If you want a life of adventure, seek it.
That’s what I say to myself everyday. One day you’re trying to sell lemonade at a lemonade stand as a kid and the next you’re being fed lemons by a nurse at a nursing home. Life if just too darn short to sit back and watch others seek out adventure.
That’s what I love about hiking. It brings you completely out of your normal life and into a vast world where we can, not only reflect, but clear our minds and rejuvinate our souls. All of this while our hearts are racing as we work up a sweat trying to climb up mountains and hear every joint in our body start to pop. Imagine.
One of my favorite hikes is in my home state of Connecticut. When you think of Connecticut, you think of a countryside dotted with sprawling mansions and everyone enjoying their afternoon tea after watching a Polo game.
Actually, you’re not pretty far off.
Connecticut has plenty of others things to see and do, too. If you want to spend some time walking along the ocean with a glass of wine at sunset, well there are ample beaches to keep you moving into the sunset. If you want to hike the mountains, theres plenty of mountains to choose from, but my favorite one in particular is located in the far northwest corner of the state. Almost tucked away enough from modern day civilization.
Bear Mountain, located in the Litchfield County town of Salisbury, is the states highest peak sitting at just under 2,400 feet. There are no roads to bring you directly to it’s summit, so one must park their car and climb vigourously for over an hour through the deep woods of northwestern Connecticut which will eventually give way to the summit, which you’ll begin to notice as you hike the ridge line that due to its altitude, there are barely any trees.
I took to this hike recently to clear my head from the work week, and without worry, it came through like a charm. As I made my way past a trickling waterfall, walked across wooden bridges, and hiked up what seemed like stone walls, I couldn’t help but to feel incredibly relaxed.
Maybe it was the birds chirping.
Once I arrived to the summit, I was welcome with a much cooler temperature as well as some pretty majestic views of New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Walking across the ridge line, you’re able to make your way to an old stone tower that now sits looking like a pile of stones that everyone hops up on to overlook the sprawling landscape below. It is here where you can get a great view of the nearby Twin Lakes in Salisbury as well as other mountain regions due north and east. On the clearest of days, it is said you could get a glimpse of our regions highest summit, Mount Washington. While I have yet to see it for myself, I’ll take their word for it. The views from here are pretty impressive.
A day in nature. That’s all that we really need if we want to cure our minds and relax our souls. Forget the expensive medication that is prescribed to us. I could go on and on about the health benefits of getting outdoors more, but we have adventures to continue seeking, and a life that is out there just waiting for us to explore it.
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