walking Archives - Page 2 of 10

Week 7: It’s the Week 7 Stretch!

– – Training Week 7 began on Monday with a quick kickboxing and upper body weights session before loading the car and heading for the beach!

Why? Because I needed a change of scene, wanted to spend time with my girls, and had hotel points that were expiring 🙂

Training shouldn’t be torture, but doing the same thing in the same place over and over again can be just that – so I decided to shake things up for a few days.

Tiny liittle bit of beach view from our lodgings.

I arrived too late at our lodgings to do much but get settled in and cook dinner.

By the time we were finished, it had gotten pretty cold on the beach.

It IS still February!!

So, I had to wait for a beach walk until Tuesday morning.

I did some quick yoga, then went out for an early beach hike before the girls woke up.

I went North (away from Myrtle Beach) about 3 miles and then turned around, for a total beach walk of ~ 6 miles.

After breakfast, we braved the (horrible) beach traffics to get to Brookgreen, a wonderful sculpture garden, arboretum and Nature conservancy that sits a few miles South of Myrtle Beach proper.

Peacock statues guard the entrance to one of the main paved paths at Brookgreen.

Brookgreen has a couple of very short unpaved “trails” but we stuck to the paved garden paths to see all of the outdoor exhibits.

The girls at Brookgreen Gardens. Aren't they pretty??? — The girls at Brookgreen Gardens. Aren’t they pretty???

We only walked a couple of leisurely miles before stopping for an outdoor lunch at one of the restaurants on the grounds.

That said, if you were determined to get a workout in, you could certainly plan a much longer route to get a longer hike in during your Brookgreen visit.

Wednesday I let the girls sleep, did some yoga and was out early again – this time for a bit of a longer walk.

It was about 10 miles by the time I was done and perfect weather!

I did learn that one should NOT walk long distance in water shoes – even with a “hiking” sole – because I ended up with a huge blister on the bottom of my big toe 🙁

During my walk I saw an Irish Pub, Molly Darcy’s, right on the beach and thought the girls might like to go there for lunch.

Bonus being we could walk there and wouldn’t have to drive in the terrible traffic…but, no. They didn’t want to walk but we ate there anyway, and it was pretty good. 🙂

There was a bunch of stuff in the air and we couldn’t figure it out – then I realized that Myrtle is a few weeks ahead of us weather-wise, and I checked my car.

Sure enough, my car was covered with yellow dust. It was The Pollening.

That said, it was our last night at the beach, and the sunset was gorgeous. Perhaps partly due to pollen 😉

The next morning, the girls left before sunrise to get home in time for work, and I did a quick beach walk (about 3 miles) to say goodbye before checking out.

My plan was to check out, zip back down to Brookgreen (the ticket is good for 7 days) and get on an early tour of the historical and Nature preserve parts of the garden that you don’t normally see.

The Brookgreen Silent Cities Tour

The tour started from the promenade near the Welcome Center.

There are a few tours offered at Brookgreen that take you to places you don’t get to see with your general admission ticket.

The tours change seasonally – mostly because some of the places are inaccessible during wet weather.

We boarded an open-sided short bus (stop it!) and took off away from the paved garden area.

Our guide narrated local and Brookgreen history and wildlife as we went.

Fox Squirrels

I was surprised by a fox squirrel – a creature I’d never seen before – staring at me from a tree limb as we drove along.

It was huge, and seemed a lot more intelligent than a regular squirrel….

Fox squirrels, the largest of all tree squirrels, are the true life ROUS's. — Fox squirrels, the largest of all tree squirrels, are the true life ROUS’s.

Described by our guide as a cross between a squirrel, a fox, and a raccoon – because who really know what goes on in those woods at night? – the Fox Squirrel is a relative of the common gray squirrel, but about twice the size.

An adult Fox Squirrel can grow between 20-26 inches in length (tail included) and can weigh up to 2.5 pounds.

Stopping at an English-style walled cemetery.

Aside from Rodents of Unusual Size, this tour focused on the two cemeteries dating back to the 1700’s – one English style, and one slave (Gullah style) cemetery – encompassed by Brookgreen lands.

Alston family tree chart outside the cemetery walls.

Our first stop was at a walled, English-style cemetery from the 1700’s that had been restored by the Huntington’s when they purchased the land.

The original Alston family (previous landowners) were the primary inhabitants.

Alston family descendants also have a right to be buried there, and we did see a headstone from as recently as 2013.

There were three kinds of graves in this cemetery: the kind of headstones we see mostly these days, “table” memorials, and raised vaults.

Our second stop was a slave cemetery, unwalled, and we followed a short natural trail through the woods to where some of the graves had been uncovered.

Some of the visible headstones from the slave cemetery.

Some of the earliest graves were unmarked save for a metal plaque or just a sack of tabby (old time cement made with oyster shells) without a name – and some with the words “Go Back” inscribed.

According to Gullah tradition , once buried, deceased loved ones would “go back” to where they were originally taken in Africa.

The mourners would never again return to the grave after the initial burial.

And since there would be no spirit there to visit, there was no need for a long-lasting memorial.

That said, there were some hand-made headstones there, and some more modern memorials where descendants of these slaves also had a right to be buried.

No longer following Gullah tradition, these headstones are like you would see in any modern cemetery.

Along the way back, we stopped by the Waccamaw River, across from Sandy Island, home to one of the last existing Gullah communities.

Sandy Island can be access from the Intracoastal Waterway and the Waccamaw River.

Brookgreen is hoping to work out a deal with the community there to allow tours to visit from Brookgreen, but they haven’t worked it out yet.

We returned the way we came – but faster! – back to the Welcome Center.

Informational plaques outside the English cemetery.

I had hoped to get done with the tour and then go across the street to Huntington Beach for a quick hike before heading home.

I had a quick pack lunch outside Atalaya Castle.

But the tour took 2 hours, so I had to settle for a quick pack lunch outside Atalaya Castle before hitting the highway. (You can take tours of the castle, which I’ve done in years’ past, but didn’t do this time.)

So, I guess Thursday was basically my “rest” day.

Friday morning I led a great group of hikers on one of my favorites routes – 9.3 miles on the MST on the Eno river, from the Pump Station trail all the way to West Point on the Eno park and back.

It was a beautiful day, and a great group!

I was ready for a good long hike after a light exercise day and long hours driving Thursday.

View of the Eno River from the rocks along the Eagle/MST Trail.

Saturday was a kickboxing and upper body weights day in my home gym – partly because the weather took a big dip to the colder side, and rain was predicted for most of the day.

It felt good to use my “El Supremo Butt-kicker” muscles again after a few days away.

Sunday morning it was back to a little bit warmer after Saturday’s cold rain, so I had a big group signed up to hike part of the the Company Mill trail in Umstead State Park and some of the MUT.

It was a pretty short hike, but I added 15 lbs to my pack to make it a strength-training hike.

My beach walks were all flat with no added weight.

