(DiCaprio Park, Madison Ave Pinelands, & Hunger Kill Barrens)
Friday, March 20, 2020
As I was getting ready to head out for my run, I got word that the governor is putting the entire state on a quarantine footing - so I was understandably distracted. Which probably explains why I ended up with only a long sleeved shirt to wear, no rain gear in the car besides my poncho, and no water bottle. (Fortunately, I have several bottles in a bin in the trunk... but since I was already parked at DiCaprio Park when I realized what was missing, the only thing I had to fill the bottle was Gold Peak Diet Iced Tea. I can say with certainty now that this is not my hydration fluid of choice while running...)
I started out taking the trail from DiCaprio Park over to the Madison Avenue Pinelands trailhead, followed the small loop there, and then headed back. Just as I started back it started raining, so I pulled on the windbreaker I was carrying. Fortunately it was warm enough that the rain was actually comfortable rather than cold, and it stopped after a short while in any case - after which it was sunny for much of the time!
Back at the park I hit right around 7 miles at the trailhead kiosk and seriously considered calling it a day, but for some reason kept going over to the Hunger Kill Barrens. I'm definitely not used to running this kind of distance (and really, there were plenty of points where I was walking instead of running, anyway.)
One surprise was the spring peepers in every pool of water... they were definitely enjoying the warm day and making quite a racket! I lucked out when I got back to the park the first time - there was a large puddle at the edge of the field so I got a decent look at the froggies doing their best to make sure there are future generations of froggies. Unfortunately, they're going to be unhappy over the next few days, especially when the temperatures drop below freezing at night.
Other than the distance being tougher than I would have preferred, this was definitely a good way to spend a few hours this afternoon. The peepers are a nice reminder that spring is on the way (even if winter gets a rebuttal over the next few days) and it was great to be in the Pine Bush instead of wandering around Albany.
JMH
