Tag Archives: hiking

Hiking Machu Picchu

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Hiking Machu Picchu is one of those “once in a lifetime” experiences and I enjoyed every moment of the three and 1/2 day, 27 mile hike!  I was traveling with 10 other fellow adventurers on a G Adventures trip in May of 2009.  We had visited the absolutely breathtaking Lake Titicaca  and were on an all day public bus ride to the beautiful and vibrant town of Cusco, which is located about thirty minutes by train to the start of the Inca Trail hike.  Typically, we traveled by private van, but this trip was an exception.

The road to Cusco from Lake Titicaca is very curvy and mountainous.  Unfortunately for the other passengers, I had intestinal problems.  The bus was swaying from side to side along the twisting roads and the restroom was small, dark, and void of toilet paper.   I couldn’t avoid the imagined glares from passengers as I had to utilize the facilities a few times that day!

For the previous two weeks, we had gradually risen in elevation within Peru, which is a good thing when you’re going to hike the Inca Trail.  Altitude sickness can strike young, old, fit or not…so if you can acclimatize…all the better!

Cusco reminded me of Europe.  Cobblestones, narrow streets and history everywhere!

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Indiana Jones…where are you?

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Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan

One of the highlights for me while traveling through Egypt and Jordan with GAP Adventures in 2009, was sleeping in the desert with the Bedouin people.  Upon arrival to the camping area in the desert, we dropped our gear and made our way to the main dining tent for dinner.

We shared the tent with a group of Dutch people on pilgrimage.  They were the subdued, quiet ones on the other side.  We were the loud, fun-loving group on our side.  I actually spoke to one of the women to try to get the groups to mingle, but to no avail.  After a delicious meal, a few traditionally dressed Arab musicians entered the tent and one of the men began dancing and beckoned us to join him.   Feeling like a gypsy, I rose and began dancing, feeling breathless, having been seduced by the aromatic incense wafting through the air combined with the rhythmic melody.  Others began to join us and soon we had a party going!  I was having such a good time…I didn’t get any photos!  (the above photos I found online…but they are of the same or very similar camping spot)

The following day we took a jeep ride through the desert and I asked if I could drive.  The Bedouin driver “Mohammad” agreed to allow me and kept telling me what a good driver I was as I careened over sand dunes.  I wonder if the 4 passengers sitting in the open bed of the truck felt the same way after being jostled and bounced around…possibly fearing for their lives!

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The “Siq” … Petra, Jordan

I love this photo I took of the “Siq”, which is the mile long walk before arriving to the area called Petra, where all of the carved buildings are.  You are surrounded by towering walls of stone on either side as you walk.

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We hiked for two days throughout Petra…it was amazing!  Walking to the main entrance of Petra, I met a couple of 25ish men.  I discovered that one of them made his living taking people for rides within Petra on a donkey.  After a few minutes, he began flirting with me and wanted to take me to his “cave” on a date.  I told him I was married…but that didn’t faze him.  Throughout the day, I would see him and he would wave.

He gave me the tip of walking down a few steps for the photo shown below…so you don’t see the throngs of people!  These buildings carved into stone were simply unbelievably beautiful!  They were massive!

The Treasury, Petra, Jordan…(Raiders of the Lost Ark filmed here)

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A fellow traveler took this photo of me carefully crossing a very narrow ledge while hiking in Petra…whew!

Petra Cliff - Sherry

Beautiful Children of Jordan

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Children have such an exuberance for life…an openness…that I wish more adults could keep!

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Another unique experience we had was going to a Turkish bath while in Jordan.  The steam room resembled a cave and we were instructed to sit in the steam for 20 minutes…to then exit and be doused with cold water by a squat, muscled man in swim trunks…repeating this process three times…then to lay on a cold marble slab while he scrubs you with a mitt (ouch…that hurt)…pours cool water on you…slathers oil all over…massages roughly for five minutes and you’re done!!

Here is a group shot of us at the “Dead Sea“…the mud from the sea detoxifies your skin and makes it baby soft!  And you really do float in the Dead Sea!

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I hope you enjoyed  the trip!

