Too Hot Must Get Out of Brooklyn!

So it's been awhile since our last camping trip and after a crazy summer of weekends darting all over Connecticut and New Jersey to see family, as well as business travel all over the Mid-Coast we are ready to go out to the woods and unplug, turn off our cell phones and see what happens. Did I mention its ridiculously hot here!

We booked the last campsite available this weekend at Devil's Tombstone Campground up in the Catskills and I'm busying myself with repacking all of our gear and researching recipes for our new cast-iron skillet, which was handed down to me by a great friend who packed up and moved back down south this summer. So until Saturday morning I'll be dreaming of this view through the woods...

Camping Trip #2: Woodstock/Sugarties KOA, Hiking at Clarence Fahnestock

We casually drove into Clarence Fahnestock's campground on a Saturday afternoon in May to find hoards of families barbecueing and partying it up with not a site to be had! We were pointed in the direction of Snow Valley Campground up the road but it just...wasn't for us. So thank Apple for iphones we were able to find an open KOA about an hour north in the Woodstock, Sugarties area. I've stated my opinion about KOA's before but the Woodstock/Sugarties Campground was a breath of fresh air! The staff was great and we ended up in site T-8 which was as secluded as any state park site we've found. We set up camp and basked in the quiet as there were only a few large RV's down a few sites for company. I took a minute to snap some photos of the greenery while Charlie Dog chilled out by the fire pit.

It was almost 90 degrees this weekend in the tri-state area so we decided to hang out and grab a beer before building the fire for dinner. (Beware that there's a new law in effect in New York State that states you can only build a campfire for cooking). We went with simple sausages and seasoned black beans for dinner and couldn't resist having at least one s'more. We've been buying precooked organic chicken sausage for camp meals which come in a large assortment of fillings/flavors.

We awoke early and brewed up some coffee while we cooked a woodsy Sunday brunch of organic turkey bacon and scrambled eggs served over fresh baked rye bread I found at a local grocery store on the way up. Breakfast tastes so much better outdoors especially when you're gearing up for a hike, so we were happy to eat our fill.
After packing up our one nighter campsite we headed back down to Clarence Fahnestock. There was a 6 Mile loop I had wanted to try for some time which I had grabbed off of trails.com back in the snowy months. We drove down to the trailhead on Route 301 and began our hike.

View Larger Map

This is a pretty complex string of trails to follow and some parts are better marked than others, the NYNJ trail conference has an excellent description of the Charcoal Burners/Cabot/Perkins/Fahnestock Trail Loop here, and you should get a trail map from the Station, it's very easy to miss markers and we ended up doubling back a couple of times.

The first part of the trail is very slim and skirted on both sides by very heavy brush. After awhile it opens up into a beautiful open new growth forest.But the best part of the trail was yet to come, it's over halfway through the hike, but the trail opens up into beautiful enormous green pastures with absolutely stunning views back toward Jordan pond. Complete with goat...yes...goats. Make sure you close all the gates behind you and pay attention to the yellow blazes here because the trail runs through private property here!

Camping Trip #1: Early Spring At Delaware Water Gap

This first camping trip was a little spur of the moment. So much so that we had gotten home from a party at 2am on April 10th, sat down and figured out where to set off to that day. We had one weekend free for weeks and were determined to get out there, but the state campgrounds wouldn't open until the next weekend. We searched on Reserveamerica.com and found a KOA just North of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. We awoke as early as possible the next day, packed our gear and set out. After a wrong turn and a not-so-quick stop for supplies (which took a while for my dazed self to accomplish on little sleep), well let's just say we would have made it there in about 2 hours . Check out the map and directions listed below...

Normally we turn to KOA's for extended road-trips. They're a good place to pitch a tent and lay your head when you'd rather not fork out the cash for a hotel room. When we're on a weekend camping trip just for the fun of it I usually prefer state park campgrounds for more wooded/secluded primitive (tent only) sites, fewer people and fewer RV's but I have to say I really enjoyed our stay at this campsite. We were practically the only tent campers there so early in the season, so we had our pick of sites. We chose site #35, which had the best view and was the most out of the way. Check out the map here: Delaware Water Gap/Pocono Mountain KOA campsite map. If you're planning on staying here, beware that most of the sites have little/no privacy, even though we were told they were secluded and woodsy by their management on the phone. Site #38 was also pretty nice and was occupied by some other tenters while we were there, but I wouldn't stay in any of the others.

