I was excited to get back to the
area where Dave grew up in upstate New York. His parents still live in a
beautiful country town called Stone Ridge which is surrounded by the gorgeous
hazy blue Catskill Mountains. It is such a beautiful place to hike in the Mountains
and enjoy the good vibes of a sweet little country town. The pace of life in
the country is such a stress relief compared to big cities so it is the perfect
place to get away and decompress from the hustle and bustle of a travel filled
life of non-stop go!
Dave’s dad is actually a tour
guide for hikes in the Catskill Mountains so it is pretty cool to have my own
personal guide for hikes when we visit. This time, Dave and I joined his dad
and mom for a 4 hour PATH-LESS hike thru tall bush filled with prickles. My
legs were scratched up for days but I love the feeling of accomplishment you
get at the end of such an intense hike.
That night, Dave and I camped out
Kenneth Wilson in Phoenicia, NY. We cooked sweet potatoes over the fire and
yummy veggie burgers with all the fix-ins and watched “When Harry Met Sally”.
We read by the fire, talked for hours, listened to good music and drank red
wine.
The next morning, I went to meditate and do some yoga in an open field before
Dave woke up and then we were off to see WOODSTOCK on our way to another hike
that afternoon. I was SO excited to explore the famous little hippie town. It
was cute, although pretty touristy. I was happy to be able to see it.
The hike we did that afternoon was
called Overlook Mountain and is one of Dave’s top places to walk in the area.
It was pretty awesome because of the cool old hotel and then the 2 completely
epic different lookout points at the end! It begins next to a Buddhist monk monastery
in Woodstock pretty high up in the mountains already. The start of the hike took
us up a windy path for about an hour. Out of nowhere an
abandoned hotel appears! It was such an eerie place to walk thru. There
are trees growing in the center of this huge, old structure and it has been
completely taken over by the elements.
Moving onward on the hike, past
the old hotel, you end up at the most amazing cliff that overlooks miles and
miles of epic scenery. It was breathtaking to say the least. We made friends
with a little chipmunk that came for the nuts we threw to him, put them in his
cheeks and disappeared to eat them. He kept coming back for more and disappearing
again for a few minutes. It was the cutest thing ever.
The hike ends with a fire outlook
tower that is incredible. It is sooo high up and the view from the top was
different from the cliffs because it was a 180 view. The hike back down the
same way is great because it is downhill and you get to pass thru the old hotel
again!
Overall, our little getaway to
the country was perfect. When I look back at my life thus far, the best
memories are always from being outside in nature. It was a good reminder of
that fact. It is so important for our souls to get outside. I hope this post
inspires both you and I in the future to remember to get outside more often!