Exploring the Maurice River Bluffs

June 21, 2018 By Hollie in hiking Tags: fitness, hiking, new jersey, summer, trail 2 Comments

Recently, I was down in the Vineland area. I’ve always wanted to check out the Maurice River Bluffs, and it seemed like a good day to do so. There are a couple of trails down there! Unfortunately, with the weather we’ve had the last couple of months, part of the trails were closed due to flooding.

That is okay, and I still had a relaxing time just exploring. I stayed on trails and followed the detour route that is currently in place, but it’s not the same route you’ll find online.

I believe I explored about 3 miles worth of the park. I was able to make it to the actual Maurice River Bluffs, so I felt accomplished. Tick season is among us, and along with just everyday safety, I like to stay on trails and not make my own. Most of the path is pine needles and then along the bluffs is a beautiful sandy marsh.

The parking lot is small, and I don’t know how crowded the park can get. There was plenty of parking when I went, but as mentioned I’m unsure how busy it can be. When I arrived, I heard loud music playing. To be honest, for about 5 minutes I thought there was a festival going on inside the park. I’m not exaggerating at all! When I walked up to the front, I realized it was coming from someone’s car.

Most of the trail is pines.

An abandoned building along the trail. It was pretty cool as most of the building is gone and you can see nearly to the foundation.

Looking to the bluffs!

Gorgeous view along the bluffs that I had no idea existed around there.

In all, it was a fun little walk in the Vineland. I enjoy exploring new parts of NJ, and this spring and summer have been great for that!

Spent the morning walking down the Maurice River Bluffs. . Always wanted to get down there and this morning seemed like a good excuse. Barely beat the rain. . Taking a few days off from running to get the rest of my life in check.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jun 10, 2018 at 4:18pm PDT

I have been enjoying the peace of hiking and walking through the Spring and now summer. I’m hopefully looking forward to continuing through the rest of the season.

Other Spring hikes I’ve Done:
Hiking Turkey Swamp in Freehold
Exploring Cattus Island in Toms River
Hartshorne Park in the Highlands
Hiking Cape May Lighthouse

You can see all hikes here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever been to bluffs?

Do you live in an area with a lot of ticks?

Exploring Hartshorne Park in the Highlands

May 16, 2018 By Hollie in hiking Tags: fitness, hiking, history, military, new jersey, sports, trail 4 Comments

As part of my “spring and summer” NJ bucket list, I want to go to more local parks. Last year we went to a lot of northeast parks, but we’ve been feeling the shore this year! I’ve already been to Turkey Swamp in Freehold as well as Cattus Island in Toms River.

Anyway, one park I’ve wanted to go to was Hartshorne Park in the Atlantic Highlands. It’s a little bit of a treck (about 80 minutes), but one random weekday last week, we decided to drive up there.

Hartshorne Park is a lot hillier than anticipated. I thought, oh it’s along the shore it will probably be flat. That was not the case and my Garmin said I climbed about 80 flights of stairs. Not that it matters, but don’t go in expecting a flat shore park. Hartshorne is 794-acre site and overlooks the Navesink River. After some research, I came to find out it’s one of the highest elevations along the Atlantic Coast. If you are looking for a great park for walking, hiking, and even mountain biking (we saw many bikers), this park is for you! No, the park is not paying me to tell you that, parks are free fun.

One thing drew my husband, and I here was the history of the park:

During World War II, batteries for artillery were built in Hartshorne Park to modernize coastal defense. You can view several of the bunkers in the park.

With the rise of Airpower (go Air Force). Military bunkers were not needed as much. During the Cold, War Hartshorne served as a missile defense site and command center. It was equipped with radar, computers and electronic plotting devices. All of these structures have been removed, but the bunkers are still in place.

The Hartshorne Park site is now listed officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Anyway-

As I mentioned, I hadn’t done a lot of research about the hiking in the park. If I had, I would have known all of the historic sites are in the parking lot, and the park is much hillier than anticipated. We got there around noon, and it took us just about 4 hours to hike 8 miles. We stopped, we took photos, we looked at the history. It was a beautiful park with many different views from the woods and deer, to the shore, as well as the military site.

We ended up hiking about 8 miles around the trails and then finished up by viewing the military site.

I didn’t expect so much green, but we did about 6 miles of hiking through that. Before we came, I expected it almost to be on the water since that is what people took photos of!

A very large tree

Another large tree

Most of my photos are from the military site which is within 200 yards of the parking lot.

A Map of the site

The Bunker

Now onto the hiking portion. With the hiking, it goes deep into the pines as well as near the water. There are so many different views!

In all, it was a beautiful hike in the forest as well as along the water. I’m glad we finally made it up there!

Other Spring hikes I’ve Done:

Hiking Turkey Swamp in Freehold

Exploring Cattus Island in Toms River

You can see all hikes here.

