Yoga and Snowshoe Escape!

Next Snowshoe & Yoga Escape: Sat. March 10

Susanne Murtha, owner of Yoga in the Adirondacks, and I had a fantastic time on Saturday with our Yoga and Snowshoe Escape. We had eight people--both men and women--participating. Everyone arrived a little before 10 am and warmed up with some hot herbal tea before the yoga practice.

Susanne's yoga studio is a dream. Huge picture windows look out on the majesty of Eleventh Mountain, and students face the incredible view as they exercise. My toes get all excited about the toasty warm, heated wood flooring. So welcome on a cold February morning!

While everyone stretched, I drove to North Creek to pick up the catered lunch prepared at Cafe Sarah's. At twelve, we talked and ate, and then I outlined the hike into the Siamese Ponds Wilderness we were all about to take. No one needed snowshoes, so we all used Yaktrax Pros or crampons as well as trekking poles.
It was a beautiful afternoon. The mountain views were clearly visible. We hiked all the way to my favorite spot on the trail, down bordering the Sacandaga River. (See photo.) I was glad the golden-crowned kinglets decided to tseet-tseet for everyone.

On the hike the group carried on several conversations. Susanne talked in greater detail about some health and wellness topics relating to the morning's yoga session. I chatted with folks about chickadee language, which I've been studying lately.

We studied trees, including beech trees afflicted with Beech-Bark Disease, a scourge that will one day wipe out the beeches.

After the hike, everyone was tired, but in good spirits. Back in Susanne's studio, as I warmed the milk for our hot chocolate and cookies, I asked people to choose a word to describe what they were feeling. "Exhilirated," "Content," "Energized," "Happy," and "At Peace," were a few of the responses. And for me? I felt "Ecstatic" because we had a great day and everything went without a hitch!