Getting Outside Leads to Looking Inside

 When I had those two surgeries on my leg a few years back, my biggest question was, "When can I get out walking again?" The doctor quickly came to realize how much I enjoy walking (the day of the second surgery I scolded him because he was early and I hadn't finished my 10,000 steps yet LOL). When I finally got the go ahead to ditch the crutches and start walking, he put things in my terms. "Five hundred steps a day, Holly. You can added five hundred more steps every day." I was free!

Since then, I've tried to put those steps to good use. One of my daughters and I are trying to visit all 123 State Parks. Some are literally just a visit. There's no real hiking involved. Pennsylvania has a lot of little parks...it's a great way to preserve land and forests. But some are huge tracts of land with amazing trails and sights to behold. 

We went to the northern, middle park of the state this weekend and, despite the rainy weather, we went on some lovely hikes! One was down to the bottom of the PA Grand Canyon. It was challenging, but so worth it!

I walked with the group a lot of the weekend, but Sunday morning I got up early, went out in the rain, and hiked up a mountain on my own. I took in the lovely views and found I was thankful the leaves hadn't fully popped because they wouldn't have hidden the broad vista. And as I thought of hidden things, I thought about the book I'm working on. I wanted to capture this quiet moment in the woods in it. I wanted to find a way to write the magic of a misty, spring morning. I weighed and measured words that might paint an accurate picture. I breathed deeply, listened to the springtime bird calls and let my thoughts chase after one another. They moved from one thing to another with no interruptions and no attempts on my part to reign them in.

 I'll confess, I love walking with friends and family. We get to catch up and enjoy the world together. But  on Sunday morning and here at home, my mornings are for me. I think about my family. I think about the world. I think about books I'm working on. I mull as I take in the sights. Walking has let me learn where I fit into the world. I read the seasons as if they're a book. And while it might seem to be a quiet, solitary walk, it is anything but. Stories ping pong, in amongst the thoughts and memories.

Yes, walking outside leads me to a lot of inner action. Some of those thoughts might enrich a book, some (I hope) will enrich me.

Wishing you some lovely walks this spring!

Holly

PS Sweet Success is Available today for Kindle and KU!

Secret Babies: Second Chances Anthology is. $.99 
Something Perfect is one of the stories!

 Around the Square
Book 1, 2 & 3 are out now. 
Book 4 is available for preorder

Chances
Amazon 
Barnes and Noble
Kobo  
Apple Books 

A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery
Kindle
iBooks
Kobo
Nook

The State of my PA State Park Hiking

 

Last year, I decided to set a new goal...you know I love a good goal. And this is a very good goal. I'm going to hike all of PA's State Parks. There were 121 when I started, but last year PA added three more parks to the list. So I'm hiking! 

To make the hiking more fun, I'm documenting it in two ways. First is a Pennsylvania Parks Sign. (I ordered from the Michigan Map site on Etsy. The maker, Whake Studios, didn't have PA listed, but very nicely made me one.) And with a PA State Park Passbook. PA State Parks and Forests organization has the passbook in their online store.  And for anyone else hiking in PA, check out the new podcast, Hemlocks to Hellbenders. It has great info on PA State Parks. Oh, and because I'm directionally challenged...seriously, directionally challenged, one of the few apps I pay for is AllTrails.  Not only does it give me great hike suggestions, but I can download maps for when there's no cell service. (No kickbacks from any of these sites.)

So what have I documented? 17 parks this year! Ten this month while I was in Philly. We're taking a trip to midstate this spring and I'll get a few more then. I'm excited about the upcoming hikes.

Here's the thing, I've always been a walker. I have family members who had health issues and didn't walk much and lost ground quickly as they aged. I don't want that, so I walk. Himself got me a FitBit years ago (I'm on my third) and that 10,000 steps a day challenge has been so much fun. (You know you have it bad when they come a couple hours early for a surgery and you gripe that you didn't get to finish off your steps for the day. LOL)  But it's so much more than the health or the goal. It's being outside every day. Like the mail, rain, sleet and snow doesn't stop me. These last years, I've felt more connected to the world at large. I feel the seasons in an intimate way. These last few weeks, I've noticed that the quiet of winter has given way to a burst of activity. Birds chatter and wooing. The skunks are out...after Tallulah's brush with a skunk last year, we're super cautious. I've seen my fox, racoons, deer and a few weeks ago, Himself and I spotted bald eagles. 

Yesterday, Tallulah and I walked as the sun came up. Well, it didn't come up very far, but there was a line of sunrise over the horizon and under the clouds. It was lovely. That...that is why I love walking. I know I was talking about hiking and now I'm talking about walking. To be honest, I think of hiking as just a very picturesque walk. LOL 

I enjoy going out on my own, but I also enjoy taking family along with me.  I love finding Gifts of the Unexpected. A deer crossing my path. Finding a hawk's nest. Red salamanders. Ducks walking on fish (yeah that's a thing at Pymatuning). 

