According to Piedmont Healthcare, hiking is good for you for many reasons. It is a great cardio workout that can help manage your weight and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. As a weight bearing exercise, hiking helps build muscle mass. Plus, being outside in the sunshine can help give your body the Vitamin D that it needs. Psychologically, hiking can provide benefits such as enhanced relaxation and well-being.
For me, hiking is not only a great workout, but also a great brain break from studying or any other stressors in my life. I usually carve out a few hours on Sundays to get a nice hike in. While these hikes serve as my Sunday workout, they also serve as a “reset” from the weekend to prepare me for the week ahead. I am going to provide you with some of my favorite hikes I have done around Williamstown this year. If you don’t have it already, I also highly recommend downloading the app “AllTrails” to get great hiking information and more!
- Any trail in the Taconic Ridge State Forest. Not only is this forest relatively quiet, but it is also outright gorgeous. If you follow the blue trail markers in the forest, you will be led to the top of a mountain with a clearing for camping, picnicking, or just admiring the view. Pine trees line the clearing at the top of the mountain and fill the air with smells of rustic nature. I have hiked in this forest the past two weekends and have been so satisfied watching the leaves fall and change colors. I also got to see a mother and cub blackbear pair run through the woods in front of me, and then a double rainbow at the top of the mountain! It was as if I was in a cartoon!
- Pine Cobble: the classic. You can’t go wrong with the Pine Cobble trail. It is strenuous but doable, and offers a 360° view of the area surrounding Williamstown. You can hike Pine Cobble with WOC every Friday morning as the sun rises. If you are lucky, Scott Lewis will point out the reflection pool on the way up the mountain and tell you the legend of the pool!
- Stony Ledge. Another classic. I would say Stony Ledge is a bit more challenging than Pine Cobble, but the view at the top is well worth it. I hiked here about a month ago and met a very pleasant man at the top. Many would have called him a hippie. He offered me wisdom about treating my body well, admiring the places I frequent (he had been hiking Stony Ledge for 50 years, he said), and enjoying nature as much as possible. When we said our goodbyes, he simply held up a “peace” sign and disappeared down the trail. Only at the top of a mountain might you have such formative experiences, especially on a mountain as breathtaking as Stony Ledge!
- Hopkins Memorial Forest. Before this year, I had only visited this area for my Biology 102 class to catch frogs. When I returned a few weeks ago, I hiked a beautiful and leisurely loop that had me following a clear and rushing creek. The hike was quaint and calming and not too taxing.
- Class of ‘98 trail. On this hike, I got up close and personal with a friendly porcupine and a family of deer passing through the trail. This hike was quick and steep and got my blood pumping early. The trail stayed in the forest the entire time, giving me a witchy yet protected feeling as I went.
If you haven’t already, go out and try one of these Williamstown hikes. The mental and physical benefits you feel are well worth it!
Source: https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/8-reasons-why-hiking-is-great-exercise