Questions for you:

What was the last historical place you went?

Do you plan to go to the beach this summer?

What I Pack in my Hiking Bag

April 6, 2018 By Hollie in hiking Tags: fitness, hike, hiking, sponsored, trail 13 Comments

Over the past two years, my husband and I have gotten more into hiking. While it’s not “running,” hiking is a tough workout. When we first started, I used to try and squeeze runs in before and get my “running miles.” I quickly realized I became more fatigued on hikes and it’s just unsustainable. Now, hiking provides a great workout without running down the road (or whatever). We choose to do day hikes because those are more of our style.

If you want to read about any of the hikes we’ve done around the country you can click here.

When going out for a day hike, it’s much different than packing a Nalgene and coming back. I’ve gotten a few questions about what we pack. First and foremost, it depends on the season and location. The climate is very different in NJ versus Arizona.

Here are a Few Things I Pack Each Hike:

Good Shoes:

I used to hike in old running shoes but now hike in a pair of Brooks Cascadia trail shoes. The trail shoes have more support to climb up or down terrain. If you are going any distance, then shoes with support are essential.

Number 1

Extra Water, Food, and Snacks:

After getting lost on Bear Mountain a few years ago (and yes we really took an Uber back to our car around the mountain), I realized the importance of having enough food and water. Don’t expect the worst, but always prepare for the worst. You never know where your hike might lead you and I cannot stress how important it is to be more prepared. While not the only food I eat, I do like eating diner cookies on the bike. Other things I’ve packed include trail mix, nuts, snack bars, and fruit. I always anticipate getting lost and being out much longer.

Map, Compass, and GPS:

A map and compass is an important piece of any hiking. Not only that, but it’s important to know how to use them! I took backpacking in college, but before then I had no idea. Cell phones have GPS built in, but like a Garmin GPS, not always helpful.

Extra Battery for Cell Phone:

If it’s cold, you get lost, or for whatever reason, your phone dies, having that extra battery is extremely helpful. We have used the extra battery life about half of the time we are out!

Emergency Kit:

This includes everything for first aid, as well as a way to make fire. Not only do they keep you warm but fires are also a great way to signal for help. Another essential item for your kit is a flashlight or headlamp. If you’re out past dark, you’ll need something.

Knife:

A knife is one of the most essential tools you’ll bring. You never know what situation you’ll need to cut bandages, trees,

Full Set of Clothing:

It goes without saying, but remember to pack an extra set of clothing including extra underwear and socks. On most 5+ mile hikes, I’ve changed socks at least once!

Kleenex Wipes:

You never know what sort of issues you might encounter, and I like Kleenex Wet Wipes from Walgreens for both my hands and face. Personally, I like how the wipes dry quickly and don’t leave any residue. There are no harsh chemicals, so they are safe enough for your hands and face. As someone with sensitive skin, this is important for me.

Pack to Keep Everything in:

My favorite is from Northface. It’s comfortable, fits everything, and doesn’t put unwanted pressure on your back. Having a comfortable pack is important to carry everything. This one has worked well for both my husband and I. It’s lightweight, durable, and versatile.

So there you have it! That is what I keep in my day hiking pack. Thank you for Kleenex Wet Wipes for sponsoring this post.

Questions for you:
Do you like hiking? What do you keep in your hiking pack?

Exploring Bryce Canyon and Zion Park

November 17, 2017 By Hollie in hiking Tags: Bryce canyon, hiking, trail, travel, utah, Vacation, zion national park 2 Comments

It’s taken me a little longer to catch up on blog posts about our vacation. Between assimilating back into real life NJ, being sick, and preparation for the Philadelphia marathon weekend, it’s been busy.

Anyway, one of the best days my husband and I had was at Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.

We knew we wanted to go to both but timing wise, it wasn’t going to work out to spend a lot of time at both. We decided to drive through Bryce Canyon and look out and then spend a little more time in Zion National Park. They aren’t too far apart, so you are able to do both.

Personally, we could both spend a lot of time in either. They are two gorgeous parks! Hopefully, sometime in the future, we will be able to go back and explore.

Bryce Canyon:

While visiting Bryce Canyon, we went out to Rainbow point and walked around. There is a 10-mile hike you can do and look over the Hoodoo Ampethetiar. If we had more time, we would have done it!

The park itself is easily driveable. It’s about an 18-mile drive to the tip of Rainbow Point, and there are several spots and opportunities for photos.

Made it to Bryce Canyon for incredible views of the Hoodoos and Rainbow point.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Oct 29, 2017 at 6:00am PDT

Zion National Park:

Like Bryce Canyon, we could spend days in Zion National Park. Before arriving, we planned to do a longer hike but quickly realized timing would not allow us too.