View Larger Map

Our first night was relaxing and indulgent. We set up our tent with tarp and all (pictured above) got out our cooking gear and made ourselves a campfire stew. I had never attempted this before so it was bound to be interesting. We will be investing in a dutch oven soon but for now we just tossed all the ingredients: stew beef, onion, pepper, mushroom and carrot with some worcester , beer and beef stock into an aluminum tin and covered the top with several layers of aluminum foil. We then carefully placed in on a log once the fire had died down a bit and let it cook for about 15 minutes. I'll post a recipe once I get a little better at this...but it made for a pretty good dinner.

We crawled into our tent before it got too chilly hoping to preserve some warmth, and rose early to cook up some breakfast on the camp stove and pack our gear for a day hike. We had grabbed a trail map for the nearby Delaware Water gap recreation area and decided on an 8 mile figure eight up around the ridge to secluded sunfish pond, a glacial pond known as the 8th wonder of New Jersey.

Download the National Park's trail map to follow our hike! Sunfish Pond via the AT or spur tails to the AT

We started at the Fairview Parking Area and took the #8 yellow blazed Beulahland Trail for 1 1/3 miles to it's intersection with both the AT and Holly Springs trail. This was a nice walk in the woods to start us off we took our time on the uphill as the trail climbs about 400ft. and took in the spectacular birth of spring. The leaves were all just barely peaking out in a range of bright greens and near pinks. If there was one weekend in which to see Spring this was it!

We reached the intersection and continued straight ahead to the red blazed Holly Spring Trail, wich quickly meets up with the #9 green blazed Dunnfield Hollow Trail. We turne left to follow the green blazes northeast along rapidly flowing Dunnfield Creek. Dunnfield Hollow trail proved challenging as there are roughly six river crossings or fordings back and forth over Dunnfield Creek, some over rocks and some over logs, so be sure you will be up to the challenge of balancing yourself and your pack over swift waters and unstable footing, but it's worth it for the beautiful scenery. This was the most interesting part of the trail for us the giant pines and small rapids made us want to slowly stroll the trail for hours rather than hiking it to an end goal, and after the fordings there were still more challenges ahead involving the navigation of a swamp and some rock scrambling!

Once we reached Sunfish Pond the trail evened out and we sat eating lunch, while our puppy Charlie greeted his fellow Canine hiking companions. We skipped the walk around the pond because we honestly didn't find it to be that spectacular and headed back down the #1 white blazed AT for roughly 3 miles down to the Dunnfield Parking area, passing by an AT through hiker site and taking in some beautiful views over Pennsylvania. Otherwise the AT proved rather uneventful until we hit it's intersection with the beginning of the #9 green blazed Dunnfield Hollow trail where Dunnfield Creek rushes into the Delaware river. There are some beautiful rock formations, ferns and pine trees framing this beautiful, clear, rushing creek. We stopped to take off our hiking boots and rest for a bit before heading on our way.

We continued out of the parking area and headed left then right along the road to cross under I-80. The AT is a little tricky here and not very well marked, just keep looking for the white arrows and blazes painted on the sidewalk, road-posts and the overpass. The trail continues along Kittatinny Point overlooking the river, but it looked like rain so we skipped it and hiked on. The AT splits off and continues over a pedestrian pass on the I-80 bridge over the Delaware into PA, but we continued along the road, crossing back under I-80 and continuing to reach the traffic light on Old Mine Road. From here the Karamac Trail splits off to the left and continues along the river. The trail is not blazed but is fairly clear as it follows an Old Rail Bed. We passed remnants of old industry, steel and rivets, mud and brambles until we reached the point where the railway used to continue over the river. The old massive bridge supports still run over the Delaware here which is a rather odd and impressive site, but this late in the day this look-out seems to turn into a local hangout for teenagers to do whatever they do so we didn't linger. The way back to the parking lot is not clearly marked here and we had to ask, there is also false trail continuing along the river. The real trail turns straight up to the right and it takes one last hard up-hill haul to get back to the Fairview Parking Area. We then crossed Old Mine Road to get back to our car and, exhausted, collapsed into the seats.

