Saturday October 28, 2006 Week Five

Life this past week was like a whirlwind it was so busy. Work is busy, home and what I call "me time"; I find myself going to bed tired and waking up pretty much the same... it's time for a break. It seems like it has been forever since we went hiking and I've actually received a few messages from friends asking "when". God willing we'll make it out this weekend though I have no clue where... someplace new, someplace not necessarily exciting, I'm looking more for the tranquil; maybe a waterfall; I just need to get out and clear my head and totally de-stress my body... a walk up and over a mountain does so much more for stress then any amount of walking on a sidewalk ever could.

DH spent the week in Las Vegas at a convention so the dog walking was left to me. The dogs and I had a pretty good week, we walked 16.1 miles giving me a combined total of 62 miles.

Saturday October 21, 2006 Week Four

Weather is getting cooler and because of the winds the trees are just past peek foliage color. It's still really beautiful in the Connecticut River Valley but the winter is approaching fast. This past week took us to the Mohawk Trail on Sunday and rain on Monday, those were the only two days we hadn't walked. Tuesday we walked through spitting rain, Wednesday and Thursday were cool but clear and Friday brought us the winds with flying leaves. Riley our beast of a dog loves chasing and catching the leaves in mid-flight... it's quite fun to watch, he is so clumsy but tries so hard to be graceful.

So I guess my story of the week is Riley's Story...

Riley came to us June 10, 2006 by way of the dog warden. Riley was an 18 month old un-neutered, Retriever, Chocolate Labrador with some Heinz 57 Dog thrown in for good measure. He was emaciated to the point it was almost painful to you when you pet his sides... to this day even though he has access to food 24/7 is still quite thin. His coat is nice and shiny but he continues to be thin. He came with zero manners, was unruly, and just generally distracted. He is huge, his back is a couple or few inches above where a normal tabletop lies. He is strong as an ox and has broken a total of four collars to date... how he doesn't break his neck when he does it is beyond me; I've seen him leave the ground 2-3 feet when he comes to the end of a lead when chasing a squirrel... why the squirrels would enter the yard when he is there is beyond me but they do. Riley loves balls, any type, shape or size of ball he loves them. He will stay out in the yard for hours bouncing, banging, kicking, chasing and carrying around of balls... Riley also loves and I can't stress how much he loves to walk... if we walked six miles a day Riley would be up for it, I bet he would gladly do ten or more if he could... I bet in his day when he roamed Thompsonville, CT he probably did put ten or more miles on those hoofs in a day. These days Riley is walked with a halter of exceptional quality, not that I wanted to spend that much on a halter for him but his affinity of breaking of collars warranted it. He walks very well on said halter, so well that I can walk both dogs by myself if need be; before Riley would literally drag me if he chose to zig or zag after something. I have to say Miss N has responded extremely well to the halter as well, to the point she now walks with a slack leash... I highly recommend the halter if you have a dog that pulls.

We walked Tuesday-Saturday three miles a day, giving us a total for the week of 15 miles and a total to date of 45.9 miles. I had hoped for 50 miles in the four weeks but I'm not totally disappointed with what we did either.

Both my husband and I noticed our legs aren't sore like they were the previous two weeks, it's amazing how quickly the body accepts the extra work. We talked last night we will most likely add another house to our route every week or every other till we are up to five miles, I'd like to walk that four days a week and hike on Sundays as much as possible. The only thing that will keep me from walking this winter is the extreme cold, I've pulled out my thermals as well as my wool socks, gloves, hats and sweaters... I have 2 wool sweaters that are extremely warm and I have a feeling those along with a good coat will become my very best friends this winter. Miss N will be getting a coat, and she and Riley some rain gear of some kind... last winter only night Miss N dragged my husband home was a cold, windy, snowy, rainy night... Natasha was "begging" to go so my husband obliged her, she proceeded to drag my husband around the block as fast as she could and home; she didn't "beg" the next night when the weather was similar. We're pretty good, when the dogs "ask" to go for a walk we usually take them; it's rare we tell them no... So, for the dogs health our health will reap the benefits as well.

Benefits of Walking... Week ending October 14, 2006 Week Three

It's the world's easiest form of exercise, it can add years to your life as well as life to your years. It costs very little and it is the one form of exercise you will most likely stick with. Walking can take you places you never imagined existed... please check out your local, state and national parks in your area or other areas of the country you plan to visit. Waterfalls and luxurious surroundings aren't just for places like Jamaica, Hawaii or Africa. Walking conditions your heart and lungs making it easier for your body to process oxygen. Walking helps beat other health issues as well... it is reported that women who walk briskly at a pace of 3-4 m.p.h. at least three hours a week cut their risk of heart attack and stroke by more than half. Walking reduces your risk of some forms of cancer and osteoporosis. It fights the battle of the bulge, reducing fat and adding muscle. Walking can even help with diabetes making it possible for some people to eliminate their need for medication. Walking burns about as many calories as jogging but it doesn't have the same jarring effect on your joints and muscles. Walking is the best stress reliever known to "man", it lessens stress, lightens depression, helps you sleep better and gives you a better mental outlook. Start out slow and like myself you may find yourself climbing mountains... five years ago if you asked me to climb a mountain I'd think you were out of your mind. Now after each mountain we climb I'm looking for one bigger, steeper and rockier. Five years ago I would never think to walk the dogs 2-3 miles 3-5 times a week... Now, I'm ashamed when I only walk them 3, I enjoy it, Jeff enjoys it and the dogs enjoy it the most. The further we walk the further the dogs want to go. We've noticed a marked change in their behavior as well, they listen better and are generally better behaved and less hyper.

