Cross Training Hiking

Hiking As Cross Training (Black Toenail Chronicles Vol. 3)

in Black Toenail Chronicles

I’m finally getting back to it. My back is getting better and I’m able to run a few miles at a time.

I’m confident at this point that I’ll make it to the finish line of the 2017 NYC Marathon. And just to be clear, I won’t be setting any records, world or personal.

Cross Training

As part of my rehab, I’ve been doing a lot of cross training. Mostly on the bike, but last weekend my wife and I went away on our first overnight trip without our son and were able to do an amazing hike! We left our son at our place with a six-pack and a set of keys.

Cross Training Hiking
My wife working hard

KIDDING, my parents and in-laws switched off nights staying at our place so he could sleep in his own bed and be with familiar people. It went great for the most part.

Anyway, this isn’t a parenting post, I want to talk about the hike my wife and I took while we were up there.

Mohunk Mountain House

Up where, you may ask and I would reply, The Mohunk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York – a little more than an hour from NYC where we live.

Mohunk is one of these old grand hotels from another time. At points it had a very “Shining” feeling and I expected to see this every time I turned down another hallway:

Cross Training Hiking

The grounds are not just stunning, they are gorgeous! The best way my wife and I could describe it is camp for adults. It was like Dirty Dancing for fancy people.

The Lemon Squeeze

My brother-in-law grew up in New Paltz and has spent most of his life hiking around the grounds so when we told him we were heading up there for our get-away he told me under no uncertain terms that we HAD to hike the Lemon Squeeze.

As an avid outdoor enthusiast, who was I to say no? So after asking around, I found out that the Lemon Squeeze is one element of a trail known as The Labyrinth. So off we went around the lake to the trail head and into the Labyrinth.

Of course, I had my GoPro with me, but sadly forgot to bring a mount. Luckily the Hero 5 Session is small enough that when I needed both hands to hike (and I did a lot as you’ll see), I just popped it in my mouth and kept filming.

So, how is this cross training? It’s cardio, it’s climbing, it’s runnings, it’s using upper and lower body, it really was a great workout and we were able to work our way into those gorgeous views, what’s not to like about hiking?

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