Adventure I

Type of Adventure: Hike

Date of Adenture: Sun. 19 Oct 2008

Place of Adventure: Pine Hill Park, Rutland, Vermont

Length of Adventure, Miles: approximately 4

Length of Adventure, Hours: 2.5

Companion(s): Mom and Colyn

Points of Interest: 1. Lunch Rock. A nice place for a picnic, with a nice view. Can be reached via a short, dead end trail at intersection 30, Doorknob Trail and Droopy Muffin Trail. 2. Rocky Pond Overlook. A beautiful view of Rocky Pond. Can be reached from Overlook Trail. 3. Suspension Bridge. It was finished and "opened" last weekend, and is impressive. It is on the Overlook Trail.

Map of the adventure:


The Suspension Bridge:




Maybe the weirdest thing we noticed was a section of the trail where quite a few trees had these pieces of burlap wired around the trunk of the tree. They were at roughly the same height on each tree, maybe 4 feet from the ground. They seemed to be only on Oak Trees. We had no idea what the purpose is, but it seems if they are left there for very long the wire is going to kill the tree.

Greetings and Salutations

In this, my initial post, I'd like to offer a simple explanation for my need for yet another blog. I've toyed with the idea of keeping track of my outdoor adventures several times. I already do, in a very casual and unofficial manner by letting Colyn blog about the more memorable adventures. However, Colyn doesn't choose to blog about each and every adventure, and he has little sense of distance or time. The catalyst for finally creating this space occurred on Sunday, while I was adventuring at Pine Hill Park.

My hiking shoes are wearing out. I've noticed this during my last few hikes because my feet are sore and my shoes don't seem to be providing enough support. I'm a little surprised and disappointed that these shoes are already failing; I only just bought them earlier this year. The first pair of these same shoes last me almost a year. It occurred to me, though, that I've probably put more miles in a shorter time on the new pair than I did on the old pair. Hiking a couple days a week, almost every week since the spring weather broke put a lot of miles on these shoes. I found myself wondering just how many miles I covered this summer. Knowing there was no way I could go back and remember each and every adventure this summer, I decided to begin tracking this information.

Each subsequent entry will be devoted to one adventure, and each adventure will be logged. I will note where I adventured, when I adventured, how far I adventured, and how long it took me. I will also note any companions, be they four legged or two legged, any notable views or experiences, and I'll include any pictures I might take. If possible, I'll even include a map of the adventure.