Hiking

French Creek State Park

danaelizabethx Hiking ,

Another nice day calls for another hike!  Jo and I headed out To French Creek State Park today – I had been on these trails a few times before – the map for the park is pretty much useless as the actual trails do not match up in any way to the trails on the map – the only thing in common are some of the trail names.  It seems like they are working to correct this and I saw several trail markers and newer painted blazes on the trees that I hadn’t seen the last time I was here.

You can rent kayaks, canoes and even paddleboards seasonally here – this was where I tried paddle boarding for the 1st time – it was perfect because the lake isn’t so huge that you feel lost and it isn’t so small that you get bored – also no motorized boats are aloud so you don’t have to worry about the wake tipping you over – just nice flat water filled with beautiful lily pads that look so out of place here!  It seriously makes you feel like you are in an exotic country, not south eastern PA!  🙂

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Pulpit Rock, PA

danaelizabethx Hiking , , ,

Yesterday I was feeling better so JoJo and I headed out to Hamburg, PA to hike to Pulpit Rock which is along the Appalachian Trail – it was an absolutely perfect day for a hike too!  I didn’t want to waste it as the entire week was beautiful and I was sick the whole time!  :/

We pulled into the Hamburg Reservoir – I shouldn’t have been surprised that it was so packed with cars because this is a very popular hike, but it was Friday so I wasn’t expecting it to be as busy as it was.  We found a spot and headed down the trail – it is a road walk for a little while until you see signs for the Windsor Furnace – there are several trails to take at this point, but I chose to turn right, cross over a small bridge and stay to the right along the Appalachian Trail up to Pulpit Rock.  The other trails bypass Pulpit Rock, but I honestly like the view from there better than the Pinnacle which is almost completely covered in graffiti.  There are also a few telescope towers right next to Pulpit Rock that is on the property of the Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society – there are signs stating it is private property, but as far as I know they are ok with people walking through – I even have friends that were invited to join them when they were having a meeting and got to see planets and solar flares during a day hike!  How awesome!

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Trail Yoga

danaelizabethx Hiking ,

Trail Yoga was something I have heard about and always thought sounded cool.  My previous yoga experiences have been a little strange though so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I signed up for this trip.

The first time I ever did yoga was at the gym I belonged to at the time – the class was fine until the end.  We were laying on our backs with our eyes closed, focusing on our breathing.  I suddenly feel a presence standing over me – I open one eye to peak out and see what was going on and it was the yoga instructor standing over me.  He steps over me which puts him in a position I can only describe as straddling me.  ‘WTF IS GOING ON???’ I am thinking as he bends towards me – he then takes his thumb and presses REALLY hard on my forehead with a completely greasy hand – probably from the sweat of the other people in the class – who knows.  I am thinking, ‘This dude just poked me in my “third eye” – what the HECK is happening?!?  How is this relaxing??’

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