We still wanted to get back to Colorado and spend a few days there too! When we arrived at the park, it was crowded and it was hard to even find parking. By the time we were able to park and get out of the car, it was nearly 1 pm.

We could have begun the hike but it was a lengthy one and I didn’t want to be hiking at dark. You had to take a bus to a certain location, then start, then take the bus back. It was just a lot and if you’ve ever seen me hiking hangry…well…my husband would have left me there.

So we just decided to explore and climb up to our own rock. We didn’t have an exact trail or route but it was more fun that way. We pulled over at a random spot and just hiked. Even with hundreds of people inside the park, we didn’t run into anyone.

Sitting in a rock seat

Hiking away from everyone was much better for us anyway. If you ever go to Zion National Park, don’t be afraid to just stop and explore.

You don’t need a trail or destination. And yes, we actually made it up an entire rock. You can see the main road in the background.

Made it our goal to climb to the top of the rock. No trail, no cell service, and no people, but a few hours later we did it.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Oct 29, 2017 at 2:58pm PDT

To be honest, both Bryce and Zion were two of my favorite spots. Eventually, my husband and I plan to go back. You could spend days, weeks, and even months just exploring.

Posts from Vacation:
Hiking:
Hiking Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder

Running:
Haunted Half Marathon 5k (19:40)
Two Weeks of Training: Easy Miles Out West

Diners:
Sams 3 Diner (Denver)
New Castle Diner (Colorado)

Questions for you:

Where is your favorite place to hike?

Have you ever been to Zion or Bryce Canyon?

Hiking Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder

November 8, 2017 By Hollie in hiking Tags: boulder, colorado, fitness, hiking, sports, trail 1 Comment

I have so much to recap with my trip to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. I believe it will take close to 10 blog posts because we did something every day. We went to Colorado with no plan but two plane tickets and a rental car. We thought it would be cool to make it to other states, but if we didn’t…we didn’t…

I decided it would be easiest to recap through days (so I didn’t forget too)

Hiking Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder

As most people know, my husband and I like to hike. We try and hit a mountain wherever we are. I won’t say I’m a fantastic hiker, but it’s something we both enjoy doing. We found a shorter hike in Boulder which seemed like it would be fun. The mountain, called Flagstaff Mountain, kept confusing us because of Flagstaff, Arizona…

We parked and headed up. A hiker informed us it was rocky, and I thought: “well I’ve seen some rocks hiking before, ” but the Rocky mountains are so different. I had recently purchased a pair of Brooks Caldera (trail shoes) and I’m glad I did. Eventually, I’ll have a review of those shoes later.

We started on the Gregory Canyon trail and intersected with the Ute trail at Realization point. Together, the hike itself was 2 miles up and 2 miles back. My husband and I have done easier 10-mile hikes out east than this one. It was climbing the entire time. He believes we climbed about 2000 feet of elevation. In two miles, that is a lot.

Throughout the hike, there were plenty of views of the Colorado State University (which I tried to just absorb some running speed).

We first made it to “realization point”. Where I realized what a mistake I made hiking in Colorado (just kidding). It is accessible by car as well if you wanted to drive and park up there.

Then we continued our hike up to the peak of Flagstaff Mountain which was gorgeous. You could see more of the rocky mountains.

While coming down, we saw a family hiking up. Their 3-4-year-old daughter was hiking up what I considered one of the hardest mountains I’ve done. I kept thinking: if this mountain baby can do it, so can I.

The hike itself was moderate, and I don’t think without trail shoes I would have made it to the top. I’ve hiked plenty of old running shoes but based on the rocks, I think trail shoes are necessary.

So far one of my favorite hikes I’ve done.

Other Hikes We’ve Done:

California:
Hiking the Hollywood Sign (LA)

New York:
Getting Lost at Bear Mountain (Part 2)

New Jersey:
Sunfish Pond
Seeing a Bear at Sunfish Pond
Hiking the Stairway to Heaven
Hiking Hemlock Falls

North Carolina:
Hiking Greybeard Trail (Asheville)

Questions for you:
What is your favorite hike? Is there anywhere near you?
Are you a planner or a go with a flow?

Run the Vineyards 5k (20:30)

October 15, 2015 By Hollie in Running, Training Tags: cross country, race, run, trail, wine 7 Comments

The day after running the Panther Prowl I decided to run an XC course. Last month I raced the Run the Vineyards Grapes and Peaches 10k. The race was well put together and one of my favorite races so far this year. I knew that eventually I would want to do another Run the Vineyards Race. I haven’t been fond of doing long runs on Sundays lately, so I decided to do the Run the Vineyards 5k instead.

I arrived at the race around 8:20. It was further than anticipated, but I was able to sign up, warm up and then make it to the race start. At the starting line, I noticed a younger kid with a GoPro attached to his head. He looked pretty serious, and I assumed he would win (Spoiler: he did).

