New Jersey transplant experiences hiking in MC

Hiking ... a new pastime.

One of the nice things about living in Virginia is that the weather is more moderate in the winter. One can actually hike, bike, jog or walk in the middle of January without risking frostbite or dressing to look like the Michelin man. Hiking seemed like a good choice for a new outdoor adventure and my husband swears it’s the best.

Before setting out on a hike, one must be properly outfitted or at least that’s what the catalogues would have us believe. So, I took stock of what I might need. Something bright orange would probably be a good start. My wardrobe was definitely heavy in the black, gray, brown color palette. Good color choices for the city, but I didn’t want to risk looking like one of the animals during hunting season.

Problem one now solved, it occurred to me that I have the world’s worst sense of direction when the sun isn’t shining. I have always relied on the city planners to tell me if I was traveling on east something street or west something street. The fact that the street didn’t actually provide an east-west access never occurred to me. So, it was time to invest in a compass.

Of course knowing the direction of “home” would be good. This could be tricky when you have mountains on more than one side! I’m programmed like a typical Jersey girl, the ocean is to the east unless you live in California when it is to the west. Oceans are much easier to follow than mountains.

What if I couldn’t follow the compass even after knowing the direction of home? In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I never succeeded as a Girl Scout. But, somewhere in a science class I learned that man could survive with just water for about five days. Just in case the science teacher overestimated survival skills, I thought it best to invest in a large package of energy bars to go with the water.

But now I had to carry all this junk. So it was time to find a backpack that was light and didn’t look too “geeky.” A “fanny pack” was recommended, but I just couldn’t get comfortable with the name. I’m quite sure I was over-packing, a habit I’ve had since girlhood.

The last item needed was a hiking stick. The good news was I didn’t need to buy that. There are many good and serviceable sticks all over the county. What I found particularly nice was that at some of the Shenandoah National Park entrances, people recycle their hiking sticks. It works on the “take a stick, leave a stick” principal.

So now I was outfitted for the big hike. The neighbors invited me for a “not so rigorous” hike and I was quite excited to join them. I was sure I was prepared and looking rather fashionable. We headed up the hill and I thought I might really get into this hiking thing. After about 10 minutes, I fell into a stream!
Maybe I best wait until warmer weather to go hiking again.

(Guest columnist Valerie Goossens is a newcomer to Madison County, having arrived in August 2008. She has lived most of her life in the metropolitan New York City-New Jersey area, except for 13 years she spent living in Asia. She and her husband, Alfred Goossens, now reside in Syria, where they are building a mountain-top home near Rag Mountain Estates. Contact her via e-mail at .)