The Two Towers

In Jarrettsville Maryland, about 25 miles Southeast of Bellaire, there lies a state park with lots of beautiful rock formations. Rocks State Park used to be home to the susquehannock Indian tribe, has three and a half miles of beautiful trails, in the challenging climb to the king and queen seat, a rock formation that stands 200 feet above Deer Creek below.

The main men in action: Travis in front, and me in the background.

when I climbed this rock formation, admittedly I didn't know what a wild ride I would be in for. The trails themselves were fairly easy to navigate, but climbing up to the top of the king and queen seat both required a lot of focus and energy. One false move could mean a long and potentially lethal drop. Factor this in with the cardio needed to climb up the first set of rocks, and you have a difficult like ahead of you.

when you get to the top though, you will realize just how worth it your hike was. Some of the most beautiful Forest views I've ever seen came from the top of King's seat comma because the way that the Kings seat juts out into nature makes it look like you were on the peak of the world.

All Things Considered, this like it's at least a solid 4 out of 10 on the difficulty scale. All of the trails are not very long, climbing up to see the things that you want to see prove to be very difficult. However, it doesn't get much higher over rating because it's not the hardest type that I've ever done. there are also some State high points that have yet to be seen that would provide a similar experience. there are also much more arduous hikes ahead of me.

on top of this beautiful scenery, there are two Satellite Parks nearby, as well as Kilgore Falls. This secluded location provides a nice natural getaway on one of the most peaceful waterfalls in Northern Maryland. The rushing water is blissful, and getting to it is relatively easy as long as you know which path to take.

Just look at that lovely water!

Northern Maryland has a lot of great hiking opportunities, so there is no doubt in my mind that I will be back to score some more of them.

Choosing the Right Hike For You

Everybody goes hiking for different reasons. Some people go for the views they receive at the end of the hike, some guys for the exercise; others go because it gets them out and about. Some people just go because they want a family activity and they have identified that they enjoy nature. The reasons vary from person to person, but there are a few things to bear in mind when selecting a destination.

Defining a hike.

Not only is it a figure of speech (i.e. wow, that’s a hike!) to infer something that is quite some distance away, but it also has its own Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionary definition. Different people view it in different ways, but it is generally referred to as being a large span of distance that is walk with intention. To many people, it is also used as a figure speech to mean anything that is outside the normal drivable distance. Defining what a true hike means to you as important because you will be able to go from there I decided where you want to go exactly. To quote Merriam Webster, a hike is “to rise up; especially to work upward”. As per Oxford, it is ”a long walk or walking tour”. So now, it’s time to dig into the nitty gritty details of choosing the right style of hike for you.

1) Who is coming with me?

When you establish this, hopefully it is easy to see what you are going to do from there. For instance, you probably wouldn't take your small child or infant hiking for 5 mi uphill. And personally, you and your stern hiking buddy going on a very easy trail would be too boring. As such, you must assess the skill levels and hiking competency of everybody in your hiking group, and it comes down to a few factors; previous hiking experience, level of physical fitness, their willingness to explore, how old they are, and any other underlying health complications.

Normally these things all flow in equilibrium, being with somebody who is older is usually more experienced with hiking and occasionally more physically fit. However, this might not always be the case. Good examples are Jordan Romero, who summited Kilimanjaro at age nine and Everest at age thirteen, or perhaps a couch potato who is willing to explore but not much else (and usually via the discovery channel). That being said, you can start to look at the next item of mention.

2) How much of a challenge do you want to be in for?

This kind of ties in with the other part of this post talking about the Yosemite grading system, but it deserves a mention as well. Are you in your group of people looking for a stroll in the park? Or are you looking to have a challenging hike ahead of you? This factor plays a lot into your physical fitness level, so choose wisely. What might be good for one person may not be for the next person, so it is important to know you and your groupmate’s limitations before you try anything too crazy.

3) How far are you willing to travel?

Unfortunately, a lot of hikes I attempt are dictated strictly on how far away they are. Or, inversely, they're dictated by how long the trail is. If there since we're not an issue, I would be all over the United States hiking right now. Sadly, that is not the case though. Another part of hiking is deciding how far you want to travel to reach the trail, and how far the purported destination is from the trailhead on the trail. Some things you need to plan out an entire day for, others can be done in a quiet afternoon. Either way around, make sure to make your decision responsibly and considering your energy levels. And whatever you do, make sure to bring trail mix and some sort of snack and beverage.

4) Trail Rating.

Next, you must bear in mind the rating of the trail itself. Just as I mentioned earlier, The Yosemite Decimal System was incepted for this reason. It breaks down hiking into 5 sections, as follows:

Class 1: Easy hiking with minimal elevation gain and few obstacles

Class 2: More difficult hiking, some of which may be off-trail, and may require putting your hands down for balance at times.

