This past dreary Sunday I was very much looking forward to time on a trail to myself. It had been a hectic week and I needed to get out into the woods, solo, no one asking questions and not having to make any decisions except left or right, when and where to eat my snacks and when to turn around and head back.
Hiking has not made my priority list lately and that has been a big mistake. Big. Huge. Hiking is my walking meditation, my therapy and my gym. I never feel so good as after a walk in the woods. The rockier the trail the better and if there is a vista, or the highly coveted waterfall, as a reward, even better.
Looking for a place I have not hiked before, that would be a nice drive and provide some of the challenges I seek out, I used All-Trails and found the Lehigh Furnace Gap via the Appalachian Trail route. It is a 10.5 mile loop, starting at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center Parking Lot. It was an ambitious selection given the forecast and my poor record of hiking this year. I am a long way from my fitness of 2023 when I hiked 250 miles in a single year.
From the nature center parking lot I began my hike on the Prairie Warbler Loop which connected to the Woodpecker Trail which connected me with the Appalachian Trail. What would have not been a challenge to me at all in the past, quickly became a challenge. It was a steady incline and I was having a hard time. I was feeling a bit disappointed in myself and sad that I had not spent more time doing what I love. I stopped and thought about what to do, realized I had not slept well the night before and had not eaten breakfast, so I gave myself some grace, and a snack.
After finishing my favorite trail food of a sliced apple with peanut better and sharp cheddar cheese, with my head on a swivel thanks to bear warnings I read in the All-Trails review, I sat for a few minutes then loaded up my pack and set back out on the trail. The water and apples did the trick, I felt energized and ambitious again; moving slowly but surely up the trail.