The race went off with no issue. I immediately found myself as the second person overall. After .1, I stayed at that position the entire time. I could always see the GoPro kid in front of me, but I didn’t have the energy or speed to catch him. Immediately into the race, we made a hard turn into the Vineyard. It was grassy, muddy and wet. It was the typical cross country terrain. The first mile weaved in and out of Vineyards and through a wide open field. I found the open field to be the muddiest. We crossed over some soft sand, and my watch beeped a 6:20 first mile. That was actually faster than I anticipated.

The second mile went through more of the field and passed over a road into another Vineyard. During the crossing I noticed there were wild turkeys ahead. Thankfully one of the volunteers began chasing them away because I was terrified. During the second mile, my legs started to feel the effect of the course. I haven’t run on trails or grass in a while, let alone mud or flooded terrain. I felt myself drastically slowing, but I wasn’t surprised. I ran the second mile in 6:36.

The third mile went back towards the start. It was an out and back course, so we ran by people running the opposite direction. I was slowly becoming more tired, and my legs were fatigued. I felt like I was running through quicksand! The third mile of any 5k is frequently boring and uneventful. I focused on finishing. We did a giant loop through 2 Vineyard trails and all of a sudden I could see the finish line. I ran the last mile in 6:56 and finished in 20:30.

Awkward photo of the day goes to me…

Thoughts:

It’s impossible to compare cross country times to road race times. I had a great race, and I have missed running on open fields. I plan to look for several more cross country style races before Winter. This time is closer to my previous road 5k times from earlier in the summer. That shows a huge improvement because this course was much more difficult.

I had a great time and had no regrets. I even won a bottle of wine. I enjoy the Run the Vineyards races, so I am hoping to do the last couple before next season. I recommend them to anyone in the NJ/PA area.

Questions for you:

What is your favorite type of wine?

Do you like cross country races?

Flag Day Trail 10k (45:40)

June 16, 2015 By Hollie in Running, Training, Training Tags: fitness, flag day, race, run, trail 29 Comments

The Flag Day Trail Race was put on by the base. While anyone could race (and it was promoted to all of South Jersey), the majority of people who ran were in the military. It was a really cool event and one I had been looking forward to all month.

The race itself was located in central NJ at the Brendan T. Byrne State Park. It was about an hour north east of me. This summer I’ve gotten lucky that most races are only 20 minutes away (including Philadelphia races). I hadn’t driven an hour for a race in quite some time!

I got to the race pretty early. After helping out with a few things, I warmed up. It was extremely muggy and also buggy. I’ve never attracted that many bugs before. They were swarming around me.

The 10k went off at 8:30. Immediately I positioned myself as second person. I stayed there and by the end of the first mile, I found myself alone. I couldn’t see anyone ahead or behind me.

The only thing that kept me knowing I was going the right direction was the course arrows every half mile. We were running through sand and it was hot. I already knew this would not be a fast race. I hit the first mile in 7:10.

During the second mile, we came across a few logs that had fallen across the course. I didn’t know if that meant I went the wrong way but I still kept going. I hurdled the logs (just so I could blog about it).

The second and third mile were the hardest due to the hilly terrain, logs and the never ending sand. I ran mile 2 in 7:40 and mike 3 in 7:30.

The halfway point took deeper into the trails. I was happier because the terrain was less sandy but more cross country and woodsy. It gave me a flashback to good ole cross-country days (7:14).

At mile 5, I began catching up with some of the 5kers that had started the race later. (The 5k did half of the 10k course). It was a narrow course but not a big deal. They kept telling me I was first overall. I knew there was man in front of me but I hadn’t seen him after mile 1.

The final mile was back on the sand and there was no tree cover. This was by far the hardest mile. By that point I was tired, hot and my calves were extremely sore (from the sand). I powered to the end and finished with a time of 45:40.

I was told I had finished the 10k first. Shortly after I finished the man who I had thought won came in. He had gotten lost and taken a wrong turn. I congratulated him and told him he was truly the winner. Realistically, he was running faster and he would have won if he hadn’t gotten lost.

I had a great time at the trail race. While it wasn’t my usual weekend 5k, it was nice to race something different. My only regret is not wearing my cross-country spikes. It was one of the few races I could have gotten away with it! It was also nice to familiarize myself back with the 10k distance as well.

I won a giant gift basket full of Earth Balance Peanut Butter and snacks. It was one of the coolest and most unique prizes I’ve won!

I don’t have any races until the end of the month. I’m tentatively doing another 10k. I remember last year that the Pineland Striders 10k was extremely hot and humid. Oh well, that is what summer is racing is!

Questions for you:

Have you run a trail race or sandy race?

Do you like the 10k distance?

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

Tag Archives: trail