Life's stresses for all of us human beings can tend to build up and manifest as disease. One of the ways I like to ground my mind and spirit is to go for a hike. Fortunately I live minutes away from the AT and other really cool trails that make for a great one to five hour hike. If you have a wilderness area or nice wooded park, start slowly and observe the plants and wildlife, such as birds, chipmunks and deer. What I like about a hilly area is that your heart rate increases quite fast while hiking uphill and it makes for a great alternative to running.Sometimes I like to combine exercise with a naturalists mentality and investigate a boulder, or a tree and take clos
e up pictures of a flower, or a leaf and become part of a world within a world. Watch an Ant drag a carcass of another insect or a piece of organic material to use for building purposes. Walk slowly along the Lehigh River and listen to the water flow. Then pick up the pace for 20 minutes, and end the hike walking slowly soaking in the experience with a walking meditation. Try it and see if it helps with the stresses of modern day life!
e up pictures of a flower, or a leaf and become part of a world within a world. Watch an Ant drag a carcass of another insect or a piece of organic material to use for building purposes. Walk slowly along the Lehigh River and listen to the water flow. Then pick up the pace for 20 minutes, and end the hike walking slowly soaking in the experience with a walking meditation. Try it and see if it helps with the stresses of modern day life!The Lehigh Gap area was once home to the Lenni Lenape, so I imagine people walking about...............maybe using a lookout for scouting or hunting purposes. Geologists come to the Lehigh Gap to study the rocks, which are extremely old... and I appologise, but I need to look up the exact age, and don't want to guess. If also heard that the appalachin mountains were once very
tall...like the Himalayas. The Lehigh Gap is a gap along what is now known as Blue Mountain, but was know by the Lenni Lenape as the Kittittany mountains. It's elavation isn't high, about 1500' around the Lehigh Gap, but the vertical is around 700', and in the Gap you have great cliff type views. There are many spots for hand over hand rock climbs and he AT has a couple approved campsites. The other really cool thing about this particular area is the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and Wildlife Refuge who maintain much of the west side of the mountain, and I believe the other group is the Allento
wn Trail Club, who are also very cool , dedicated folks who volunteer their time to maintain the AT. The Lehigh Gap Nature Center is run by Dan Kunkle who is extremely hospitable, and knowledgable. You can get most Naturalist questions answered by Dan and the Center has an extensive library.
tall...like the Himalayas. The Lehigh Gap is a gap along what is now known as Blue Mountain, but was know by the Lenni Lenape as the Kittittany mountains. It's elavation isn't high, about 1500' around the Lehigh Gap, but the vertical is around 700', and in the Gap you have great cliff type views. There are many spots for hand over hand rock climbs and he AT has a couple approved campsites. The other really cool thing about this particular area is the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and Wildlife Refuge who maintain much of the west side of the mountain, and I believe the other group is the Allento
wn Trail Club, who are also very cool , dedicated folks who volunteer their time to maintain the AT. The Lehigh Gap Nature Center is run by Dan Kunkle who is extremely hospitable, and knowledgable. You can get most Naturalist questions answered by Dan and the Center has an extensive library. 
So if you don't have a mountain in your backyard check out the Lehigh Gap get an amazing workout and combine it with some bird watching and maybe spot a Bald Eagle or Red Tail Hawk.
If your really lucky and you hike to the top of the Mountain you may see some deer, a fox or like me a Coyote. Happy trails!
No comments:
Post a Comment