A Nature Walk Like No Other

 I spent my entire summer this year in the Midwest; particularly in Illinois.  Elk Grove is a city in Illinois with about a million and two parks and walk/bike paths.

 

My music writing partner and I would stroll down many of those paths there and I am big on pictures and so there was always a picture or two of the beautiful landscape images being taken as we walked, talked and enjoyed the beauty of mother nature.

 

I have grown accustomed to long-distance walking with my first time being a 10.5 walk on purpose from Midtown Manhattan to Northwest Brooklyn. It came as a natural thing to experience the natural hills and peaks of all terrain walking; especially since I started to do the walk about once a week. Yet still, it did not truly prepare me for my first experience with hiking.

 

Hiking

I recently did a day hike over the Torne Mountain Loop of the Norvin Green State Forest in Bloomingdale, NJ. It was different. It was intense. It was tiring.

 

I didn’t realize how hard it was to walk uphill; especially since almost everywhere I go is by motor vehicle. The advantage of walking is to be in the midst of peacefulness and to also burn some calories. Hiking is a great way to exercise.

 

So, the mountain trail is about an hour drive from Brooklyn, NY to get to that mountainous region of New Jersey. Some people do it recreationally for pleasure and then there are others who do it to burn some good old calories. I did it because I have seen pictures and videos of some of my colleagues who have been hiking and they looked pretty interesting. I can see why many may see hiking as a spiritual quest to reignite the flames that burn the inspiration within.  The climbing, risk and challenges associated with hiking as well as the views of the beautiful landscapes along the 1.5 mile trail is quite rewarding.

 

I thought it was pretty cool that my friend’s phone was furnished with a digital map that actually could tell us exactly where we were along the Torne Mountain Loop and there were blue markers along the journey to help us to follow the path from beginning to end which is a great idea so that you do not get lost in those woods.

 

If I had any tips to give they would be:

 

1. Wear sturdy boots not sneakers. I wore my sneakers and the many rocks can pierce holes into them. Though you will be able to get through a moderate mountain trail with sneakers on, your best foot support will be like a pair of thick boots with strong soles.

 

2. It is an intense workout and so keep in mind that you will sweat and depending on the season when you go, you want to dress appropriately.

 

3. Definitely carry a first aid kit because you never know. You might fall. You might step on something or scrape your skin and need to apply a band aid or alcohol to it. And with that in mind, it probably would be better to go with someone so you could have each other just in case. I definitely would not trail it by myself. 

 

4. I was told to climb the rocks like they are stairs and going uphill, it seemed right. The going downhill was the hard part and so, you have to be careful and focus so that you do not get hurt meaning, you cannot have your phone in your hand because you will need your hands to climb down sometimes.

 

5. I was also told that drinking water while climbing uphill could make the experience a little bit harder. So, I would say, bring your water and when you have a chance to take a pause, then drink your water. But definitely not before you start.

 

 

Overall, I enjoyed it. It was challenging but interesting. It was an intense workout, but one that my body could use. I would definitely go again.

 

The following video is just a glimpse of what my hiking experience was like and I invite you to watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQhfyJR4tCw