A misty morning last year on the trail.
Springs awakening,
Mist covered path provides me
With solace and peace,
Quiet days speak the loudest,
Each day its own beginning
Early Spring?
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Tag Archives: Hudson Valley Hiking
My Hideout-The Trail
When I walk into the woods,
I feel the comforting embrace of the trail,
Each step wrapping me tighter in the cloak of its essence,
Like a mother swaddling a newborn,
The cloak reaffirms the journey,
Drowning each sorrow with the promise of tomorrow,
The trail my refuge, my hideout,
The woods calling out, offering nothing but safe passage,
Thoughts of the empty miles ahead, filled with the scent of Spring,
Trees swaying in a calming cadence that help me navigate
Each winding trail as if it were my own,
The woods, my refuge, my hideout.
A Lovers Embrace
I saw her last under the light of summers soft kiss.
Warm and inviting, her embrace was as comforting as it always had been.
Seeing her now, the embrace, although still present and soothing, was now noticeably cooler.
Regardless, my love still flowed freely like water cascading into a calm sea
and the anticipation of the future made me smile.
Quest
The Inevitability of Time
We travel through life hoping that time won’t move.
Always hoping that it will stand still with the steely determination of a Marine standing guard.
But it doesn’t.
Days, months and years spent living, mystifyingly chained to the fixtures of life itself, not paying attention to the ticking clock.
Yet time marches on.
Family and friends pass, reunited with the earth, silenced by time, remembered briefly and then forgotten like the sting of a bee soothed by cold cubed ice.
We move on, masking our sadness with memories, perceived and real, that are tattooed in our minds.
Time begins to take over, the memories that once held us up now falter and fade, our own timeless progression now becomes the enemy.
We then pass and that memory will hold another up until time catches up with them.
The Autumn Hiker
A Tanka:
The hiker walks, boots
crunching the autumn leaves that
have fallen, making
each step an enchanted and
blissful journey towards peace.
The Last Leaf
The last leaf…desperately hanging on.
Swaying, stretching and living, wanting to hold on, if only for a another brief and fading moment.
Those precious seconds, truly a speck in time, sees former lush green magnificence giving way to a kaleidoscope of colors, shifting, swirling, changing , all trying to avoid the inevitable.
Shades of red, brown, yellow and burnt orange, taken from the deep cool breaths of Autumn’s womb, force the reluctant loner to accept the inevitability of pending stark, speckled death coupled with a sickly sweet and painfully slow decay.
For weeks the leaf hangs on.
The return to the earth beckoning, its grip, once tight and life affirming, loosens.
As it breaks away, floating slowly, gently and with purpose, the memories of soaring heights and warm breezes permeate its existence.
The leaf continues its descent and the once vivid memories begin to fade. Sadness surrounds the leaf as it surrenders itself to the cool, damp ground.
The last leaf is finally home.
Shut up and act, sing, dance…
The best thing about having a blog on word press is the incredible diversity associated with the content, people and places that they are from. I have learned so much from so many different blogs over the course of the last year, and I find that amazing. If you are reading this then you know that my blog, “The Zen Hiker,” deals primarily with hiking in the Hudson Valley of New York State.
As you know, this is an election year here in the US. Whether you (especially those of you outside of the US) have been entertained, disgusted, amazed, confused or whatever, it is a long process that wears everyone down, no matter what side of the aisle you are on. I have tried very hard to not post any blogs about politics, because what I think about a certain candidate, positive or negative, really means nothing.Now, with all of that said, my question to all of you is this-Why do we place so much value in what entertainers have to say about politics? What is about being an entertainer that makes what they say gospel? Does this also happen in other countries? Please, those of you in countries outside of the US, tell me this isn’t the case.
I am specifically referring to the growing list of celebrities who are threatening to leave the US if a certain presidential candidate is elected. Where is the correlation that if you are famous because you can sing, act, throw a ball, hit a ball or bounce a ball that you are uniquely qualified to then weigh in on politics.? Here in the United States we do have the constitutional right to free speech and I am certainly not advocating anything else. But….why is it a lead story on the news when an entertainer has vile things to say about any candidate, left or right? Who cares?? If these people didn’t have press people, most of them wouldn’t be able to tie their own shoes without help.
I wish, that just for once, they would act in a responsible manner and just say, “Everyone needs to get out and vote for the candidate of your choice” and maybe, “Just make sure that you get out and vote.” That would make more sense to me than listening to the nonsense about leaving the US. Why???
Because they never do it. They never ever leave, ever. Do these celebrities and sports stars understand that based on political demographics, approximately 50% of their fans probably do not agree with their political leanings?
My point then is this:
If you are famous for acting, singing, throwing, hitting or bouncing a ball, then just shut up and act, sing, throw, hit or bounce your ball. If you are threatening to leave if your candidate is not elected, then follow through and do it, silently. Even though we all know you won’t…
Passion
Mad with passion, dancing, floating on soft brown earth,
Blue sky beckons, screaming naked ambition,
Traipsing through soft green tunnels that cling like a lover’s soft embrace.
Mad with passion, eyes ablaze, catching the sun’s soft rays,
The valley awakens, seeking, welcoming, fleeing the nights
Deathly stillness.
Mad with passion, the miles pass, each step marking unbridled pleasure,
A maniacal celebration of the senses, deep breaths taken in small measured stanzas,
That give into a desperate, wanting and measured desire.
Mad with passion, the miracle of the woods brings the soft kiss of the wind,
Caressing and cleansing every pore that permeates reality,
Allowing for that existence to keep moving forward.
