Both of these pictures were taken on a recent hike in Bear Mt. on the Appalachian Trail. It went from the Bear Mt. Inn to Perkins Memorial Tower and the wonderful thing about this part of the AT is that it has been totally rerouted and improved. An excellent job by the Long Distance Trails Crew/New York-New Jersey Trail Conference!!
Here is a mini monoverse to celebrate my recent bear encounter:
Bear with me…
What’s the chance
circumstance
at a glance
bear advance
no romance
Steal away
cry mayday
keep at bay
night and day
go away!
The Mini-monoverse is a poetry form originated by Emily Romano. Each Mini-monoverse is made up of two stanzas of five three-syllable lines.
“I’ll call if I break a leg or get eaten by a bear.”
“Play like a rock.”
“Now?”
“No, if a bear starts eating you.”
I thought for a moment before replying. “Do they have screaming, sobbing rocks, ’cause that’s probably what I’ll be doing if a bear is gnawing my arm off.”
“It would be difficult to just lay there and be eaten alive, huh?”
“Ya think?”
― Darynda Jones
Well folks, without a doubt, today’s adventure will be in The Zen Hiker’s top two or three hikes of all time. After looking at the weather and seeing a forecast for severe storms later in the day, I decided to get out really early to beat the storms as well as the heat. Leaving my house at 4:00 am, I got to the parking lot at the Bear Mt. Inn at about 4:45. Even though it was cooler than previous mornings, the humidity was still oppressive enough where walking across the field to the trail had me sweating.
Now before I get into why this will rank in the top hikes I have ever done, I have tell you that the work that has been done rerouting the AT from the Bear Mt. Inn to the road (about 3/4 of the way up) is phenomenal. At Hessian Lake they have added a section that is almost like a tutorial for people who may be new to hiking. As you walk through this miniature AT, an old stone building stands guard as you make your way towards the rerouted section that leads to Perkins Memorial Tower.
Bizarre encounter #1- I will call it-“Seriously? A skunk?”
As I walked along the edge of the building, the only sound I could hear was my boots scuffing the ground and the click clack of my hiking poles. Approaching the end of the building, I was getting myself mentally ready for the next two miles that I knew were going to be totally up hill. Without warning, and providing enough of a scare that a string of expletives flew from my lips, a skunk of enormous proportions waddled around the corner. Now if the skunk could have screamed, I am positive that it would have.
To the right of this beautiful old stone building was were the skunk and I had our brief but memorable encounter.
Instead, unintentionally and without malice, I happened to be so close to Mr. Skunk that I kicked it right in the head, scaring the crap out of me as well as my new friend. Obviously luck was with me because as I took off running in one direction, the skunk took off in the other. When I stopped running, my mind was racing because I thought for sure that I had been sprayed and that at any second the not so pleasant odor of skunk would overwhelm me. For whatever reason, be it the shock of the surprise of literally running into each other or just dumb luck, I had been spared the horror and discomfort of the skunks primary defense system. Heading up the trail, thankfully the only somewhat bad odor that I noticed was me.
The work done by the trail crews is really unbelievable. Carefully manicured, the trail led to stone steps that quickly and steeply zig zagged its way up the side of the mountain.
The wonderful thing about the trail now is that although the climb is steep, the space between each step is just about perfect and after each climb, the trail levels off for a period to give you a chance to recover.
One of the things that I wanted to make sure that I captured on this hike was the sun rising from other side of the Hudson. For once, you will be able to see the nose from Bear Mt., instead of the other way around. Something new!
Anthony’s Nose as seen from Bear Mt.
Bear Mt. Bridge and Anthony’s Nose
The morning sky
The whole reason for doing this hike was to get to Perkins Memorial Tower. On any weekend day during the summer (and some weekdays as well), this entire area will be filled with people. Cars fill each parking spot, hikers appear and disappear from the myriad of trails that intersect in and around the area of the tower and the level of solitude is zero. I would not recommend this hike if peace and quiet are what you are looking for.
Perkins Memorial Tower at Bear Mt. Elevation 1284 feet
Bizarre animal encounter #2 which I will call-“Is he really coming after me?”
Ok. Now for more fun stuff. As I was returning back to the Inn on the AT, part of the trail goes down a stretch of road. Since it was still early, the only sounds I could hear were the Metro North trains ferrying the sad masses to the city to their jobs. Shortly after coming out of the woods and onto the road, I heard clapping and yelling. My first thought was BEAR! Since the commotion was coming from the direction I was headed, I slowed down and kept my eyes on the woods. No more than a couple of minutes passed when I looked to my left and saw this:
Granted, this may not have been the biggest bear, but it was a bear nonetheless. Now, in my many years of hiking, I have encountered probably every other type of animal you would expect to see. I have even seen numerous rattlesnakes! But I have never, ever encountered a bear. Not until today. As I snapped the pictures above, I was happy because the bear seemed spooked and was moving away from me. To keep him hopefully heading in a direction away from me, I put my camera away and slowly made my way down the trail. As I did, I noticed my second new friend of the day turn and head directly to where I was walking.
