The night before a planned group hike my family and I were driving home from our yearly trip to Storyland I thought to myself, “Why did I schedule a group hike tomorrow morning. I’m not sure I am going to have the energy for it.”
I woke up early still feeling tired and like I had a lot to do and again thought to myself, why did I schedule a hike after a long day trip. When you work five days a week, your time on the weekends is very valuable. As I got myself out of bed and did the internal struggle about going, I threw on my hiking clothes, grabbed my backpack and headed out. While my car was warming up my golden retriever sat at the door staring at me with the sad face saying, “Why can’t I go.” Feeling guilty just led to more of the struggle of going out on a hike. Since I am the group leader I could not cancel. As I drove to grab my necessary ice tea and to pick up a friend, I noticed the beauty of the colors starting to change the crisp blue skies and beautiful scenery around the Monadnock Region. My energy for hiking started to kick in or the caffeine was doing its job. I was beginning to look forward to getting out on a new trail on this beautiful morning.
View from First Lookout
As my friend and I approached the trailhead I started feeling more like my hiking loving self, excited to be in the woods on this beautiful morning, enjoying the signs and smells of fall and some girl time.
Today’s hike was just three women. What I have learned is it does not matter the size of the hiking group, but as long as women are able to connect on the trail. As we were hiking, conversing and taking in the sights, I felt relaxed and content to be around like minded women. We observed a small stream flowing from what appeared to be a man made pond with a stone wall and evidence of beavers hard at work adding to the wall. There was an old stove randomly placed in the woods and an amazing lookout point. At the top of Kulish Ledges we sat enjoying the views of sparkling lakes, rolling hills, pops of colors as the leaves were starting to change and each other's company and then I remembered why I love being on the trail.
Nature can bring out the best in people, hiking and exercise induces endorphins which make us happy. How can you say no to this? The conversations that happen on the trail are the best, from talking about our passions, advice on various situations, how a man must have invented a mammogram machine, sorry guys, solving the worlds problems and the endless laughs. These are all the reasons I wanted to start a women’s hiking group. To bring these women together who just want to get outside for a few hours. It also pushes me to get out on the trail, when I think I really do not want to.
When I arrived home with still plenty of time to complete my Sunday chores, I was refreshed, relaxed and feeling content with my morning adventures. The moral to my morning struggle is that girl time is important. No matter how you do it whether it’s hiking, going to a spa, shopping, a dinner out or just sitting around a campfire with an adult beverage, ladies out there make sure you get time with your friends, it is the best therapy around.
Kulish Ledges is located in Stoddard, New Hampshire part of the Harris Center’s Trails. The trail head is located off of Routine 123 on Bailey Brook Road. The road is dirt. There are two trailheads marked by pictures of bees. The second bee picture is the trailhead to get to Kulish Ledges. The trail is about 1.5 miles of an easy side of moderate up to the ledges. In my opinion, the first lookout is a better view than from the ledges its self. Trail Information Trail Map
Kulish Ledges View
