Up and at 'Em at Upton State Forest

OK, so maybe a 3.3-mile hike wasn't the most prudent choice for just our third outing as a family ... but, hey, 3.3 for hike No. 3? I like the numbers.

Then again, I had no idea really how long our hike into Upton State Forest was going to be. Sure, I could have eyeballed it using the small half- and quarter-inch scale on the PDF I printed out. But the hike looked innocent enough, being the main recommended path in the park. Loops are always nice, and this one was also marked as a "road" rather than one of the hiking trails -- wide enough for usage by bicyclists (saw a few of those) and horses (saw plenty of fresh "evidence," though no actual animals).

The loop that took us out to placid Dean Pond and back was relatively painless, unless you want to count the back pain that's been nagging me for a week now. I wouldn't let that slow me down, though, since walking helps ease it much more than sitting. For the most part, Jordyn was a good sport about the longish route, including finding a killer walking stick that I used toward the end. The highlight, for me at least, was when the two of us climbed up a good hunk of stone for a photo opp.

Actually, I would have loved to check out the real "Mammoth Rock" that lends its name to one of the offshoot trails, but we passed that trailhead toward the end and were ready to hit the parking lot. Overall I got the impression that Upton has plenty to offer, maybe not so much in exciting visuals, but in the sheer number of hikes available (there were many trails off the main paths) and the accessibility especially for family hiking.

Oh, and one more "3" related item -- Upton was great for dog spotting, including the three-legged canine we passed who was missing his right hind leg. Now there's a trooper. (Arlen)

Sources of Inspiration

I resisted Twitter as long as I could. Then all of my co-workers and I signed up so we could try to push traffic to the websites of our magazines -- Electronic House, CE Pro and Commercial Integrator (check 'em out, especially if you're into cool electronics!). I was very skeptical of what I thought was a fad and simple means of the Kardashians of the world to get even more attention.

After a few weeks of getting the hang of it, I was hooked. That's because if you use Twitter the right way (OK, well there's no right way ... but what's right for us) it's an extremely useful conduit for discovery. In my case, my feed is catered to reading opinions and articles about the things I enjoy most -- sports, music, trivia and hiking/travel. Plus work-related stuff, which sometimes overlaps with the music.

It's the hiking and travel aspect of Twitter that has really made my mind dizzy lately with daydreams and planning ... and just plain inspiration. I follow people who visit places and accomplish things in the travel and outdoorsy world that I can't possibly imagine doing, but I'm nonetheless envious. What it really makes me think about is how mine and Sara's outdoors initiative for ourselves and our daughter can be our little part of exploring this inspirational and aspirational pastime -- hopefully for many years to come.

Every day I'm finding new people and reading things via Twitter to fuel this growing fire. Here are a few to really get you going: @AndrewSkurka, the ultimate solo adventurer who recently completed a first-of-its-kind Alaska-Yukon journey that covered thousands of miles; @WheresAndrew, National Geographic's "Digital Nomad" Andrew Evans, who does a phenomenal job documenting his globe-spanning assignments (he's currently on a "Cape to Cape" trek between South America and Africa; @NomadicMatt and @EverywhereTrip, who, respectively, have been traveling around the world as a lifestyle for the last half decade; and @HikingTheTrail, Adam Nutting, who is preparing for an Appalachian thru-hike next year.

Of course the beauty of Twitter is in daily discovery, and just today I found someone whose blog completely inspires me to work harder on this one -- hers is Tales of a Mountain Mama (the last word crossed out to make Mountain Family on the page). Her real name is Amelia Mayer, (@mtnmamatales) and she and her family appear to share very similar ideals and goals as Sara and I. And the cool thing about Twitter is that sometimes when you follow someone, they follow you back, so I look forward to sharing tales from the woods (or songs from the wood, as Jethro Tull might say) with her and others as we continue on this wonderful path. (Arlen)

Slowing Down in Spencer State Forest

When we told Jordyn about our weekend plans to visit Spencer State Forest, she was less than thrilled. “I want to stay home and work on projects,” she whined. When we suggested that a nature scavenger hunt could be a project, she perked up. When we reminded her she could continue the previous weekend's hunt for woodland fairies, she was on board.

A sampling of items she hoped to find in the woods:

Squirrels

Mooshrooms (her spelling)

Shaving cream (don't ask)

Her note to the fairies:

Dear Fairies: I'm visiting today. Love, Jordyn

Armed with list and note, we set out for the 965-acre park on a record-warm late March day.