The extra weight was especially needed because all of my beach hikes earlier in the week were flat, with no added weight!

What a great hike, with a good group of hikers – many newcomers, so that was wonderful to see, too 🙂

So that’s it for Week 7! You did it!

It’s time to take a look at your goals and see what progress you’ve made.

Just think about what you've done! — Just think about what you’ve done!

Everyone should be improved somehow from where you started – even if it’s only that you’ve stuck with an exercise plan this long!

Think back to how hard it was to make yourself do SOMETHING every day.

How scary was it at the beginning to take your first longer hike – especially if you were hiking on your own for the first time? But you did it!!

Week 8 is coming up – the last week of the Awesome training!!

You’ve come this far – it should be a piece of cake! Well, okay, maybe no cake.

Just focus, focus focus….. and some longer hikes 🙂

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Training towards a goal is a planned process, but you should be able to respond to changes in weather or location without giving up your training entirely.

Just keep going – but safely, of course.

If you’re new around here, but you still want to do the training from the start – you can!

Take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what this hike training is all about.

To Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home Click Here!

Track your progress towards your fitness goals!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Happy training! LJ

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.

You could also take a look at my other Fitness and Wellness posts, if you want to see more of my fitness, diet and asthma care articles.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 6: Are We There Yet?

Most recently updated February 25th, 2023

– It’s Week 6 of our training! Are we there yet?

If you’re like me, you’re getting tired of this training routine and are ready to move on to something else – hopefully something, you know, easier…

But don’t do it! Keep going, just for a couple of weeks longer.

Just a couple of weeks more - you can do it! — Just a couple of weeks more – you can do it!

And with that encouragement… on to my Week 6 Training report!

Monday was a beautiful day, so I joined Lenore and a good group of hikers for what I thought was going to be a pretty flat 7-ish mile hike in Umstead State Park on the Multi-Use trails.

Gathering at the trailhead for a sunny Monday hike.

With that in mind, I loaded my pack with 15lbs extra to make it a strength-training day.

But in a mid-hike surprise twist, Lenore handed the reins over to Michael.

We ended up tromping through a less-traveled section of the woods, fording streams and climbing mud banks before we were through!

It turned out to be an 8.25 mile hike in all.

It was so much fun, I hardly noticed the extra weight in my pack 🙂

Tuesday was a kickboxing and upper body weights day in my home gym – despite the wonderful sunny Spring-like weather outside.

A beautiful sunny Winter's day in Bond Park. — A beautiful sunny Winter’s day in Bond Park.

This is because Tuesday was also “refrigerator day” and I was trapped there until my new fridge was delivered and the old one removed.

But it was also Valentine’s Day and That Man and the puppy came to my rescue, just moments after the fridge business was over.

We had just enough daylight left to have a picnic and take a nice 3 mile walk in Bond Park!

Wednesday was supposed to be my “rest” day, but it was another nice NOT rainy day and I couldn’t stand it!

So after some yoga, I loaded 15lbs extra weight (and a snack lunch) into my pack, and set off to explore a bushwack at Eno River State Park.

A “bushwack” is when there’s no official trail blazed from one point to the other, so you’re just using landmarks or info from other hikers to find your way.

This particular bushwack was an out-and-back from the Cole Mill Road trail access to the Pleasant Green Road trail access in Eno River State Park – about 6 miles in all.

Map of the Cole Mill to Pleasant Green bushwack

Aside from looking for a passable hiking route between the two access points, I was also hoping the find the old Cabe Ford in the river, and the old slave cemetery back in the woods behind the powerline cut.

Cole Mill to Pleasant Green Road Bushwack

I was fortunate to have some guidance from the Eno.com website to get me started on finding a route.

Starting from the Cole Mill Road Loop Parking area, I took the Eno Trace Trail, staying close to the river until it turned uphill to the left.

I went straight ahead, following the river.

At that point, I left the established trail and followed the river bank downriver.

There was still a trail to follow, but it was un-blazed.

Follow the power line cut until it goes away from the river.

I followed the trail south under the powerlines until it turned left away from the river.

I had to cross a small creek – fortunately someone had placed stepping stones to make it easier.

After a while I came to the remnants of the old Cabe Ford in the river.

I knew from the map that the the historic cemetery for the slaves of the Cabe family was nearby – supposedly just a a few hundred yards away from the river.

I poked around, but I didn’t see anything, so continued to follow the river.

After a bit, the trail turned back into the forest, and the way became less obvious and not so well-used.

Then I noticed the pink ribbons tied at intervals to the trees….

At first, I thought it was just some random surveyor’s marks, and I thought they’d stop after a couple of ribbons. But they kept going!

Pink and green ribbons were tied to the trees.

And not only did they keep going, but now there were both pink AND green ribbons tied to the trees.

I’d had my suspicions before, but now I knew for certain – it was Bushwack Fairies! 🙂

And thank goodness for the Bushwack Fairies, because the way became more and more obscure – especially hidden under fallen leaves – so I just followed the ribbons.

After a while, I had to cross a small creek, but couldn’t find a good place, so I followed it up on one side and came to another larger creek, with some little waterfalls.

This would be a good spot to take a break and have a snack on a sunny day.

I found a large creek with a series of little waterfalls upstream.

This was a pretty large creek with a series of waterfalls upstream adding to the water flow.

I crossed the creek on the rocks and kept going, staying on the high ridge and following the pink and green ribbons when I could see them.

I passed a house with a pond just outside the State Park lines, then emerged from the woods to the powerline cut again.

The route goes through the powerline cut again.

The trail goes back into the woods and follows the river.

Along the way, I saw some unexpected waterfalls on the other side!

Eventually, you end up going through some scrub brush along the river to a point where you approach some old farm buildings.

The trail goes through a tunnel of laurels.

Emerging from the bushes you can see the Pleasant Green Road Parking area on the other side of the river.

The Pleasant Green Road parking area can be seen across the river.

About a quarter mile further down, the trail ends at the bridge on Pleasant Green road. This is where you would cross the river to actually get to the Pleasant Green Road parking.

But since the bridge and road were under construction, and there were a lot of cars backed up, I decided that seeing it from across the river was good enough!

I went back down the trail the way I came, with no surprises.

But when I got back to the woods near the powercut, I decided to try again to find the Cabe slave cemetery.

Remnants of stone walls may mark the location of the cemetery.

I found remnants of stone walls in the cemetery location shown on the map.

I don’t know for sure that these were part of the cemetery, but there were no other ruins that I could see nearby.

Old cabin across the river from the Eno Trace Trail.

I retraced my steps back to the parking lot at Cole Mill, then got in the traffic line behind the flag guys on the Pleasant Green bridge 😉

Thursday started with a balmy 9.3 mile hike on the MST at Falls Lake with a great group of hikers!

Cypress tress in the water near Little Lick Creek bridge on the MST.

This hike is one of my favorite sections of the MST, because it’s long enough to know you’ve had a hike, and has some interesting features along the way – including the friendly horses in trail- adjacent corrals.