We ate our fill of fire-cooked sausage and veggies and collapsed into our tent for the night. By morning it was time to head home and stop for some great diner breakfast on the way!!

Next time there will be more pictures! I set the camera battery on the charger the night before we left and forgot it! The few we have are Iphone pics.

A dream...

I've become increasingly obsessed with the Appalachian trail or "AT" and those that set out to hike from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. I've never been athletic having inherited a bit of winter asthma and having been without the use of my left shoulder and bicep from a serious case of Encephalitis I contracted as a child. I was always told to take it easy, and so I did...After twenty five years of this mindset the mental and physical barriers are built so high that I feel conquering them is sometimes harder than the actual task at hand, but when I'm in the woods, something clicks. It's the only time I feel at one with my body, at the most human level breathing, walking, climbing, resting and eating only when in need, I feel at peace. My mind clears and hear that wonderful silence that only comes two miles into a trail when no one is around. Rocky paths, steep climbs and river crossings come easily when I am only there to challenge myself. When those hiking around me and with me slip out of range I let go of the urge to compete and simply hike my own hike.

Walking gives me peace that I have never known otherwise, in the city or on the trail I have always had the urge to wander. Ever since my husband and I hiked back two miles in Sequoia National Park to sit in a fallen giant sequoia I've been completely hooked. So what if I could walk from Georgia to Maine over 2,000 miles of trail, taking in that peace in every breath from when my eyes first open in the morning until crawling to bed exhausted in the evening. That sounds like something to strive for.

I just finished reading a blog on wicked local about a man who accomplished this journey later in life after aspiring to it and preparing for it at age twenty-six. Read it here at Hiking the Appalachian Trail: How it all started. So one day I may take the ultimate challenge and step onto the trail at Springer Mountain, and it may be after my future children have grown up and have families of there own, but I am as "Old Buzzard" puts it, planting the seed.

Gearing Up...

As I've stated in the description of this blog. I am by no means an experienced gear head. In fact, on the original cross-country trip I packed a whole table top weber gas grill into the trunk of our car... which took up a lot of room...and never worked. Since then we've gotten a bit more savvy, but our hardy Swiss Gear Tent(left) ,purchased at K-mart over 3 years ago, is still weathering the storms. When we head out for a weekend trip there are two goals in mind in terms of gear: to be as prepared as possible and travel as light as possible. After all, all of our food, clothing, shelter and dog needs to fit in our hatchback.

Below is a a list of gear that we take on a typical 2 night car camping trip as well as tips for packing it in and packing it out. This list is the product of a lot of trial and error, but I can safely say it works for us. I hope it will be a good jumping off point for you as well...

Weekend Car Camping Gear List...

Food Prep:

• Camp stove that takes those little green Coleman tanks, and call ahead or check out the campground's website to find out what they have in terms of fire pits and grills. If it rains, your going to need the camp stove.
• Long Matches and a Lighter
• Charcoal
• Starter Bricks
• Mess Kit: 1 per person, spoon, fork, knife, plate, cup, bowl
• Pot+cover
• Nonstick Pan+cover
• French Press (not glass!)
  
• Paper Towels
• Sponge
• Eco friendly dish soap
• Wash Basin
• Drinking/Cooking Water (It's not always so great at the site)
  
• Trash Bags
• Some basic food prep items we've kicked ourselves for forgetting: Salt and Pepper, Sugar or agave syrup, non-dairy creamer or condensed milk, ketchup, mustard, tea, coffee!
• Chopping knife
• Can opener
• Cooler/Cooler Bag
  

Shelter

• Tent
• Rainfly
  
• Footprint or Tarp
• Stakes (we take several kinds depending on terrain)
• Mallot
• Extra Tarp and Rope for picnic Shelter
• Sleeping Bag (Check the weather report and make sure its rated for the lowest temp!)
  