He found his way up to the road and started following me. Needless to say, I wasn’t that thrilled to have a bear stalking me. Of course my mind was now racing again with thoughts on what I would do if he actually came after me. Do I lay down and play dead? Do I yell and make noise like the guy I heard just a few minutes ago? (Obviously whatever he did had him moving directly towards me.) Do I run for my life and hope that he isn’t that hungry? I wasn’t really sure. All I knew was I would rather almost step on another rattlesnake instead of deal with this guy! Luck was with me again as the bizarre cat and mouse game only went on for about fifteen minutes before he turned into the woods again and headed towards the tower.
Was I really that nervous when I initially saw the bear? Not really. My trepidation came when I thought that he had decided to turn me into his next meal. Of course as I think about it now, that probably wouldn’t have happened, but at the time, I was picturing myself being seasoned by my furry friend. Time to get some pepper spray.
Looking north on a hazy morning.
Happy hiking everyone!!!!
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.
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
–John Muir
Heading out into the woods anywhere in the Hudson Valley promises each person a wide variety of trails that are naturally built into each hike. Some are wide and can accommodate several people walking shoulder to shoulder, while others, as seen in the photo above must be traveled in a single file. Hiking on narrow trails, especially when they go on for some length, provide you with a sense of not knowing what it going to come next. Will the trail open up? Will it stay the same? When I venture out and encounter long stretches like this, it feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Soft, secure and peaceful.
“With beauty before me, may I walk
With beauty behind me, may I walk
With beauty above me, may I walk
With beauty below me, may I walk
With beauty all around me, may I walk
Wandering on the trail of beauty, may I walk”
– Navajo: Walking Meditation
“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”
-Unknown
It was yet another beautiful day here in the Hudson Valley (7/11/16). When I got to the south parking lot of the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area (AWRA) at about 7:15 am, the temperature was in the high 60’s with no real humidity. Their was a slight breeze, which at that time of the morning actually raised goose bumps on my arms. Without a doubt, that certainly beat the alternative of heat and bugs. For almost the middle of July, you couldn’t ask for anything better!
The other day I introduced you to a book written by Don Weise called, Circuit Hikes in Harriman-35 Loop Hikes and Trail Runs in Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks. Since I am familiar with the AWRA, I saw the Horn Hill Bike Path listed as one of the “trail runs, walks, ski loops, and mountain bike rides” and decided to try it out.
After you get off of the Palisades Parkway and enter the AWRA, go to the second parking lot (the south lot) and park by the kiosk. This marks the start of your hike as well as the end.
Depending on the time of day that you begin (or end) your hike, this would be the perfect place to sit down and enjoy a snack. It is well shaded and today it even had a bed of pine needles that you could easily throw a blanket down on if you chose to do so.
Starting out on the bike path, the walking is easy as the trail is flat and winds through the woods with a serpentine like quality. Tree roots fill the trail and almost beg you to be cautious as you move south away from the parking lot and further into the woods.
The trail continues winding through the woods and still has not gained any appreciable elevation. As I kept walking, I couldn’t help but think about how much small(er) children would enjoy this hike. Since the area is wide open, they can actually run ahead of you (a little bit!) and do some exploring. The one thing that they will really love are the wooden bridges that guide you for the first part of the hike.
After approximately ten minutes of hiking, the bike trail intersects with the AT for the first time. Even at 7:45 am, I could hear thru hikers in conversation as they were already making their way towards Bear Mountain.
Crossing the AT, the trail meanders until it makes a 90 degree left turn. Weise’s book has a short loop and a long loop listed as your choices for the day. Either one would be a worthy choice, but if you choose the short loop (3.85 miles), you will continue on the Beechy Bottom Road for the remainder of the hike. If you decide to hike the longer figure eight loop (5.6 miles), the trail veers off to the right, .1 of a mile after you make the left turn. After the turn, the trail is no longer flat and you start climbing up hill pretty steadily.
Although this is a climb, it certainly is manageable and shouldn’t cause much distress. After several minutes of heading up hill, the trail flattens out and you are directed to make a right turn to continue the climb.
As you move along, make sure that you take the time to check out everything around you. I was pleasantly surprised at the diversity of the trees, plants and bushes in the middle of July and I can only imagine what this area looks like when the fall foliage is in full effect later in the year.