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Next Stop…Sacramento

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Leavin on a Jet Plane…to Sacramento today!  This will be my third trip to California this year.  I’ll be interviewing with about 20 tour companies for a position as a Tour Director, along with hundreds of others.  We’ll also get to go on a couple of fun day trips.  Tomorrow is a City tour of Sacramento…followed by a wine tasting in wine country.  On Thursday, I’ll be headed to Yosemite for the day.  I went hiking in Yosemite back in 2006.  I was there by myself touring around California via Amtrak trains and buses.  On the bus ride from Napa to Yosemite, I met a girl from England and she and I hiked together the following day for nine hours…about 14 miles…with lots of elevation changes.  It was harder than hiking down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up…which I did by myself back in 2007.  Here are a couple of photos from that trip:

This career change is exciting but also makes me feel a bit apprehensive/nervous.  Public speaking was never my thing, but I joined Toastmasters back in November and have given two 5 minute speeches already.  I think it takes courage to make big changes once you’re older and I’m proud of myself.  I’m trying to get comfortable with being uncomfortable!

To change the subject…an update on the care packages for the homeless that I made and distributed.  I gave a pack to about 6 of my co-workers and about 10 other family/friends.  So far, I’ve heard that two of them have been distributed to people at street corners.  I’ve given out two of them.  I was stopped at a light and there was a guy holding a sign that said, “Veteran…Need help.”  He saw me rolling my window down and starting walking over with a smile on his face.  When I said I had a care package for him, I could tell it wasn’t what he was expecting, but he thanked me.  A guy came into the office (which is an old home in a semi-residential area) and was looking for donations for the shelter that he stays at…for people with drug/alcohol problems.  He had a printed up card with the name, address and mission of the facility that he handed to me.  I had donated $20 to a guy from the same place, a couple of years ago, who stopped me in a grocery parking lot.  Anyway, I told him about my care package and he accepted it with a “thank you”.  It’s fun to hear about how the others are distributing theirs and I can tell it makes them feel good doing so!

Other than that, I’ve been making lots more recipes from Pinterest and am taking my new work-out clothes (from Christmas) to Sacramento to jog/exercise in while I’m there to keep my body and attitude in good shape!  I’m excited about reading a new book I downloaded to my I-Pad to read on the planes, etc….”The Help”.  I haven’t seen the movie yet and like everyone else, usually enjoy the book better than the movie.

I’ll have lots of photos to post when I return and stories!  Hope everyone has a peaceful, fun and inspired week!

~Sherry~

Urban Hike…Downtown Cincinnati

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Yesterday, I went on a two-hour “urban” hike through the streets of downtown Cincinnati with my hiking club.  Like many people, I’ve taken my own City for granted and am excited to be doing more things around my hometown.  We started our hike at Fountain Square…

In the winter there is a temporary ice skating rink set up…

As you can see, I like to display my photos as a collage now-a-days, because it doesn’t take up too much space that way…so I can display more photos.

We stopped in a few hotel lobbies to view their holiday decorations and to warm up briefly from the chilly weather (30’s) outside.

I discovered many new sites while walking…this statue of Abraham Lincoln is cool…didn’t even know it was here.

The two big buildings on the right are the Procter & Gamble headquarters.

Some of my photo collages are just for art’s sake…combining a variety of photographs that have interesting textures, colors and/or shapes.

A major grocery store in town is the Kroger chain.  It was started in 1883 by Bernard Kroger, who invested his life’s savings-$372 (roughly equal to $8,739.34 today) to open a grocery store in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Cincinnati.  Kroger was the son of a merchant, and his slogan was simple: “Be particular. Never sell anything you would not want yourself.”  In the 1970s, Kroger became the first grocer in America to test an electronic scanner.  It is the second-largest grocery retailer–behind Wal-Mart–with over 3,600 stores located mainly in the midwestern and southern states.

Our newspaper is The Enquirer and Macy’s is a popular department store.

The Cincinnatian Hotel is one of the upscale hotels located downtown…

There were gingerbread creations on display…

We stopped at Cadillac Ranch…a restaurant/bar…for a late lunch.  They have a mechanical bull to ride.  I haven’t tried it yet.

The photos below are of Garfield Place.  In 1882, after the assignation of James A. Garfield (1831-1881), the short-lived Ohio President, the two block “park avenue” was memorialized as Garfield Place in 1882.

As we walked through the Netherland Hotel, I was surprised to discover that it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.

There was a lovely water feature in the hotel…

The two photos on the right are large “graffiti” paintings on buildings and the photo on the left is in front of the library.  It’s a sculpture of books!

This is one of my favorite shots…

An Urban Hike is a great way to learn about your own City…so don’t let the cold keep you from getting outside!