Feeding an apple to the friendly horses. — Feeding an apple to the friendly horses on Thursday’s hike.

Sometimes they ignore me, but this time I was worried I didn’t have enough apple to go around! I’ll bring more next time 🙂

I took my first spin on my new vertical climber!

Friday I finally did take a rest day, and just did some yoga…but I also put together my new Vertical Climber machine and tried it out for about 30 minutes.

The climber folds up and stands in a corner when not in use.

I got the machine because I really need to get more training in really steep vertical gain hikes.

The hike I’m training for has several miles of almost straight vertical climbing up rock faces – almost as steep as cliff climbing.

CLICK HERE to see purchase details for the Vertical Climber.

Saturday was a rainy day, so I did a treadmill climb in my home gym with 10lbs on my back.

I did 2 miles in 35 mins with 1000ft vert gain, then another 2 miles in 30 mins with 700ft elev loss.

Sunday I led a great group of hikers in what ended up around 9 miles at Umstead State Park.

It was a long hike but a fast one, with an average pace of 3.7 mph.

Next up: Week 7!! Let’s make it a good one 🙂

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Don’t give up if you’re getting bored or worn out in the middle of the program – change it up, make it fun, or take a rest day – but keep on going!

We’re winding down with this year’s 8-week hike training, but you can get started and do it on your own whenever you want!

Take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what this hike training is all about.

To Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home Click Here!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Happy training! LJ

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. Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 5: Sun, Rain and a Legacy of Daffodils

Most recently updated February 17th, 2023

– – Training Week 5 started with another nice day, but I decided to give my hiking boots a break and do kickboxing and upper body weights in my home gym.

Trailhead at Rock Nut Hollow near Duke Forest.

Tuesday temps were going to be well above freezing and the sun came out again just in time for a short 5 mile hike at Rock Nut Hollow near Duke Forest.

Lenore led the hike with a great group of hikers!

It’s a scenic and fun route along the creek with a very steep (but mercifully short) hike up a “mountain” with a nice rock scramble on the return route.

I hiked with 10 lbs of extra weight in my pack, and we went at a moderate pace.

I love a good rock scramble! In fact, I hiked the ultimate mile-long scramble on Old Rag at Shenandoah last summer 🙂

Kiosk on the Black Creek Greenway at Lake Crabtree.

Wednesday, still trying to avoid mud, I scheduled a hike at Lake Crabtree where half of the trail is on paved greenway.

The sun came out and it was a beautiful hike!

The natural trails were closed due to mud, but we went far enough to see the eagle’s nest at the pond across Aviation Parkway before turning back.

Some parts of the Black Creek Greenway are still closed due to construction.

In spite of ongoing construction on the Black Creek Greenway, Silvia and I were able to get some time on natural sections of the blue-blazed Lake Trail on the way back, and finished at about 6-6.5 miles.

I carried 15 extra lbs on this hike, and I could really feel it in my legs afterwards!

In case you’re feeling proud of yourself (and you should!), I designed some Awesome T-Shirts to commemorate your training:

Thursday this week was the last day forecast to NOT have rain, so I took advantage to do some exploratory hiking at Eno River State Park.

View of the Eno River from the Cabelands Trail.

It was my “rest day” for the week, so I just did some yoga stretches before heading out, and the hike itself was only a few miles and not very fast.

Exploratory hiking is never a sure thing – it’s more about the discovery than the miles!

This time I started from the Cabelands trailhead on the Eno River.

Who were the Cabes?

The area is called “Cabe Lands” because Barnaby Cabe and his family were settled there in the years prior to the American Revolution.

After America won her independance, the Cabes were patriots and loyal citizens, even representing Orange County in Congress and serving in the militia.

Remains of the Cabe Mill on the Eno River.

John Cabe built a grist mill on the Eno and owned many acres in the “Cabelands” area.

He eventually had 9 daughters (with three wives) and many of his daughters married other mill owners along the Eno River.

Portrait of the owners of Cole Mill, Anothy(sic) Cole and Susan Browning Cole. ca. 1875.

One of the daughters, Rachel, married John McCown and together they built what was to become known as Cole Mill – which is another major trailhead access further downriver in Eno River State Park.

In the hard times after the defeat of Culloden in 1746, family groups – even whole villages – left Scotland for America.

The shipping lists of 1776 show the McColes landing at Wilmington, NC – but we have no evidence that these early Coles ever made their way this far inland, though many other families did.

Levi Cole, an older brother of Anthony Cole, said to have travelled from the English town of Leeds, appears to have been the earliest Cole in the Eno Valley.

After her first husband died, Rachel married Colonel Sims and together they owned and operated West Point Mill at Roxboro Road.

This mill is still in operation for demonstration purposes, and is the centerpiece for the West Point on the Eno park.

Grave markers of in the Cabe Cemetery. — Grave markers of Elizabeth Arnold McCowan and John Cabe McCowen in the Cabe Cemetery.

In my explorations, I was looking specifically for an old cabin from the 1770’s and also the Cabe Cemetery.

But also in the area are the remnants of the Cabe Mill.

Following the Cabelands Trail from the official trailhead, blazed in red, the map shows a left-hand trail-split, marked by two red blazes.

I followed the red blazes for the Cabelands Trail.

The Cabelands Trail continues downhill to the Eno River – and this is the way I went.

Turning downriver, I followed the trail until just before the two wooden footbridges.

Off to the right through the trees, I could see the well-preserved stone foundations for the old mill.

Two footbridges beside the river cross the old mill race from the Cabe Mill.

I tromped around a bit, but couldn’t find a passable way to the mill ruins, so I continued on along the Cabelands trail beside the river.

Back on the trail, I followed the trail up toward the bluffs, now looking for the old cabin and the cemetery.

As I followed the marked trail uphill, and noticed a long flat area of land overlooking the lowlands below.

Daffodils cover the hillside where the old homestead used to be.

It turns out this was the site of the old John Cabe homestead, but nothing remains of the cabin.

Instead, only a field of daffodils appear in the Spring to mark the spot where Cabe’s daughters grew up playing in the yard.

I (reluctantly) left the daffodil-covered hillside and went in search of the Cabe Cemetery.

I was just about to give up, when I saw what looked like an unmarked trail to the right of the “official” path.

I followed that path straight to an area dotted with old headstones, some illegible and in disrepair, but some easy to read even after all of the years in the forest.

Friday I led an 8-mile hike that combined the Company Mill and part of the Sycamore Trail in Umstead State Park.

MUT intersection with the Company Mill Trail.

I only carried 5 lbs extra on this hike, and went for speed – rain was forecast to start again at noon, and some of us had meetings to get to as well.

We ended up going about 4 mph!

Saturday the weather was pretty good all day, but I was waiting for some contractors at my house (which is another story!) so I had to settle for kickboxing and weights in my home gym.