• Sleeping Pad
• Pillows (or use your duffel)

**Most car camping sites will have a picnic tables but extra folding chairs can come in use.

Other Necessities

• Flashlights (1 for the car, 1 for the tent, 1 for the picnic area)
• Lantern
• Swiss Army Knife
  
• Playing Cards
• Camera
• Check the Day Hike Essentials Page if your planning on heading into the woods!
  

For the Dogs

• Tie out leash
• Bowls
• Food
• Drinking Water

A Note on Firewood: Every year there are more and more warnings about moving firewood or bringing it with you to the campground. As a general rule check the park's website ahead of time to see if they allow firewood from surrounding areas. Most campgrounds will have a way to purchase it on-site. In addition campfires are only permitted for cooking in New York State.

Packing:
We keep everything sorted into gear bags of one form or another. A large upright duffel for the kitchen gear, small bag for the tarp, stakes and shelter set up, cooler bag for the dry goods and a cooler with ice for any fresh perishables we bring as well as condiments. When setting up the campsite, take out the items that you will use the most(and won't blow away) and organize them on a surface, then take out only what you need when you need it and clean up often, this will ensure that your gear stays packed and ready to toss into a car or bear box if when you leave your site.

Please be responsible and follow the "Leave No Trace" Principles of Outdoor Ethics:

Plan Ahead and Prepare | Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces | Dispose of Waste Properly | Leave What You Find | Minimize Campfire Impacts | Respect Wildlife | Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information and more information on the principles you can visit the following link:

Leave No Trace
(http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.php)
The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people. worldwide.

Skyline Drive, A Shenandoah Road Trip

A view from skyline drive...

"To everyone, especially to those who live in narrow streets where automobiles are thicker than ants in an ant hill and where trolleys clang, sirens screech, and people rush about, we say, come to this beautiful Blue Ridge area for recreation and interesting knowledge...; come, and enjoy tranquillity in the canyons where streams ripple over rocks and waterfalls...; come, and feel the stimulation of the strong wind on some lofty peaks. Do these things, and you will not be disappointed; you will carry away a memory of beautiful and interesting places and a little more strength, a little more wisdom, a little more happiness than you brought with you."

-from James R. Lassiter, "Shenandoah National Park,"

My husband and I set out for Virginia last friday, driving all the way down to Charlottesville to spend the night before driving north on skyline drive in the morning. We took I-78 through to Harrisburg, Pa, transferring to I-81 which was surprisingly pastoral if you ignore the McMansions and Highway through traffic towns. Once we got off of I-81, we headed south, twisting and turning on state routes and back roads, past rolling hills and beautiful little family farms, and by the looks of it, more free-range grass fed beef than you can imagine.

We overnighted in Charlottesville, checked out the college bars and grabbed a midnight sandwich. and spent the morning wandering around the absolutely gorgeous campus with a cup of coffee. We were very tempted to roll out sleeping bags underneath this tree (left). Every kind of flowering tree was in bloom, pinks, violets, fresh cream and bright yellow forsythia, I think we finally found spring...

Click the map below to view our Route.

View Larger Map

By noon we were heading out of Charlotteville and up through Shenandoah. Practically pushing our sturdy but well worn 1995 ford escort up the side of our first mountain to Swift Run Gap Entrance Station. Click here for nps.gov's Shenandoah National Park Map. Shortly after paying our $15 entrance fee (good for the week) we came across our first overlook and were instantly breathless. I hadn't been to Shenandoah since I was a little girl, and can remember my six year old self sitting in the back seat of my dad's ford Taurus, drawing pictures of what all the little towns looked like from "3-thousand feet up." Somehow places tend to lose their grandness when you get bigger, things begin to feel smaller and less overwhelming, and unfortunately less special. Shenandoah's blue ridge mountains may not be as grandiose as the Tetons or the Sierras, but it belongs to the east coast and is like nothing else we have.

Hawks circled the wide valley below and landed on the cliffs by the overlooks as we drove along. We were fortunate enough to watch one resting on a rock about twenty yards from us for 15-20 minutes until it spread its giant wings and flew on. The wonderful thing about going to Shenandoah, or any other park for that matter, this time of year is that there are very few other cars on the road and other people on the trails. We sat at an overlook for nearly half an hour in absolute silence before anyone else drove by.

