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Formally Starting for the 2019 Season
As I type this I am enjoying the sounds of the morning birds – they are reminding me to get things started! I offer forest therapy all year by request and now that the weather is more accommodating to the public, it’s time to formally start regular sessions again! This year I will be following a more regular schedule with a few random events as time provides. Here’s the plan: Hudson Valley: First Sunday and Third Saturday each month NYC: Second Saturday each month I’m also going to be testing out an early morning mindfulness walk and some classes/workshops, so stay tuned! As usual, I will be using different locations…
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There is no bad weather, only bad clothes
Norwegians have a saying, “Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær!” which translates to “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes!” In Scandinavia, where weather can be notoriously changeable and can get quite cold, the locals still enjoy making the most of the outdoors, regardless of the weather. There is a general sense that the weather, like most things in life, is as bad as you make it to be. Perhaps this is one of the reasons Finland, Norway and Denmark are ranked top in the list of the happiest countries in the world. So when the weather has you stuck indoors, consider how a change in mindset…
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Winter 2018-2019 Sessions
We’re still holding sessions during the winter but may not post public sessions until Spring since response tends to be too low. If you want to schedule a session during the weekend feel free to contact us to check availability. Some weekdays available too. Winter sessions are a little different than what I do in warmer weather. When very cold there is more walking and less sitting, but I do aim for frequent short stops with lots of silence. The silence of the woods in winter is quite magical, and you may be surprised at what sounds you CAN hear once you pause a moment.
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Featured in Hudson Valley Magazine
Check out the interview with guide John Polemis in the online edition of Hudson Valley Magazine! Go on a Self-Care Retreat in a Hudson Valley Forest
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Breakneck Ridge Is Staying Open Through Peak Season
While not a prime candidate for forest therapy walks (although I’d accept the challenge for a private session on it!) this may be good to know for the more strenuous hikers in our community. While construction plans for the area nestled between Beacon and Cold Spring are being finalized the trail will remain open for the remainder of the year, to officially begin in early 2019. Besides a new welcome center, planned improvements will include a new twelve-foot wide bike and pedestrian trail between the trailhead and the Metro-North pedestrian walkway, making the trek to the trails in the area much, MUCH safer. Also planned is parallel parking and designated…
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Identifying Poison Ivy, Poison oak, and Poison Sumac
While catching up on my landscaping today I had a surprise encounter with some poison ivy. I think I will be ok since I treated the contact area quickly but time will tell! During forest therapy walks I make a habit of pointing these plants out when I see them, but some locations are better than others for finding them. To help, I wanted to share a website I stumbled across recently with a great write-up on how to identify these plants: https://gardenerdy.com/how-to-identify-poison-oak-poison-ivy-poison-sumac-plants
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Time to check out Fort Tryon Park
I’ll be in the city Friday, July 20th scouting out spots for forest therapy walks so decided to open the event to our NYC meetup. The plan is to do a forest therapy run through in one of these spots. The Meetup event can be found here: Scouting and trial forest therapy run at Fort Tryon park Friday, Jul 20, 2018, 10:00 AM Entrance of Fort Tryon ParkFort Tryon Park New York, NY 3 Members Attending This is technically intended for me to scout out places to do forest therapy but I think it would be nice to open it up to the group since 1) it is a nice…
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Sunday (7/15) Walk Postponed Due to Thunderstorms
Alas the weather forecast has been increasingly getting worse and now shows thunderstorm risk all morning. There will be a walk at same location next weekend. Check the Hudson Valley meetup group for details.
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Trial run of Hybrid Forest Therapy – Esopus NY
Technically I was only planning to scout out Black Creek Preserve in Esopus to plan a session here but since I am already bringing a member and doing a full run through of a hybrid hike with forest therapy I may as well open it up to a few others. Just keep in mind I am getting a feel for how to make this all flow so I will be winging this a bit more than usual. Still, it’s a nice walk that leads to the Hudson River, and lots of hemlocks – my favorite tree – so let’s enjoy it! ***There will be hiking – it is considered a relatively…
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First Public Walk on the Calendar!
Time to get things started. Our first Forest Therapy walk in the Hudson Valley area is a 10 minute drive from Cold Spring NY. This is the first official public walk! I’m both nervous and excited since I normally host these events privately. As the first event I am keeping it to an optional donation of $10. What would be really appreciated is your feedback (what worked, what did not work) since I am always looking to improve. RSVP here