Sunday I had posted an 8-10 mile hike, but it was forecast for 95% chance of cold rain (about 40 degrees) and 15-20mph gusting winds for the whole hike.

That really didn’t sound like much fun.

So I rescheduled the hike for next week, and spent a good long time hiking uphill indoors on my treadmill wearing 10lbs extra in a pack.

I hiked 3 miles with 1500ft elev gain in 45 mins, then another 2 miles in 35 mins descending 2162 ft. I’ll be ready for Mt Olympus in no time! 🙂

Next week, the weather forecast is much more normal.

Whatever that means around here…. But, no matter what, we know that:

Are you ready????

TAKEAWAY LESSON: The weather can have a big impact on your workout plans! Have a bad weather workout plan, check trail conditions before you head out, and don’t be afraid to wait for better conditions!

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 4: Don’t Get Stuck in the Middle (So Much Mud!)

Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

– – It’s Training Week 4!

That means that at the end of the week we’ll have been doing this stuff on purpose for a whole month. Woot! 🙂

I started on Monday with some yoga, and then joined Lenore and some other hikers in a moderate-paced 6.5 mile hike on Umstead State Park’s Company Mill Trail in the afternoon.

Trail crossing sign at the Company Mill Trail.

I carried 10 lbs extra in my pack to make it a bit more strength building for me.

It was a beautiful warm sunny afternoon, and we took full advantage of it before the rainy colder weather set in for the week.

Tuesday, I did an 8 mile hike, again in Umstead State Park, on a route designed to not be too muddy in the rain – this time on my own.

Kiosk and maps at a trail head in Umstead State Park.

I took advantage of being solo to hike at my own fastest pace and try a little bit of a different route than usual.

Wednesday was another cold rainy – and muddy! – day, so it was kickboxing and upper body weights day in my home gym.

Thursday was raining again, ALL DAY, so I went with the “rainy day” vibe and did a long yoga flow and uphill fast training hike on the treadmill in my home gym.

I missed the outdoors…but…so much mud!

Does the Surface You Hike on Matter?

Paved greenways are a great alternative for hikers, walkers and trail runners when natural trails aren’t available.

But be aware that paved surfaces have a different effect on your body than softer dirt trails.

“Concrete is the worst surface you can run on,” according to Joseph Herrera, DO, assistant professor of rehabilitation at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“In general, the softer the surface, the more joint-friendly it is,” says Dr. Herrera.

Uneven dirt or gravel trails also give you more balance exercise and work more of your core muscles naturally during your walk or run, so it’s a better workout.

Harder walking surfaces can be very hard on your knees, hips, and ankles. Be sure to choose the right footwear and stretch when you get home!

Blooming tree beside the House Creek Trail in Raleigh

Friday, I had posted a greenway hike at the North Carolina Museum of Art Park, and a bunch of great hikers joined me!

I prefer hiking natural trails, but I was in “mud avoidance” mode.

It was nice to go see what was happening at the NCMA Park, anyway.

They’ve always got something new going on.

We hiked the Park trails, crossed the I-440 pedestrian bridge, and then took a left on the House Creek Trail (also a paved greenway) for something a little bit different.

I’m not a fan of hiking more than a couple of miles on pavement, but when you get so much rain, it’s better for you (AND for the natural forest trails!) to stay away until they’ve had a little time to dry out.

Total distance was about 7.5-8 miles, and I had an extra 10 lbs in my pack.

Construction continues across the road from Schenk Forest.

I stopped by nearby Schenk Forest afterwards to see how the construction was progressing.

Good news! They’ve closed off the pasture again near the main forest road, so the horses are back 🙂

Saturday was another kickboxing and upper weights day for me.

And after that there was a short cold walk in the woods followed by some jamming with musical friends, homemade guac and chips, and beer!

What? I earned it 🙂 Read about how I Hike for Beer. You could do it too!

Coming off of the Company Mill trail onto the MUT. — Coming off of the Company Mill trail onto the MUT on Sunday.

Sunday morning, it was back to the woods!

Though half of the route was on the MUT trails inside the park to avoid most of the muddiness, it was still nice to get back to my favorite forest at Umstead State Park.

I spent a lot of time in Umstead this week – partly due to muddy conditions.

I’ll try to mix it up more next week.

A 6.5 mile hike Sunday morning with 10 extra lbs in my pack and a great groups of hiker friends was not a bad start to the day…

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

Mossy shelter at the Company Mill trailhead.

So, there we’ve done it! Week 4 is finished, with just another 4 weeks to go.

Harumph. I thought I’d be further along. This is getting kind of tedious…

The trick is to keep your goal (your ‘why”) in mind and keep on going! And also allow yourself to have some fun now and then.

Week 5 is next – with longer hikes, heavier weights, more uphill and more rain!! It should be lots of fun!

That Man and I a few years ago.... — Be Smoochy McSmoocherson when you get your sweetie a nice gift!

And I don’t mean that sarcastically.

Pretty sure…

Oh, and it’s also going to be Valentine’s Day pretty soon!

Look for snarky and fun gifts in the IRW MERCH SHOP Valentine’s Collection!

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Halfway there is also only halfway done – so don’t get stuck – keep going! But also take the time to reward yourself for hard work and celebrate your personal wins at any point in your fitness journey 🙂

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

Week 3: What is your “Why”? And don’t panic!

Most recently updated February 3rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

– – Awesome Training Week 3 got off to a great start with some yoga and kickboxing on Monday in my home gym.

Tuesday I led a 9ish mile hike in the morning at Umstead State Park , combining the Company Mill and Sycamore trails.

It was a cold sunny day, but sadly there was bad traffic so only half of my group made it to the hike!

We still had fun though, going at a good clip, and stopping to look at the carved tree art on the multi-use trail in the middle of the hike.

Then Jody showed me an alternative route for part of the return trip to the trailhead, so I learned something new, too 🙂

Wednesday I was kind of a slug. Seriously. But in my defense, I was really very busy panicking.

Detail of the carved tree art in Umstead State Park.

Why? Well, remember when we started this training, I hadn’t decided on my goal hike yet?

Usual “whys” for fitness goals can include feeling and looking better for life in general, or getting ready for a specific event – in my case, an ambitious epic hike!

I’ve been dithering about pulling the trigger on some international travel this year.

Hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand just before the pandemic.

My last international trip was to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand just days before the pandemic shutdown about 3 years ago.

I’ve stayed pretty local since then due to all of the travel restrictions and general airline weirdness.

This week, I finally made the decision to to take advantage of a January sale at my favorite sustainable travel company (read my page about it here.)

Hiking the Pyrenees in Spain a year before the pandemic.

Because it’s so expensive to fly now, I also decided to combine 2 of their week-long hike itineraries for the longest trip that I’ve taken in many years.

Aaaaand my “why” is… hiking Mount Olympus! In Greece!!!

Hiking Mt.Olympus From Refuge A to Skala Peak

The itinerary has us hiking from Prionia up along the E4 to a mountain refuge (6890ft) on the FIRST DAY, and spending the night.

