Norvin Green

I have been going for hikes more frequently lately, after a long and lonely and highly depressing winter, in which I can't actually remember going hiking even once.

Of course, part of the reason was the weather. It was very snowy and icy, and once the white stuff was on the ground, it stayed there until late winter/early spring.

Also, this winter was very depressing for me, in more ways than one.

And all of that added up to a long drought, in terms of hiking.

But with the weather improving, I began to start hiking again. Nothing too strenuous at first. Just short hikes, often with my son, and remaining on relatively flat terrain. This was because a couple of years ago, when I was hiking several times a week, my knees started to seriously hurt, and I was beginning to fear possible permanent damage, and was forced to take a break for quite some time from more strenuous hikes.

Hey, we all get older, right?

Still, the thought that I could no longer go on "serious" hikes was pretty depressing, and not acceptable just yet. Damn! I'm just not that old yet!

And little by little this year, I began to challenge myself to more serious, strenuous hikes.

One of my favorites is in my home town, which I used to do back in my high school days. It is at Norvin Green, and there is one particular trail there that, while relatively difficult and definitely a good workout, it is still a pretty quick trail to do. If you have an extra forty minutes or so, and you want to fit a good hike in, this is perfect. It is pretty steep at times, and involves just a little bit of mild rock climbing (if you choose to, although they just opened up an easier trail recently). There's a lot of uphill, obviously followed by a lot of downhill. It's as good of a hiking workout as you're going to get inside of forty or so minutes, and it offers some beautiful views of the surrounding wooded foothills, and even some glimpses of New York City!

Thought I'd share some pictures, including of my son, who must have stopped five or six times (sometimes less than five minutes, perhaps even less than three minutes, after the previous break), and it was adding considerable time to our hike. Now, it was hot and sunny, but not that uncomfortable. And he's young, far younger than me! He had done well the first time we went out there, and the next day, he was also better (although surprisingly tired). But all in all, he did fairly well, and that is important to me, since I am trying to teach him other things in life than video games and cartoons, and remaining cooped up with these in front of a screen, one way or another, for hours (if you let him).

In any case, a friend of mine introduced me to this trail a few years ago, and I have actually become a regular here ever since. It is a trial that I would recommend to any northern New Jersey native, or anyone visiting the region, who is interested in getting in some hiking.

Take a look at some of the pictures, which admittedly, did not come out as well as I had hoped, and don't do justice to some of the views that you should be able to get on a clear day:

When I say that he was exhausted, I wasn't kidding! Here, he looked like he was ready to pass out! 

Here he is again, sitting on the makeshift, stone furniture, for which this particular trail has gotten a little bit of fame. Again, the picture does not make it clear, but these rocks are put together to resemble a kind of couch, of sorts!