Cincinnati Art Museum and The Way

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I had an artsy day today.  Enjoyed spending a couple of hours at the Cincinnati Art Museum.  One painting stood out to me.  The Road Under Trees, by Claude Schuffenecker..1888.

 

Next I went to the Esquire Theater in Clifton to see the movie, “The Way”.  I really enjoyed it.

Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American, who travels to France to recover the remains of his son, who died in a storm hiking the pilgrimage route known as the Camino de Santiago.  Tom decides to hike it with his son’s ashes, to honor him, meets some interesting people and develops a deep bond with them.  The movie was very inspirational!

THE WAY, written and directed by Emilio Estevez, was filmed entirely in Spain and France along the actual Camino de Santiago.

I first became aware of this 800 km pilgrimage a few years ago and it’s on my bucket list.  What’s interesting is just in the past few days, it has come to my attention through two sources, another blogger, Anita Mac at TravelDestinationBucket and a facebook friend who just saw the movie.

Also…the painting I was drawn to at the Museum appears to be someone hiking on a trail. I believe I’m destined to traverse it!

According to Wikipedia…

The Way may refer to a spiritual path:

  • The Way or “Tao” of Taoism
  • An early term for early Christianity (see also The Two Ways)
  • The Way of the Cross, a Catholic devotion to the Passion of Christ.
  • The Way (church) (Japanese: 道会, michikai), a Japanese movement founded by Matsumura Kaiseki in 1907
  • The Way International, a Biblical research, teaching and fellowship ministry founded by Victor Paul Wierwille in 1942.
  • The Way of Madonna Della Strada
  • The Way, or Dō, of any number of spiritual and martial disciplines stemming from Japanese culture.
  • The Way of the Buddha Dharma, or Buddhism
  • The Way of Shinto
  • A term used for the Two by Twos church, commonly known as The Way, Meetings, Workers and Friends, Cooneyites or The Truth

Everything is a Miracle

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I believe everything is a miracle.  You are a miracle.  There is no one else on earth like you!  Everywhere you look, there is a miracle…the spider web in the windowsill, the computer I’m typing on, flying in a plane, being able to hear and see and taste and touch everything!

People are amazing…the things that they can do physically and intellectually!  Animals are so cool!  Anyway, this is the park I trail run at, but I took a hike there tonight…some of the photos may seem to look-alike, but they are actually quite dissimilar…the colors of green are different and the composition of the trees, etc.

This is what I see first after exiting the vehicle to jog or hike…

Then…I walk down this gravel road and turn to the left…

 

Jake, the spoiled hunting dog runs ahead…

 

 

That’s me…

It felt strange hiking rather than running the trail this time…

 

I love the light in this photo…

 

Here comes Jake…

 

There goes Jake…

Hope you can see the miracles all around you and in you and have gratitude for them!!

Hiking in Hocking Hills State Park

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Since returning from my whirlwind trips through Washington, British Columbia, Colorado and New Mexico, I’ve been thinking more about finding beauty in your own backyard.  Many people from Cincinnati usually feel that there are much better places to live than here, but because of work or family, continue to reside in this area.  I’m beginning to embrace living here and realize there are wonderful places for enjoying the “great outdoors”.  I have been a member of Meetup.com for four years and joined a hiking club at that time.  My friend Dee, my husband Randy and I decided to take a day trip to Hocking Hills State Park, which is located 2 1/2 hours from Cincinnati in Logan Ohio, to hike 5-6 miles with the club.  These are photos from the day…

This is a “Hickory Horned Devil” and then it becomes a “Royal Walnut Moth” or “Regal Moth”.  Later that day when I showed my friend Dee a photo of it, she thought it was a fake photo because it looks like it has sunglasses on.  It was about 4 inches long by 1 inch wide.

Since I was taking quite a few photos…I was usually lagging behind and had to run to catch up…but sometimes it’s better to be by yourself.  It’s quieter, no people in your photos and the timing was good for getting this photo.  I was told that this guy just dropped out of a tree a minute earlier.

 

I love the “gnarled” look of these roots…

 

Everything seemed to have a green hue…lots of moss-covered rocks and even trees.

 

Since today was a record 100 degrees…I had to take a dip in the ice-cold water!

 

This is Dee…

 

I usually try to turn around frequently when I’m taking photos so that I can see things from a different vantage point or observe when the light changes or is really nice…like this photo!

Hope you’re finding beauty in your day!