The next day, we’ll hike from there to 2 summits -Skala (9455ft) and Skolio (9550ft) – and then ALL THE WAY back down the E4 from there to Prionia. (See AllTrails description of the summits route.)

Seriously, my knees hurt just thinking about it.

So, immediately after committing and sending the down-payment, I began to worry I’d taken on too much.

So, Wednesday was spent kind of freaking out.

Why? Because the Mount Olympus hikes are just the beginning.

I also want to be in good enough shape afterwards to do the rest of the trip (and enjoy it)!

But then, I took some time and translated the original hike descriptions from km=miles and meters=feet so I could relate better.

Meteora Hiking Tour — I get to hike to the monasteries in Meteora! How cool is that?

Here’s the rest of the trip’s hike itinerary AFTER the Mt Olympus hikes and summits in the first two days (translated to miles and feet):

Mt Olympus (Day 1-2)	Miles	Elev gain/loss	Est hike time
Day 3: Meteora	5 miles	2548ft	3 hours
Day 4: Zagori Mountain	9.3 miles	1765ft	6 hours
Day 5: Vikos Gorge	7.5 miles	984 ft	6-7 hours
Day 6: Travel to Corfu/rest	Miles
Day 7: Stavros-Pelekas	10.6 miles	2133ft	6 hours
Day 8: Giannades-Lakones	8.7 miles	1800ft	5 hours
Day 9: FREE DAY!!! Opa!
Day 10: Angelokastro-Afionas	10 miles	1312ft	5.5 hours
Day 11: Spartilas-NE Coast	9.3 miles	1968ft	6.5 hours

I stopped hyperventilating long enough to compare these hikes to some I’ve done pretty recently closer to home.

View from the trail in the New River Gorge last Summer.

It was then I realized that the projected “miles per hour” on the trip is MUCH slower than I ever go, even on the steepest or longest local hikes.

With that in mind, the freakout dissipated a bit.

I hiked the Triple Crown in Virginia! It's a group of three hikes - Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs - that can be done individually or tackled all together as a backpacking trip. — I hiked the Triple Crown in Virginia a couple of years ago! It’s a group of three hikes – Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs – that can be done individually or all together as a 40-ish mile backpacking trip.

Nothing much needs to change with my training except to increase the degree of elevation gain.

So if I do that and also practice rock some scrambling before the trip, I should be fine.

I could even revisit some of my vertically tougher local hikes, too, like summiting Old Ragin Shenandoah, or head back to the Smoky Mountains for a few days.

Resting at the summit of Mary's Rock in Shenandoah. — Resting at the summit of Mary’s Rock in Shenandoah National Park.

And maybe add some time on the “mountain climber” machine at the gym because it LITERALLY simulates what I’m going to be doing.

I feel much better now 🙂

Thursday started with a 9ish mile Saturday morning hike hosted by my friend Heidi on the Mountains to Sea Trail, at Falls Lake.

Specifically Hike N, which starts at the Cheek Rd MST Trailhead and goes to the Little Lick Creek Bridge.

Trees in the lake at the mid-point of the MST section hike from Baptist Rd trailhead. — Trees in the lake at the mid-point of the MST section hike from Baptist Rd trailhead, in Summer.

I do this hike frequently from the opposite direction, starting from the Rolling View side of the MST and going from there to the bridge.

It was interesting to come at this hike from a different angle, a beautiful sunny day, and a great group!

I only had a little bit of extra weight in my pack, so the 9ish mile hike was good exercise, but didn’t exhaust me too much!

Good thing, because I had a full day after that with That Man and Colleen (the prettiest puppy), hacking around outdoors and having a pretty great music rehearsal 🙂

Cyprus at Little Lick Creek bridge in winter.

The next day, Friday, I had scheduled a favorite 7-ish mile hike at Umstead State Park, this time on the Loblolly Trail going into Schenk Forest and the Reedy Creek Greenway.

This was to be my main “strength-building” hike for the week, so I had 10 extra lbs in my pack.

It was a great group of hikers and a beautiful day!

Kickboxing in my home gym with my little bro!

Saturday was kickboxing and weights in my home gym before meeting That Man for a frozen (but sunny) test drive on the lake in a pontoon boat.

We bundled up for a sunny chilly day on the water.

I know, in January, really??? But why not? We bundled up 🙂

The next day Sunday, I led a great group hiking on the Eno river, starting from the Pump trail, crossing the river at the Guess Road bridge and continuing along the Sawmill Trail.

This was the trail I scouted last week and it was my first time taking a group on that trail. Everyone seemed to like it!

View of the old sawmill dam from the MST.

We did a out-and-back hike of about 8 miles total.

Next week’s weather forecast is for a LOT of rain.

But don’t panic!

We’ll find a way to get some exercise and time on the trail anyway, and I guarantee we’ll feel better about everything when it’s done.

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

Meanwhile, I’ve got to find out if my gym still has a Mountain-Climber machine….

One of the creek crossings on the Sawmill Trail.

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Don’t freak out if your goal seems unattainable, or the weather is against you! Break your problem down into small do-able chunks until you can see the best way to tackle it. And keep moving forward 🙂

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!

Week 2: Make Time for Fitness AND Fun

Most recently updated February 3rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

– – I began the second week of training on Monday – which happened to be Martin Luther King Jr day – leading a great small group of hikers on another 7.5 mile hike on the Loblolly trail into Schenk Forest.

I added another 5 lbs extra pack weight (to make 10 lbs total extra) to make it a “strength training” hike for me.

Service project on MLK Jr Day at Umstead State Park

A lot of people get MLK Jr day as a work holiday, while others choose to use it as a day to get outdoors.

Others do a service project in honor of King’s ideas.

The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr Day is a US federal holiday honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983.

King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work, and at the time was the youngest person to have done so.

He was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 39 in Memphis, Tennessee. Sunday would have been King’s 95th birthday.

“Judge people not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

King preached against racial prejudice and political injustice, a warning politicians and political extremists should still heed today, more than ever.

Other people combined day of service with getting outdoors, as we saw at Umstead State Park on Monday.

Hiking to get in shape is great when you have a day off or on the weekends, but you may be frustrated when you have very limited free time.

It’s true, hiking can be very time-consuming, especially if you:

- - Take longer hikes or
  - Go at a slower pace, or have to
  - Drive any distance to get to a trail.

If you’re constrained by office hours and caring for children, it can seem almost impossible to have time for any kind of fitness training! Believe me, I get it.

A view of Jordan Lake from the trail on the hike. — A view of Jordan Lake from the trail on the Wednesday hike.

I wrote an article about how I used to sneak fitness into the cracks of my life – maybe it will help.

Even if you can just sneak in 1 shorter hike and 1 longer hike per week, your hiking will still improve!

Tuesday was a kickboxing and weights day.

Wednesday was a great, beautiful, fun day!

