Thursday, May 2, 2013

To Blog, or not to Blog...and about WHAT?

Yes, I know….I’ve promised several times to resurrect my blog. But this time I’m determined. The direction, however, is a bit unclear. I suppose it’s a good thing to have multiple ‘passions’; do I blog about baseball (especially since the Red Sox have decided to rekindle the flame this year)? The blog was originally about being in the trenches of nurse education, where I am still slogging away. But since I’m on sabbatical (thank you, Endicott College) and my project is just about finished, maybe a hiatus from all things academic would be preferable.

But then…there’s hiking. My friend (virtual, electronic friend) John Compton blogs about hiking, and has rewarded his readers with some incredibly interesting information about more obscure hikes. In addition to blogging about beautiful views, conditions of trails, etc., he’s pointed his readers to hikes with unusual ‘twists’…obscure hikes often overlooked by all but the ‘locals’. The first hike that I did on his recommendation was to Mt. Surprise over in Maine, where there still exists wreckage of a plane crash. Not able to find it on our first trip, he graciously gave me explicit directions to the site. Although its not a ‘secret’, really, it IS a place at risk for vandalism and those who respect and treasure this site are not prone to publicize it.

Check out John's blog:   1HappyHiker  He has some great photos and ideas for hikes (although, really, John?  The snake photo did not exactly encourage me to get out in the woods this week.

Because many of his hikes are well within the ability of those of us of a ‘certain age’ who are beyond peak bagging but not yet ready for the rocking chair, he’s been a great resource….thus spurring me to dedicate this blog mostly to the trials and tribulations of the aging hiker, with an eye towards encouraging older or differently abled hikers to get out on the trails this summer.