Inspired by Simple.Organized.Life, I am committing to a 10 Things Challenge which involves me getting rid of (at least) 10 things every week. Since I am in a simplifying and decluttering mode lately, this is perfect for me.

Each week, I will post my list of 10 things, a photo, and where they are going. Wish me luck!

Week One:

1. Hula hoop – Goodwill

2. Yarn (2 skeins count as 1 item) – the crafty folks at work

3. Knitting needles – work

4. Watercolor paints – work

5. Counted cross-stitch pattern books (5 count as 1 item) – work

6. Cat perpetual calendar – Goodwill

7. Talking pedometer – Goodwill

8. Mini office supplies – Goodwill

9. Craft autumn leaves – work

10. Mini-composition books – work

Our friends, Barb and Tom, were brave enough to take us newbies on an overnight backpacking trip to Middle Lake. Carrying such a heavy pack (maybe 30 pounds?) for the first time, I wasn’t on the trail very long before I thought to myself, “I’ll never make it.” But, lo and behold, I did.

3.1 miles later, we found a perfect camping spot at Middle Lake. The breeze was refreshing after the humidity on the trail. We had the place to ourselves.

The view from our campsite

We set up our tents, unpacked some stuff, then had lunch. We then went for a short hike up to Murphy Lake, then did some bushwhacking. After about an hour, we went back to our campsite to prepare dinner.

We had a delicious meal, some wine and toasted marshmallows. Tom played a bit of music from his iPod. We hung out around the campfire for hours until the moon was high in the sky. We moved to the rock ledge near our campfire and sat for awhile, looking at the moon and stars as they hung in a fairly clear sky. The four of us sat in silence for close to an hour.

Not long after turning in for the night, a large visitor came near our campsite. Deer? Moose? Bear? We’ll never know. After that, I was awake for most of the night. I heard all kinds of small critters near our tent. I think I finally fell asleep at daybreak. We all survived the night.

We rose early, packed up, had breakfast and hit the trail. Fifteen minutes after hiking, the rain started. It was steady but never heavy.

For my first backpacking trip, I think I did ok! I definitely dropped a couple pounds, which is perfectly fine with me. We’re already thinking about where our next outing will be.

Great campfire, Tom!

We were invited to some friends’ cabin for the weekend. Had an amazing time! We hiked in the Giant Mountain Wilderness Area. And we pitched our tent in our friends’ back yard which has a breathtaking view of the Schroon River with Nippletop Mt in the distance.

We hiked to the bottom and the top of Roaring Brook Falls first.

View from the top of Roaring Brook Falls

Neon-orange mushrooms on the trail

Then we took the trail to The Giant’s Washbowl.

Giant's Washbowl

Our campsite!

View from our tent: Schroon River below us, Nippletop Mt. in the distance

Had a great hike up Bromley Mountain on Sunday, July 19. It was a PERFECT day for hiking: mostly sunny and a temp in the low 70s. This was a fairly moderate hike up the trail. Some steep sections and lots of mud. Saw many people on the trail.

The view from the summit is incredible. We climbed the observation tower for some great 360 views of surrounding mountains. It was extremely windy (must have been 60 mph!). We climbed down the tower and sat in a small clearing where we rested and had lunch.

Total: about 5 miles

View from the observation tower

Tons of wildflowers at the summit

Saturday, July 11, found us with our hiking group at Shelving Rock Mountain and Shelving Rock Falls in Lake George.

The mountain trail is fairly easy. All of the elevation is in the beginning. The actual summit view is obscured by lots of trees. But, our group leader found a short side trail to a cliff that has an amazing view of Lake George with Cat Mountain in the background.

Lake George

The short trail to Shelving Rock Falls is very easy with some gorgeous views.

Near the top of Shelving Rock Falls

Found on the trail

We had a great hike here on Sunday, July 5.  The beginning of the trail is quite steep up stone steps. After the initial ascent, it’s pretty level and easy. Lots of mud from all the recent rain.

Total: 3.4 miles

Vertical rise: 1,265 feet

View from the summit of Harmon Hill

AT sign near the summit

On the trail, we met up with several people: some families out for a nice hike; one guy who was out for a two-week backpacking trip; another guy with an “AT” cap who carried a massive pack; a couple of solo hikers. We also met Doug who was out with his two sons, Caleb and Micah. They’re from Tucson, AZ and their goal is to hike most of Vermont’s Long Trail. I hope they make it!

On Saturday, June 13, we hiked to Berlin Mountain with our hiking group. It was a great day and quite a workout. The beginning of the loop was a pretty steep incline up a very rocky trail. Several hikers had trekking poles; I think I’ll bring mine from now on just in case. They would have come in handy.

The view of Mt. Greylock from the summit of Berlin Mt.

This little friend hung out with us at the summit.

Reesee is quite the hiker!

Howard enjoyed the summit, too!

Yesterday, we hiked near Glastenbury Mountain. The weather was perfect as we headed out on the trail at 10 am. There is a lot of history, as well as folklore, about this area that is now called a ghost town. In the past 100 years, nature reclaimed what was rightfully hers. We were grateful for this as we enjoyed a late-spring hike.

What's life without risk?

A view well worth the effort

Tired but happy

We hiked two fairly short trails here on Sunday, 5/31. The weather started out beautiful, but by the end of our second trail, we had our ponchos on while the rain beat down. Fortunately, we had sunlight for both destinations.

We will be working up to a hike to the summit of Mt. Greylock. First, we need to get our strength and endurance built up more.

The waterfall on the March Cataract Trail

The view from Stony Ledge

We went hiking here on May 20. The weather was perfect, but most of the trails were obscured by fallen branches and trees (damage from the December storm). We still had a great time.

The quarry was in operation from the 1860s to the 1960s, then seemed to shut down with no prior warning. The equipment and vehicles were abandoned and many of them still stand at attention as if waiting for the workers to come back. The quarry itself filled with water and now is a beautiful little “pond” with the biggest tadpoles I’ve ever seen.

One of the trucks left behind

Former quarry site. Now a scenic "pond."

Machinery long abandoned