 

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico – 8/2011 – Day 8

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This morning we hiked at Tent Rocks…as you can see from the photos it was amazing!  From Wikipedia:

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, located 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico was established as a U.S. National Monument by President Bill Clinton in January 2001.

The area owes its remarkable geology to layers of volcanic rock and ash deposited by a volcanic explosion. Over time, weathering and erosion of these layers has created canyons and tent rocks. The tent rocks themselves are cones of soft pumice and tuff beneath harder caprocks.

A 1.2 mile (1.9 km) recreation trail leads up through a slot canyon to a lookout point where the tent rocks may be viewed from above. A 1.3 mile (2 km) loop trail leads past their base.

 

Always look up…

 

It reminded me some of Cappadocia in Turkey.  There they call them the fairy chimneys…

I love hiking in beautiful places…it’s one of my most favorite things to do!  We went back to our rental to shower and made a healthy lunch of fish, broccoli and salad.

Next on the agenda…Cowgirl Bar & Grill in Santa Fe for a margarita and some chips/salsa.  Kathy’s friend…Chris…met us there.

We wanted to dance…so we checked out Evangilo’s, but the band hadn’t started yet.  We ended up at La Fonda’s again and the band Soulman Sam was playing.  It was so much fun…great band!

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico 8/2011 – Day 4

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If you are ever in Durango, go to the Durango Diner for breakfast…the portions are huge and the food is great!  We had eggs, hash browns, and split blueberry pancakes…delicious!  We needed energy for hiking Smelter Mountain, which is located right in Durango.  It’s not a long hike, but it is rather steep…

You’re rewarded with a nice view of Durango!

We showered afterwards and then did some girly things…Kathy had a hair appointment, so I got my nails done and then we looked through shops!

We enjoyed the Balcony Bar and Grill so much, we went back for $2.50 Fish Tacos, good live music, and more strong drinks!

Positive Energy Adventure – Colorado/New Mexico 8/2011 – Day 2

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We got out of bed about 6am…had a leisurely cup of coffee and breakfast…then drove a few miles towards Silverton, Colorado to the Molas Trail, which is part of the Colorado Trail.  It was recommended by the couples we met at our Resort.  We hiked part of the 8 mile round trip trail that descends to the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Train.

After hiking, we drove the 20 something miles (1 hour drive time) to Silverton on the million dollar, mountain road.  Kathy did the driving…because for some reason (probably a combination of factors…caffeine and altitude) I was very jumpy and nervous.  The town of Silverton is cute…

We had lunch at the Brown Bear Cafe, which was recommended by a local.  It was tasty!

We drove back towards Durango and stopped at the other Molas trail…across the highway from the first one…and hiked for another 1 1/2 hrs.  There were a lot of wild flowers…It was a beautiful day and hike!

Feeling invigorated and filled with the love of nature, we drove back to our VRBO and made a fresh grilled fish and vegetable ke-bob dinner.  Life is good!

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 4

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Although we hadn’t planned on going to Olympic National Park, it turned out to be the highlight of the entire trip for me.  It was another 13 hour day.  We drove 40 minutes from Seattle to catch the Edmonds/Kingston ferry, where we drove our car on.  The ferry ride over took about 20 minutes.  After driving a couple of hours, our first stop was the beautiful Crescent Lake, where we had lunch at the Lodge. The blues are so brilliant!

From there we made our way to the Hurricane Ridge Road entrance to Olympic National Park.  It was a windy road with scary cliff drop offs, but so worth it!  We hiked the 3 mile round trip, Hurricane Hill trail.  I have hiked at some amazing places, but this is my favorite hike.

I felt like I was in the Alps.  The fresh pine scent intermingled with the fragrant wild flowers, along with the truly spectacular views was amazing!

Washington/British Columbia Trip – Day 3

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Today was a 13 hr. day.  I decided to drive the full loop (rather than just drive to Paradise…by way of the Nisqually entrance) around Mt. Rainier.  Some of the drive was on windy roads with steep drop-offs.  Our first stop was Sunrise, on the Northern side of the mountain.  It was in your face rugged beauty.

Next we drove to Silver Falls, a short hike to a beautiful water fall.

We ate our packed lunch and stopped at Reflection Lake next.

From there it was a short drive to Paradise, where we wanted to hike.  The trails were shut down due to late snowfall, so we drove to Longmire and hiked the 5 mile Rampart Ridge trail, which took about 2 1/2 hrs.

Notice the bee on the flower…

We didn’t see any bears…but some cute deer!