The loop will continue on a downwards slope and as you near the end and just before you rejoin the Beechy Bottom Road, you will literally be yards from the Palisades Interstate Parkway. I had originally planned to take a water break at this point, but I quickly changed my mind. After enjoying so much quiet, I found that the vehicle noise from the Parkway disturbing to say the least. Wanting to get away from the cars, buses and horns as quickly as I could, I forged ahead and didn’t stop until the quiet returned. Luckily, at this time of year, the woods are pretty dense and this has a habit of dulling all of the extraneous noise that civilization produces, which meant a return to peace was not far off.
Soon after my water break I finished the loop and headed on to the Beechy Bottom Road. Since I could only hear the clicking of my hiking poles and the sound of my boots propelling me forward, I knew that the peace I longed for on the trail was with me again.
Once again, the AT runs through the bike trail and heads steeply up West Mountain (Not noted on the sign below).
Moving on, the road remains flat and there are many places to stop and eat lunch, a snack or just to rest. If you choose not to stop for an extended amount of time, you will find that the miles disappear quickly. Although the hike never really gets difficult, the fact that you have been walking on roots and rocks for most of the way make for some sore feet. At this point you are beginning to feel it!!!
As you near the end of the hike, you will go down a short downhill section and you will see a sign that tells you to go right. After you make this right turn, immediately veer left instead of staying on the road. I make this point because even though I read the description in Don Weise’s book, I continued on the road itself. This, of course, is no fault of the author, it was my not reading it correctly! Anyway, that added about 1/2 mile onto the hike as I figured out my mistake when the road ended and I had nowhere else to go.
Turning back around and heading back on the road, I made the correct turn and about 15 minutes later, you will see this locked gate, signifying the end of your hike in the woods.
At this point you will turn left and walk all the way to the far parking lot where you began. Since I did the longer loop and added about a half of a mile due to my mistake, this hike ended up being just a little over six miles.
Although I was tired, the walk back on the road next to the main parking lot had several interesting things to photograph. Here is a sample of what I saw on my walk back to my car:
As with every hike that I do, I can tell you that this was a truly an excellent way to start the day! It helps to keep things in perspective and allows for time to reflect without all of the distractions that we are faced with each and every day.
Thank again to Don Weise as this proved to be another superb circuit hike that I not only look forward to doing again this summer, but also as the seasons change.
Before I even begin to fill you in about the awesome hike that I did today (7/7/16), I really need to address this sign. I encountered this “ICE” sign about 1/2 of a mile down the road from the Silver Mine Picnic Area. Even though it was only a short distance into my hike, by the time I looked up and saw the sign in front of me, I was already bathed in sweat and as I always do when it is this hot and humid, I wonder, often times out loud, “WTF am I doing??” But I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I thought about the absurdity of having an ICE sign be the first thing that you would see on today’s post. When I began hiking at 7:20 am, the temperature was already in the mid 70’s with humidity near 90%.
Ok. With that out of the way, I was on Amazon a few days ago and I saw and eventually bought a book called “Circuit Hikes in Harriman-35 Loop Hikes and Trail Runs in Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks” by Don Weise. Even though I have the trail maps associated with both Northern and Southern Harriman and Bear Mountain, it is sometimes difficult to figure out distances, elevations and other pertinent information you might want to know when you are planning a hike. So if you hike by yourself or don’t want to do a two car hike, this is the book for you!
As I flipped through the book, I immediately liked the way that the author has each hike laid out. Each one is a chapter of the book and has all of the information that would need to plan a hike. With each hike you get a rating, distance, hiking time, attractions, lowest elevation, highest elevation, total elevation gain, parking GPS coordinates and what map is associated with the hike.
After the 4th of July lung buster , I thought that for today’s hike I would look for something in the easy to moderate range (the author’s method of describing each hike). I settled on the Stockbridge Mountain and Lake Nawahunta Hike (Weise 87-91). With a distance of 5.2 miles, a total elevation gain of 990 feet and a difficulty rating of easy to moderate, this would be the perfect way to start the day (87).
Parking at the Silver Mine Picnic Area, I found the Menomine Trail (yellow Blaze) and headed out on the trail.
Even at the picnic area, you should take some time to just look around and take in the view.
Running parallel to Seven Lakes Drive, the trail quickly crosses the road and becomes an idyllic earthen trail covered in pine needles. You wouldn’t think that in July you would be overcome by the smell of the pine needles, but this was certainly the case today. It was truly intoxicating!
As you move steadily along the trail, look to your left and you will see Lake Nawahunta.
I can’t explain the feeling of the soft earth under your feet as you move through the woods. The sounds of birds filled the air as well as the chipmunks searching for food, often times surprised by the sound of my boots hitting the ground forced them to scramble for cover.
Shortly after you pass the lake, you will see the Menomine Trail veer off to the left and an unmarked woods road heading up and to the right (you will return and finish the hike this way). You are going to take the unmarked woods road. Don’t worry, even though it is not marked, you can’t possibly get lost or wander off of the trail.