In Just One Thing I wrote, “Sometimes, you find yourself inadvertently in the dark. But I’d discovered that if you stopped fighting against it and just stood still, sometimes something marvelous comes along.” That's just it. I'm hiking the State Parks to see what kind of Gifts of the Unexpected the trail offers. And if the only I thing I find is just another facet of myself...that's enough.

I was talking to someone about walking and she said she didn't know where to start. I had an answer...one step at a time. After that surgery I mentioned, I was on crutches for quite a while. When I was finally cleared to start walking, the doctor (who I nicely snarked at because I didn't get my 10,000 steps in) said I could do a little more each day. Then because by then he knew me, he added, "500 steps more each day." LOL So if you're thinking about walking/hiking, take it one step at a time. Down a hall. Down the street. Around the block. In a Pennsylvania State Park.

It's been a great first year. At his rate, I'll hopefully finish all the State Parks by 2030ish. That seems reasonable...and fun.

I've spent my writing career writing about Pennsylvania. This is a new way to see my favorite state! 

I'll keep you all posted...like you thought you could escape me. LOL

Holly

PS.Susan Gable and I haven't been doing our Trippin' With Holly and Susan since the pandemic, but we did a tour of Presque Isle you can check out, Episode 1, Episode 2.

PPS. Check out my books:

Free This Month: 

Briar Hill Road is FREE this month!

Surprises in All Sizes anthology. $.99
One of my Hometown Hearts stories is included!

 Around the Square
Book 1 & 2 are out now. 
Book 3 & 4 are available for preorder

Chances
Amazon 
Barnes and Noble
Kobo  
Apple Books 

A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery
Kindle
iBooks
Kobo
Nook

McConnells Mill State Park

121 Pennsylvania State Parks.
5 down. 
116 to go!!

I said in my last blog about State Parks that I wanted to hike them all...eventually. 

Yesterday we went to McConnells Mill State Park. 

We went to see the Hell's Hollow Falls. It was so lovely. It was only a half mile hike from the parking area, then back again. So it was an easy hike. The trail was wide and there were stairs that take you down to the falls. The kids had a blast climbing fallen trees. I only freaked out slightly when the got too near the edge of the creek. There was a very lovely flume on the way to the falls...water had carved a path through the rocks. It was running super fast. Good news is, no one fell into the water. (It's always a good hike when you get back to the car with as many Minions as you left with.)

 Then we drove to the Alpha Falls trail. It's a seasonal falls. We hoped they'd be running with all the spring rains but was just a trickle. Still it was a fun hike. Not must farther than the first one, but a lot hillier with tons of giant rocks. We started by a covered bridge, then went by the old grist mill and finally a walk along the water's edge. Again, we didn't lose any kids over the edge...so it was a good hike! LOL (I know the covered bridge pic is crooked, but one of the Minions took it and I like that slightly askew look...it suits me! LOL) It was cool that the kids were able to associate the mill with the flour and corn meal we grind at home. One mentioned the mill was MUCH bigger. 

These were super easy hikes...even with five kids. Hiking with kids can be like trying to herd cats. It can be challenging but so much fun. We'll be taking them on more state park hikes, but I talked to my hiking buddy and we're going to try for a few adult only ones! I suspect they'll be hikes that don't require me saying, "Don't go close too close to the edge," over and over. 

On a side note, I'm still doing my spring walking challenge. Yesterday was the four week mark and I've reached 197.9 out of my 400 kilometer goal. We have until the end of May, so I'm right on track!

I've spent so many years writing about PA. I'm enjoying seeing my favorite state in new ways! Thanks for coming along for the journey, both through my books and this blog!

Holly

Past State Park Blogs...Parks 1-4 Blog. 

Check some of more recent PA books! (Homecoming is on sale for $.99 for a few more days! Each book stands alone, so you shouldn't have any issues, tho characters cross over from one book to another, which is why reading them in order can be fun!)

A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery
Kindle
iBooks
Kobo
Nook

Have you missed any of my Hometown Hearts series? Here's the list:

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts Book #1 Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books

Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

Something Unexpected: A Hometown Hearts short story 
Amazon

A Hometown Christmas: Hometown Hearts #8
Kindle 
Nook
AppleBooks
Kobo

121 Pennsylvania State Parks

 

121.
Pennsylvania has 121 State Parks. 
The top picture is the very cool tracker I bought on Etsy. (She didn't have PA, but made one for me...Whake Studio. Check them out.)

Here's mine after I put all the tiles for the state parks I've hiked...pathetic.

I know. Four.
So lame. 
Now the four I've hiked I've done three of them A LOT more than once. Still, as a Pennsylvania fan, it's a sad performance. I'm hoping over the next decade or so, to hit them all. Yes. EVERY SINGLE ONE. I'll make sure I post about all of them. (You didn't think you could escape it, did you?? LOL)

So here we go. My first four PA State Parks not in chronological order.

