Took a Little Hike

Delaware River from Baldpate Mountain

19 February 2023

I wanted to be in two places at once today. Jim's ride, which I hadn't been on in a month, was full of people I wanted to see. But Regina, Jim's Excellent Wife, had planned a hike on Baldpate Mountain at the same time. I hadn't been on those trails in probably more than a decade, and I want to do more hilly hiking. I bought a pair of hiking poles*, which I'd been meaning to do for a while, and signed up for the hike.

We started from the Pleasant Valley Road entrance, which I think I've never done before. The only people I knew were Regina and Rickety. 

The hike was easy, because the parking lot is halfway up the hill already. It was 4.5 miles out and back, but it didn't feel like it. The walk around Tom's golf course, which was paved and flat, was more demanding than the soft dirt under our feet today. 

We stopped for pictures at the top of the hill. The spot used to be the Kuser estate, and the forest was cleared back then. What's there now is a view across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. 

Looking southwest, we could see a couple of smokestacks. Power plants, I guess?

We headed down the slope, where it was easier to see the river.

Not much farther down the hill, our leaders turned us around so that we could keep the advertized distance. 

I got talking to Regina, we fell behind, and after stopping for pictures of an abandoned house on the trail, we found ourselves way off the back of the pack.

It didn't matter. We were close to the trailhead anyway.

It was good to get out into the woods and do something other than biking. Still, I was sorry I missed Jim's ride. It looked like a good one. 

(*About those poles: I occasionally have knee pain, which, given my age, day job, glassblowing hobby, and athletic history, is no surprise. I figured I'd better get myself a pair of poles for hilly hikes, to take some of the pressure off during descents. I found a pair on sale, collapsible for easy stashing, at REI on Friday. I tried to put them together when I got home. The instructions, written in pale, 4-point type on the cardboard packaging, spoke of pressing a button to lock the sections, strung on a thick cable, in place. Try as I might, I could not find said button. There was a lever to lock the top segment down for height adjustment, but, other than that, the poles were three sections of smooth. One pole seemed to hold together well enough; the other, not so much. Maybe someone on the hike would have a clue. I packed them up. When, on the hike, we reached a descent, I figured it would be a good time to test the equipment. The pole I pulled out and snapped together held for about three steps before the bottom segment swung out. I showed Regina. She couldn't figure out what was going on either. So I stashed the pole away. After the hike, I went back to REI. The clerk there experienced the same thing I did and had no idea what was wrong. He sent me off to pick out a different set. I found a different set, a different brand, one that the Friday clerk had demonstrated for me. When I got back to the register, the clerk was talking to someone who was, apparently, more expert than either of us. He yanked the top section in a way neither of us had thought prudent or possible, exposing a little button. Press that, he told us, to lock the sections in place. I felt stupid, but not overly so, because two other people today hadn't figured it out either. I took the poles back home, changed clothes, and did a weight workout that included bench step-ups. A few hours later, my right knee was scolding me for not knowing how to open a hiking pole. I'm fine now.)