“After a storm comes a calm.”
-Matthew Henry
Last night we had some pretty severe storms pass through our area and I thought of this:
Summer storms the norm
flashing streaks awaken me
fading through the night.
Peace!
Gardens are a place that can offer a person peace, either by working in them or spending time walking through them. Personally, I am the type of person who will get more from a garden by walking through it and enjoying what others have done instead of getting down in the dirt. My parents have always been avid gardeners and to walk through their yard is indeed a calming experience. As I made my way through it this morning, I was struck by how brilliant everything was. Enjoy!
A perfect place to get out of the hot sun.
The guardian??
The Hudson River is a lively and vibrant hub for commerce and recreation from Albany all of the way down to New York City. On many days you can see tugboats pushing barges that are low in the water up and down the river, often times hearing the low growl of their engines before you actually see them.
A tugboat pushing a barge south on the Hudson River early in the morning.
The same barge approaching the Bear Mt. Bridge.
The barge passing under the bridge as the shadow of Anthony’s Nose looms in the background.
Depending on many factors, mornings in the Hudson Valley of New York can present many different pictures. If you live here, you get a daily reminder on how much can change in regards to the views of familiar landmarks on a day-to-day basis. The Hudson Valley is not only aesthetically pleasing, it is also a historical and cultural wonder as well.
Today, the weather was about as perfect as it can get for an August morning with a 5:45 am temperature of 58 degrees and very low humidity. Located off of Route 9D in Garrison, NY, I passed this field on a farm on my way to Anthony’s Nose (yes, again).
Looking into the horizon as the sun was rising, I watched a coyote run across the field from left to right into the woods as I was preparing to take this picture.
A closer view of the farm from the picture above.
A wider view with Castle Rock on the upper right.
You can read more about Castle Rock here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Rock_(Garrison,_New_York)
“It was a splendid summer morning and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.”
-John Cheever
“In summer, the song sings itself.”
~William Carlos Williams
One of the things that I love the most about summer is being able to mow the lawn. Most people dread this weekly chore, but for some reason I have always found a certain comfort in the simple act of walking back and forth with my trusted mower. Strange? Perhaps. But it is a whole lot cheaper than going to a therapist.
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”
-John Muir
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”
–Aristotle
“Details of the many walks I made along the crest have blurred, now, into a pleasing tapestry of grass and space and sunlight.”
– Colin Fletcher
Today (8/2/16) I went to Anthony’s Nose again. Since I have written about my travels to the Nose several times, I am finding it more and more difficult to find ways to describe and chronicle just how great this hike is. As you may or may not know, my hikes to the Nose are what I use to get my mind straight. It doesn’t matter that I have traveled from South Mountain Pass to the Nose countless times, the anticipation and eventual hike are always physically demanding but at the same time mentally soothing.
In order to give you all a little bit of a different perspective of the hike to the Nose, all of the pictures that I took today are in black and white. I will admit that I do have a preference for B & W photos, so I look forward to seeing what you think.
South Mt. pass at the start and end of the hike.
The AT headed up to the Nose
The view off of the AT into the woods.
More climbing as you make your way up.
Just to the right on the road is Camp Smith, a National Guard training facility. It is clearly marked as being “Off Limits.” You will be arrested if you are caught trespassing!!!!!
On your return from the Nose this will be your final climb of the hike.
One of the things that I really have not mentioned in any of my posts is that there is a viewpoint almost at the Nose where you have this incredible view looking north on the Hudson River.
Although you can’t see it, West Point is located on the left side of the picture.
Sugar Loaf Mountain (another excellent hike)
A wider view taken from the same spot as the first picture.
Five minutes away from this viewpoint is Anthony’s Nose. Here are some pictures taken of Bear Mt., Iona Island, The Torne and the Bear Mt. Bridge.
The Bear Mt. Bridge is obviously to the right with Bear Mt. to the left of the bridge and the playing fields are all of the way on the left of the picture.
The Torne
A hat without a head.
Looking south towards NYC
A final view of Bear Mt.
So another excellent hike to the Nose ends. I hope that you enjoy the pictures, as different as they may be.
Happy hiking!!!!!!
A Haiku to celebrate the arrival of August:
The death of summer
dropping orange rays like rain
change is upon us
The man had been on the trail for several days without seeing a single soul. He carried the weight of his pack on his shoulders like he did the rest of his life, and at this point, his entire being ached. It wasn’t the pain that he sometimes felt after a day hike, or even after living on the trail for a couple of days. This was a pain that was now etched deep into his being. Each step became more difficult and as he climbed and crested each hill, while thoughts of home swirled in his head making him homesick.
He did, however, enjoy the solitude.
His journey had begun innocently enough. While he loved his home, which happened to be a small log cabin that sat unobtrusively deep in the suburban woods of New York, he knew that some time away would do him some good. For years, his life seemed to resemble a mouse on one of those exercise wheels that you see in the pet store. Climbing on the wheel every day, he always hoped for change, but it never came. The wheel just kept turning and turning, never, ever changing. He thought about this often.
He did, however, enjoy the routine.
Getting up each morning, he would let his dog out, safe in the knowledge that he could make his rounds, mark his territory and return unscathed. Once his trusted companion returned and ate, he would sit and plan his escape until he had to leave for work at a job that he had been at for a very long time. This went on year after year after year.
He did, however, enjoy planning for what he believed would be a great escape.
When he moved out of the town where his two children had grown up, he thought for sure that he would be more grounded as he got older. But the itch to get out found him, consumed him and shook him to his core.
He did, however, enjoy thinking about his children.
Back on the trail he stopped for a water break and was thankful for the rest. The long days of up and down all day were starting to take a toll on him and he actually relished the down time. As he cooked his lunch, his mind began to wander and the aches began to fade. At this point he thought that it might be nice to actually see someone, even if just for some conversation. After devouring his lunch, he spent the next ten minutes putting everything back in his pack, filling his water bottles and retying his boots.
He did, however, enjoy the feeling of getting back on the trail.
As he slowly started hiking again, his thoughts wandered and he allowed himself to think about the here and now. Anxiety set into him with a vengeance as he thought about his life and the direction that he thought it should have gone. He could now see that the path he had been on and was still on was the correct one. The one that he was traveling would allow him to reach his destination. Seeing what he had, why did he think it was necessary to escape? What was driving him to stay on the trail day after day? What was left?
And with that, knowing that his journey could now end, he headed home.
Both of these pictures were taken at two different points in a hike that I took last week. The theme, “Out in the Country,” is well represented here in both photos by showing the isolation of being out in the country.
The Zen Hiker 