Part of the fun of going out on a hike is the adventure. Or even the potential for adventure. There's nothing more thrilling than planning your hike using nothing but a trail and a topographic map. Sitting at a table, maps in hand, plotting out how long your trip will take, whether you'll do a loop or balloon configuration, and what to bring in your pack. Using a trail-guide book like the ones mentioned on this website can offer advice and tips as to what the best route may be, but it's really up to you to create your own adventure. The satisfaction you get after completing a successful hike that you plotted yourself - it is a wonderful feeling.
Read MoreHiking French Creek State Park
French Creek State Park truly is an amazing place to go for a nice hike. They have over 35 miles of trails to choose from that cover a decent sized portion of the 7,730 acres. We had decided to go to French Creek because of the diversity of trails as well as a recommended hike...
Read MoreHiking Green Lane Park
The summer can be a vicious bitch, and I mean that with all due respect. It had been nearly two weeks since our last decent hike. Thunderstorms, heat waves, work - every time we tried to plan a mid-week mini-hike, something got in the way. On Wednesday, July 27th though, the humidity was low and the temperature was a cool mid-80s.
Read MoreHike #38 - Charleston State Park; or, "Green Earth Outdoors"
Hiking with Impunity was once again lucky enough to visit another state! Actually, over the week of April 23rd, we technically visited 3 states: Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. Knowing that we would be spending almost a week in Kentucky, we decided that we wanted to spend part of our time hiking! And, since it was National Park Week, we were not going to pass up on the chance to see Mammoth Cave National Park (more on that later!). But, what we were most excited for was a chance to spend the day with Green Earth Outdoors!
Hike #37 - Sourland Mountain Preserve; or, "Rocky II"
Distance: Approximately 5 miles
Time to completion: Approximately 2 hours
Trail Configuration: Loop
Terrain: Dirt and rocks
Difficulty: Moderate
It has been over two months since our last hike, and I have to admit that I was wondering how out of shape we might be. Each time we had planned to go on a hike was always the one time that week that the weather would not be cooperating with us! We had begun to think that we were never going to be able to get out onto the trails again—or, at least not before our muslces completely atrophied and we were unable to hike even a mile. Fortunately, everything lined up perfectly on Saturday, April 14th. The weather was a cool and sunny 70-degrees. There was not a rain cloud in sight. And, we discovered that were weren't in as bad of shape physically as we were a year ago when we first began hiking (see Hawk Mountain Hike).