I overbooked my weekend. Last night's outing in New York City left me tired, but I got up this morning excited about the group hike along the Ted Stiles Preserve in Baldpate Mountain. The walk was organised by the Friends of Hopewell Vally Open Space. Bhavna reluctantly agreed to come along.
We did not know what to expect. Apple Maps got confused and routed out to the wrong entrance to the preserve. I switched to Google Maps, and we arrived just as the group walked through the trailhead. We introduced ourselves to Romy, the hike leader and the rest of the hikers. The trail led straight up along a rock-lined path.
From what I gathered, Romy and other hikers, the area was initially settled farmland before being given over to nature. We came to a pond with an abandoned shed where our group stopped for nature meditation, listening to the birds, frogs and cicadas. Oddly, the sound of the cicadas was less prominent in the preserve than in my backyard.
As we hiked along the trail, some group members dropped off, returning on one of the inner loops. The rest of us continued up to the summit, where we stopped for a rest and conversation. Then, we headed back down the loop toward our cars.
Bhavna came home, showered and passed out in bed. I am too exhausted to document the rest of the day properly.
