WalkTalk
Walkers talk about walking FreeWalker Events
Feeback from "The Origins Walk - LENAPE34" - October 11, 2010
|
Name |
Comments after walking event |
| Amy Hebard Maplewood, NJ |
Beautifully organized and great fun! Maybe solicit tips to share - I loved one walker's strategy for bringing 5 pairs of socks and pinning them to his backpack to dry. Also, the meaning behind the walk could be enhanced -- were there milestones with history we could have learned more about? The Essex Rail Trail was brand new to me and i hope to go back again with my husband, and would love to know more about it along with Lenape history to the extent it's known. Thanks for a great day! |
| Anna Sheinaus, Montclair, NJ |
great trek...we were about ten minutes late at Millburn train station and saw nobody, finally followed a fellow straggler to the group, but almost lost out on whole experience . Maybe small signage on train station door to let us know where the trail began? |
| Barry Wolff Cherry Hill, NJ |
The people I met made it enjoyable |
| Benjie Plotch, Smithtown, NY |
Advantage: Covering 14 miles in only 7 hours really exposed me to a lot of interesting places (Verona Park & the West Essex Park hike/bike Trail. Also Whole Food market stop was a good touch. Disadvantage: The pace was too fast to really enjoy what I was seeing. I would do this hike again in smaller pieces. Recommnenation: You need more daylight for this - like around June 21st. |
Chris Casciano |
I think there could have been 1 or 2 additional planned break points for regrouping with people and planning the next leg. Somewhere before Mills Reservation would have been spot on as that was a long stretch of hiking where the different groups really started breaking apart. |
| David M. Ascher South Orange, NJ |
Great organization. I live very close to the Lenape trail and had previously walked some portions of it but this exposed to so much more. It is amazing. |
| Doug Arbesfeld Gillette, NJ |
perhaps plan endpoint before it gets dark. |
| Efrain J Beltre Newark, NJ |
I feel the entire trip was well planned and executed. |
| Elizabeth McCoy Maplewood, NJ |
The walk was really fun. It was a little faster paced than most group hikes I've been on, but that was understandable due to the fact that some people were walking 34 miles. Thanks for putting this on and I look forward to the next one! |
| Gary W Sanderson Verona, NJ |
Great walk. Best expereience when I continued at my own speed without long stops. Thanks Paul for putting this walk together. |
| James McGregor South Orange, NJ |
A great event. Not that it mattered for me in the end, but I was somewhat concerned about the wrap-up in Newark. Might have been good to think about doing the walk E > W instead. Great time though! |
| Jennifer Chaky Montclair, NJ |
Just seemed we ran out of time with it getting dark earlier. Had a blast though! |
| Jim Gregoire Watchung, NJ |
I had a great day. Weather was near perfect until the rains arrived at 7:30 pm. For such a long walk, I would have preferred an earlier start time. It would have been helpful to know in advance the mileage at which we could refill our water supplies. We might consider a staggered start, with slower hikers taking off earlier, so there is not such a large distance between slow and fast walkers. |
| John Demmer Nutley, NJ |
Paul. You have seen my blog so you all ready know that this was a great experience for me on a social and personal challenge level. The concept behind the Freewalkers is perfect in its simplicity. "Get out, Meet people, Have fun" |
| Jon Stout Maplewood, NJ |
I wish we could have kept people together in one group, but maybe that is not always possible. I enjoyed the walk very much, especially talking with a lot of different people. Paul did a great job. |
Justin Kiczek |
Great job, Dad!!!!!! |
| Ken Schapiro Montclair, NJ |
I enjoyed the experience, but there seemed to be a lack of organization. Having an organizer in the front would seem to be a good idea. |
| Lara Tomlin Maplewood, NJ |
It was a nice way to begin the day! |
| Linda Midolo Nutley, NJ |
Being new to this experience, I was confused when it came to backtracking routes an not going more directly from point a to b. But walking and talking with more experienced trail blazers, I understood it was about upholding the true route trailed by the Lenape. For lone walkers its good to know groups will divided so try to pick a group which is designed to suit your activity level. As remember after 23miles of walking with the same group you form teams and alliances, the no man left behind is something to be conscious about. |
| Massoud Messkoub Morristown, NJ |
The best part was re-connecting with a friend after more than 10 years. |
| Maurice Teahan Brooklyn, NY |
Only the strong should attempt this We should not be wandering around Newark in the dark. Hailstorm unique. Thye people who continued on were great and I couldnt have finished without them. |
| Mike Patterson Pompton Lakes |
I had a great hike through some wonderful terrain I had never seen before. The trail was a blast and a worthy challenge. I'm sure it is personal preference, but I would like to have shorter meal breaks. I feel like once we pause longer than 10 minutes it takes longer to get back on the trail at pace. Thanks for a great day. |
| Nadeem m. Firoz Short Hills, NJ |
excellento |
| Paul Kiczek Morristown, NJ |
It was a fantastic, unpredictable, and challenging experience. I enjoyed meeting many new people and am very optimistic about these types of walks |
| Peter Avelar Newark, NJ |
I met many really interesting people! |
| Richard Sheinaus Montclair, NJ |
Better signage at start and between Route 10 and 280. |
| Risa Olinsky Maplewood, NJ |
It was so wonderful to be exposed to new parks, trails and more that I never knew were in my NJ community.. I love talking and walking and meeting new people who share the value of physical activity as a way to spend time. Paul is a super leader. Looking forward to more events. I invite newbies who think they can't do this to try and believe they can -- you can always do more! Risa Olinsky |
| Robert Fouchaux Montclair, NJ |
I was very satisfied with myself, but was happy to leave the Geriatric honors to Gary when I left. I walked almost twice as far as I had expected. Legs sore Tuesday but fine Wednesday. |
| Robert Ruhno Newark, NJ |
The Lenape34 Walk was a great experience. Although I wasn't able to finishing the entire 34 miles, I still walked further than I have before. |
| Roger Vellekamp Verona, NJ |
For such a long walk it would be better to schedule in the spring to get more sunlight. I had been desiring a long walk on the Lenape Trail for several years, so this was ideal for my experience. |
| Shobha Bobbili Short Hills, NJ |
I liked the "free spirit" nature of the hike. The hike was well planned and we were given some great maps and guidelines. |
| Sophie Goldberg Rockaway, NJ |
This walk was great. A time to catch up on socializing, while walking. This is great excersise, I would definitely recommend more future walks to people! |
| Steve Nix Denville, NJ |
Enjoyed the challenge of keeping up with Mikail (he can really fly on those steep, rocky trail surfaces). I'd highly recommend a good pair of hiking shoes for this type of terrain. |
| Ted Sendler Cedar Grove, NJ |
do it again from newark to millburn |
| Wayne Lu Vauxhall, NJ |
it was a very good experience. If do it again, I will prepare better. |
| Yon Lee Brooklyn, NY |
i enjoyed the experience and am extremely grateful that i did it but i would have preferred the hike on a saturday. i had to go to work the next day and would have considered going a longer distance if i had the rest of the weekend to recover. the transportation options was the plus side but it did not compensate for the fact that it was like hiking on a normal sunday. no time for recovery. 2-3 groups would be nice so that it could accommodate the slow and fast and possibly the medium paced hikers. i definitely would recommend assistant leaders or co-leaders in the future with a possible sweep. it would have been nice if the group stayed together but considering the size and different pacers it would be very difficult. also better estimates on the actual time finishing could help people coordinate their rides or transportation back. |
