I couldn't believe when I opened the blog and it was nearly two weeks since my last post. I usually get at least one in on the weekend. This lack of desire is just another sign of a spiral downward. Hopefully, it passes. I'm tired of spinning out of control. My doctors appointment is a month away. He's going to be very angry with me.
School has begun and I'm adjusting to my new schedule. Hopefully, next week I can get some shorter walks in.
The WW design team.
Last weekend I did not walk. Friday I headed to Reading, well actually Wyomissing, for the 4-day Writing Wrongs program. I was the design adviser. Last year I got about 4 hours alone and I went and checked out some parks in Reading. This year, I had no down time. I went around a large block in an industrial park. Once.
Tuesday was a class day, and Wednesday it all caught up with me. I now know what a zombie feels like. I was the walking dead. Thursday was my 12-hour day, and Friday I ran around like a crazy person doing everything I hadn't done since the previous Thursday.
I had two choices for walks yesterday. One was local —Quakertown, sort of —at Lake Noxamixon. The other was in Elizabeth, Pa and it was a volkssport walk. I wanted to do that one, especially when I first read it as Ephrata, but it was an 1-3/4 hour drive. Q'town is maybe a half hour. I need to save money. Q'town it is.
I opened the email to find out where they were meeting. It said:
There’s no view from the top of Haycock Mountain. This is a tough up-hill hike. So why go?! There are some amazing, gigantic boulders on Haycock Mt, elevation 960 feet/293 meters. Rock climbers hone their skills here. Also, it will be a lovely day...
To start our hike we’ll walk around the level Fishing Pond at Lake Nockamixon. Then we’ll begin a gradual, but steady climb up—on a short section of road, and then across a shallow stream (1-inch of water, so your shoes might get a tiny bit we. Or bring water shoes, or you can rock-hop across the stream).This is followed by a 5 to 10 minute walk through Japanese stilt grass ... .
Still going up gradually, we’ll enter the forest. ... scrambling over rocks ... continue up ... .
You get the idea. WTF? Even in prime condition I'm not fit for that walk. Holey Moley.
There was still time. I headed for E'town. If I had planned to go here I would have left at 7. It's already nearly 8:30. Traffic on 78 was horrible and it took me over two hours to get there, and I couldn't find the volkssport walkers. I looked up the number on my phone and called. They got me to the start point.
And I'm off. This place is gorgeous. It feels like a college campus—old stone buildings, massive lawns, monuments, a formal garden. It's even got it's own health center, wood workshop, and SEVEN restaurants. Oh, and did I mention it's own orchard with pick-your-own fruit AND a farmers market? Even though the market was near the end of the route, I decided to ride up there to get my apples on the way home.
After signing in I went the other direction to explore the formal garden. It was large. You could climb the stairs to the Grand Lodge and look down over the whole garden from a stone terrace.
At the Masonic Village, there are walking paths everywhere. And as you can see by the sign, they have their own trail system. If you're rich and over 55 you could move there. Gone are the days of needing to be a Mason. Even the large Masonic Lodge in downtown E'town was up for sale.
All-in-all I'm happy I drove the distance to explore this place.
Miles/Steps: about 5, including the walk, the farmers market, and the formal garden
Weather: low 60s, sunny
Wildlife: so many butterflies, moths and bees. No spotted lantern flies. Yet.
Bathrooms: I-5 In the picnic area
Extra: I met a woman walking who lives there. She saw the volkssport tent and asked what was going on. By the end of the walk she was joining the Penn Dutch Pacers. She's a former 10K runner.
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