The first outdoor adventure I really remember is when my girl scout troop (Maryland 1001, woot woot!) went camping around Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Most of the girls abandoned the tents to sleep in Volvo station wagons and I remember that the things I cared most about packing were several shades of lipstick (to play dress up with after hours of course). I probably had a pink Barbie sleeping bag or something, but I remember that I was required to have a mesh bag to string up my dishes in and that my parents bought that bag from Hudson Trail.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself at Hudson Trail a lot. Mostly because I was kind of a hippie and wanted to look like I could live in the wilderness at any moment. Yes, it might be third period geometry class, but I wasn’t happy unless it looked like at any time during the lesson, I could run out and live like a young wolf on the Appalachian Trail. I also frequented the store for actual products I could use while trekking, like my trusty Vasque boots (still going strong on my feet since 1995).
This weekend, I threw down several hundred dollars at Hudson Trail buying things like $50 Gore-tex hats that I hope keep the leeches from feasting on my head. That’s right, I’m heading to Nepal during the height of leech season. I also bought a lot of pink fleece, waterproofer, 100% Deet, a travel pillow that folds into the size of a tissue, and those ever so fetching zip off pants. I know, sounds like a Miss America check list.
What I love about Hudson Trail is that it feels like a store for real outdoors people. The ones who eat bark and summit Everest backwards. None of this soccer mom who likes to do yoga in the backyard nonsense. No, they cater to the real deal. And I’m definitely not saying that’s me, but I like to pretend it is when I’m buying leech blocker.
I'm the one in the raft with the bug net on my face, thus it looks like I am the girl without features. And yes, even in 1995, I was buying my bug nets at Hudson Trail.
Growing up just over the DC line in Maryland, I went to the Eastern Shore all the time. Especially during my girl scout years. From the ages of seven to eleven, I spent a whole lot of weekends in picturesque towns earning patches. I had a blast tie-dying my underwear and aggressively shucking crabs for my crustacean awareness patch. Looking back, I feel like that was the badge I wore with real honor and it came in handy today as I gave Craig an intense tutorial on how to devour a crab. Being Nebraskan, he had no idea what to do with the delectable fruit of the sea besides look at it with a blank stare. But the fifth grader in me showed him the ropes and we were shoving them in our mouths like greedy sea creatures in no time.
After going to bed at 6 am because of all the alcohol coursing through our veins from opera ball, Craig and I headed to the north Chesapeake Bay to get away from it all. We were OD’ing on small talk and canapes and thought a little one on one with our good earth would be just what the doctor ordered. And it sure was. We walked around a wildlife refuge where birds as big as cows flew over our heads. A fox even ran across our path, and I, being quite the zoologist, jumped into Craig’s arms and screamed “leopard!” And then of course there is the water. Still as a puddle. And up here north of Annapolis away from all the tourists, there is barely a soul on it. It’s just asking you to throw off your clothes and bellyflop right in. But I fought the urge and just admired the view instead.
Craig enjoying this thing we call nature. We saw tons of these birds which looked like menacing turkeys, but I'm sure that's not their scientific name. Either way, was amazing to get out of the city for a day.
The view from the worn wooden dock where Craig and I were the only people out and about. Sooooo relaxing.
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