Even if you don’t have a car (or a license, or you don’t feel like navigating MetroNorth) escaping the city for the day and retreating to upstate NY can be tough. Luckily, your hiking and communing with nature just got so much easier thanks to Bushwick-based company, Take a Hike NYC.
Take a Hike NYC organizes hikes from Bushwick! The founder, Kaitlin Edleman, started the company after she realized that traveling upstate to hike always seemed to be a big production–from figuring out public transportation to renting a car to get to the trails. Luckily, Kaitlin found a way to change that. For a reasonable fee, hikers will get to secure transportation to and from the trails and participate in a hike lead by a New York State licensed guide.
Kaitlin explained to us how important it is to take a breather from the busy city and escape to the great outdoors. “Hiking can benefit everyone! It’s a very soul-cleansing experience. When living in New York its easy to feel overwhelmed, frustrated and claustrophobic, but on the trail you have space and peace,” Kaitlin says. “The stress of your job or your roommates seems far away and you can just focus on how good it feels to move through the woods, breathe the fresh, crisp mountain air and enjoy the beautiful scenery.”
In addition to getting a change of scenery, hiking can also be great for networking. “Hiking can also be a fun way to meet new people without the distraction of cellphones – don’t worry, you can still Instagram!” Kaitlin says, “I also think hiking helps people to form environmentally friendly habits. I know that experiencing the beauty of the mountain first hand encourages me to use less paper, recycle, take shorter showers, etc. There are so many beautiful wild places, and once we see them, we want to preserve them and are motivated to take steps to do so.”
Sounds like something you’d want to experience? The next hike is coming up this Saturday, November 8th. It will be a 5- mile hike at Canopus Lake along the famed AT. Departure is at 10AM from the corner of McKibbin St and Bogart St and you will be back in Bushwick at 6PM at the same location. The fee is $60. Kaitlin also plans to organize a hike at Bear Mountain during the weekend of November 15th.
To learn more about Take a Hike NYC or to book a hike please visit: www.takeahikenyc.com