One thing that I should mention is that it was early May when we went on this adventure. At this time of year, it is still cool at the base of the mountain. I believe that we started out with temperatures in the low 50's. However, as you work your way up the mountain above the treeline, the weather changes dramatically. At the top of the mountain, the temperatures are in the 30's with high winds and there is still snow from the previous winter. Luckily, my friends told me this already and I was dressed for the climate change.
So we started up the mountain and the hike was going fine. The hike invigorated me and I was started to get over the effects of the hangover. The first couple hours were no problem. It was an incredibly beautiful view as we worked our way along the path. No major problems so far.....

After a few hours of drunken sleep, I woke up to a nice hangover. After eating breakfast, we headed over to the mountain. For those of you who don't know, Mount Washington, at 6,288 feet, Mount Washington claims the title of the Northeast's highest peak. One thing that it is famous for is the number of deaths which have occurred on the mountain. It was an imposing site as we looked up at what lie ahead of us.
So we finished packing our gear by adding beer to the backpacks and not a single bottle of water(major, major mistake). Oh, we didn't actually have a map or a firm understanding of the trail. The leader of our group told us that he already knew the trail and we could just follow it up the mountain ( mistake #?, I'm losing count) . Now, we were smart enough to have good boots and several layers of clothes. It's about the only thing that we did right that day.

Mount Washington Hike

A few years ago, I was invited to go hiking up Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Being from Pittsburgh, my first thought was of the Mount Washington that rises above the Pittsburgh skyline, a nice hike but not all that difficult. I was going on the hike with some friends who had hiked Mount Washington in the past who said that it was a tough hike but assured me that they had everything under control. (First mistake - trust others without doing any research in advance).

At the time, I was living in Connecticut so we took the beautifully scenic drive up to New Hampshire. Our plan was that we were going to stay in a Bed and Breakfast at the base of the mountain. We arrived there early in the evening, so we decided to go to a local bar and have a drink. Well, one drink led to another and another... Being young and unattached at the time, I had no problem with going out and having a good time. We noticed that a band set up their equipment at the bar and soon the crowd became larger. After a night of dancing and drinking, we got back to the bed and breakfast at about three in the morning (mistake number 2). It was then that I was informed that we were to get up at 6 AM for the 8+ hour hike. Yikes!

I wasn't able to go on a hike in the woods over the weekend but I kept my legs in shape by going with my son and his friend to the Pittsburgh Zoo for "Zoo Boo". It was about 5 hours of trying to keep up with two 8 year olds! There were times were the kids were at a full sprint. Therefore, I'm classifying this under the hike category.

The Pittsburgh Zoo did a great job of fixing up the place for Halloween. There was trick or treat stands, pumpkin painting, a haunted house and a haunted train ride. Most of the animal were out as well. My son had a stuffed polar bear with him as we walked up to the snow leopard. The leopard was on the hill and saw the bear. It came running up to the glass to see the bear. My son just froze in place as the leopard stopped at the glass. My wife said that it was looking for a friend. I said that it was more likely that it was looking for dinner. She got a great picture of the leopard which I'll have to share. If you have young children, I'd definitely recommend this event. However, bring a good pair of tennis shoes so that you can keep up with the kids!

Some of you may be thinking that this wasn't a real hike. However, I'd argue that anytime that you get out and achieve this much aerobic walking and enjoy the day, it should be considered a hike. It's not the miles that you put in or the location, it's the enjoyment that you get out of it that determines whether or not it's a great hike.

Another great trail at Moraine State Park is the Glacier Ridge Trail. It's located in the North Shore area. I start on the entrance which is about a half mile past the bike rental area. The entrance is located on the left side of the road. Once you get on the trail, you pass through a beautiful field that has a variety of plants and wild flowers that are indigenous to this region. You then start going uphill through a region loaded with evergreen trees. I always take an extra moment to stop, relax and smell the wonderful pine smell coming off of the trees. No air freshener in the world can match the true smell that nature provides.
The next area is a wooded area that rises up the hillside. As you walk down the other side of the hill , the hill can be somewhat tricky depending upon the weather conditions. If it's rained a lot in the past few days, you will run into some fairly wet, slick areas. At the bottom of the hill, you'll pass over a small bridge which takes you through another field loaded with plants and flowers. Depending upon how much of a hike that you are interested in you can continue on for several more miles.
I love this trail for a variety of reasons. You will see a great variety of plants and trees throughout the trail , the trail has some regions which are a little tougher than a walk in the park. But what I really love about this trail is the fact that there is a considerable region where you don't hear anything except the nature going on around you. No sounds of car, buses, people or anything. It's a rare area around here where you can go on a hike and not hear the sounds of motor vehicles.

Last week, I was able to head out to one of my favorite local hikes at Moraine State Park. Moraine is a beautiful park north of Zelienople PA that has Lake Arthur in the center of the park. I like a particular walk which starts near the South Shore of the Lake called the Sunken Garden trail. The trail winds along the edge of the Lake and up a hill with a variety of trees that are found in Western PA. and then returns close to the ranger station.

It was a beautiful fall day with the colors of the trees near peak. We were lucky to get in a couple more days of warm sunny weather which made the hike a great pleasure. It was fairly early in the morning, so I was able to come across about 5 or 6 doe along the trail. Those of us living around this area get to see deer quite often but I never get tired of seeing the beauty of these animals. I ran into quite a few squirrel and chipmunks along the way as well. It was truly a fantastic hike. The colors were magnificent and you could really smell the leaves that have already started to fall. It was truly what a fall hike should be all about.

Introduction

Hello Everyone!

This is my first try at this blog so let me tell you a little about myself and what I hope to accomplish with this site. I'm from Western Pa outside of Pittsburgh and have hiked for many years. Obviously, many of my hiking experiences are from around this area but I've been lucky enough to travel around the US and some international destinations on some hikes. One thing that I'd like to do with this page is to tell you about the various hiking adventures that I've had through the years. My philosophy for hiking is simple. It doesn't matter how long the hike is, what matters is that you enjoy the scenery around you and you have fun. To me, hiking is more about the experience than the exercise. Exercise and staying in shape is a great byproduct of thehiking experience. I'm also always looking for some new hiking experiences so I hope to be able to tell you about some hikes that I'm planning out



I'll also be talking about hiking gear and hike preparation. As you probably know, preparation is the key to an enjoyable hike. I've made some dumb mistakes over the years due to lack of preparation which have gotten me into some predicaments. This blog will give me an opportunity to share tips on preparation and gear selection.