Author Archives: Freedom Hiker

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About Freedom Hiker

I served in the USMC directly out of high school and then taught for two years in the Bronx, NY. I was then a Special Education Coordinator/Special Education teacher at a public high school in the Lower Hudson Valley in Westchester County, New York, for over 20 years. Although I love going to Anthony's Nose, I try to get to different spots in the area. One great thing about living in the Hudson Valley is the abundance of great hikes. You can do the same hike in different seasons, and it will be as if you were hiking that trail for the first time. It doesn't get much better than that!

Horn Hill Bike Path X2-Walking Meditation

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“The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”

-Nhat Hanh
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
-Nhat Hanh
“Walk so that your footprints bear only the marks of peaceful joy and complete freedom. To do this you have to learn to let go. Let go of your sorrows, let go of your worries. That is the secret of walking meditation.”
-Nhat Hanh

 

Last summer I did a whole bunch of hikes from a book called, Circuit Hikes In Harriman by Don Weise. Today (4/11/17), I was going to do a pretty lengthy hike but when my daughter asked if she could go hiking again today (WOW!!), I decided to do this relatively easy loop in Harriman State Park.

Once again, the difference in what the woods look like from season to season is truly amazing. Five and a half miles later, I think that I got some pretty decent photos.

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The start of the Horn Hill Bike Path. Nice and flat!

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Canada Geese feeding a pond next to the trail.

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The same geese…

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Trees along the trail.

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The Appalachian Trail crosses this trail at two points during the hike.

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The AT headed south towards Georgia.

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Looking south behind us on the trail.

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As you hike along the bike path, the Ramapo Dunderberg Trail crosses its path. Here are some nice stone steps to help you on your way.

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Beechy Bottom Road

 

Affirmations

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Last summer I saw this affirmation, published it on my blog and was thinking about it today on my hike. After reading it again almost eight months later, I still believe in what it says.

“I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.”

― José Micard Teixeira

Anthony’s Nose in the Spring

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“Take only memories, leave only footsteps.”

-Chief Seattle

With spring upon us it can only be assumed that I would make a trip to Anthony’s Nose. For mid April (4/10/17), the weather was perfect and the trail was as beautiful as you would imagine it would be. What also made this hike special was my fifteen (almost sixteen) year old daughter asked if she could come hiking with me. I almost fell over with surprise. Because of hockey, “I’m tired,” and “I have too much school work,” she really hasn’t been out with me much the last couple of years so this was really nice.

One quick side note-As we sat at the top taking pictures, several people made their way from the trail to the view-point. As one group sat and ate a snack, three young ladies arrived and started taking pictures of each over looking the Bear Mt. Bridge. Normally I wouldn’t even give this a second thought, but when they started giving each other directions such as, “lift you leg,” “turn to your left” and “fix your hair,” I literally began to laugh out loud. Even my daughter, who is obviously much closer in age to them as I am, found this amusing as well.

Please don’t get me wrong, I take pictures while I am hiking all of the time. You have seen many of them here on this blog. But posing for pictures like you are on a model shoot to me is over the line. And…after ten minutes of posing for pictures, one of the young ladies turned, posed and then said to her friends, “Is this hikey enough?” Oh boy…

I have no idea why this bothers me so much.

Anyway, here are pictures of yet another hike to Anthony’s Nose.

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A brook at the beginning of the hike.

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A small pond filled with fresh rain and melted snow.

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A freight train heading north on the Hudson River.

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Perkins Memorial Tower at the top of Bear Mt., approximately 300 feet higher than Anthony’s Nose.

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Old glory standing stiffly, crimson white and indigo.

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A wide shot of Bear Mt. as seen from the Nose.

Security

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“It often happens that a man develops a deeper love and friendship with his pet cat or dog than he does with most of the other humans in his life.”

-Henry Daivd Thoreau

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Zen On The Trail

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I look up the trail and what do I see,

A day full of promise I think you’ll agree.

I hope and I pray for clear lucid thought,

The sun and the stars are all that is sought.

As I walk down the path and my mind starts to wander,

I take a deep breath, my heart growing fonder.

Is it possible? Can it be true?

Should I walk this alone, did I think it all through?

A path of enlightenment, Zen promises abound,

The earth and rocks flutter, a vibe from the ground.

So each step that I take, dust scattering the trail,

No way will I stop, no way will I fail.

I can now see the end, a magnificent view,

My love of the trail, a love that is true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Perfect Sunrise

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“Sunrise looks spectacular in the nature; sunrise looks spectacular in the photos; sunrise looks spectacular in our dreams; sunrise looks spectacular in the paintings, because it really is spectacular.”
―Mehmet Murat ildan

 

“It was not so much a modification of the darkness, as a sigh of relief, a slight relaxing of tension, so that one felt, rather than saw, that the night had suddenly lost a shade of its density… 
― Hope Mirrlees

These pictures were taken with my cell phone this morning as I walked from the parking lot into the building. The cool thing about them is if you look at the first picture, you can see several shades of blue and then a strip of an almost cotton candy color. As I stood there and turned 90 degrees to my left, the entire sky was the color you see in the last two pictures. Absolutely amazing! What an outstanding way for a day to start.

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My Inner Peace

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Slivers of sun fall softly through the trees,

Warming your face and the trail with ease.

Walking the earth, the miles go by,

The wind whispers welcome from the blue sun kissed sky.

I walk and I walk, smelling the soft scent of pine,

Invading my spirit and caressing my mind.

As my thoughts start to wander, I don’t travel for speed,

My journey is nowhere, I just have the need.

So as I move on and my thoughts become clearer,

I’m closer to peace, my soul is a mirror.

 

 

 

Jase in Action!

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“No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.”

-Christopher Morley

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”

-Roger Caras

In my previous post I showed you some pictures of my dog Jase hanging out. Here are some more photos of him, this time playing with a couple of his favorite toys-a partially deflated soccer ball and a lacrosse ball. He was as happy as we were to finally be outside in the warm air!!!

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