There are so many things you can discover when you hike around the trails in the Hudson Valley. Taking a camera let's you capture the sites you may see along the way. I recommend on your next trek through the woods you not only take a camera but keep your eye up for cool things that are seasonal this time of year.

One of the plants you can spot this time of year is call Hamamelis Virginiana or as we know it Witch Hazel. That's right, witch hazel the plant that make the stuff your Mom keeps in the medicine cabinet that you have no idea what it does. Witch hazel is probably one of the weird things you have around the house that you know serves a purpose but may not be sure what it is.

Thanks to a Facebook post from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) I now know what Witch Hazel looks like and that we can discover it on the trails in New York for the next few weeks. Witch Hazel is one of those things I grew up with in the medicine cabinet but I never really understood it's purpose.

Turns out witch hazel has many benefits. As a matter of fact made a list of 8 that's worth a read. It's funny how you will have something kicking around your house because your Mom or even Grandma used it but you never paid much attention to exactly what they did with it. I suspect they may have soaked their feet in it.

So maybe after a hike to discover witch hazel as a plant, it would be a good idea to use the bottle you have in the cabinet to help with your aching feet after a long hike.

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