Short Post for a Short Hike (PICTURES OF HIKING STICKS)!

I did go hiking this past weekend.  I did plan on blogging about it.

And then life started back up...

So, until next time, here are some pictures of our (boyfriend and my (grammar?) (inappropriate parentheses?)) hiking sticks!!

They are named Gandalf and Yoda. If you can't tell the difference, I might think you live under a rock, although it's pretty strange that our hiking sticks have names, so I can't be too judgmental (plus this blog is "no judging allowed"). Hint: one of the sticks has a green tint to it, and the other looks like a Gandalf stick.

To keep the (unintentional) judging at a minimum, I'm not going to tell you where we got them.  I have yet to receive lots of comments, so maybe that will be your incentive to leave one. :)

Without further ado, here are the sticks.  Let's be real, who really reads long posts anyway? Apparently, I can't even write one!

They're made from Colorado trees.

Let me know if you go (walking stick-buying)!

Merrill Creek Reservoir

I didn't think I would ever post about Merrill Creek, but then I remembered that not everyone who reads this blog is from Warren County, New Jersey, so I'm not exactly like the old lady blogging about her review of Olive Garden...right?

It's not a bad stop by an amateur hiker's standards.  The man-made reservoir is 650 acres, and you could get more than an 8 mile hike out of the day if you really wanted to.

Check out the trail map here.

My dad and I took family for a quick 1.5 mile hike when they came to visit from Pennsylvania (note to ADD self- I want to hike Hawk Mountain in Kempton, PA.  Right after my dad told me about this spot, I saw a PA license plate in RI that said HawkMtn- weird coincidence).

What we brought:
-walking sticks, which I PROMISE to take a picture of next time
-sneakers (not to be confused with my cat named Sneakers, pictured below)

Awwww.... see, his white paws look like sneakers! Aren't we a creative family...

What we wish we brought:
- Bug spray (Bugs didn't really bother us, but West Nile has really kicked it up a notch. It might be a good idea to spray yourself before heading out).
- Sneakers (the cat).

My cousin used the runkeeper app to keep track of our distance.  Apparently, it can track your exact route using the gps on your phone (you can't fake it, folks).  I think I'll try it the next time I head out, especially since it's free!

If you go to Merrill Creek, you might see some black bear (we have before), but you will most likely see approximately 1,081 deer. I refuse to post a picture.

However, this is a pretty shot.

I could write more about the trails themselves, so comment if you'd prefer less narrative and more of a guide.

Also, let me know if you go!

Not hiking Brakeheart really broke my heart

I'm a bit late, but last weekend my boyfriend and I tried out a hike at Arcadia Management area in Exeter, RI.

Funny story.  We never hiked.

We went without researching a trail beforehand and ended up walking down a trail which popped us out at a road not even a mile later.  Then, we walked up that road and turned right at another trail which ran parallel to the "highway" and spit us out right at the parking lot.

So I drove him to the trail in West Greenwich, which he liked (see hiking post 1).

Words of wisdom: part of being an amateur hiker is not having any clue about what you're doing. It's okay.

What we brought:
-An empty Targus laptop backpack (it carried our lunch which we ate on the drive over to the West Greenwich trail in defeat). We felt more official/comfy with the backpack on, even with nothing in it, so we fought over who could carry it.  Remember my first post? No judging.
-Walking sticks

That's not to say that Arcadia isn't a great place to hike-- you just need to research it beforehand (there were no trail maps in any of the entrance boxes, and my everytrail app was frustrating to load).  Again, research it beforehand.  I'd like to try the Brakeheart pond trail the next time I go.

Sunday we trekked to Barrington/Bristol, where we stopped at the Osamequin nature trail/ bird sanctuary.

It was a quick stop, but we had fun trying to catch/stab fish with a net made out of weeds and a stick. When all was said and done and we were back at the car, we realized that you could see our "fishing spot" perfectly from the highway-- embarrassing!

Let me know if you go!