Adventure Friday: Go with a group

I have a confession.

All those amazing adventures I've been on? Backcountry camping trips? Epic bicycling trips? All those miles I've logged on the trail and on the road?

Two (or more!) are better than one.

I probably wouldn't have done half of them if it hadn't been for Andy. I'm a doer, but he's a planner. I get up on a sunny morning, hop on my bicycle, and happily combine playtime with weekend errands. He conceives an idea, researches the hell out of it, and creates amazing and well-thought trips. Together, we're a (sometimes bickering) tour de force that squeezes a lot of play into very short periods of time. 

Plus, he always has lots of handy gear.

If your friends are just as new to outdoor adventures as you, look up guided hikes or local clubs. A quick Google search turns up an almost overwhelming amount of options. Some clubs require annual dues or trip fees, while others target specific age groups or attachment status. (Singles only!)

If you're more interested in going hiking than doing research, sign up for a group on Meetup.com. While I've had varying levels of success with Meetup.com activities, I love these groups for one big reason: once you join a group, all the adventures come straight to your email inbox. 

No planning muss, no scheduling fuss — perfect for this get-up-and-go girl.

These people know — it's better with a group.

Adventure Friday: Marcia's Mile & Glenclyffe Loop

On St. Patrick's Day, while New York City streets teemed with green-clad revelers, some friends and I chose a different means of celebration. We went where the green greets the spring—on our first self-planned day hike.

It took a bit of effort. We were looking for a trail easily accessible by train or bus. While many trails are advertised as public transit accessible, hikers often have to walk a few miles on roads before even getting to the trailhead.

Finally, my friend zeroed in on the area around Cold Spring, N.Y., and I found a simple hike called Marcia's Mile, just 75 minutes north of New York City by train.

Take the MetroNorth Hudson Line train from Grand Central to Garrison station, just outside of Philipstown, N.Y. A trailhead sits right at the southeastern corner of the train station parking lot. I don't think you can get much closer than that.

Highlights of the hike?

We found a small pond of loudly singing frogs.

We paused to swing on a rope.

 

We stumbled upon thickly growing bamboo jungles.

We had a picnic lunch on the river.

Best of all, our bodies enjoyed every moment of sun and exercise.

Since we were feeling ambitious, we decided to combine the Marcia's Mile and Arden Point hike (2.2 miles) with the Glenclyffe loop (1.6 miles), as suggested by the Open Space Institute. While the added distance made for a satisfying hike, the Glenclyffe loop seemed slightly disappointing in comparison to  Marcia's Mile.

Marcia's Mile, with its dry leafy trail and second-growth forest, seemed typical for a southern New York hike. The trail was well-worn, but the area was quiet and picturesque on this early spring day.

The vegetation of the Glenclyffe Loop created greater challenges, particularly for new hikers. It was here where we saw long lines of thickly growing bamboo. In some places, the bamboo allowed only a very narrow passage. A bright green creeping plant—perhaps wooded sorrel—stretched across long portions of the trail, obliterating any previous sign of a path, and a few large downed trees forced us off the trail. Mostly, I was disappointed by the frequent reminders of human presence: old tires, broken fences, and abandoned buildings.

Recommendation: 
Stick to Marcia's Mile and Arden Point for a leisurely day hike. Add the Glenclyffe Loop for a better challenge, but make sure you can read trails and blazes. These trails are relatively quiet now, in early spring, but they will likely get crowded in the summer months—if the rope swing by the river is any indication.

Resources:
Since I'm still a novice, I always rely on two types of hiking information.

1. Narrative hiking directions (i.e. "continue straight on the red blaze trail past an old stone wall..."), like those on this Philipstown map or the Open Space Institute website.
2. Official trail conference maps (for more reliable trail orientation), like this NY-NJ Trail Conference East Hudson set of three. These maps, and others, are available in-store at Paragon Sports.

Frog and bamboo photos courtesy of Dan Cabrera.

Survival Monday: How to protect yourself against ticks

"Dan, there's a spider on your hat."

Dan threw his baseball cap to the ground, and Katie bent down to pick it up. There, on the underside of the brim, was a small black-and-red bug. It wasn't a spider. It was a deer tick.

For all my outdoor adventuring on the east coast, I never encountered a tick until I spent a week in Shenandoah National Park last summer. In one day, we brushed a lone-star tick off my hiking pants and pulled a deer tick off of ARA's shin. 

Now, on this St. Patrick's Day hike near Garrison, N.Y., my friends and I suddenly realized that we should be checking for ticks. In fact, we should do this after spending time in any wooded or grassy area, as ticks have been reported in many Manhattan and outer borough parks. 

Only deer ticks (picture) are known to carry the bacteria that causes Lyme Disease, but lone-star (picture) and dog ticks (picture) can pose other health risks.

To protect yourself against ticks, the New York Department of Health recommends the following:

• Wear light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily.
• Wear enclosed shoes, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirt into pants.
• Check clothes and any exposed skin frequently for ticks while outdoors and check again once indoors.
• Consider using insect repellent. Follow label directions.
• Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails. Avoid contacting vegetation.
• Avoid sitting directly on the ground or on stone walls.
• Keep long hair tied back, especially when gardening.
• Bathe or shower as soon as possible after going indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that may be on you.
• Do a final, full-body tick check at the end of the day (of yourself, children, and pets), and remove ticks promptly.

