Our Sierra Club chapter was leading a hike last Saturday in this part of the NJ pine barrens. The name “pine barrens” refers to the area’s sandy, acidic, nutrient-poor soil, to which the crops originally imported by European settlers didn’t take well.
It was a rather cold morning but we still had some serious hikers arrive on time. Once we started walking it was just lovely. Initially we passed through the Audubon property and therefore both saw and heard a lot of birds chirping. That itself was amazing and refreshing. The other great thing about the park was the beautifully vibrant and fresh moss going everywhere. At times it felt like we were walking on a carpet of green.
Besides having really friendly co-hikers and good weather, the hike was relatively easy with not much ups and downs. sometimes it’s nice to just focus on nature without having to exert too much.
I can’t stress how important taking hikes are; we all have such tight wind lives with some days just being from car to work and back to car and home that we forget that what joy is just a few steps away from us in the nearest backyard or nature center.
Here are some more pictures from our hike.
