A 12-Mile Journey - 2/6/16

It's been too long since I last posted anything. How many times has a blog post begun with that sentence? It probably numbers in the thousands, maybe even millions. Regardless, I am back. Since my last entry from November, much has happened. The holidays rolled in and dominated the calendar as they do every year, but the bigger event was we moved to a new place. It's not far from the old place geographically, but the difference in lifestyle is huge. We went from a little beach bungalow to a high-rise condo on the fifteenth floor. I'll save the details of all the differences between the two places and how I felt about moving for another time.

Today I want to share with you a twelve-mile hike I did from my new address on Saturday, February 6, 2016. I decided to document my journey by shooting a photo every mile as I did last August in a post called, "My Eight Mile". My new location is prefect for hiking as there's a variety of environments to explore from the beach out front to the forest in First Landing State Park. My training will also benefit from living on the fifteenth floor, as I will take the stairs down and up when I go out for a hike. You can check out this outings stats and see it plotted on a map here on Endomondo. I've been using Endomondo for a couple of years now and have found it to be easy to use and reliable. If you're on there too, feel free to connect with me. It's fun to encourage each other and see what hikes and runs other folks are doing.

On to yesterday's 12-mile journey. It was a cold and clear day, perfect for hiking, so I filled my CamelBak and headed out...

Mile Zero - Heading down the stairs from the fifteenth floor.

Mile One - The Cape Henry Bike Path looking east.

Mile Two - Still on the Cape Henry Bike Path heading east.

Mile Three - First Landing State Park on the Long Creek Trail. There's lots of Spanish Moss in the park.

Mile Four - There is no shortage of Pine Cones here.

Mile Five - Alone on the White Hill Lake Trail. I only saw two other people on this trail.

Mile Six - Where the White Hill Lake Trail meets the Cape Henry Bike Path.

Mile Seven - A always feel better walking in the woods.

Mile Eight - Found art - This dead, graffiti covered tree looks like modern art to me.

Mile Nine - More nature-based abstract art.

Mile Ten - This house along the Cape Henry Bike Path has some cool sculptures. I always love to see this skeleton and the flying man in the trees to the left.

Mile Eleven - I started the hike with long pants, but it warmed-up enough for me to convert to shorts.

Mile Twelve - Heading back up the stairs. This was from the fifth floor stairwell window.

The End - My front door.

It Ain't Easy Being Green - 9/28/15

This morning I found this Green Tree Frog resting comfortable on the roof of my car. He was a tiny little guy and I'm glad I noticed him before jumping in and driving off, otherwise he may have wound up in the middle of the road. I carefully picked him up and he grabbed onto my hand with his little grippy fingers. I walked him over and set him down on a bush, I guess I should have found a tree. I'd never seen a frog like this in the yard and it made me happy to know that green little fellow is out there.

OK HW

My Eight Mile - 8/1/2015

 Yesterday I got out for an eight mile hike. It's a route I know well in the neighborhood. I have mapped out several routes of varying lengths that begin and end at my front door. I'm fortunate to live in an interesting area with a beach close by and a park only a mile and a half away, so the walks are not just a bland sidewalk stomp through suburbia. I've been thinking about the passage of time lately; how quickly time moves through me or am I moving through time? How my walks and runs and hikes are small journeys that slip away before I can focus them to a point in my life. I wanted to do something to document what an average walk like this is like because one day, I may not live here anymore or I may not be able walk eight miles. I do know I am getting older and the old body will waste away sooner then I expect and the eight mile walk will be something I'll miss. So, "Hello there elder Hal Weaver in the future! Remember when you would tie on the old hike boots, plug-in the ear buds and stride on strong and springy legs down the lane? If not, then here's a little reminder of this time in the summer of 2015. Enjoy old boy!"

OK HW

The link to the route. You can match the photos to the mile markers.

Mile One - The Happy Mailbox - Those colorful reflectors always catch my eye.

Mile Two - Bayville Park - I love the tall pine trees in this park.

Mile Three - Pleasure House Point - Great nature area that I did not hike through on this route. Note- mind the low hanging fingers.

Mile Four - The Lesner Bridge - Here's the construction gantry lurking through the trees. The new bridge will be ready June 2017.

Mile Five - Live Oak Trees - Also in the Pleasure House Point  Nature Area.

Mile Six - I Got Fat Hands! - I must have had a lot of salt in my system as my hands ballooned up.

Mile Seven - Random Crepe Myrtle - My neighborhood is full of these beautiful trees and the bloom is on!

Mile Eight - The End of the Line - This is not my house, just a little cottage behind our house.

Say Hello to My Little Friend - 6/22/2015

I found this lovely little green snake on our patio tonight. He was perched up on this plant and looked comfortable. I wondered if he was trying to catch some bugs.

OK HW