A whole new world, right next door

Last weekend, we were at a loss for a defined plan, and the weather was just so beautiful it beckoned for us to be outdoors, and we still had hiking on our minds... - and it suddenly occured to us - hmm wonder what hiking might be accessible on public transport from NYC!

Thanks to that internet thing; all it took was a bit of nifty googling to find what we were looking for - hiking trails and public transport. So Delta and I, caught up in a burst of impulsive excitement, donned our hiking attire and jumped quickly onto the train.

We were there in less than an hour. I'm not sure what I expected in terms of hiking trails close to the city. Exercise and fresh air, certainly. Woods, definitely. But I was totally - entirely - unprepared for the huge mountains that loomed before us. Or how quickly the people dispersed, and suddenly there we were, just Delta and me, by ourselves.

Roaming through forest and wood. Glen and glade. Holler and berm. Just Delta and me, as though we were the only people in the world.

As though we had just stumbled, entirely unprepared, through a closet into our own little narnia. And all this, so close to home.