Mom and Daughter Hiking Challenge; Week 4. Attempting one hundred miles in six weeks. Have you read the past three posts or watched the videos? You should get caught up. Doing it all alongside the Get Fit Challenge.
Week Four had some major challenges from weather to an insanely challenging hike up to Lamb’s Hill in Fishkill, NY. Issues were minor from pack sores to cramping toes to potty accidents. But, we hiked on and made it through week four. Here is a summary of each place we went.
Monday –
James Baird State Park, Pleasant Valley, NY/Hike #1 –
Very warm and muggy today despite being morning still. So, We parked in the lot and then following the road to the right, we saw the red blaze. As a result of the weather, the trail was still very muddy and flooded. Our area has encountered lots of rain recently.
Our dog is old and out of shape. Therefore, Abby and I didn’t want to hike her too far. However, both enjoyed the flooded trails immensely.
When we got to the first cut off to the left, we took that and headed down to a bridge. We got directions from some other hikers. They told us to stay on the trail and follow it. The trail opened up into the field across from the car. We crossed the street and were already back at the car. The trip, just under a mile. Abby was so warm after the hike that she laid down in a puddle in the parking lot.
After a chuckle from a new hiker parking her car and a very drenched child, we went home. Always pack extra clothes.
Madam Brett State Park, Beacon, NY Hike/ Hike #2-
We decided to meet Abby’s best friend at Madam Brett State Park in Beacon, NY. However, arriving early, we decided to get in a quick hike. So we took the trail to the left and went down and checked out the waterfall. We didn’t proceed on because you have to do the cat like reflexes to get to the next section of trail. Read about the trail beyond this point here.
We went back to the parking lot and still had more time. So, We took the trail to the right that crosses over the bridge and goes down past the abandoned buildings on the right hand side. We walked all the way down to the train. On our way there, we saw two deer that were very close to us and Abby really liked seeing all the wildlife, including lots of birds.
Retracing our steps back toward the car, we sang an original Abby song. This was a very musical week. This song title is “I Love You.” You never would guess I’m a singer by how purposely out of tune we sang. We took the offshoot trail and went down to the waterfront and Abby put on an impromptu performance on the platform by the water.
We received a text that our friends would be there very soon. We met them in the parking lot and redid the trail to the left. They decided they wanted to go to a different park so the girls could play more freely. So we went back to the car and that was it for that hike
Hike #3 Long Dock State Park, Beacon, NY-
Hike number three was very short because the weather was starting to look horrible and ominous off in the horizon. We didn’t even make it a half a mile. However, we did get to go down by the shoreline and the girls were able to throw rocks add sticks into the water. Sadly, there’s a lot of trash at this beach. I worry about that. There was also a dead fish that I got a great picture of lying there.
After not much time at all, the rain began. We ran for the cars. Abby protested because she doesn’t mind a rain hike. FYI the epic storm never happened.
Tuesday-
Val-kill Eleanor Roosevelt, Hyde Park, NY-
Tuesday we only did one hike and it was about a mile and a half. We got out of the car and followed the trail over the bridge The trail is on the right hand side in the handicapped parking lot. We hiked down there and took the trail to the right instead of going up to the cottage. it’s a loop trail, which, is nice because then it doesn’t get boring.
There wasn’t much to see on this trail but we were able to work on our home school lessons which was an added bonus. Abby came up with a great original song again called, “Trees Don’t Have Hair or Wear Underwear.”
Wednesday-
Fishkill Ridge Trail to Lamb’s Hill, Fishkill, NY-
Epic hike for the week and definitely trumped all the other hikes we had gone on. we had attempted this hike a few seasons ago and only made it a half a mile up the trail before turning around. Both Abby and I got sick and trail was very slippery. We were determined this time to make it all the way to the top.