We continued up to Big Meadows, a mid-park hub and the only open campground this early in the season. We grabbed some tea from the restaurant and did a drive through of the campground to note the best sites. As much as we desperately wanted to camp that night my husband was still nursing a cough and a sore throat and being at 3,000ft. with predicted overnight temperatures dropping below thirty degrees we had to move on. We snapped some pictures of the dear that seem to own the campground...

After Big Meadows we continued up and down, ears popping, past spectacular overlooks and off the end of the world(right). Grasping every beautiful view we could before heading up to Jersey for the night.

Check out the additional photos and video of the drive below. You can also see more about Shenandoah National Park at nps.gov's Shenandoah site.

Hudson Highlands, Cornish Estate Trail, The Snow Lingers...

The past few days in the city have been beautiful, sunny and in the mid fifties, so with the hopes of clear trails we set off this morning for Clarence Fahnestock State Park to check out a section of the Appalachian trail, however, as we drove north on the Taconic State Parkway it became obvious that the snow from last weekend was still hanging around, two feet thick in some parts despite three days of sunshine and spring weather. We parked on Route 301 just as a very determined and equally prepared hiker emerged from the northern trailhead armed with trekking poles, dressed in goulashes and several sweaters, and carrying a day pack that was more along the lines of our overnighters. We hid our shamefully unprepared selves (one of us wearing shorts) in the car until he passed and then tested our luck with the snow...which looked something like this...

Swallowing our pride we snapped some shots of the beautiful scenery and headed out of the park on 301 toward the Hudson River, hoping to find a riverside path sans slush. After a quick stop in Cold Spring to walk along the water we headed north through Hudson Highlands State Park looking for a clear trailhead. A few miles up 9D on the right we found an old stone gate now serving as the trailhead for the Cornish Estate Trail.

By Train: Take the Metro-north Hudson Line to Cold Spring Station. From the station Follow Main Street east to Fair Street. Turn left onto Fair Street and continue to Route 9D. Follow 9D until the entrance pictured above appears on your right. According to Google maps walking directions the total distance is 1.3mi. Be careful on 9D though, there's a high speed limit and no real sidewalk!

The trail starts off on an abandoned road formerly used for access to an old estate, and slowly slopes up the ridge. It's a fairly easy stroll and many people had brought their dogs for a quick walk. We were able to get a ways up the ridge before hitting snow again, but it wasn't too deep and we had our hiking boots so we decided to press on. The views across the Hudson to the mountains beyond were spectacular and we could hear and see trains passing on the tracks below.

About a half mile up the trail we reached the stone ruins of the Old Cornish Estate that used to occupy the land now maintained by the park. We'll have to head back to explore inside. After a quick search for the trail on trails.com we learned that the estate had been occupied by a cornish family up until the 1940's and it was later destroyed by fire in 1956. Further up the trail there are remains of the Dairy farm that the family ran as well.

We continued up the trail which is apparently dirt at this point but there was no way to tell as the snow was getting really thick! We walked a few switchbacks and came upon some beautiful views of nearby Breakneck Ridge under a light coating of snow. By this point all was quiet and we took a few moments to pause by a stream and catch our breath. Hiking in snow uphill is not like taking an afternoon stroll! With no one else on the trail but us we could have sat for hours basking in the quiet and clear blue skies. We continued along the blue blazed trail until hitting an unused dirt road. Since we only had an hour to get back to the car and the snow was upwards of a foot deep at this point we promised ourselves to come back and decided to head back down.

All in all a great first hike of the season!

Trail Bars, Breakfast Bars, Snack Bars, Whatever Bars!

The following is my husband's recipe for delicious bars packed with fruit and nuts, naturally sweetened with Maple syrup and Vanilla. These are great to pack along for a day hike, camping trip, or to grab for a quick weekday breakfast. We brought an entire batch along to the Catskills with a group of six last year and they got devoured on the first hike! We'll be baking some this week to gear up.

Recipe for Trail Bars:

(Originally adapted from a Recipe for Breakfast Bars at wholeliving.com)

• 1 tablespoon walnut oil, plus more for pan
• 1 1/4 cups spelt or wheat flakes
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup white raisins
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds.
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (The real deal, preferably organic, no Aunt Jemima)
• 1/4 cup fresh ground peanut butter (We like Whole foods honey nut)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Brush an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with oil. Line bottom and two sides with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each side. Brush paper with oil. In a bowl, combine flakes, cranberries, raisins, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds and salt; set aside.