Just outside of the National Park we found the Copper Creek Inn for dinner.  The food was good and the yuppy rustic ambiance was cool!

Lodge to Lodge Hiking on the Appalachian Trail – Day Three

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There was a 50% chance of thunderstorms today, so we were prepared.  We left Skyland a few minutes after 8:00am, after having a big breakfast and began our almost 10 mile hike to the car parked at Thornton Gap.

The trail was well marked and we never got lost.  Like yesterday’s hike, we ran into a few other hikers, but not many.  I had researched the pattern for thru-hikers and verified that most of them had already been through this section of the trail about a month earlier, on their way to Maine.

 

Luckily, it only sprinkled once for about 2 minutes and the clouds kept the temperature in the 80’s, although it was quite humid.

 

 

The longest hike Cindy had taken before this had been about 5 miles.  She was concerned about hiking 17 miles in two days, but she did a great job!  We only took a couple of breaks (other than when taking photos) and kept a good pace.  I love to see people challenge themselves and realize that they’re capable of doing more than they thought originally!

 

 

One-third to One-half of the trail on today’s hike was rocks…like below.  The shuttle guy, Rodney, calls them “ankle busters”!  They made the hike more difficult, not only physically, but mentally.

 

 

There were a lot of flowers on the trail.  I discovered that when my flash went off, the background was darkened, which really made the flower pop!

 

 

 

 

These look like the kind of berries that bears like.  Luckily, we didn’t run into any… we only saw some bear poop on the trail…but it didn’t look fresh!

 

 

Cindy nicknamed this rock “Plumber’s Rock”…

 

 

After researching the area, I had reserved a room at the historic “Mimslyn Inn” in Luray, Virginia.  It’s located within a 15 minute drive from Thornton Gap (where our car was parked) and has a pool and hot tub.  As soon as we checked in, we took a shower, poured a margarita and went out to the hot tub.  Our calves were sore and it felt great.  The pool was the perfect temperature also.  After relaxing for a bit, we were starving because for lunch we had only eaten an apple and a granola bar, so we went upstairs to shower and made our way to the “Speakeasy Lounge” for dinner.  We both had a tenderloin wrap.  The wrap was made with spinach…yum…yum!

 

 

 

 

I drove us to find some “White Lightning” (kind of like moon shine) and a blackberry syrup, so we could recreate the blackberry moonshine slushie drink we’d had at Skyland Resort.  After returning, we took a few photos of the lovely grounds at the Mimslyn.  They have weddings here and it is lovely!

 

Lovely Cindy!!

 

 

We’re both glad we had the opportunity to do this and look forward to the next adventure!

Lodge to Lodge Hiking on the Appalachian Trail – Day 2

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After a good night’s sleep, Cindy and I were the first to be seated for breakfast in the dining room at 7:30am.  Breakfast was included so I chose the “Eggs Appalachian“…similar to Eggs Benedict, but on a biscuit instead of a muffin.  It was tasty!  Our box lunch consisted of a sandwich, an apple, a granola bar and soda of choice, prepared by the Lodge, at a cost of $11.  We had filled our water containers with ice and water before breakfast and were ready to hit the trail by 8:00am.

Today’s hike was 7.7 miles from Big Meadows Lodge to Skyland Resort in Shenandoah Nat’l Park.  I would rate this section as moderate in difficulty level because of the length.  There was a variety of terrain ranging from level and soft to rocky and on an incline/ decline.   I especially enjoyed the ferns that were growing alongside the path in many sections.  It created a very lush look.

 

 

This little guy was only about an inch in length.  Cindy spotted him and thought he was a toy at first because he didn’t move.  We were able to stick our cameras right in his face and he didn’t budge.

 

At this section, we had to make our way across the rocks that had slid down the hill.

 

I didn’t grow tired of looking at the green….every where green!!  We only passed a couple of groups of people hiking.  After being warned by family/friends of all of the possible dangers…bears, snakes, deranged hikers, mountain lions…I had armed myself with a large pocket knife!

 

Cute mushrooms!

 

 

More deer about 1/2 mile from finishing!  It took us about 5 hours to arrive at the next lodge….which is about 2 miles per hour.

 

Lodge to Lodge Hiking on the Appalachian Trail – Day 1

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After driving  8 hours from Cincinnati to Thornton Gap (an entrance to Skyline Drive – a 115 mile scenic road & where I left my car parked) in the Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, my friend Cindy and I were picked … Continue reading →