Location: Highland Recreation

Hiked with: Gary, Ian, Sam, Darby

Route/trail: Boardwalk trail starting at Teeple Lake

Weather: 42 degrees and partly cloudy

Duration: 3.47 miles, 1 hr. 10 min.

Sightings: many birds in the woods and grasses

Emotions, etc: It felt so good to be outside after several inside days, loved walking a trail I hadn't been on before and doing it with the family was the best.

Location: Highland Recreation Area

Hiked with: Gary

Route/trail: new path that starts at the entrance-not yet named

Weather: beautiful bright blue sky, crisp 50 degrees

Duration: 50 min. 3 miles

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: had to laugh at the steep incline sign....this teeny, tiny hill is nothing but the norm in Pittsburgh

Sightings: a snake crossing the road

Emotions, etc: Gary and I haven't done this together in months. It felt so very good.

Location: Proud Lake Recreation Area, MI

Hiked with: Gary and Darby

Route/trail: Wixom Loop

Weather: 80 and sunny

Duration:1 hr. 5 min., 2.82 miles

Altitudes/elevations/conditions:The trail was in such poor condition that we probably won't come back....trees down across the path in many places that had been there for quite a while

Sightings: lovely wildflowers

Emotions, etc: sad that this park that is so wonderful for kayaking isn't the same for hiking....cut the hike short due to the conditions

Location: Chatauqua State Park, Boulder, CO, on July 2, 2015

Hiked with: my family and my sister's family

Route/trail: headed toward number 3rd Flatiron but didn't go that far

Weather: hot under the sun, beautiful in the shade

Duration: 3.5 miles

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: 25% rather rocky trails 

Sightings: too many people due to it being a holiday weekend....would love to go back on a week day

Gear/food: water, almonds

Emotions, etc: It felt so good to be back in the Rockies! I was challenged by the heat in some places and the rocky path in others. I could have done without the heat but liked being physically stretched. We spanned the ages of 11-51 and this was a good hike for the variety of ages and abilities.

Location: Roaring Run Trail, Champion, PA (6.6.15)

Hiked with: a group of friends that when we all used to live in Pittsburgh we met regularly for fellowship, Bible study and fun. 

Route/trail: Roaring Run Trail in the Roaring Run Natural Area

Weather: mild summer day, sunny

Duration: 3.17 miles, 1 hr. 28 min.

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: muddy paths at times from the rain the night before, a few hills

Sightings: The end of the tulip tree blossoms, a garter snake

Emotions, etc: It was wonderful to be back in the PA woodlands so close to where I spent many childhood summers in Ligonier, PA. And the icing on the cake was being with such dear friends.

Location:Highland Recreation Area

Hiked with: myself and a podcast from OnBeing

Route/trail: Haven Hill Trail

Weather: overcast, 40 degrees

Duration: 2 miles, 30 minutes

Sightings: a heron, many ducks, and a person using a leaf blower (boo hiss)

Emotions, etc: felt good to start the week in the woods despite it being overcast

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Hiked with: Gary

Route/trail: Seawall from the convention center through Stanley Park and then back through the city

Weather: 62 and sunny with a light breeze

Duration: all day (Sunday, 4.19.15), 21 miles

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: mostly flat

Sightings: sailboats, skulls, yachts and ships, seagulls, totem poles, mountains, ocean, an amazing bridge, a working canon and fires at 9 p.m. everyday, a seal, amazing public art in large ways of sculpture but also in small pieces like the manhole covers decorated with native peoples symbols, masses of tulips, friendly people

Gear/food: a lunch stop for Mongolian bar-b-que and an afternoon recharge from locally made gelato

Emotions, etc: what a treat to have an entire day like this...was so relaxed

 

Location: West Bloomfield Nature Preserve

Hiked with: Gary

Route/trail: the loop

Weather: sunny, 60 degrees

Duration: 2.4 miles, 46 min.

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: hilly for Michigan, crushed gravel paths

Sightings: more like a "hearing"....many noisy frogs

Emotions, etc: Being outside today was so therapeutic. The walk was reminiscent of being in the woods in Pennsylvania. I would like to come back later in the spring to see the baby Blue Heron's

Location: Dodge Park V

Hiked with: myself

Weather: 52 degrees and not a cloud in sight

Duration: 45 min. -didn't track the miles

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: a little muddy

Sightings: bits of green emerging from the brush and children on the playground

Emotions, etc: so filled with energy and happiness to visit the park for the first time since it turned really cold...ready for spring!

Location: the outlying roads of our neighborhood

Hiked with:Gary

Weather: sunny, 49 degrees

Duration: 2.64 miles, 45 minutes

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: some paved roads, some gravel, a few hills (Michigan style)

Sightings: went into our woods to retrieve a soccer ball that has emerged from the snow melt and discovered green plants! 

Emotions, etc: joyful anticipation that spring is around the corner

Location: LaCroix, Haiti (actually took place 3.1.15)

Hiked with: American and Haitian friends

Route/trail: Highway One to several family clusters of homes

Weather: 90's and sunny

Duration: a couple of hours, a couple of miles

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: fairly flat, rugged

Sightings: chickens, motorcycles, goats, taptap's (taxis), many people, laundry being dried on cactus, much trash (no garage removal services in Haiti), and several people calling out "Jenny" or "Darby's Mama" "Bonjou"

Gear/food: water, hat

Emotions, etc: humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude and joy as we went to see artist friend, Jimmy's studio and then were invited to see where a friend Jesamine lives and to meet her extended family. 

Location: Highland Recreation State Park

Hiked with: Gary and Sarah

Route/trail: Past Teeple lake and the small sledding zone

Weather: overcast and 35 degrees

Duration: 2.56 mils in 59 minutes

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: trails covered with snow which wasn't all packed down. This allowed for a better work out than normal.

Sightings: kids sledding

Emotions, etc: Happy to have a Pittsburgh friend along for the journey!

Location: Dauner Martin Nature Association Trails, Fenton, MI

Hiked with: Gary-don't let the pic deceive you, he did put his phone away!

Route/trail: Yellow and part of the blue...the trails were well marked and we should go back to explore during other seasons

Weather: 34 degrees and sunny but we could see the impending snow storm rolling in from the distance

Duration: 1.96 miles, 40 minutes

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: mostly flat but totally snow covered yet easy to navigate because of the cross country skiers that had packed the path

Sightings: deer and a few blades of green grass

Emotions, etc: Looking forward to spring when these walks can be longer yet the woods were so beautiful today and it was great to have Gary's company. Glad we took the time because tomorrow we'll probably be shoveling the snow from that storm that is headed our way!

Location: the neighborhood

Hiked with: myself

Weather: 25 degrees but absolutely glorious because of the sunshine

Duration:  just 30 minutes (doesn't really qualify as a hike)

Altitudes/elevations/conditions: mostly clear paved road with patches of ice

Sightings: the birds are starting to sound different as uf they are beckoning spring

Gear/food: tried out my new extra warm mittens. They work!

Emotions, etc: after several weeks of walking only on the treadmill this was such a treat.

Location: the neighborhood

Hiked with: my dear husband

Route/trail: the main loop plus three circles

Weather: 29 degrees, cloudy

Duration: 32 min., 1.97 miles

Sightings: so many different animal tracks in the snow....I want to learn who they belong to

Emotions, etc: it felt so good to engage in this little walk after the busyness of the holidays, being under the weather and the bitter cold of the last week.