Along with numerous spring break festivities, I made sure to visit Montauk State Park during my week-long break. The sun was shining, temperatures were in the 70’s and the fish were biting, you could not have dreamt a more perfect day. With my hiking boots tied and my camera in hand, my mother and I made are way to Montauk’s Pine Ridge Trail where we were joined by a fellow hiking enthusiast and her two furry companions, Fido and Fritz.
I can’t think of a better way to get connected with nature and get a great workout at the same time. I must warn you however, if you’re planning on attempting this 1.5-mile trail, you better be prepared to face some pretty rough terrain. Not only are there many steep hills and gorges, but you never know exactly what you’ll run into.
Right at the very beginning of our hike, we stumbled upon two decent sized snakes that were also enjoying the day, bathing in the sun. Let’s just say Fritz and Fido weren’t as excited as we were about those slithering creatures. We also had to negotiate with many uprooted and fallen trees left over from Salem’s massive ice storm of 2008. This massive storm caused the road leading to the park to be completely barricaded with fallen trees for about two weeks and also caused several power outages throughout the area.
While I love hiking, I admit that I haven’t been able to hit the trails in a long time. Let’s just say, about half-way through, I realized just how out-of-shape I am. For anyone planning on hiking any time soon just remember these few helpful tips:
· wear good hiking boots,
· pack a bottle of water,
· follow the trail markers, and most importantly,
· look out for snakes!
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