This weeks dog walking total is 11 miles giving me a total of 30.9 miles.

Sunday October 8, 2006 Sessions Woods Burlington, CT

Just a very nice 2.5 mile walk through some really beautiful wooded lands. We saw quite a few chipmunks, many types of birds (the eastern towhee to name one) I am almost positive I saw juncos both Saturday and Sunday.... in fact I think I saw them the last time we were in the woods as well.

There was an area where they placed logs to slow the flow of a steam, it was a resting place for small native brook trout, another cool thing we were able to see along the way. On the way out we stopped and climbed the fire tower for what was a pretty good view as well as the waterfall which was little more then a trickle because of the beaver dams. There was a Tree ID trail we took back that was rather fun and interesting to explore. Hunting for the smallest and largest acorn along the way became the game of the day though I don't think we ever decided who won in the end.

Here I share some information about Sessions Woods, a place we will most definitely visit again probably in the summer to see the osprey nesting.

http://dep.state.ct.us/burnatr/wildlife/geninfo/sessions.htm

How you can do your part in restoring your environment for the wildlife.

http://www.nwf.org/backyard/

Add a 3 mile dog walk and my final total as of October 8, 2006 is To 19.9 total miles walked.

Saturday October 7, 2006 Metacomet Trail Week Two

Another goal we have set is to hike the entire length of the Mattabassett/Metacomet-Monadnock Trail which runs from Middletown/Middlefield Connecticut for approx. 75 miles north through Connecticut, through Massachusetts 117 miles and about 20 miles in New Hampshire to the top of Mt. Monadnock which is about 3165 foot tall. We've hiked from the Massachusetts line through Penwood State Forest in Bloomfield Connecticut, about 17.5 miles.

It was a beutiful day, the sun was shining and the fall is definitely well on it's way. We decided a hike at a good pace to the East Granby line where there is a good view was in order. When we did this stretch last winter the climb up the mountain was much more intense then it is now. We ended up hiking a total of 4.4 miles out and back in a little over two hours, sitting at the lookout for about twenty minutes enjoying the view and the sun. This brings me to a total of 14.4 miles.

Week One October 1-6, 2006

The nights here have been cool and clear, very nice for brisk walks... I've noticed the colder it gets the less people who walk their dogs, the thing is it's not that cold, most nights I remove my sweater once the blood gets pumping. The short of it is I walked a total of 10 miles this week walking the dogs with DH... I'll admit I took two nights off and one of those nights DH and DS#3 walked the dogs.

What struck me the most this week while walking was the house called The Beeches, it was the home of probably our most famous resident Paul Robeson. If you have no idea who Paul Robeson was I suggest a quick check with Google, he was a fascinating person as was his wife. This past week the house was lit up during the times we were walking which shows off the architecture of the house... the lights were on in the back garden as well showing off the arbors. It's a lovely house with huge pillars and a balcony off the front, this house is huge.

Paul Robeson and his family were welcomed to this town at a time when people of color were treated more than poorly by mainstream America. Below is one of my favorite articles I have found to date... Elizabeth Best was quoted, Betty and her sister Harriet owned my home from 1954-1984, they were spinster school teachers who worked at the one time Enfield High School which is now an elementary school. Betty was born here in town just down the road from me February 27, 1911, she passed away just recently in a nursing home in upstate New York where she was also buried. My birthday happens to be February 27, 1966 a coincidence I found interesting. I'll reserve to tell you more about the Best's at a later time as they were an interesting sort as well and are part of the fabric of the history of Enfield Connecticut.

http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/comtex/rob2.htm

Let the Games Begin...

I finally decided what I am going to blog about... I've set a goal for myself and this will be my medium to track my progress. My ultimate goal is to live a happy, healthy life till I am 150 years old, to obtain that goal I need to keep myself healthy. Do I think I will really live to be 150 years old? Probably not but if I don't at least try I'll never know if it was possible.

So my short term one year goal from October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007 is to walk, run or hike a total of 500 miles... I would be extremely happy with 750 which is doable. I've decided to chronicle my hikes with individual blog entries and my weekly dog walking escapades will be most likely noted within those entries. Since my dog walking escapades are most usually through the Historic District I've decided from time to time to introduce you to the people and places along the way along with their histories... I hope you all can learn a thing or two, or at least find the tidbits I share interesting. So, here we go and let the games begin!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enfield,_Connecticut