Bike Ride with Marc

After a sweaty bike ride, it's always nice to cool off with a lake swim!
Saying Hello on a Hot Day at Lake Awosting!

Hiking to Lake Awosting

After several weeks of being stressed from work and this move, I needed some ChristyBel time. With that, a hike was is in order. So I hiked over to one of my favorite places on the Ridge - Lake Awosting. It's a good 4.3 miles from the Lake Minnewaska parking lot (one way). So hiking out my angst, negative energy, and stress on a 8.6-mile hike was the perfect medicine to getting me back to feeling like TheChristyBel. Since it was super cloudy and chances of rain, there were not many people on the trail. So it was great having the area to my self. :) 

TheChristyBel

Enjoy some of the pictures I took of some pretty cool nature finds:

A FOUR-Flower Star Flower

High Bush Blueberry in Bloom

Orange Hawkweed

More Pink Lady Slippers

A Lightning Struck Tree?

A Vacant Lake Awosting

Gorgeous Views of the Catskills

Last Year of the 20s

In honor of celebrating my last year of my 20s...we celebrated with a hike to Lake Awosting, an illegal swim in the lake (illegal because no lifeguard was on duty), and some sorbet at Wallkill Valley Farm Stand (and a quick animal prowl in the corn field).

Happy 29th Birthday to me!

Haha

TheChristyBel

Lake Awosting - Super Blue Today

Birthday Summit Posing

Instagram Birthday Shout Outs

Wearing the Awesome Hat Marc Got Me

Biking to Awosting

Lake Awosting
Look at that clear, blue water!

Today, I decided to bike at Minnewaska State Park. I really love this park, for many reasons, but one because of the great views, and two because you can swim. I remember when I first visited this place back in 2012, the Toman's took me to Minnewaska State Park where we biked to Lake Awosting. From Minnewaska State Park, it's about a 3.1-mile trek to Awosting down the Upper Awosting Carriage Road. Most of my weekends, I am running solo as Marc guides climbing on those days. So, today, I decided to entertain and occupy myself with a bike ride and a swim. It was a gorgeous and hot day for both. A choice I am very glad I made today, not to mention, there were not that many people at the swimming area. That's one nice thing about Lake Awosting and swimming, since it's a trek for most people (well, not the hiking type people), the swimming hole is never really packed. Yea, it's 3.1-miles, but its a lot of uphill and uneven terrain. It's a great hike/bike and worth it once you get into that crystal clear, blue water! After the swim, I continued the bike loop around the Shawangunk Ridge towards Hamilton Point. Hamilton Point has great views of the valley pretty much during the entire bike ride back to the Minnewaska Lake parking lot. Enjoy!

TheChristyBel

Catching Some Rays After My Bike Ride

The View Back to Minnewaska Lake Parking Lot

My View From Hamilton Point