A few of us are planning to do the SBM End-to-End in April, and so the training for it has begun. Yesterday we did a hike in Harriman from Arden along the Red Cross trail up to the Bear Mountain Inn, about 16 miles. I'm not sure what the elevation gain was, as I didn't set my watch properly. The trail was hilly at first, flat in the middle, then very steep up and down the Timp, leveling off at the very end.
The hike showed me, if nothing else, that I'm not ready for the SBM yet - I was in no mood to hike eight more miles when we finished. I hit a wall going up the Timp, in part due to insufficient hydration, and while some water and a protein bar helped, it's clear I need to be in better shape.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the hike. I prefer hiking Harriman in the winter, because you can see the bones of the land when the leaves are off the trees. The trail we were on would be dull most of the summer because all you would see is a green haze - although it would be nice during laurel blossom in June. There were some nice ponds and a view or two, but otherwise it was a hike that didn't hit you over the head with scenery.
No comments:
Post a Comment