Most recently updated January 17th, 2022
– – This week, the recent change to government restrictions meant I was able to lead a group hike (of <10 people) for my longer hike.
Our local Umstead State Park is partly open again, so I hosted a hike on the Loblolly Trail – which is officially an out and back trail – and created a loop for a 7 mile hike.
It feels great to be in the Park again and to be able to see people – even socially distanced 🙂
You can see all of the park’s current restrictions here.
(The next phase is supposed to start May 22, and hopefully we’ll be allowed to use more areas of the park then.)
One thing to be aware of when you go back into the woods is that the critters have had more free reign in the parks over the past 3 months, since humans have not been allowed in.
We almost stepped on a rat snake that was relaxing in the middle of the trail – – but we did some Matrix-style levitation backwards instead.
(We were seriously alert after running into that little guy.)
There are also unconfirmed reports that one hiker “screamed like a little girl” 🙂
I saw a coyote in the Park the other day, too, but from a distance and he just looked at me before slipping back into the trees.
My Strength Building hike for the week also went into the park, but from the Old Reedy Creek trailhead side.
I loaded 20 pounds in the pack and walked all the way to Warren Hill cemetery and back to make about 6.5 miles.
Greenways are Still Good
I’ve been using our local greenways forever, but with State and National Parks closed for the past few months, I really started exploring because they were our only options for longer trails.
If you’re on foot, natural trails are better for you and a harder workout, but I’m going to keep using the greenways weekly even after it’s allowed to use all of our State and National Park facilities again.
Especially for bikers, the greenways are a wonderful resource.
In fact, even though the State Parks were open again this weekend, That Man and I biked the southern portion of the Neuse River Trail greenway into Johnston County. It was a great ride!
In addition to hiking and biking this week, I also kick-boxed, ran on my treadmill, lifted some weights, and did some Bodyweight Training exercises.
It feels great on be back on the trails with some other hikers again!
If you’re local and would like to join us, check out the I’d Rather Walk Meetup for hike postings.
So that’s 2 weeks down of the allotted 6 weeks to get back in shape for my next medical checkup and hopefully a new hiking adventure this Summer.
Revisiting all of the allowed trails now that the parks are partly opened will help keep me motivated – even though I know progress towards my fitness goals will take some time.
I hope you’ve found my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.
Take a look at my 6 Week Training Plan post to see what other kinds of training I’m doing, and what other hikes I’ll have coming up.
Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ
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LJ has spent much of her free time as a single Mom – and now as an empty-nester – hiking in the US and around the world. She shares lessons learned from adventures both local and in exotic locations, and tips on how to be active with asthma, plus travel, gear, and hike planning advice for parents hiking with kids and beginners of all ages. Read more on the About page.