Maudslay State Park
This time last year, Anna and I were on our way over to the Cotswolds in England where we spent our days hiking from tea shop to tea shop and our evenings relaxing in pubs in quaint English country towns.
In preparation for our trip we’d hiked a few hills in the Hudson Valley area and one or two peaks in NY’s Catskills range. Of course, after two weeks of hiking even the gentle hills of the Cotswolds where we routinely averaged 12 miles each day (with several days around 16 miles), we were both in really good shape.
When we returned, one of my favourite weekend day trips was the ridge trail along the Taconic range: a strenuous trail a little more than 16 miles long. I’d pack a sandwich, several cliff bars, and two liters of water and spend an afternoon on the trail returning dusty, really sweaty and somewhat sore.
That was last year.
This morning, although the weather was overcast and generally icky, I headed over to Maudslay State Park for a bit of a walk. I frankly have no idea how long the perimeter trail is (but it only took me 75-80 minutes, so it can’t be that long), but by the end the backs of my thighs and my butt were rather sore. Of course, my knee was throbbing somewhat. And my toe which I recently severely sprained if not fractured was a bit tender.
What a mess.
Of course, the season is still early. Perhaps I’ll be able to get into better shape so I can enjoy the natural splendour New England has to offer. All this makes me wonder why I spent most of the winter in the gym.
