Heading on up to the Bronx

I had told myself that come July, as long as NYC was still on the right track, I'd try taking the subway.

So I put a bandana on over my mask and hopped on the 1 train up to Van Cortlandt Park. The train was relatively empty, even though it was "rush hour" - albeit the wrong direction. Everyone masked up and kept a social distance.



I spent the morning pulling up mugwort, then took a short hike. The hike was not particularly notable for its route or length, only 4.5 miles. However, I did get to see the brand-new goats!

Perhaps it was my imagination, but the animals seemed to be more abundant - I saw a bunny, and an infinite number of chipmunks. And it definitely wasn't my imagination that the Putnam Trail was now paved. It was still closed off, because the project isn't finished, but the paving is there.



I discovered that I am not in great shape, as the mugwort left me incredibly sore. However, I already knew I wasn't in great shape from Sunday, when I biked seven miles and burned out my quads. Note to self, walking isn't strength training ...

However, it was absolutely exciting to get to a place I haven't been in months, and even the less wild sections of the park looked amazing after the manicured parks near me.

As long as our COVID rates stay low and the trains are empty, I feel safe taking the subway maybe once a week. I'm nervous about traveling too long, or multimodally, still, and and all of this will change if infection rates start to rise again in NYC.