Morris Farm Hike

Our hike began with a lesson on the right gear to take, at the YMCA in Niles.  The plan was that after the hour long lecture, we would begin our 9.2 mile hike around the outskirts of town.  It would be a more urban style hike, mostly on paved roads.  Due to the heavy frost that we had last night the most dangerous thing on the hike seemed to be the invisible black ice that caused us to slip and slid around.

Coach Gunn presented a lot of good information on the most appropriate gear to bring on hikes. We learned a lot about how to pick out the right type of shoes.  He really stressed that the old style leather boots will not be too comfortable for 20+ mile hikes.  He suggested trail runners, with good treads and a sturdy heel.  Coach also discussed the qualifications of a good day pack.  A good day pack should hold at least 15 to 20 pounds and have a 3 liter water bag for hydration.  This will be crucial on longer distance hikes in the sun.  A good, waterproof jacket and pants will help with additional comfort during your hike, not only for rain but for cold, since it holds in your body heat but is not bulky.  He also recommended jackets that have lots of ventilation ports since you will want to be able to regulate the airflow so you don’t overheat.

When we started the hike my dad and I discovered how slippery this hike was going to be…we both about fell five or six times on the walkway leading out of the YMCA.  We moved into the grass after that.  The night before, the weather decided to go from originally 40 and sunny, to 13 and snowing.  After we discovered how to avoid the slippery spots we picked up the pace and for the rest of the hike we led the group.  We thought about stopping for a break at our house since the trail ran about a ½ mile from our house at the halfway point...but the continuous flow of people behind us, kept us pushing onward.

I really enjoyed this hike.  It was definitely one of the faster ones, and I was able to have a lot of fun on it too.  One of the greatest experiences on this hike was when we were finally driving home, seeing the other hikers and yelling “FIRE UP!”  I can't wait until our next hike.