Week 2 - Ward Reservation

Week 2's hike was at Ward Reservation in Andover featuring the highest point on the North Shore:




This week was a little more difficult, a lot more of that uphill stuff. Though the highest point in Essex County is only 420', that's like walking up 30-40 flights of stairs in a row, and when's the last time any of us did that? Luckily it was a beautiful winter day, with the freshly fallen snow on the ground it looked like narnia.

Heidi and Patricia

We were out for about 3 hours and my 6 year old hiking boots held up well, for now. I have to start shopping for some better gear though, things are only going to get harder. I already bought $50 worth of socks and a high-end water bottle. Since I didn't have a thermos, in order to keep from having to drink ice cold water on an icy cold day, I filled the bottle with hot tea and put it in a wine bottle insulator. Klassy.

Week 1

At the initial meeting we were given our daily training schedule, which isn't so grueling except for the word "daily". Here's a sample week:

Sunday - 30 Minute Flat/Easy
Monday - Core Strength/Rest
Tuesday - 30 - 45 Min. Hilly/Moderate
Wednesday - 30 Min Flat/Brisk
Thursday - 30 - 45 Min. Hilly/Moderate
Friday Rest -OR- 30 Minute Flat/Easy
Saturday - Hike Elevation Gain/Loss 200' - 500'

What changes as the weeks go on is the duration and the elevation gain on our weekend hikes. The first one was pretty easy, the hike leader Chris calls this the "walk in the woods" phase. We spent a couple of hours roaming around Breakheart Reservation in Saugus (which I never knew existed, I guess I was blinded by it's being located next to the Kelly's Roast Beef on Rte 1). It was cold but the hills were gently rolling and back at the lodge there was a fireplace and hot chocolate to warm us up. Apparently that is not typical, most hikes will begin and end in a parking lot.

The Group