The hiking is pretty easy as you proceed along the trail. Very slight ups and downs provide you with a sense that you are gaining elevation, but not so steeply that you can’t enjoy everything that is going on around you on the trail.
Just about 1.8 miles into the hike, the unmarked woods road intersects with the Long Path. If you are hiking with small children or are looking for a relatively easy 4 mile hike, turn around here and head back the way that you came. If you are going to continue on for the next 3 miles, turn left and follow these aqua blue blazes:
One thing that you will notice as you make the left turn on to the Long Path is the ground becomes much more rocky than the previous 2 miles.
Even though the climb itself is not that steep, from the time that you turn onto the Long Path, you find yourself heading uphill. With the humidity as high as it was, I took the opportunity to stop several times to drink water so I wouldn’t get dehydrated.
Looking back down the trail as I take a water break.
Still some more climbing ahead!
The climb comes to an end and three miles into the hike you will come across one of the most interesting sights in the entire park. The Stockbridge Cave Shelter (see photos below) has a fireplace and plenty of space for several people to sleep. Upon inspection, it is obvious that it is well used, but with that said, there was no litter and that was actually nice to see for a change.
Check out the chair made out of a tree. It was a lot more comfortable than I thought it would have been!!!
After hanging out at the shelter for a bit, I took the trail up to the right of the shelter. Seeing the initial steepness of this climb, I originally thought that I was in for more of the same of what I had just experienced.
This was not to be the case and as I crested the top I was happy to see the terrain level off as I continued towards my destination.
After passing the Stockbridge Shelter, the trail heads steeply downhill and intersects with the Menomine Trail. This is the yellow trail you started on and it will take you all of the way back to your car in the Silver Mine Picnic Area.
The end of the Menomine Trail. Follow this trail all of the way back to where you began your hike!
As I approached the lake, the overwhelming smell of pine took over took my senses once again and as I stopped to take a picture, I stood and took several deep breaths. Closing my eyes, all I could imagine was setting up a tent and hanging out for a couple of days!! Unfortunately, this spot, as incredible as I think it is, was just to close to civilization for my liking.
Shortly after passing the spot in the picture above, I was back on Seven Lakes Drive heading back to my car. As I slowly walked on the side of the road, now totally dripping wet from sweat, I thought about Don Weise’s book and found the information in it to be spot on. If I still had younger kids I would definitely take them on this hike and remember, you can make this shorter if you need to for whatever reason.
A big thumbs up for the Stockbridge Mountain and Lake Nawahunta hike!!!!!!
The Bear Mt. Bridge as seen from sea level at the parking area on Route 9W.
Jaime on the Cornell Mine Trail-I’ve been hiking with this guy for over twenty years!!!
Even though there was some haze in the air, the views were magnificent and I believe that I was able to get some good pictures. To give you some perspective, Anthony’s Nose is the mound on the right side of the bridge.
Bear Mt Bridge with Anthony’s Nose to the right.
Bear Mt. Please note the tower about 3/4 from the right.
Perkins Memorial Tower as seen from Bald Mt.
After relaxing for a while, you can take the red on white trail markers on your right and start heading down. Once again, the trail down has some pretty loose dirt and rocks and with the first descent being quite steep, you might want to be more cautious than you normally would be. After a brief leveling off, you continue heading down the trail, eventually coming to an almost tunnel of Mt. Laurel.
When you reach the stream, you will make a quick right turn and shortly after that the Ramapo Dunderberg trail continues to the left. For our purposes, we decided that instead of heading to the Timp, we would continue down on a woods road into Doodletown. This woods road soon becomes the 1777 trail.
As you come down a final small hill, the trail levels off and crosses a stream. To the right, stone foundations and a trail shelter can be seen. You have to make sure that you look quickly because if you aren’t paying attention, you may miss the shelter!
As you continue ahead on the woods road, you will soon enter and move through the former settlement of Doodletown. This settlement thrived in this area for two centuries until it was acquired by the park in around 1960. But before you get to Doodletown, keep looking around to make sure that you don’t miss these views.
This sign below represents a walking tour sign to help guide you through the area.
At this point you will have been walking on paved roads and will continue to do so until the hike ends.
A stone wall from one of the many houses at Doodletown.
We kept hiking along the 1777 Trail, which is also known as Pleasant Valley Road, and as you make your way down the road, you will pass the remnants of the many homes that formed Doodletown. You will see markers like this all along the trail to show where each of the houses in the settlement were located.
One of the more interesting sights that you can see in the Doodletown settlement is the remnants of their garbage. Apparently they used to bury their garbage and from time to time, you can see garbage that has “floated” to the top through erosion of the land. A good example is this broken milk bottle:
As you near the end of this particular hike, you are treated to some nice views of a pond as well as some of the flora in the area.
The Zen Hiker 