2. In a small saucepan, combine maple syrup, peanut butter, oil, and vanilla. Cook over medium until melted. Add to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Transfer mixture to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until golden and edges pull away from sides of pan, 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift bars out of pan. On a cutting board, cut into 8 pieces using a serrated knife. Store in an airtight container, separating pieces with wax or parchment paper, for one week.

The Winter Blues, looking toward Spring

So this is the view out my window right now. Needless to say I think the groundhog was right this year and we probably won't be out of the snowy slushy woods until nearly April. I am getting my hopes up by believing the weather report next week (a sunny 45 degrees) which will at least mean a drive up the Hudson if not some attempted early March hiking...we shall see.

Even if the weather doesn't let up, my husband and I have some geographically well positioned business to attend to in central Virginia in late march, which means a full day and overnight in Shenandoah National Park at Big Meadows Campground. More to come!

I've also posted a Day Hike Gear List of what we'll be taking on our tentative early March hike here Day Hike Essentials.

Around the Country in 30 Days...The first time always hurts a little

Before we embarked on a month long road-trip around the country and back in 2007, I hadn't camped since girl scouts, which I was only a member of for about a month so you can infer what a fantastic experience that was.

In my perfect camping world there were beautiful and competitively priced, aesthetically pleasing little cabins dotting the country-side all the way to California and back. For the nights we were to spend in National Parks, I dreamed of pulling into perfect remote little campsites in a pick-up truck with a camper top similar to Rocinanthe in John Steinbeck's "Travel's with Charley." Unfortunately this would not be the case and we would have to rough it with our shoestring budget.

Starting from zero we had about $300.00 to spend on gear. If you've checked the REI site lately that doesn't go very far. Instead we turned our cash toward K-mart for the bare necessities: tent, lantern, and mess kit. We stuck to what we had for the rest. We grabbed blankets, lunky suitcases, an old lunch kit cooler, utensils out of the drawer and my dad's weber gas tabletop grill, packing all this and more into the back of a PT cruiser with the backseats pushed down, this was going to be interesting.

If you've camped before you know that blankets do not do the job that a sleeping bag does, and by the time we reached Wyoming we were freezing our asses off and waking up in the middle of the night to huddle closer together, it was quite romantic.

Our gas grill was a bust and had we not promised to return it safely to my father along with his beloved car, we would have left it by the side of the road for the next unknowing camper.

I got used to the tent pretty quickly, as well as the bugs, snakes, racoons, birds, squirrels rambling buffalo and grizzly bears, which were all much scarier in my mind than in reality, although I can’t say enough about heeding bear warnings wherever you go, I had written it off until a ranger at a Yellowstone campground handed us a photo of a bear who had torn the window out of a car and climbed in.

In the end, after the scrapes and scares and one night spent in our car while whistling pacific winds destroyed our tent, we had seen countless beautiful landscapes and met some amazing people, we had tried local foods and adopted a wonderful puppy. Now I can’t imagine a summer with out it.

And so as I sit here in my warm living room with a cup of tea and a serious case of cabin fever watching snow blanket the BQE out my window, I'm looking forward to campfires and creatures howling in the night again. Of course this year, there will be a real sleeping bag involved.

Introduction

After 12,000 cross country miles and just over a month and a half of fresh air nights clocked under the stars, my husband, our puppy Charlie and I have decided to save a little cash and start exploring the metro-new york outdoor scene with a K-mart tent and a pair of hiking boots
Like most everyone in their twenties living in the boroughs of this wonderful city we are feeling the economic pinch, but more than that these days we constantly find ourselves searching for a happy compromise between living our dreams and the constant instinctual urge to seek out a simpler life and settle down in a cute little house in the burbs. And so, unwilling to leave our beloved city just yet, we’ve decided to become a different kind of weekend warrior, taking in the simpler life and fresh air bit by bit with a new outdoor excursion every few weeks from spring to fall until we have to pack it in and hibernate for winter.