If you find a tick, don't panic. Do familiarize yourself with the tips in the graphic at the top of this post.

Try a Discover Outdoors Guided Day Hike in NYC

Two weekends ago, I finally accomplished one of my big goals for the winter: Bring friends on a day hike.

It happened quite by accident. Back in January, I received a Vital Juice email advertising a Sunday hike and organic farm tour.

Farmers market veggies

It may be important to mention that my second love, after the great outdoors, is farm-fresh food. On any given Saturday, you will find me at the closest farmers market. I've been a member of a community-supported agriculture (CSA) group for two years, and I've loved every minute and every vegetable of it. Sometimes, during particularly stressful moments of New York City living, a small part of me even dreams of running away to join the WWOOF program.

So, I jumped at the chance to combine two of my favorite things. The hike and farm tour was being offered by Discover Outdoors (formerly known as Outdoor Bound), a New York company that leads day trips, weekend excursions, and international adventures. I booked my ticket online and sent an email to my friends. My dear friends, always up for trying new things, reserved the last spots on the trip. I was thrilled!

5 miles and feeling good

The Hike
Everyone met at Union Square at 9 a.m., and we piled into a van: 12 hikers and 1 Discover Outdoors guide. It was a beautifully sunny, if bitingly cold, day.

The van took us up to the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center at Harriman State Park, N.Y. (map) From there, we did a 5-mile loop to Pine Meadow Lake. The lake served as our halfway point, where we stopped for a picnic lunch.

The trail was well-worn and fairly flat. The only challenging bit was a stretch of moraine that had us picking our way around boulders and over loose rocks. We finished our hike before 1 p.m., and we piled back in the van for the next leg our trip.

Decomposing compost heats
the pipes on these
seedling tables

The Farm
Next, we headed over to Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, N.Y., a 25-minute drive across the river (map). Stone Barns was originally a dairy farm owned by J.D. Rockefeller—in a response to milk pasteurization, Rockefeller wanted a private source of raw milk for his family. (The debate over pasteurized milk versus raw milk continues today.) Now, Stone Barns is a four-season sustainable farm and educational program; it is also a direct supplier to the famous Blue Hill Restaurant. We took a tour of the farm, seeing everything from rotating animal fields to compost-fueled heating systems. Best of all, we had time to grab fresh snacks from the farm café.

The van got us back to Union Square by 5:30 p.m. By that point, I think we were all ready for a hot and hearty dinner and a good night's sleep.

Recommendation: Perfect first adventure
While the Discover Outdoor programs can be pricey, they provide excellent opportunities for first-time hikers. There's no need to worry about transportation, planning, or getting lost. All you need to do is pack a lunch and get yourself to the meeting point in New York City! Discover Outdoors also does a great job of explaining what to wear and what to bring. Grab a friend and check out one of their upcoming adventures.

Find NYC hiking trails near you

November has obliged, and today is a beautiful day for a New York City hike!

The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation website offers a great list of trails in the Bronx, Brooklyn or Queens.

If you're in Manhattan, and you're not interested in leaving the island, check out this site with quiet walks in Central Park. Don't be alarmed by the horrible website design. The suggested hikes are great, and the poetic descriptions may inspire your inner Thoreau.

Resisting Winter: How to go hiking in Queens

You may have been shivering in your boots last night, but don't let November fool you. Winter hasn't arrived yet. This weekend, temperatures may reach the mid-50s and mid-60s — so get outside for a New York City hike while we still have leaves on the trees and sun on our backs!

Quick tips for your November day hike:

1. Bring water and a small snack. Nothing ruins a hike like an empty stomach
2. Carry extra layers: hat, gloves, and an extra sweater to wear under your coat 
3. Give yourself enough time. In New York, everything takes longer than it should, and hikes are no exception.

My hiking buddy lives in Queens, so we choose Forest Park for our most recent adventure. The park has an amazing 5.1 miles of hiking trails in its northeast section.

Forest Park, Queens

Each trail is marked with a "blaze," or paint on the tree bark that points you in the right direction!

Blue trail

Blaze or no blaze, it would be hard to get lost in Forest Park. The trails are beautiful, but they're not very rugged.

We encountered dog-walkers, couples, and even someone on horseback!

I learned a huge lesson in trip planning. Always make your day hike just that: a day. I tried to squeeze in our adventure before catching a 4:30 train to visit my family. Of course, it just didn't work out. I took two subways to get to Queens; then my friend and I took another subway and a bus to get to Forest Park! Much to our surprise, the bus also stopped half a mile from the hiking trails. After all that transportation, we only had about 20 minutes for hiking — and I was still an hour late for visiting my family.

Plan your trip carefully (using a combination of nycparks.gov, HopStop, and Google Maps). If you give yourself enough time for a true day hike, the excursion will be well worth your time.