Class 3: Rock scrambling and/or un-roped climbing.

Class 4: Climbing with a rope and lateral ascension at parts.

Class 5: Technical climbing, mountaineering, ice picking, etc.

So not only do you have it broken down by difficulty and duration necessary for the height, but this YDS breaks it down further into things that you will encounter along the trail. Different difficulties work for different people, but I take it most people reading my blog will stay with a 3 or below, like myself. Class 5 would be something like climbing K2 with ice picks and crampons. Class 4 would be something on par with the Seven Summits and needing to climb them with poles and ropes. And then, if kind of goes downhill from there. Hah! No pun intended. Pick your hike based on the rating you think you can tolerate the best.

5) Do you like your lungs?

If the answer is yes, then stick to altitudes that are lower in hiking, particularly below 8000 feet. If the answer is no, and you feel as though you can handle altitude sickness well, then choose a hike that is above 8000. However, be aware of elevation related sicknesses and physical conditions that can occur in your body. Lake elevation related hypoxia, air bubbles potentially forming above 15000 ft, and so on. You don't need to let it scare you away from a really good hike, but it is something you definitely should be aware of.

6) What scenery are you after?

The last notion that is worth mentioning is that of scenery. There are a lot of great hikes with good scenery, although a lot of them are short. And then inversely, there are a lot of really hard ones. You need to identify what balance is right and make your judgment as such. It would also be a good idea to look at reviews and pictures from other hikers online, as it will give you a better indicator as to what the heck would be like. My blog is one of many places and what you can do just that.

I hope this post provided some insight to how you plan on choosing your next hike. Now get out there, go hiking, and enjoy yourself. You have nothing to lose and everything (and a lot of altitude) to gain!

Check out my Apparel Store at https://teespring.com/big-world-small-feet for apparel!

Wake-Up Smoothie!

For another beautiful addition to my blog, I would like to share a recipe that I sometimes use that is a great pick-me-up for mornings on the go or for a pre-workout boost. This recipe has most of the major food groups in it, and it contains a great boost of macronutrients as well. When I know I'm going to be traveling, I will make little Ziploc bags with all of my ingredients in them, and double bag it to prevent any leakage from occurring in my lunchbox (as I throw it around in my car quite often) . If I know I have a long day ahead of me, I will prepare a smoothie the night before and refrigerate it in my thermos.

If you feel really creative, you can even try making a fermented or all-natural version using products from Cultures for Health! You can even make your own Yogurt using this Yogurt starter in your kitchen!

So, without further ado, your lean, green, vegan machine!

Example of what your smoothie could look like. Photo Credits go to Tasha.

Wake-Me-Up Smoothie

Makes one huge serving

1 tbsp protein powder (I use pea protein)

1-2 tsp peanut or cashew butter

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup strawberries

1/2 banana

3/4 cup kale

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup coconut or almond "yogurt"

1 Tbsp hemp seeds (optional)

1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

1/3 cup rolled oats (optional)

Steps:

1) Pull out and thaw your ingredients.

2) Unsheathe the food processor.

3) Put everything in the food processor and let'er rip.

4) Enjoy breakfast on the go!

The Pagoda

There is an old building in Southern Pennsylvania that was established in 1908 as a tourist attraction and a luxury hotel. However, in 1910, their liquor license was denied and the bank foreclosed in Reading, and William Witman never opened the $50,000 hotel, tanking his investment. The city of Reading bought the property for $1 in 1911, and the facility was opened as a tourist attraction. To this day, the Reading Pagoda has been maintained by the loving citizens of Reading, and has seen lots of different people from different walks of life, including actual Japanese monks and scholars.

Getting my inner zen on in front of the pagoda.

The pagoda sits at the top of a rather tall hill and is visited often by people in the surrounding area. I myself have gone there a good bit. Their website provides a wealth of information on the location, and it is almost always open. It is a very lux and posh facility that has seven stories of stairs, perfect for any daycation or holistay. Its proximity to the business district of Reading makes it perfect for a bleisure trip or cinetourism, and will give you an Americanized tour of Japanese culture.

I myself paid the two dollar donation to climb the stairs to the top, where I looked out to see the world. And, it was bright and beautiful.

One Example of the view from the top.

So, one day, possibly years or weeks from now, if you find yourself in South-Central Pennsylvania, come and visit the pagoda. It will be a voyage to be remembered for years to come.