It began with a 6-mile hike at Jordan Lake recreation area, on a trail I hadn’t seen for a while because it’s a longer drive from home for a regular workout hike.

But it was worth it to get together with some other hikers, led by my friends Heidi and Jody.

Anyway, this time I hiked it with 10 extra lbs in my pack again. Yay 🙂

Because it’s a longer drive, I decided to add another event on after the hike as long as I was down that way, and make a visit to the Carolina Sunshine Alpaca Farm.

(Carolina Sunshine took over the location after M&M Alpaca closed.)

Heidi joined me for the visit, and it was a lot of fun.

There aren’t so many animals in the herd right now – though they’re expecting more than 10 babies this summer! – but the alpaca that are on the farm all have a lot of character 🙂

This alpaca boy looks a little bit angry to me... — This alpaca boy looks a little bit angry to me…

For sure I’ll go back again after all of the babies arrive!

Thursday was another beautiful day, so I did some yoga, then took the weights out of my pack and set out to look for an old unmarked trail on the Eno River.

The dam at the West Point on the Eno park.

I started at the West Point on the Eno Park, and hiked a known trail along the river for a while, then set off to explore!

I found a trail that looked used, though it wasn’t marked.

The Old Sawmill Trail goes right along the river.

It traveled along the river, and was supposed to only be about a mile long, but kept going.

Time finally made me turn around, but I’ll hike that trail again for sure, and maybe take it all the way to the end!

Friday I led a favorite 9ish mile hike out at Falls Lake on the white-blazed Mountains to Sea Trail, which will lead you all the way to Falls Lake Dam if you take it that far.

Later I did another 3-ish miles on the MST in the other direction with That Man and the puppy.

So Saturday was a rest day. 🙂

Sunday had been forecast to rain all day, and lately I’ve started to hate indoor workouts, so I decided to have some fun with it!

I posted a 6-mile Rain Hike on the dirt and gravel multi-use trails in Umstead State Park.

The idea was that we would hike in the rain on purpose and test out our rain gear. (I put the extra 10 lbs back into my pack for this hike.)

Well, we did it, and it was fun – and most of us only got wet on the outside!

So……drumroll please… 39+ miles of hiking this week! Not a bad Week 2, though I kind of slacked off with the kickboxing.

Happy New Year 2023 — Every day is a new opportunity – keep it going!

But I’m still good with the New Year goals, and (so far) I’m still doing better than the 11% who quit before the end of the first month.

Tell you what, though, the motivation really flags sometimes – strangely enough it’s worse when I have a lot of time.

Like if there’s no urgency, I have the leisure to procrastinate until there’s no time left. Not good.

Buddha Quote: "The trouble is, you think you have time." — Buddha Quote: “The trouble is, you think you have time.”

I think if you’re having trouble doing the exercise you’re “supposed to” be doing, you need to forget about that, and seize any opportunity to work out that seems more fun – so you’ll actually do it.

Whatever gets you moving is your best workout option!

TAKEAWAY LESSON: The right workout is one that you not only have the opportunity to do, but actually want to do. So be ready to seize the day and try make your workouts fun!

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

Alpaca having a discussion at the Carolina Sunshine.

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!

Week 1: Resolutions and Hope for the Future

Most recently updated February 3rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 2.3 minutes

– – I started the Awesome hike training again this past Monday, with some yoga followed by a Dam hike (that’s a moderate-paced 7-miler to the Dam and back).

This hike was on the MST at Falls Lake in the warm sunshine with friends, led by my hiker friend Heidi.

The day before I’d led a brisk 9-mile fitness hike in the morning cold, so a warmer “moderate” hike sounded like a great idea!

Well, Heidi was extra-energetic, so the pace was a bit MORE than moderate! (Maybe it was the sunshine.) But it was still fun 🙂

Looking down at the Eno River from the trail.

Tuesday was another 7.5 miles hike, this time on part of the MST trail on the Eno river. I also added 5 lbs extra weight to my pack.

It was a cold morning, so my hike group had dwindled to just myself and one other stalwart hiker by hike time.

That’s fine – in fact, it was so pretty we took advantage of it being “just us” to hike an extra 1.5 miles along the river.

Wednesday I took as a very light, almost rest day, because at that point I realized I’d already hiked ~25 miles in the previous 4 days, and had committed to another 20 before the end of the week.

Last year I found out the hard way that over-doing can screw up your whole season!

So just some yoga and upper body weights.

Besides, it was That Man’s birthday, so we took the afternoon off and went to check out Zinc House, a new brewery/winery in the Falls Lake area.

It was a good day to visit, because we had the place mostly to ourselves, and got a chance to meet Muskie, the owner’s golden retriever, who was making his rounds and getting pets 🙂

Fountain at the Zinc House winery and brewery

Most Common New Year’s Resolutions

Even if you aren’t doing the Awesome training because of a New Year’s resolution, there’s something about the start of a new year that causes people to commit (or re-commit) to some goals for improvement.

So, what do people want to change about themselves and their lives?

A Forbes Health/OnePoll survey found the most popular resolutions for 2023 to be (in order of most to least common):

- - Improved mental health (45%)
  - Improved fitness (39%)
  - Lose weight (37%)
  - Improved diet (33%)
  - Improved finances (30%)

Some less popular resolutions include stop smoking (14%), learn a new skill (12%) and make time for hobbies (11%).

Fitness, weight and diet were all on my radar this year – and every year! What about you?

Thursday I led a (small but feisty) group on the Lake Trail and greenways in Bond Park and all the way to Davis Drive park and back.

I chose this route for strength training, because it’s pretty flat and can be a good choice after a recent rain.

Friday I joined a fun exploratory hike led by another hiker friend, Michael, in search of a lost quarry in Eno State Park.

I still had 5lbs extra weight in my pack for mild strength training.

The hike was about 8 miles altogether, with around half (I think) off trail, and some hills.

Off-trail is harder hiking, carefully choosing your steps to avoid rocks and potholes hidden under fallen leaves, and lifting your knees high over the grasses and other obstacles.

And of course, finding your way back.

But we did find the quarry (and our way back) and had a lot of fun doing it!

View of a cut in the quarry from the bottom.

Saturday was cold and rainy, so I did my kickboxing and weightlifting indoors and called it good.

What Percentage of New Year’s Resolutions Fail?

The second Friday in January has been nicknamed “Quitter’s Day”, which might give us a clue 😉

And the joke with fitness friends is that machine lines at the gym will for sure be back to normal by March.

Sadly, it’s not really a joke.

One survey (of those who responded) found that:

- - 11% lasted less than a month.
  - 19% made it at least one month,
  - 14% made it at least three months,
  - 11% made it at least six months, and only
  - 55% kept their resolution from 6 months-year.

Ugh! That’s kind of discouraging – on the other hand, it’s more than I expected.

So, if you just keep doing something for at least 6 months – even if you start from scratch every day – you’re still doing better than half of the people!

