Labyrinth & Lemon Squeeze

A couple weekends ago, we headed up to New York’s Monhonk Mountain Preserve to do several outstanding rock scrambles.  First, we tackled the Bonticou Crag. Gotta love the “caution: rock scramble ahead” sign at the trail head.

It was a challenging, but incredibly fun, scramble up to the top.  At the top, we were rewarded with this gorgeous view.  (Personally, I found the scrambling was even more fun than the view, but it was hard to take pictures during the scramble up!)

We then hiked along several carriage roads (reminds me of Acadia National Park) to reach the Monhonk Mountain House and Lake:

At the edge of the lake, we started the “Labyrinth and Lemon Squeeze” hike.  This hike is very popular (with good reason), so it was pretty crowded.  The hike begins its maze-like turns, requiring you to climb up on some rocks and then under others, almost like in a little cave.   There were ladders in some spots for ease of climbing.  That was the “Labyrinth” part.

Next comes the Lemon Squeeze part and you’ll see why it gets its name:

It is really not as bad as it looks.  (Okay, my arms were sore the next day from pulling myself up at the top, but it was definitely doable.)  And at the top, we were rewarded with another great view.  We pulled out our packed lunch and had lunch up on the rock face.  There was also a tower at the top that had cool views down below.

After we returned down to the lake, we hiked over to another section (the “Humpty Dumpty”) and did two shorter scrambles.   I wish I could capture the rock scrambling parts – but I wanted to keep my hands free as I climbed on the rocks!  But for anyone who likes this kind of thing, it is very worthwhile.

We have done Great Falls in DC and Old Rag in Shenandoah, VA (two wonderful hikes!) and the ones here in Monhonk are certainly on par with those in my view.  Plus, the nice thing about these hikes, unlike Old Rag, is that there is no huge switchbacks in forests up 1000+ feet of elevation gain before you reach the scramble section.  Here, you start at the lake and immediately get to do the fun scrambling.

 

Delaware Water Gap – Hiking

Yesterday (4th of July), we headed about an hour and a half north of Princeton to the Delaware Water Gap.  Friends of ours recommended this place for kayaking, but we never made the trek up to New Jersey.  Now that we are living closer, it made for an easy day trip.  We opted to hike Mt Tammany.

The hike is a short, but steep, climb up the mountain.  There are a lot of rocks and a little rock scrambling.  It is about 1200 feet elevation gain in about 1.5 miles.  The view at the top overlooks the Delaware River and Mt Minsi on the opposite side of the river.

I personally enjoyed the American flag at the top!  Fitting for Independence Day.

We hiked up the (steeper) Red Dot trail and down the more gradual Blue trail which I recommend.  Near the bottom of the Blue trail is a scenic set of waterfalls.

All in all, a very nice hike. We may return to do some kayaking in the future.

Princeton University

Princeton University’s campus borders Nassau Street, so it is right in the heart of town.  It is a quintessential ivy league campus; see there really is ivy on those walls.

We rode our bikes around the campus. This time of year, things seem pretty quiet.  We did see a tour group for perspective students and a summer camp.  Otherwise, there is not a lot happening here right now.

 

PS Yes, that is my rental bike in the picture.  It faithfully got me around town for over 45 miles during week one!  This week, I have only ridden about 25 miles so far.

Into Town

Nassau Street, the heart of “downtown” Princeton, is lined with lots of bookstores, coffee shops and upscale boutiques (where jeans cost $225!).  It is a nice place to take an evening stroll and is in walking distance from our house.

There are lots of ethnic restaurants along with traditional places like Panera Bread.  Last weekend, we ate at a Middle Eastern place.  The falafels were great!

The “House of Cupcakes” down the street is calling my name, but I have yet to visit it. One of these days.

 

A Walk Around the Block

Each morning I have been taking a short walk around the neighborhood before work.  Our townhouse is directly across from Princeton High School, the local public school in town.

See, it looks just like any other public school….

Okay maybe not.  I certainly would not want to compete against their math team! Or any other team for that matter (maybe I could beat some in cross country, but who knows).

Back to our walk around the block.  After passing the high school, we turn onto a tree-lined street.

The houses are are well kept in this quiet, well-to-do neighborhood.

And then we come full circle back to our street by the high school.

