Ode to My Running Shoes
by Liza Hyatt
Oh, Saucony Grid Cohesion running shoes
purchased in spring years ago,
when new, and full of cushion, you helped me
conquer the 13.1 miles of May’s mini-marathon,
circling the track where Andretti once raced.
Then you settled in, for the long haul,
logging hundreds of miles
on the paved trails at Fort Ben
and looping streets of my neighborhood,
on June evenings after work,
and August dawns to beat the heat,
and Thanksgiving mornings,
dashing to earn dessert,
and bundled-up winter cabin-fever escapes.
After a year of pavement and pounding,
replaced but not abandoned,
you retired from running
and put your time in
taking lazy dog walks,
going to movies,
shopping, cooking,
until finally, at your prime,
utterly broken in,
this morning you are granted
the best adventures
down dirt paths into woods
thawing after March rains,
taking me, hair in braids,
and feet in sneakers again,
to squish through deep mud
in search of trillium,
hepatica and frog song.
Hammock Season
by John Hogan
My decision to buy a season pass to Fort Ben State Park last summer was a very wise one. I visited the park many times, mostly in the summer & fall. If we’d had some decent snow this year I would have taken my snowshoes along. I bought a lightweight hammock with a bug screen and spent an afternoon relaxing in the shade.
IMHOpinion-there’s not a lawn chair anywhere that will help you chill out & nap in the shade as well as a good hammock. Getting one with a bug screen is really worth it. They take about 5 minutes to set up & even less to take down. Fits in a small stuff sack. No dirt, no bugs, put up a lightweight tarp to shield you from the sun & rain.
Earlier this year I bought a Tentsile, promising myself I’d spend even more time outside. Picture a cross between a tree house with a 3 person low profile tent (at your choice of height off the ground). That’s the basic Tentsile concept.
On this particular Sunday afternoon, my girlfriend Sema & I had just finished hiking the eastern side of the park. I brought the Tentsile along. It was almost as easy as their website claims (I can’t fix a sandwich & I didn’t have serious issues. (I didn’t bother trying to get it exactly level, I will next time.)
I just set up the trampoline type floor-didn’t need the tent or even the bug screen.
I’m looking forward to coming back to the park as soon as I can to improve my Tentsile Vista set up, napping, slacking & take down skills.
Words by a 6 Year Old…
I was mountain biking with my dad, enjoying the trails when two deer appeared. I was excited to see them and happy the deer share the forest with us. It also made me wonder where they were going…were they lost or maybe running home to their babies. Loved another day on the trails at Fort Ben!
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