That means if you just have persistence, and hope to do better in the future, you’ve already won 🙂

Sunday, I had a great group of hikers join me on the 6.5 mile Company Mill Trail in Umstead State Park – despite temps in the 20’s to start!

This trail has some noticeable hills, especially right toward the end (ugh!) so it’s a great training hike. (I still had an extra 5lbs in my pack.)

We also ran into a huge number of blackbirds flocked to a single tree in the middle of the forest. We only saw them because of how loud they were!

I’d never seen that in the forest before, and it was probably due to the very cold temps.

Blackbirds congregate for warmth, to find food, and keep an eye out for predators.

This week, I also did long-form yoga or at least stretches every day. And as for my diet… I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll do better next week 😉

And now at the end of the week… drum roll, please…

I’m pretty much the same.

Well, crap.

Hikers at the lost quarry site we found in Eno State Park.

Logically, I know it will take longer than a week to see or feel any difference.

It’s okay, though. As my kickboxing instructor says, “If you’re moving, you’re doing it!” And tomorrow is another day!

But here’s the thing:

You DO have to do the work – or at least some of it – every day.

- - Even if it’s boring, painful, inconvenient or all of those.
  - Even if you start over every single day.

It’s just going to take a while.

So, on to the next hike – which is tomorrow morning 🙂

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Patience and hope for the future is required for training, and instant gratification is never fast enough!!

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

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.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!

The Awesome Year of the Trail

Most recently updated February 3rd, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

Starting next week, as I have for the past 3 years, I’ll be spending 8 weeks training for an awesome epic hike.

I don’t know yet what hike that will be, but in any case it’s a good idea to be ready to hit the trails before Spring break and definitely before Summer vacations begin.

In fact, now that they (“they” are the NC General Assembly) have designated 2023 to be “The Year of the Trail” in North Carolina, the trails will likely be more popular than ever.

I hiked the Flat Top Tower Trail in Moses H Cone Memorial park on the Blue Ridge Parkway this past summer. I found it by accident while hiking nearby Grandfather mountain, and I'm so glad I did! Read about the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cone Memorial Park, this hike and other local attractions, and how you can visit too. #Idratherwalk #Hiking — Hikers on the Flat Top Tower Trail in Moses H Cone Memorial park on the Blue Ridge Parkway this past summer.

The big challenge from NC State Parks and Rec is for people to walk 100 miles within the coming year.

One hundred miles in a year is not really a problem for regular hikers (I usually hike ~30+ miles per week) so while all of the trails will be busier, it’s safe to say the shorter, easier, and easier to get to beginner-level trails will likely be the most crowded.

All the more reason to train up to tackle more ambitious trails, both locally and in your Bucket List locations!

The Holidays are just now winding down... — The Holidays are just now winding down…

The holiday season is just now winding down, so this past week I started to focus on getting back to my normally pretty disciplined training routine.

That routine includes several hikes per week – and starting next week I’ll post the training hikes on my hiking Meetup, so you can hike with me!

And of course, there’s weight training and cardio each week, with stretching every day.

Hiking down - and up! - 820 steps at the Kaymoor Miners Trail in New River Gorge NP. — Hiking down – and up! – 820 steps at the Kaymoor Miners Trail in New River Gorge NP.

Over the next couple of weeks, along with more focused and increased physical training, I’ll also try to clean up my diet.

Because of my asthma, I’ve adopted a “clean” diet ( you can read about my Anti-Asthma Diet here ) that focuses more on protein and veggies, and less on dairy, breads and grains.

And no more Holiday cheese platters!

Combined with intermittent fasting, this diet works pretty well for just about anyone, whether you’ve got asthma or not!

Luckily, I live within walking distance of a couple of different grocery stores, so I’ve also decided to walk to the store for smaller trips (that don’t include cat litter), and carry groceries home in my back pack.

Carrying your groceries on your back gives a whole new meaning to “eating light” 🙂

I just finished making a checklist/tracker to help everyone measure their hike progress, available now on the IRW Merch Shop! See below:

NEW: Track Your “Awesome” Progress at Home!

You’ll get instructions and three printable trackers:

- Your Hike Plan Worksheet
- Daily & Weekly Workouts
- Weekly Meals tracker

Click Here to Order!

A download link in your confirmation email let’s you get started right away. Happy training! LJ

(Or, you could subscribe and download the pdf for FREE here.)

Anyway, gotta go sweat. See you next time!

Hiking on the Brumley Mountain trail in Virginia.

TAKEAWAY LESSON: Any diet (and possibly strength training) begins in the grocery store!!

I hope you’ll find my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!

Re-Imagined Galleries at the NCMA – Open Now!

Most recently updated October 8th, 2023

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

The NCMA Gallery is Re-Opening!

To celebrate the re-opening (and “re-imagining”) of the North Carolina Museum of Art’s newly updated collection galleries, the Museum is kicked off an opening weekend October 7-October 9 with a whole host of activities each day.

Newly updated collections open to the public this weekend at NCMA.

Though the celebration is over, the updated galleries and collections are still there to enjoy and explore!

The People's Collection got a major facelift! — The People’s Collection got a major facelift!

I was excited to receive an invitation to a Press preview of the “re-imagined” galleries earlier this week, and I have to say, I was both relieved and impressed.

Relieved because whenever someone uses the word “re-imagined” – most notably when doing a remake of a beloved movie classic of the 80s or 90s – the result is usually a disappointment.

And impressed because I’m happy to report that is NOT the case with the re-imagined collections and galleries at the NC Museum of Art!

One of the new spaces to explore in the West building.

Continue reading Re-Imagined Galleries at the NCMA – Open Now!

Week 9: Bonus! (A.K.A. Training Never Stops)

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Week 9 Training is a bonus!

Mostly because when we last left our training in Week 8, I was trying to work myself back from total lameness.

And, actually, that’s going pretty well. 🙂

But, to save myself from myself, I didn’t post my usual weekend hikes on my Meetup.

Well, actually, it was to save myself from my regular hikers, who have grown to expect high-paced longer hikes from me – and I just can’t NOT do that when I’m with them!

So, instead on Saturday I did some yoga, and then joined my friend Douglas for a shorter more moderately-paced hike on the Sal’s Branch Trail in Umstead State Park.

Sal's Branch trail is adjacent to Big Lake in Umstead State Park. — Sal’s Branch trail is adjacent to Big Lake in Umstead State Park.

Sunday was a rainy day so I did the kickboxing (minus hi-impact) and upper body weights again.

Escape to the Beach

In an effort to do something fun, use some expiring hotel points – and still avoid hurting myself – I decided to take myself down the Coast to Myrtle Beach for a few days.

I like the beach in the Winter, when it’s less crowded and you can walk the beach for miles without suffering heat stroke 😉

This isn’t my first mid-Winter escape to the beach.

The Fountain of Youth in St Augustine is surrounded by peacocks!

