Warm enough for a hike

Wow! 50 degrees today - it is warm enough for a hike. I don't know about you, but as much as I enjoy the cold, bug-free winter hikes, the icy trails leave me thinking of broken limbs, hospital bills and an inability to work. Since I'm my own boss - that means no income! So spring and fall, those glorious seasons of promise and beauty, are when I enjoy hiking the most. Give me the relatively peaceful days of no insects, fewer wild animals (lions and tigers and bears - oh my!) and less people - that's when hiking's the best.

This sunday I'll go to my "church" - a mountaintop cathedral - the firetower on Overlook Mountain. I'll be there for sunrise, and look south east over the Hudson Valley to the day's beginnings. I'll celebrate spring's arrival and Christ's rebirth, and hear the birds sing their Hallelujah Chorus to the tree tops. Happy Easter, everyone.