Paul Cougill

Last night i went on another bike ride but as many of us know, the weather has been crazy. Before I went on my bike ride, I made sure to plan ahead and prepare for the weather by using the W.I.S.E. layering concept. 

went on a bike ride today before class to north noquemanon trail by tourist park and parked my bike to hike up the cliff that overlooks the area. I noticed a lot of knapweeds growing (invasive species) and made sure to check myself for its seeds when I got to the top of the cliff and when I got back down.

earlier this weekend I went on a hike with a couple buddies at sugarloaf and decided to take a different, less populated route. in accordance with my challenge, i feel that we were successful because the main trail that is used is starting to erode so much that theres water run-off that forms whenever it rains. therefore, by taking a different path we can switch the load elsewhere.

last night i decided to go for a bike ride to presque isle. recently i have been driving there for time-sensitive reasons but i was happy to be able to not have to worry about making a carbon footprint just to look at some stars. my phone ended up dying (which was the source for my light) so it was a little dangerous yet quite exhilarating. At first i was upset but then i realized that i didnt need my phone and didnt want to waste a single second looking at it when i could be watching the stars. luckily i saw one of the meteors streak by- it must have been a lone wolf since the major shower was the previous night. so good.

hiked up mount marquette . so good. picked up some trash and for some reason I found a hanger up there. dunno why

sometimes it's easy to forget about how much of an impact you can have on the people and animals around you. even the simplest things, like playing music, might be a distraction from the quietness of nature. that's why i decided to turn off my music today especially because I could hear people around me making excessive noises for no apparent reason. Being quiet in nature really does help one enjoy the experience more.

ran up a hill today and got to see the sunset from a beautiful scenic spot. The plan was to have no plan so I would say that I accomplished the challenge :)

over the weekend after work I brought a beverage with me when I went for a hike. Instead of throwing it away there, I chose to pack it out.

From what I can remember, the first day of my challenge went well. Instead of hiking through an area, I chose to walk slowly and carefully (otherwise known as sauntering). By doing so, I was able to come across a group of small birds that were playing with each other near the ground. We kept a close distance between each other and as I would get closer they would fly a little further but never fly away entirely. I was really appreciative to have this experience where I could respect and observe wildlife from a distance and not disturbing them.

over the weekend when I was in the woods near Sugarloaf and  I found some deer tracks that I followed through the surrounding pristine areas.