The outside look of our townhouse is nice, but very non-descript compared with the other houses on this block.   We snagged a great location.  It is very nice for walking and riding our bikes.  Very little traffic, especially since the high school finished this past Wednesday.

Our neighborhood is also walking distance to the university, but that trip will be saved for a later post.

The House

I love our new house!  It has a lot of character (in a good way!).  The owners are literature professors, so they have books.  Lots and lots of books. It is like living in a library!  There are at least three books shelves entirely on Dante.  Upstairs there are more “normal” books like Death in Venice by Thomas Mann and even a beach book (that I read last night).  Here is our dinning room:

We have a wonderful kitchen as well (the astute viewer will notice our huge stack of bran flakes boxes!)

Right now Bryan is reading Plato’s Republic (this is seriously one of the lighter reads from the shelves):

I have my own little reading nook (Bible, hiking book and computer book are mine):

We are loving the place!  I am also trying hard to keep the many house plants alive.  I hope they do not die on my watch.

Beating the Winter Blues: Bicyclying to Safeway and other Adventures

The dark days of winter used to depress me, but no more. I have gradually learned to reclaim the outdoors. Today I needed to get a few items at the groccery store for an upcoming Christmas party. No big deal, but venturing into the shopping center parking lot five days before Christmas is NOT recommended. Just thinking about the traffic jams in the parking lot stresses me out. So I bundle up in my scarf and gloves and head out on my bicycle.

The ride goes through a couple neighborhoods. There’s a stretch on a small dirt path that connects the neighborhoods so I can avoid busy roads. I have Brandon to thank for first showing me this path (it pays to know the 10-year old kids in the neighborhood!). I enjoy the little bit of mountain biking. There’s a downhill stretch with some rocks & roots that gives me pause, but I manage. And conquering it over the frozen tundra builds my confidence.

When I reach the parking lot, I gleefully breeze past all the cars in the the before-Christmas-traffic snarl. I have to fight a little with the self-bagging machine to convince it my backpack is in fact a bag, but otherwise, all went smoothly. On my ride home, I am breathing a little hard from the ride, enjoying the sunshine and not minding too much the crisp wind on my face. I feel like today I have cheated winter. Ha!

Sole of the City 10K

This past Saturday, my sister and I headed up to Baltimore for the 2016 Sole of the City 10K. We left plenty early (or so we thought), hitting the city around 7:45, but race traffic slowed us to a crawl along Key Highway. We arrived just in time — 8:50 — for the 9:00 race start. While I believe there was plenty of free parking in the Under Armor Lots, there was no one directing traffic into the lots (or none we saw), so we ended up meandering and snagging a random street parking spot. The major bright side — thanks to my well prepared and super organized sister, we had already picked up our packets, so we didn’t need to stress about that. The downside — no time to use the restroom. Ugh!

A sea of eager runners lined up along Fort Avenue, a huge American flag waving over us. After the National Anthem, the race kicked off. One of early highlight was seeing a great “Athlete’s Serving Athletes” turnout. This local group partners with kids with disabilities so they can race. Each kid has a sign with their name on their wheeled “jogger”. I had a blast cheering on many of them by name as I ran by. Many fellow runners and spectators did the same. Everyone was in good spirits on this bright spring morning. The weather, sunny and around mid-50s, was absolutely perfect for running.

The first mile or so was densely crowded. I navigated around runners (sidewalks are great for that!) and got into a comfortable rhythm between mile 1 and 2. I didn’t mind the weaving too much, distracted at the outset by the great views of the Inner Harbor. At the Mile2 water stop, we were greeted by amazingly energetic and encouraging volunteers. A huge shout out to “Back on My Feet” for their support!

The course took us through scenic neighborhoods around Baltimore. One stretch of colorful, well-kept Fells Point row houses lined the cobble stone street and made you feel like you had stepped back in time. The stretch returning towards the harbor was also great. I loved racing through the Baltimore landmarks – the pavilions on Light & Pratt, the Science Center, and Federal Hill off in the distance. I had heard the last mile included some hills (overall the course was pretty flat) and I worried that they’d take us up Federal Hill. But happily we did not go up there!! Our hills were much tamer, yet steep enough to make me seriously think about walking. I didn’t. But I did slow down and got passed by several people in the last mile.

