Hello! Hope everyone had a nice weekend! I did a few different fun things but today I will talk about the hike and wine tasting I went on yesterday! My sister and I went on a 9-mile hike about a month ago with a company called Outdoor Bound. We booked another one right away since the hike was beautiful and the prices were very reasonable! This time we booked a 5-mile hike, swim, and wine tasting! I figured the hike would be that much better if I knew there would be wine waiting for me at the end!
About the hike: (source)
Join other outdoor enthusiasts as we follow a series of trails in a hilly area known for its numerous lakes and impressive views. There are also opportunities for some bouldering, if you are up for it! There is magnificent scenery along the way and fine vistas from the tops of three mountains. Lunch at a stunning lake, where we will swim and rest.
This is a fantastic five-mile hike! Over four hours, we will gain 1,300 hundred feet in elevation. You will sweat, and the trail will be rocky. There is scrambling on several sections of the trail. You should be in adequate physical shape, and close to your ideal weight.
Then you will enjoy wine tasting at a real farm winery in New York’s Hudson Valley. The wines are made from their own vineyards and from across the state. You will sample Chardonnays, Cabernet Franc, barrel fermented reds, and delicious fruit wines including Hard Apple Cider. Every wine is produced in a “limited edition” with almost every bottle spoken for as soon as its made. There is also a wonderful cafe, where you may order delicious food prepared by a CIA-trained chef.
We were supposed to all meet by the van on the Upper West Side at 8 am. The NYC triathlon was going on at the exact same time so my sister and I were a little late. We walked up and everyone was already in the van about to pull away! Oops! We drove about an hour and a half away to North Jersey. This time around I came very prepared to pee in the woods. Last time I was expecting a restroom in the beginning! The first 2 hours involved climbing up steep hills with rocks and through the woods.
The group!
Eventually we found the lake where we would be eating lunch. There were crazy people jumping off of that rock below!
A lot of people swam but I decided I didn’t want to walk around in a wet bathing suit for the rest of the day. Don’t want any infections if you know what I mean. Instead I chilled on the rocks and got some sun! My sister and I brought some turkey wraps, chips, and grapes. We made a friend!
We hiked for another 2 hours after lunch. The hike seemed so much easier than last time but I think I was just much more prepared. I am ready to take on a 10-mile hike now!!
We made it back to our van and drove to Hudson Valley for the winery. I loved it there! It was inside a cute little house with a cafe and a band playing.
We got a menu of all the wines we would be tasting. I was very excited!
The girl leading the tasting was amazing. She gave a detailed description of each wine and was really animated and funny. Maybe she was just drunk. I know I would be drunk 24/7 if that was my job!
Keep pouring….
Yummy wine.
I loved all of the wine except for the Cabernet Franc and the dessert wines. They tasted a little too much like Brandy for me. I ended up buying their signature red wine called Black Dirty Red. We got to take home wine glasses as souvenirs!
We were a little hungry at this point but my sister and I had dinner plans afterwards. We ended up just getting salads with beets and goat cheese. They were perfect! The pizza there was amazing too. I would love to go back and spend more time at the winery in the future!
We got back into the city and met my sister’s husband at a Thai restaurant called Q2 Thai. It was happy hour so the cocktails were $5.00, the wine was $4.00, and the beer was $3.00. Oh yeah! I got 2 Lychee Martinis.
We split a few different dishes. We started out with the Thai Salad: Mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, bean sprouts, tofu and boiled egg with peanut dressing. I was too busy drinking my martini to take a picture of that one! We also got the Summer Rolls. They were amazing!
We split the Shrimp Pad Thai.
We also split the Ginger Chicken special. All of the specials came with a free glass of wine. Loved this place!
We are planning one more hike in August. There are probably plenty of spots open if anyone is interested in joining us. They also have night time hikes which sound fun but spooky too! I think we will probably do a 6 to 8 mile hike next time. It is fun getting fresh air and seeing the mountains every now and then!
1) What was your favorite activity this weekend?
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That looks so fun. I have often thought about checking out an outward bound hike.
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what a fun hike!! i would FOR SURE not be swimming haha i would have leeches on the brain and feel like they would be everywhere. lychee martinis are so much better then lake leeches hahaha
i’m craving summer rolls now! i wish i had a place in my town where i could get some. damn.
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MissyMaintains Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
I guess you’ll have to come to the city and get some with me!
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what a fun time! one of the best parts of going to college in upstate NY was the wineries! it made the best activiy to do during teh day and the grapes up in NY are so sweet, the wine tastes like candy! i am sure you experienced this while you had your samples
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it sounds like you two had a great time! it’s nice that you and your sister can find something that you both enjoy doing =)
hmmmm I might have to tag along, the next time you go =) it looks like a lot of fun…I would have dipped my feet in the water since I can’t swim (thanks mom and dad!)
yums I am craving some thai right now! ha
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A night hike would be so cool! I’d be a little nervous about animals, but I think it would be a lot of fun I think. Good move not getting into the water. Haha
Eunice recently posted..Eunice’s How-To’s- Gym Etiquette
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What a great idea! Not only do you get a break from the city but you get some cardio also! Def saving that link for possible future vacay activities!
Diana@mymarblerye recently posted..Life is Full of Circles
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we both went hiking over the weekend! yay!!
katie recently posted..WINNERRRR!
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Okay, $5 cocktails and free wine with every entree? I need to hit up that Thai place ASAP!!
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Missy! The owners of Outdoor Bound share an office with me and play on my Chelsea Piers basketball team! I’m also their occassional dog-sitter! Tell me next time you go on one of their trips – I’ll tell Kirk to give you the VIP treatment.
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[...] I went on my third hike with Outdoor Bound. You may remember my 9-mile hike this past May and my 5-mile hike, swim, and wine-tasting in July! So far I’ve loved every single Outdoor Bound trip! It just so happens that my friend [...]
[...] yesterday with Outdoor Bound! It was actually the same exact hike and wine tasting I went on in July so I did not take too many pictures this time. The entire day was really fun and even better than [...]
those thick and heavy borosilicate wine glasses are the best but they are very expensive ,;- `,~
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