After pulling into a moderately full parking area, we walked over to a small waterfall at the head of Howe Pond. We agreed to hike a trail around the pond, but decided first to try one through the woods. Our map showed wooded trails dotted with streams, which would give me ample opportunity to look for frogs. Sadly, none were to be found. No matter; we all enjoyed pausing and listening to the soul-soothing sound of the water rushing over rocks. (Bonus: Jordyn found her “shaving cream,” in the form of foamy water collecting in a stream.)

As we continued along the mostly empty wooded trail, we were jarred out of serenity by the sound of gunfire. After several intermittent shots, we spied a farm beyond the edge of the trail and determined that someone was either practicing their shot or getting a head start on dinner. We told Jordyn it was firecrackers. A little farther on we found ourselves face to face with an imposing downed tree, effectively blocking the way back to our starting point (but providing a perfect notch in which Jordyn could tuck her fairy note). We turned around and headed back to the parking area, where we paused for lunch. A nearby plaque reminded us that Spencer was the birthplace of Elias Howe, inventor of – among other things – the sewing machine.

Next up: A hike around the pond. We started out in a grassy knoll in which Jordyn decided to lie down and attempt to commune with her fairy friends. After some prodding on our parts, she agreed to press on, wistful that her winged creatures might make an appearance in her absence.

The hike around the pond was pleasant enough: The trail populated by hundreds startlingly straight trees that appeared to stand at attention, and the pace punctuated by frequent Jordyn stops. She wanted to read signs. Pick up sticks. Sit down. Peek into the pond. Throw sticks into the pond. Contemplate moss. Arlen and I found ourselves torn between wanting to let her explore and wanting to get some actual hiking (read: exercise) into our day. It's ironic, really: We wanted to get Jordyn outdoors to teach her to slow down and be more mindful, but when she actually does that, we get impatient. Hmmm, maybe it's we who need to hone those skills …  (Sara)

Milling Around at Moore State Park

To add to what Sara said, we're going to do our best to make hiking -- family hiking when possible -- part of our family culture. This is not easy with a 5-year-old who would rather spend her outdoors time at a playground. On the plus side, she can pretty much be as loud as she wants to in the woods without the threat of too much embarrassment. And she tried her best during our short hike at Moore State Park in Paxton on March 11.

It's a quaint little state park with easy trails as part of the "Healthy Heart Trail" circuits. This first venture was more about getting fresh air and, for Jordyn, trying to summon the woodland fairies. The eye-pleasing attraction in Moore is the old gristmill area that serves up a small waterfall below a covered bridge.

At the end of the trail it was also encouraging to see that work is being done to re-forest an area of chestnuts that had fallen victim to disease. Overall, our first woodsy jaunt was a success. We kind of winged this one, with Sara and I having been there before, and it's already been fun to scout out the next location for this Sunday's hike. Plus this weekend it'll help take my mind off Missouri's upset busting my NCAA bracket. Moving on ... (Arlen)

What's in a Name?

We “wordy” types (Arlen and I are both editors) agonized over the title of this blog. I wanted something punny; he wanted something alliterative. Arlen flat-out nixed “Hiking Schitck,” my idea for a comedy take on weekend hiking. He suggested “Leaving the Living Room”; I said it makes us sound like a couple of couch-potato losers: “Look at us! We actually get off our butts!” And while we certainly do spend our fair share of downtime planted in front of television crime dramas, there was a time when we did spend more of it exploring the outdoors. In fact, when we met, Arlen had never been on a bona fide hike; it was I who encouraged him to give it a try. Well, he tried it and loved it, and eventually came up with a goal of hiking every high point in the U.S. So far, so good; he's conquered nine. But high-pointing, as it's known, is not so feasible with our busy lives, and we can't exactly afford to travel to far-flung peaks as often as we'd like. And while our 5-year-old daughter Jordyn may have the stamina to join her dad on such adventures, I am notoriously unfit for hard-core vertical climbs. (Though I do have a few under my belt.)

So here he were, eager for a way to put some regular outdoor time back into our own lives while attempting to get our daughter hooked on the wonders of nature. Thus our plan was born: Visit every state park in Massachusetts, ideally one each weekend, weather permitting, beginning in March 2012. Thus, “Weekends in the Woods” was born.

While Arlen and I have visited several Mass. state parks over the years, we decided to start from scratch, so our daughter could be in on every bit of the fun. We thought about doing it alphabetically, but decided we would need to let other factors dictate the order. For nostalgia's sake, Arlen chose the site of our first state park hike upon returning to our home state of Massachusetts in 2004, Moore State Park in Paxton. One down, so many to go! (Sara)