Author Archives: Chris Casciano

Banff Mountain Film Festival 2011 Comes To Area

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Chris Casciano

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour makes two stops in our area thanks to Chestnut Mountain Productions next month and tickets are starting to go on sale. Wednesday, March 2, 2011 – Lafayette Theater, Suffern, NY [Ticket Info] [Film Lineup] Sunday, Monday, & Tuesday, March 6, 7, 8, 2011 – Peter Norton Symphony Space, New York, NY [Ticket Info] [Film Lineup] If you’re attending the film festival, say hi in the comments section and I’ll look out for you.

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My Reading List: Warding Off Cabin Fever

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Chris Casciano

A new stack of guide books for local trails just landed on my doorstep. Winter in the northeast is great for winter fun – hiking, snowshoeing, downhill or cross country skiing, or just sledding with the kids. When the end of winter comes quicker then expected we can look fondly back on days like we had last week. Then there are days like yesterday–full of slush, cold rain, and–where you don’t want to go out unless you absolutely must. Though I hope those days are short I’ve picked up a bunch of new or updated guide books to flip though and dream up new adventures come spring as well as … Continue reading →

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Photos From Cold Afternoon In South Mountain

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Chris Casciano

I had a little time at the end of last week for a mid afternoon walk around the snowy and icy banks of the Rahway River in South Mountain Reservation. I brought my camera along to capture some of the beautiful scenery and long Winter shadows. Warning: South Mountain Reservation Closed For Deer Hunt South Mountain Reservation will be closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays from now until January 27 to allow Essex County to run its deer management (hunting) program. This program will then move to Hilltop Reservation and Eagle Rock Reservation for the month of February. More information on the hunt from NJ.com. If you enjoyed these photographs you … Continue reading →

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Hike Tracking: RunKeeper Pro Free For January

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Chris Casciano

It’s New Year’s Resolution time, and if your resolution is to do more hiking, trail running, cycling, or cross country skiing and need a bit of a kick in the pants, or just want to find an easy way to keep track of your progress the iPhone and Android mobile phone application RunKeeper Pro is free for the month of January (normally $9.99). I use RunKeeper to track my cycling, to keep track of my hiking mileage while on the trails, and even to generate GPX files for geotagging my photographs. Many of the previous hike reports, including that from the 33 mile Lenape Trail Hike, reference maps generated by … Continue reading →

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Winter 2011 Gear: Gloves

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Chris Casciano

Last winter I did a review of the Mountain Hardwear WINDSTOPPER Half Flex Balaclava. Well it’s wintertime again, snowing as I write this post, and even with a few 50ºF days in a row there has been snow on the ground here in New Jersey since the post-Christmas blizzard. So it’s time again to look at the gear I’m using to keep myself warm. Today it’s the gloves on my hands. Outdoor Research BackStop Gloves Lightweight WindStopper Gloves I needed a pair of everyday winter gloves for those middling days where I’m hanging outside, hiking, or just standing around taking photos, where basic liner gloves won’t cut it but I … Continue reading →

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Start Of Some Site Updates

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Chris Casciano

Finally getting around to some overdue site maintenance tasks and thought while I was at it I’d make some visual tweaks, and make some other useful additions. First, the Parks Index page now has an interactive map of all the locations covered on the site. Second, I’ve started new guide pages for both Eagle Rock Reservation in Essex County and Jockey Hollow, part of the Morristown National Historic Park System. Both have some great info and links already. Finally, I’ve started an account on Newsvine to bookmark interesting news stories regarding NJ parks and hiking trails. These are just the first of several planned additions. Follow along here, or follow … Continue reading →

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Lenape34, Lenape Trail Hike Report

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Chris Casciano

On Columbus Day, October 11, 2010 I had the pleasure (and minor pain) of hiking 33 miles of the Lenape Trail with a great group of people for an event organized by the Freewalkers. Starting from the southern tip of South Mountain Reservation in Millburn, the day long hike covered several suburban parks and hiking trails in Essex County connected by this branch of the yellow blazed Lenape Trail. It was a great day of walking, exploring the Essex County Parks system, and getting to know a bunch of new friends and fellow hikers. I thought the trail was great and was really quite surprised that the route consisted of … Continue reading →

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Hiking National Trails Day in NJ

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Chris Casciano

This Saturday June 5th, 2010 marks National Trails Day — a day in which the American Hiking Society says: [...] inspires the public and trail enthusiasts nationwide to seek out their favorite trails to discover, learn about, and celebrate trails while participating in educational exhibits, trail dedications, gear demonstrations, instructional workshops and trail work projects. I encourage everyone across the state to find a local trail [or not so local trail] and enjoy the parkland, and maybe see something new, or find a work crew and help give back a little. If you’re looking for a local event to meet other people, or maybe find a guide for a trail … Continue reading →

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The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival, Mendham, June 4

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Chris Casciano

Friday evening, June 4th 2010, the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival will make a stop at Mendham’s Schiff Nature Preserve and show a selection of films from this year’s film festival which took place in January. Highlights of the night’s films include a summary cut of PBS’s National Parks: This is America series and films of local interest including Legacy of the Land a film about the Schiff natural Lands Trust narrated by Bill Moyers with busic by Moby and GrowTown Motown about building a Morristown community garden. Get full list of films, location information and ticket info. Tickets for the event, which begins at 5:30PM, begin at $15.50 … Continue reading →

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South Mountain’s 1st Annual Mayapple Festival, May 22, 2010

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Chris Casciano

If you’re not attending The Big Walk on Saturday May 22 or looking for something a bit more low key or family friendly there’s the first annual South Mountain Reservation Mayapple Festival. Sponsored by the South Mountain Conservancy and the Essex County Parks Department this one day event is at South Mountain Reservation in New Jersey (Hike NJ SMR Park Info Page) the festival has something for everyone — from an ultra-marathon to walks through the new wildflower preserve to an ultimate frisbee game. Most activities will take place or originate in the Summit Field area located off of South Orange Ave. (Map). The following info was taken from SOMOCON’s … Continue reading →

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