Having Diarrhea in the forest is a hiker nightmare. Last time it happened to me was hiking the Appalachian Trail for days and I found a soda in a stream that a Trail Angel left. I acquired a candy bar too. After, living on granola for a week, it left me in a pine forest half way up a mountain very sick. So I didn’t want a revisit since this time I was surrounded by poison ivy, instead of pine needles. Fact, neither are a good option when blowing up in the woods.
The Trail Up-
Following the trail from the parking lot, we started the uphill climb waving goodbye to the car. Abby wanted to stop at each log sticking out of the road to pretend she was flying an airplane or driving a car. She loved to climb the boulders on the side of the trail. We kept a watchful eye out for rattlesnakes and I made sure to take the opportunity to teach her all about rattlesnake bites so that should be more careful.
We did make it the whole entire loop and saw all the views. We climbed up Lamb’s Hill and made it back to the car. Abby put on a wonderful show very close to the car by singing lots of original songs. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. Could have done without the potty accident though. There was a song about that too she created.
Abby on the Trail-
What stuck out to me on this hike, was the leadership and strength I saw from this 3.5 year old girl. She was hike leader for a lot of trip. She would announce “I’m hike leader” and make me follow her. In spots where I was struggling, she was right there cheering me along and pushing me forward.
On the way back, I walked past a drop off with a view. She stopped me and said, “no the trail goes down there.” I shrugged it off and a little bit down trail, I looked at my GPS. You know what? … The child was correct. I admitted she was right and I was wrong. Her reply , “I told you so mommy.”
She also knew to hold hands when she needed to do so and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Truly impressed me.
Read a complete trail right-up with directions here.
Thursday-
Farm Lane Trail, Hyde Park, NY-
Thursday we hiked the Farm Lane Trail which is nice and also great if you like to bicycle ride or run. We usually take off on a side trail; But this time we just stayed on the main path with Noodles.
Noodles kept jumping in the waters and getting all swamp nasty and Abby loved smelling all the flowers on the side of the trail. A lot of them were her favorite color, yellow.
It was getting warm and we didn’t want to overwork the dog. Just over the half-mile mark, we turned around and headed back to the car.
Friday-
The Great Swamp, Pawling, NY-
It was yet another fairly short hike at just over a half a mile. But it’s a beautiful place to go if you haven’t been right off Route 22 in Pawling, New York. It’s actually the Appalachian Trail at the train station.
Following the boardwalk, you see lots of different types of birds being flushed out of all the tall reeds in the swamp. We took lots of breaks to take in all the noises add sites. It was like the swamp was alive. At the end of the boardwalk, I decided to turn around instead of going up into the woods and following the Appalachian Trail further.
Abby spend some time on the shoreline looking and watching and tossing rocks. Her boot accidentally ended up right on the edge of the water. I cringed because I saw poison ivy right there and I’m highly allergic. Yes, I did end up getting it on my ankle rescuing the boot. Side note, don’t forget your socks. It doesn’t make for a pleasant hike.
After she was done at the water’s edge, we retraced our steps back playing games along the way and watching the birds flying around. Abby went down to the water that flowed underneath the boardwalk a couple times and decided she needed the potty not five minutes from the car. Dangling her over the boardwalk was a funny site. Both of us with out feet planted firmly on the ground. Bare hiney dangling in mid-air. A hiker walking by cracked up. However, it’s better than peeing on the boardwalk.
After that, she played by the water a little bit more before walking back to the car. We made a final stop at the train station platform.
We Wrote all about the Great Swamp and the Great Fall about a year ago. Read it here.
Saturday-
Lake George, NY-
Hiking or walking doesn’t always have to be just in the woods. We decided to go up to Lake George as a family on Saturday to take in the sights. We parked the car and walked all over and managed to do over three miles even going down to the lake itself. Sadly, I only recorded three of the miles on my GPS and so that is all I am counting. Blog post about Lake George Day Trip on A Budget-Here.
Conclusion-
This ended a very eventful week 4. Two more weeks to go. Hike on. Video can be found here. We like to call it Original Songs By Abby Eve Week.
Housekeeping-
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