Along the Heritage Rail Trail

 The Heritage rail trail is a 40 mile trail that spans from inner city York to Hunt Valley Maryland. It is a Scenic byway that was established after the York Pennsylvania to Hunt Valley Maryland train it was shut down, and the nature nearby was turned into footpaths and preserved for recreational usage. It is still an excellent way to get exercise and get from one small town from another, as it goes between York, Glen Rock, Seven Valleys, New Freedom, and Hunt Valley.

Somewhere along the rail trail...

 Every summer, there is a charity event held by the Cancer Association of America in which proceeds are raised by biking miles on the rail trail. So every September throughout high school and the first two years of college, I participated in that event, biking a total of 10 miles on the rail trail with my boy scout troop to raise money and commemorate my father who passed away from cancer.

...And from the top of it.

 The trail itself is massive, and starts on a low point and ends on the low point. Altitude increases from the starting point up until you get to the Midway point in New Freedom, and then decreases going the other direction. One summer, my friend Brett and I decided to be dropped off in New Freedom and bike 25 miles back to York. Not only was a great exercise, but I also could hardly feel my legs after that.

There's a lot of beautiful scenery along the way, There's a lot of beautiful scenery along the way, including a kayak Hut, a park, some fields, small towns, lots of foliage, a few Bridges and tunnels, and some Crossroads. It is a great way to get exercise for any body type at any given point of the year. The trail also picks back up around Gifford Pinchot State Park, which I detailed in another post, and continues for a few miles back towards York. So if you ever find yourself ambitious and needing some fun biking routes in southern York Pennsylvania, the rail trail is a great place to go to.

Where Time Stood Still

When I was a senior in high school and in honor's choir, our group got invited to go to New York City for a day and a half to perform and see the city. We also got to see a musical, Once. Our hotel may have been in New Jersey, but we lived pretty much the entire trip in New York City, besides travel time of course. Everything about my experience was a trip to remember.

I awoke on a Saturday morning around 6:30 in order to catch the bus from Frank's Theaters in York. There were about 50 of us who were going on this trip, all of us very talented, experienced singers and aspiring musicians. Five of us were coming from West York to go on this trip, myself included. Previously, the five of us had gone to the farm show complex in Harrisburg every year with our select vocal Ensemble to sing Christmas carols and more. This time, we would be putting on a small concert in St John's Cathedral, the largest church in downtown New York City.

The bus ride lasted four and a half hours, and included the pit stop for coffee and a bathroom break halfway through. They had Burger King at this gas station for whatever reason, so I picked up some hash browns and a sandwich to tide me over until we ate dinner. This was my first time ever setting foot in New York, much less New York City. As soon as we came through the tunnel that led into New York City and Lower Manhattan, all of us started cheering with enamored excitement.

The city was huge. The people were everywhere, and all of them usually friendly. You could literally go up to anybody on the street and strike up a conversation. It was the biggest cultural hub I ever seen, even more so than Paris and Switzerland. It was incredible. And who would have known that it wide Just a few hours north of me?

Normally, the honors choir goes to New York City and sings in the Rockefeller Center, and sings for a big audience. We weren't as lucky, and I had not gone there before. Simply because of monetary constraints, I was only able to go this one year. 

When we got to the cathedral, our mouths were agape after seeing how big the church was. We performed at 10:30 in the morning to a room of mostly parents. Our first song was "O sifuni mungu", an African spiritual, and we really got a feel for the sheer dynamics of this cathedral. The ceiling was 120 feet high, and echoed like mad. We hit our last chord and our next song, "Lux Aurumque" by Eric Whitacre, and our director pulled out a stopwatch. 8 Seconds. Our last chord run out in the cathedral for 8 Seconds. Chills ran down my spine. A tear ran down the face of the person beside me.

The powerhouse of a cathedral that we sang in.

The guys ensemble sang hello "Mary Lou" , a barbershop ensemble song, and the girls ensemble saying "mouth music", an Irish spiritual. We sang a song of joys, and mixed meter cantata. We sang a few more songs before ending our set with "Why We Sing", followed by an encore of "Let the River Run", as re-imagined by Carly Simon. This powerful song was originally a Quaker spiritual, but now would become the most powerful song I have ever song in a choir. There were four percussionists, including myself, but only two of us went on the trip. We slammed our drums loud and proud. 

What an incredible concert, only to be followed by a tour of Times Square, a few picture opportunities, and then our first Broadway show. We saw the musical ones, and it immediately became my favorite musical. I broke down about the soundtrack, as everything about this single stage single set  Broadway show was incredible and Unforgettable. Although I performed in musicals in my own I was never the biggest fan of them, until this day.

We then ate at Hard Rock Cafe, making sure to purchase souvenirs. I had a collection of drumsticks from Hard Rock, and this would be a addition number 5. We then had two hours to ourselves to roam around, where we checked out the Nintendo store, and their biggest candy store. We then met up in Time Square around 6 at night.