Last February (when it was raining like Noah was still afloat) I drove all the way to St. Augustine, FL then made my way back up with stops at Hilton Head, and a lovely weekend visit at St Simon’s Island.

Visiting a historical cemetery on St Simon's Island. — Visiting a historical cemetery on St Simon’s Island.

In this part of the world, there are many beaches to choose from – and lots of hiking and walking opportunities at each one.

I’ve written about a few of them:

- Hiking Cannon’s Point Preserve on St Simon’s Island.
- Hiking the beach at Fort Macon State Park.
- Hiking the longest trail at First Landing State Park.

I’m sure I’ll also get around to writing something about walking and hiking around Myrtle Beach soon, too 🙂

Monday I did some more kickboxing and weights, then loaded the car and hit the road!

On the way down the coast, I stopped at Bird Island on Sunset Beach, home of the famous Kindred Spirit Mailbox.

At about 2.25 miles down the beach from the 39th Street public access, I did find the mailbox.

I also found a Memorial to one of the mailbox founders, and a couple of benches.

The Kindred Spirit Mailbox and benches, about 2 miles form the last Public Beach Access. — The Kindred Spirit Mailbox and benches, about 2 miles from the last Public Beach Access.

What’s the Kindred Spirit Mailbox?

For over 35 years, a small black mailbox printed with the words “Kindred Spirit” has stood in the dunes on the shore of Bird Island, an uninhabited island at the west end of Sunset Beach, NC.

The Mailbox first appeared in 1981 on a small sandspit near Tubbs Inlet between Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle.

For a many years, visitors had to wade across Mad Inlet to Bird Island at low tide to reach the mailbox, but since then several large hurricanes changed the location of the box and the island’s surrounding waterways.

Most stories say the mailbox was first put up after the Kindred Spirit saw a mirage of a mailbox on the shore during low tide.

This vision inspired them to plant a mailbox, with a communal notebook inside, so visitors could leave a message.

The mailbox caught on quickly, and many visitors used the mailbox to express their hopes and thoughts, even saving the island with their handwritten pleas.

Once a prime target for resort development, Bird Island is now a Nature Preserve operated by the State.

The original placement of the mailbox was done by Claudia Sailor -the Kindred Spirit – a woman from Hope Mills, NC.

She maintained the mailbox in secret along with Frank Nesmith (the mailbox co-founder) since its inception.

Memorial to one of the Kindred Spirit co-founders.

Sailor passed away in 2013, so local author Jacqueline DeGroot recruited a team of volunteers to help watch over the landmark.

Nesmith preserved Claudia’s life work by having the notebooks (over 30 years worth) accepted into UNCW’s William Madison Randall Library.

The collection now numbers over 500 journals, and is still growing! Each summer DeGroot brings the handwritten notes, prayers, and letters to UNCW to add to the collection.

Along with the messages that saved Bird Island, many of the personal thoughts and hopes left in the mailbox are now published on the Kindred Spirit’s website.

Access Sunset Beach from the last Public Beach Access to get to the mailbox.

After a quick sit-down for some water (and nuts and berries) I continued the rest of the way down to the Point.

I didn’t write a note for the mailbox – THIS is my message!

It was only another .25 miles or so – then I turned around and made my way back to my car (for a total of ~5 miles beach hiking) and got to my lodgings just ahead of sundown.

Tuesday was supposed to be a cloudy, cold day, so I hadn’t planned any big excursions.

Luckily for me, it turned out to be another beautiful warmish sunny day!!

Bonus Good-Weather Day!!!

So after some yoga and breakfast, I hit the road again, this time to visit Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve.

Rumor had it (okay, it was Alltrails) that there was a 4 mile hike there that would be different than the beach.

Well, rumor – and Alltrails – had it wrong.

Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve entry.

I showed up and went inside the park gate, and the road was just a simple dirt track cut out of the forest.

I kept driving to see if there was a Visitor’s Center or something, maybe some trailhead signs.

Nope. Finally after a few miles, I saw a white pickup parked along the road, so I pulled up and rolled down my window to talk to the folks inside.

The whole Preserve looked like this, basically.

The two young women (and their dogs) said that the place was basically a hunting preserve, and that you could walk the fire-breaks, but they’d just done that and found some bear scat.

Hmmmm. There HAD been a sign that said all visitors were required to wear Blaze Orange during deer hunting season…

But it was the bear scat that was the deal-breaker. I decided to head for Huntington Beach State Park instead.

I first visited the Park on my last trip to the area about 6 months ago, so I already had a general idea of the layout.

Hiking down the beach towards the Jetty at Huntington Beach State Park.

This time, I specifically wanted to do the hike to the Jetty, which is usually frequented more by Birders, but at ~ 6miles it’s also one of the longer available hikes in the area.

With all of the screwing around with the driving and not-hiking at the Preserve place, it was almost 2pm by the time I reached Huntington.

I was concerned I wouldn’t have time to finish the Jetty hike before they closed at 6pm – but I did it, and it was sooo worth it!

View from the Jetty back down the beach.

Wednesday I decided to stick around near where I was staying, because traffic in Myrtle is already heavy (in February!), and I didn’t want to waste any more beach time stuck in my car.

So I started with 45 mins of yoga, then did a quick 10 miles (!) on the beach right outside my door.

The beach I didn't have to drive to was also very nice! — The beach I didn’t have to drive to was also very nice!

I really hadn’t meant to hike that far, but I was in the zone. Later, I accidentally hiked 3 more miles. Oops. 🙂

Thursday was more yoga and a quick 3 mile beach walk, and then I scampered up the Coast to home again.

A view from the Jetty on the Marsh side.

Friday I had posted my first Meetup hike in a week or so, just the 6.5 mile Company Mill trail in Umstead State Park.

I had a great group of hikers join me, and we went at a good clip!

I was wearing ankle and knee compression for a little help, and I’m happy to say I didn’t have any issues 🙂

Later, That Man and the puppy joined me for another 4 mile urban hike – and we discovered a new pub!

Not sure if the cider and stout canceled out the exercise, but anyway, it’s nice to have another dog-friendly pub within walking distance.

So that winds up Week 9.

But, here’s the deal: training never really stops.

You can focus it more by training for a specific race or hike, or to get in shape for:

- your daughter’s wedding,
- or a school reunion,
- or your next doctor visit.

But that’s not the real goal.

More than tuning up for a single event, we train to be fit enough to enjoy our lives and activities every day.

TAKEAWAY LESSON: We’re really training for life. We all want to be able to do whatever we want to – both ordinary and extraordinary things – for as long as we can. And have fun doing it!

See you next time 🙂

Hiking the Jetty at Huntington Beach State Park.

I hope you’ll find my Training Log ramblings to be helpful- or at least amusing! 🙂 To see more of them go to my Training Log.

You could also take a look at my 8 Weeks to Awesome Training Plan post, if you want to see what kind of training I’m doing.

Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ

To get New Idratherwalk Posts
sent directly to your inbox (how convenient!) Click this Button!