Update 10/31/2020 #2
We did it!!!! We hiked 50 miles for #HikeOctober! One final push this evening sent us over the finish line, and by hiking over 10 miles today I won't feel at all guilty for consuming way to much Halloween candy tonight. (pro tip: buy the candy you like and keep the lights out so you get it all to yourself) Thank you for coming along on our fundraising hiking adventure. Not only did we get to spend every weekend outside enjoying the best of New England Autumn colors, we also raised money for a truly good cause. 80% of everything donated goes towards mental health research and the other 20% goes toward hiking trail preservation. Plus we got to spend some quality time together outside of the house, which is precious in these covid times. It has certainly helped our mental well being as individuals and as a couple. We are all proud to team up with @HIKEforMentalHealth and look forward to next years hikes! Distance 2.4 miles. Total distance 50.1 miles!!!!!!!!!
Happy Hiking Everyone,
Krista & Tim -a la sainte terre
Update 10/31/2020
Happy Halloween! We started the last day of the month with 9.5 miles to go, so we choose the Wilton Loop, a 10.4 mile trail, feeling good about meeting our goal only to get to the car and check the GPS to see we only did 7.2 miles! NOOOOOO! The website lied!!! Whomp Whomp. So we are still 2.3 miles short, but the day is young! We plan on doing an urban hike at sunset to check out the neighborhood Halloween decorations. We are determined to meet our 50 mile goal! Distance 7.2 miles
Update 10/28/2020
Months ago I (Krista) signed up to run a 10K with my sister, the #runsono, SONO = South Norwalk, was cancelled and changed to #runsolo. I completed it today! And definitely counting the miles as an urban hike too :) Distance 6.26 miles
Update 10/25/2020
We hurt today. We are really feeling yesterdays hike and our age. LOL. So today we did an easy, flat adventure through a couple of local parks. We went through Lockwood Matthews Park-Pine Island Cemetery (very old, very cool cemetery from the 1700s')-Oyster Shell Park via the Norwalk River Valley Trail. It was fun fully exploring the parks, you never knew what gems are close to home until you get out and walk! Distance 3.06 miles
Update 10/24/2020
While technically a walk in the park (fun fact, the countries largest park) today was no easy hike. Just under 9 miles with a constant drizzle coming down on us the entire time. It was slippery and we definitely got lost at one point, but we are experts at blazing our own trail when needed. We ventured back to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation and went to the back of the park to see some sights including an old Native American rock shelter, a dancing rock farmers once partied on after a successful harvest and where I'm certain witches danced naked in the moonlight (I mean who wouldn't? ), we also got to rest at spy rock where spies spied during the revolutionary War. Also on the list were castle rock and raven rocks. Lots of rocks, I know. We completely missed the one I wanted to see the most, bear rock, covered in petroglyphs. Apparently we sauntered right by it without knowing. Oh well. Excuse to go back! This has quickly become on of our favorite close to home hiking spots. History, beauty, and fresh air. Can't ask for more! Distance 8.84 miles. (My body feels it too!)
Update 10/17/2020
It rained ALL day yesterday so we postponed our planned longer hike until tomorrow. But we did go apple picking, and I wasn't going to input the miles but let me tell you, that orchard was hilly and muddy and we were carrying 23lbs. So I'm including the miles! Distance 1.25 miles.
When we got back we took a short hike on the Norwalk River Valley Trail (after a detour to the art festival). Nothing special to write home about but it got us a few more miles. Distance 1.9 miles.
Update 10/15/2020
Another evening urban hike to catch up on miles. Why did I think we could do 50 miles in a month??? We are half way through the month and have just over 19 miles logged. Planning some longer hikes this weekend to try to get ahead. Aiden joined us tonight, only because he was procrastinating on completing his homework, but it was nice to have him along. Distance 2.63 miles
Update 10/11/2020
Leon Levy Preserve turned out to be better then expected. It is small, but packed with interesting ruins and plenty of trails. Archeology was my first true love in academia so I got to nerd out and play amongst the Black Mansion ruins plus a few other remenents of time past. We were excited to see a vernal pond on the map, only to find it completely dry. Drought sucks. This preserve had a lot of information placards telling the history of the land which I also enjoy. Makes for a slow hike, but we are in it for the experience and distance not fast times. Distance 3.7 miles
Update 10/10/20
Our first real hike of the month, we went to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation for the first time and explored a tiny portion it. One of the things I love the most about east coast hiking is all the history. During today's hike we came across an old mill site and I got to take a breather in one of the Leatherman caves. When I first heard of Leatherman I thought he was pure urban legend, but like most good stories, it was based in fact. Leatherman is a know historical figure, even pictures exist, but despite loads of historical info, he remains largely a mystery. Pearl Jam even wrote (a horrible) song about him. Love that we get to experience a bit of the history while sauntering through the woods. We will be back to explore more of the reservation on another day! Distance 5.4 miles
Update 10/8/20
We are both feeling great and in order to make up missed miles from last weekend we went on an urban hike tonight, aka, a walk through our hood. Instead of getting lost in the woods we got lost on the streets exploring a nearby neighborhood that we hadn't been through before. It was fun exploring and connecting streets in our twisty, curvy neighborhood. Distance 2.5 miles
Update 10/4/20
Both our test results came back negative for covid, Yay!!! Still not feeling 100% though so we choose another short hike. Today we trekked through the Bartlett Arboretum and took a stroll down Cemetery Trail, because it is October after all! Nice to see that since our last visit the Arboretum has completely cleared the old cemetery and it feels much more loved then it did last year. Distance 2.1 miles.
Update 10/3/20
Welp, off to a rocky start. We are both feeling off, and one of Tim's coworkers tested positive for covid. So while we are awaiting our own test results we are sticking to local trails, early morning when no one else is around. The local parks are small, so not many miles to add, 2.8 today, but until we know we can safely hike popular trails it's what we got. We went to Cranbury Park and got properly lost, stumbling onto a man-made pond we never new existed despite hiking there multiple times before. Always finding something new!
HIKE for Mental Health is a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded on the vision of a world in which everyone, including those who suffer mental illness, can find the simple joy of living.
Priming the pump!
Mental health is the most important aspect of overall heath!!!
You guys got this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Way to go, Krista and Tim! Both are great causes!
We’ve always felt that being outside is the best mental health medicine. We have depression and anxiety issues in our family. Thank you for initiating this cause and if you want to start an event in Florida, let us know.
Way to go, you are almost there!!