Black Rock Forest
The sign at the entrance to the parking lot.
“The clearest way into the universe is though a forest wilderness.”
-John Muir
“Hike while you can.”
-Unknown
I’m pretty sure that it’s been over ten years since I did any kind of hike in the Black Rock Forest. Since today was another one of those rare cool mornings in August, I decided to do a loop that would take me over trails and woods roads to places that I have never hiked before. Parking was easily found just off of Route 9W.
Starting on the Duggan Trail, the trail quickly descends through some pretty thick woods that had some interesting rock walls and large rocks as stepping-stones.
After following the red blazes for about a half of a mile, the trail ends and intersects with the blue blazed Reservoir Trail. Since this hike is a loop, you will encounter this trail again, this time going uphill. Crossing a woods road, you immediately come upon Ben’s Bridge, which will take you across a small stream.
Ben’s Bridge
A closer look at Ben’s Bridge.
After crossing the stream, the trail, at this point very rocky with a lot of loose dirt, begins a steep and winding climb that parallels the stream. The trail here was pretty cool because at times it was closed in and you got a feeling as though you were wrapped in a lush blanket of summery goodness.
I also thought that it was great having the sound of running water to distract me from the climb in front of me. Cascading over the rocks, it calmed me and I thought how nice it would be to just be able to sit by the stream and vegetate! On this day, however, I had to keep moving. Most of the time I usually don’t mind steep climbs, but with all of the loose rocks and dirt that made up the trail, it just made it that much more difficult. After steadily climbing for a half of a mile, look to the left and you will see this:
Apparently the reservoirs in the Black Rock Forest still supply water to the local communities and this is one of the pipes that accomplishes that. Directly across from the pipe is this awesome sign that not only tells you what trail you are on, it also lets you know what is coming up on the trail. If only all signs on all of the trails in the area were this detailed!!!
After resting for a few minutes, drinking some water and tightening my boot laces, I threw my pack on and made the right turn up the Honey Hill Trail. This trail also weaved through the woods and after just coming off of the Reservoir Trail it to proved to be a pretty steep climb. Based on all of the write ups I read preparing for this hike, I thought that a nice view was awaiting me when I reached the top! Hmm…I’m thinking that maybe the folks that wrote about the views on Honey Hill did so in the fall or winter because when I got to the top, this is all I saw.
If the trees were bare I do believe that the view would have been much better than it was today. Since I didn’t have t any type of view, I immediately headed down the trail. Be careful here because it is very steep and the terrain mirrors what you have already been hiking on-loose rocks and dirt! Be mindful and watch your footing as you make your way down this section of the trail because the drop off to the right could prove to be treacherous if you slipped and fell!
For our hike, keep heading to the left down towards Aleck Meadow.
Steps on the descent from Honey Hill.
I have to admit that the first thing I thought when I saw this tree was Blair Witch Project. If I had been hiking close to sunset I probably would have started running. Good thing it very early in the morning!!
Blair Witch Project!!!
Staying on the trail, you either descend or stay level for another fifteen or so minutes. As you continue hiking, the sound of running water becomes louder and louder and after rounding a corner, you are presented with this stunning view.
Due to recent storms that had passed through the area just two days before this hike, water was actually flowing over the dam. Based on the time of year, I had fully expected it to be dry. This made up for my Blair Witch like scare just minutes before!
The trail continues right to left over the spillway on the Stillman Trail.
The Stillman Trail
The Stillman Trail after crossing the spillway.
The dam at Aleck Meadow Reservoir
Aleck Meadow Reservoir
I had first decided to make the trek to Black Rock Mountain but after looking at the map I thought it would be cool to venture instead to the White Oak Tree. The tree, conveniently located not to far along on the White Oak Road, was worth the diversion that I had decided to take. How often do you see a huge tree that sits in the middle of a road?
White Oak Tree
You can sit and rest at the White Oak Tree on this bench.
To continue on the Continental Road, do an about face and keep hiking. I know that the Black Rock Forest Consortium uses these roads, but I never thought that I would see this sign:
You will follow this woods road for almost four tenths of a mile where the Continental Road continues straight. Directly to the right, you will see the entrance to the Hulse Road. Continue on this road for the 1.4 miles. As soon as you round the corner in the picture below, you will start to descend rapidly through the forest. At times the descent is very steep so you need to be very careful, the trail here is also very rocky and if you aren’t paying attention you could easily twist an ankle.
After completing the 1.4 mile downhill extravaganza, you will find yourself on the blue blazed Reservoir Trail again. The trail starts moving uphill again, but not at the same rate as the downhill you just completed. Two tenths of a mile after rejoining the trail, you make a left hand turn and you are back on the Duggan Trail. Stay on this for a half of a mile and you are back to where you started!
This small building was just off of the Reservoir Trail after leaving the Hulse Road.
Even though I didn’t get the view I was expecting from Honey Hill and also bypassed Black Rock Mountain, I did get to see the Dam, Aleck Meadow Reservoir and the White Oak Tree. They all proved to be interesting in their own unique ways and I’m glad that I got some pictures on what was a beautiful day. I would love to see the dam when the reservoir is cascading over the top at it fullest and head up Honey Hill when the trees aren’t fully obscuring what I am sure is a magnificent view! It looks like I may be doing this hike a few more times this year to see what I can see. Another excellent hike!!!
Happy hiking folks!!!!
Peace!
The Zen Hiker 