*********************

I'm going to start with the one in my own backyard...Presque Isle State Park.  It's a peninsula that extends into Lake Erie. There are great trails to hike, beaches for swimming and the lagoons for canoeing. We just started canoeing a few years ago and it's one of my favorite places to go. There's always something to see! 
Susan and I have done a few of our Trippin' with Holly and Susan videos out there. You can find them on YouTube 1, 2, 3

*********************

Next on my sad, short list is Erie Bluffs State Park.

This is a newer state park that's just a short drive for me. It's a short hike through a field until you reach the woods, then all the way to the bluffs overlooking Lake Erie. We discovered it a few years ago and have been out a few times since. The Minions enjoy it!

*********************

Cook Forest State Park is a family favorite. I went when I was a kid. When my kids were young, we went almost every fall. We didn't have much money and it was far enough away to feel like a vacation. We rented a cabin out there one year (a certain toddler unwound an entire roll of toilet paper...), but most of the time it was a lovely day trip. The kids loved riding horses, hiking and when we took the Minions we found a petting zoo/restaurant. I know, how could that be wrong?
This was in the spring of '21. Tallulah enjoyed the hike! The fire tower is so cool...but I don't climb more than a few levels.  

*********************

The last of my first four parks is Ricketts Glen State Park. We went last year and hiked the Waterfall Trail Loop. According to my All Trails Hiking app, this one's a moderately challenging trail. And it was. It wasn't the trail that did me in. It was the Minions who ran around like mountain goats...I had palpitations, worrying about them falling off a cliff. My right leg was still a bit wonky, so with Himself's prompting, I bought some hiking poles. Oh, man I love them. We're hiking in Yellowstone this summer, and they're going in my suitcase.

That's it...I've hiked 4 out of 121 State Parks. But I've already planning a couple more state parks in the near future so keep your eye out. I'll be post about them. Just 117 State Parks to go!!

Holly

Check out my books...

A View to a Kiln: A Harry's Pottery Mystery
Kindle
iBooks
Kobo
Nook

Have you missed any of my Hometown Hearts series? Here's the list:

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books

Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

Something Unexpected: A Hometown Hearts short story 
Amazon

A Hometown Christmas: Hometown Hearts #8
Kindle 
Nook
AppleBooks
Kobo

Goals

 

I had two surgeries in 2019 on my leg and spent the first few months of 2020 with crutches and a wound-vac. Ugh.  I'd been using a FitBit since 2014 and had never missed a 10,000 step day until then. My surgeon got to know me over our months together and when I finally got the ok to start walking without crutches, he said, "One hundred steps a day, Holly. You can add 100 more steps every day." LOL I loved that he got me. (I think he had a clue when after my first surgery I scolded him that he started an hour early and I hadn't got to 10,000 yet. LOL)

Over the last year, I worked to get back to my pre-surgery walking. I walked my way through the pandemic lockdowns and found my way back to a 10-15,000 step daily average. This month, one of my daughters and I started a Fall Frenzy walking challenge. I set my goals at 300K by November 15. I think I got this.

I thought about setting my goal for 500 kilometers, but opted to set it lower. Something that was a challenge, but wasn't unattainable. I prefer setting realistic goals. Things that push me, but are attainable.

Every New Year I set a word of the year because so many people pick a New Year goal and never meet it. One word...I can build a year around that. 2021's word was Patience. That's not my strongest suit, but I've made inroads as I continue to try to strengthen my weak leg.  

I've been reading AWOL on the Appalachian Trail. I'm hoping to hike a few segments of the trail in the next few years. But it sounds like a long walk. And as much as I like walking a good chunk of the year on a trail might not be my gig. I did a long up-and-die trail at Ricketts Glen this spring. Up and down were tough on my leg but I did it.

I was excited to discover this weekend part that a new Erie to Pittsburgh trail  was dedicated here in Erie.  The trail's not complete yet, but when it's done it'll be 270 miles. I'm really thinking that a month (or under) on a trail is doable for me. Especially since I could do it in segments near my home  (Pittsburgh is only a couple hours from Erie). So that's a new goal.  It will be a challenge, but I think doable.  If you read my books, you might suspect how much I love my hometown and this region! I've set most of my books in the Erie area (like my Hometown Hearts series...the last book, A Hometown Christmas came out last week!) and Briar Hill Road was set in Pittsburgh. I'm really looking forward to exploring my area in a new way!!

This is a longterm goal, but I'm sure you'll hear about it as I go along! 

In the meantime, if you want to check out Erie, the links to my Hometown Hearts series are below! Each book stands alone, so you can pick one up and not worry about missing info. 

Holly

Here's the list of the entire Hometown Hearts series!

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books

Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

Something Unexpected: A Hometown Hearts short story 
Amazon

A Hometown Christmas: Hometown Hearts #8
Kindle 
Nook
AppleBooks
Kobo