At this point in the trip, we all looked at each other, happy to be alive. Our director put up a high sign to get us all together as a group, and said that he had a wonderful idea to stand in the center of Times Square and start an impromptu acapella version of Let the River Run. And this is the magical moment where time Stood Still.

Some friends and I in Times Square. Wait for it...

As you may be aware, Times Square is one of the busiest parts of New York, and  New York City is one of the busiest cities in America. There is hustling and bustling and lots of cars honking their horns everywhere. Lots of advertisements on the big screens in the Big Apple, mostly for musicals and products that are up and coming. When we started singing though, the crowds gathered at the outdoor Amphitheater at Times Square all came to a quiet halt. There were no words. No cars honking. Just the Euphoria of the moment, and at least 400 people listening to a group of high schoolers sing Carly Simon, recording us on their cell phones, taking pictures, and listening. 

And then all of a sudden, an image of us appeared on one of the Billboards, and the honors choir was on display for all who looked on the other wise illustrious advertisements. We finished our song on a high A from the sopranos and a middle D from the basses, swelling into an uproar, ferociously. A 5-second halt, and then the Applause started like mad. 

That just happened. Time Stood Still. No,;New York City, Stood Still, just to listen to us.

What an Incredible gift we had been given this day. We used our talents to give back in the only beautiful way that we knew how to. Triumphantly, we returned to our tour bus, ready to get dinner at a local pasta restaurant. Because we were part of a group, we got a discounted rate, and all of us got a four course meal out of the deal. Between this and the gracious hospitality, we had to thank them in the only way we knew how. My percussionist colleague Dakota and I started drumming on the table, and once again, the choir was letting the River Run. You should have seen the smiles on their faces.

And so it came to pass, that this would be my first glimpse into the wondrous world that is New York City. This was my first time going there, but most certainly not the last. Until next time I stumble upon the Big Apple, I would always continue to let the River Run. And I would let all of the dreamers wake the nation.

Classified

When I was 19, I had a girlfriend whose mother really likes to travel and see new things, as long as it was cheap. She got US Government clearances and tickets to go for a tour of the Pentagon in Washington DC. The Pentagon is the headquarters for the Department of Defense with the United States military, and it is a highly classified and extremely cool building. There is a mall right next to it in Arlington Virginia called The Pentagon mall, where you can buy some souvenirs if you were one of the unfortunate ones who was not able to go on your tour of the Pentagon. Or, of course, you could go buy stuff after your tour, which is what we did.

Upon entering the building, all firearms must be checked, and verifying information must be presented to the heavily armed security officers. Upon arrival in the main part of the building, we see a massive staircase and some of the largest bathrooms I've ever seen as well. And trust me, I've seen a lot of bathrooms (shameless travel disclosure). We are invited into a waiting room, where we waited for our tour guide to take us on a tour of the portion of the facility that is accessible to civilians.

Our tour guide introduced himself as a sergeant with the United States Marines who was taking a break from active duty to lead guided tours of the Pentagon. He asked all of us where we are from, with only a surprisingly few amount of the people saying they are from the United States. Half of the tour group came from England and the Netherlands. One couple came from Germany, and another from Japan. And all of them came simply because they wanted to learn a little bit about the inner workings of our government and defense policy.

The most impressive thing about the tour, aside from seeing the different military and defense exhibits and displays themselves, would probably have to be the fact that our tour guide led the entire tour backwards. That's right, he was back stepping the entire time while talking to us, only changing directions at the very end of the tour when it was over. While walking backwards, he gave us a lot of history lessons about the Pentagon, where it started, and how it got to where it is today.

Towards the middle of the tour, we got to the section that was destroyed and rebuilt during the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001. We were asked to sign a guestbook that laid under a wall full of purple hearts, each hard to commit commemorate a fallen citizen. It was a very sobering moment. We admired the topiary that existed in the refurbished Courtyard for a moment or two, and then continued on with the rest of the tour, next going to the naval Wing to learn about their ships and boats.

On the last half of the tour, there was actually a display About the Boy Scouts of America America and their involvement with the Pentagon. We then saw some employees speeding around downstairs, complete with healthy meals obtained from the Central Cafe of the Pentagon. These meals usually included Arby's, Starbucks, and McDonalds. Even in the most locked down building in the United States, there is a deficit of healthy food choices.

A Much younger me at the pentagon. I was holding the wrong wrist, though.

At the end of the tour, we got to stand next to our tour guide and his assistant, noticing that like most military pictures, neither of them was smiling. We looked around, took a few more pictures, got some souvenirs, and called it quits for a day. I wish I could tell you more about what goes on in the lower levels of the Pentagon, but just as for the rest of us, that information is classified.