricio. It was one of the BEST hikes of the summer. Incredible scenery, great cardio, plenty of laughs, ice cream & burgers as well. I love hiking in Lancaster county!

MAGICAL (JEW)EL-VILLE

15TH HIKE: GUNPOWDER FALLS AKA "COVERED BRIDGES"

Facts

Location: Kingsville, MD

Park: Gunpowder Falls State Park

Trail: Gunpowder South Trail (?) 

Attraction: Jerusalem Mill (with re-enactments of old Jewish Quaker settlements)

Date: 8/21/11


Adventure

I took off in the Adventure-Mobile with Rebecca and Mauricio for a day of hiking in Maryland. I was excited to be hiking in a different state. When we got to gunpowder state park the mill and shops were closed until 11 or noon. At first I could not locate the trail start and went through different versions of the map trying to discern where the hike should begin. Finally I found a man in the field behind the Jerusalem Mill. My first concern was that the gentleman wouldn't break character to help guide me towards the trails, but he was kind and obliged my request (most likely because the park was not officially open yet for tourists.) Rebecca, Mauricio, and I began our jaunt down by the river...I shot my baby (sorry couldn't resist the Neil Young reference.)

Standing on the Covered Bridge

The main feature of the trail was a really cool covered bridge that we spent some time analyzing and photographing! On our walk through the woods we saw a variety of cool stones, mushrooms, bugs, and toads? The most phenomenal aspect of the hiking experience was by far the conversations that occurred. I am not sure how many miles we walked in the woods as we were on a time limit due to evening plans and rain was a factor. We constantly stopped to take photos and examine the environment around us. The experience of being out in nature and catching up with good friends was glorious, but I must be honest the hike itself was fairly simply and not too spectacular when compared to other adventures in this blog. Hiking with friends is always worth the trip and we beat out the rain on the return voyage so that was also a bonus. What was really interesting about our topic of conversation was that we spoke of  the future, energy, tarot cards, etc. There was a great deal of positive energy surrounding us on this trip to Maryland and it felt like there was magic in the air.

Orange Mushrooms

Once we completed our walk through the woods we went over to one of the actors to discuss the tools she was shaping, such as cups and combs from animal horns. Rebecca, Mauricio, and I sat around a picnic table to indulge is some treats for lunch. Rebecca had packed some chicken and I recall their being chips, granola bars, and I wanna say fruit. Just as we finished our lunch the rain arrived so we hopped in the car and headed back home for ice cream! If you've yet, to notice ice cream and food in general seem to be the themes to my tales.

Good Times!

SURPRISING LOVED ONES

14TH HIKE: MOUNT TOM

Facts

Location: Holyoke, MA

Park: Mount Tom State Reservation 

Trail:  Beau Bridges & M-M (part of it)

Elevation: 822+ ft

Date: 8/17/11

Adventure

I scooped Jully up in Auburn and drove to western Mass without telling her where we were going. I offered a vague response to every question she asked because I had secretly devised a plan to pick up David and the two of us were going to surprise Jully. After a happy reunion for the three of us we hopped in the car to grab sandwiches and hit the trail. Now I have been to Mount Tom before, but I have never hiked on the main trails with a map. I have done my own exploration in the woods and up steep parts of the mountain, so in my eyes this format of hiking this location was novel. Jully, David, and I were so hungry that we inhaled our sandwiches before the trip even took place. Oddly enough we ended up eating the wrong sandwiches as each of us failed to even look at the contents of our wraps.

Goat Peak

We hiked up the Beau Bridges trail first. David was bounding through the trail and running up the hill. The whole hike the three of us were laughing, catching up, and making inappropriate jokes about what we would do on top of goat peak. The Massachusetts greenery is truly different from PA. While both are beautiful there is something about the New England scenery that consistently takes my breath away. David, who is not easy on sincere compliments paid me a rather vibrant one, suggesting that he couldn't picture sharing nature with any one other than me. My heart was beating fondly the whole way up the hill with my loved ones, my family! Jully and I hung back on the trail and let David pass ahead as the incline was tough to tackle at some parts.

UMASS

Once we got to the top of Goat Peak we sat and looked out on the Pioneer Valley. We stopped for photo ops before climbing the lookout tower. The tower was old and rickety. The stairs were steep and the tower was high, it was quite a feat to tackle, but Jully, David, and I turned out victorious in the end. After taking in the view for a little while longer we headed back down to the car via the M-M trail, which is the largest and most beautifully, scenic trail at  Mount Tom. After coming out of the woods we were stopped by a woman and her three children seeking directions back to a specific trail on the mountain. I provided the woman with directions using my map and once through explaining I suggested she take the it so that they wouldn't get lost. We parted ways with David then Jully and I scurried home, mildly late for an enjoyable family dinner at gram's! The hike was incredible! I couldn't ask for a better day!

Top of the Tower