A lightbulb just went on in my head and I started to look at my surroundings in a new light. It’s berry season! My eyes started to look left and right rather than straight ahead, always on the prowl for the right bush with a hint of color between the green leaves. Usually one to stride with purpose, I began to meander, stopping to gather and munch, just like my hero, Little Sal, in Robert McClousky’s, Blueberries for Sal. A lost golf ball became a delicious reason to hunt, and there was nary a time that I didn’t emerge from the foliage with berries in hand. Now I’m sure that…

Six years ago, my friend Shellie and I followed through on a promise to hike the entire New Jersey section of the Appalachian Trail (“AT”), thinking that it would be a simple endeavor. We soon learned that New Jersey is longer than wider; the trail measured 72 miles, and when done, in single day hikes of 7-10 miles, would take us four years to complete. A feat that we finally accomplished two summers ago! Happily, the journey gave us many gifts. First of all, we both fell in love with the AT. We quickly learned to trust and treasure the perfectly placed white blazes and the carefully crafted footholds through…

This post is dedicated to one of our favorite Senior Rippers, Charlie Dixon, from Buck Hill Falls, PA, who passed away this week from complications due to Covid-19. Charlie always lived life to its fullest, with a smile on his face, and an encouraging word. We will miss him dearly. Good fortune blew a small group of “Rippers” to the base of Powder Mountain Ski Area on a warm Sunday afternoon.  Our intention was to mountain bike, but the parking lot was deserted. Two loose dogs led us to an open door where fortunately their owner knew enough to point us up a newly paved road. We landed on top…