Once I heard the cheering at the finish, I kicked it up and passed one person at the very end. (Just to make up for my getting passed by all those people during miles 5-6. Ha!) After collapsing on the grass then getting some water, I met up with my sister. We both beat our goal times and had a great race!

Blizzard 2016: Ultra-Snow Shoveling

Forget about ultra-marathons, there’s a new extreme sport gaining popularity on a street near you — ultra-snow shoveling! It is a full body workout, requiring great endurance. Try clearing 28 inches of snow in the 20 degree weather with 30 mile an hour winds using only your shovel. Who needs a snow blower when you can enjoy the challenge of keeping up with a snow storm that dumps 3 inches every 2 hours? Or race against your neighbor for a little competitive fun. It is fun, free, and productive! Your husband may even thank you with homemade chicken noodle soup when all is done.

Ecclesiates – A Book for the Mid-Life Muddle

Ecclesiastes is a perfect book for the struggles of mid-life.

When I was younger, I didn’t fully appreciate this book of the Bible. You have wise, rich King Solomon reflecting back on his days, muttering “Meaningless, meaningless” like a grumpy old man. Not too hopeful, joyful, or God-honoring from my point of view.

But like dark chocolate or sea salt brownies, I began to appreciate the subtleties and bitter sweetness over time.

By mid-life, we have experienced for ourselves the meaninglessness in one way or another. We have climbed the career ladder, only to be disillusioned by office politics, an unexpected lay off, or success that simply wasn’t quite as satisfying as we expected. We have longed for children to love, cuddle, and nurture, only to encounter sleepless nights, a battle of wills, or perhaps no children at all.

It shouldn’t be this hard! Or, as Solomon says, “Meaningless, meaningless”.

Solomon walks us through the many areas that we seek to find meaning:

• pleasure
• toil
• advancement
• riches
• wisdom

and cynically (or eloquently?) shows their failure to bring satisfaction, a chasing after the wind. Yet at the same time, he also testifies to the goodness of these very things,

This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate
for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their
toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has
given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives
someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to
accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.

Ecclesiastes is not saying that everything is meaningless – it isn’t.

Nor is it saying that wisdom, wealth, and work are pointless. No, they are good gifts from God. But they are intended to be enjoyed as gifts from our Heavenly Father, not to be the life-giving source of our joy or our ultimate purpose in life.

Rather, as we walk through this brief life, we can remember our Creator in the days of our youth — and middle age, and older age!

It’s interesting to me that Solomon encourages his readers to “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” because it seems he followed God more in his youth than later in his life.

One encouraging, yet sobering, charge given to Solomon by his father David:

If you seek God, he will be found by you,
but if you forsake him, he will cast you off (1 Chronicles 29:8)

So why do I like Ecclesiastes? Well, it has helped me during the times when I feel the futility of life in a few ways:

1. These feelings are a normal part of life.

God devoted several chapters in the Bible to express the feeling of futility or “burn out” in life. I am not the only one to feel this way. In fact, it is part of the human existence. So when I experience feelings of futility or frustration with life, it doesn’t crush my faith. God does not ignore or dismiss these feelings we have.  Ecclesiastes gives a voice to these feelings and shows they can be used by God.

2. Futility points us to God.

Originally, work was a joyful gift of God to man. The futility of work entered only during the fall as part of the curse. Futility is not part of God’s original plan, rather a reminder to us that life is not as it should be. And a call to us to be reconciled with our Creator. So the futility, in some sense, is a gift as it points us to God, the One who can fulfill us completely.

3. There is a season for everything

Life is so brief. (As we get older, it is easier to appreciate this fact!) Ecclesiastes also highlights there are seasons for everything — a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, etc. — and these seasons fly by with lightening speed. This helps me to have a better perspective — to know that when I am feeling depressed that it won’t last forever. On the other hand, when I am feeling ecstatic, that won’t last forever either!

While we don’t know how long a “blah” season may last (for me, it can certainly feel like  forever), we can cling to God’s promise that “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30:5)

And as we long for the day when Christ will return to make all things new and all as it should be, we can walk by the Spirit step by step, day by day. “Since we are led by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Plod on, my friends, plod on.