Hiking on
welcoming soft earth
a slight breeze
to bring me
closer to tranquility
and I feel renewed.
Summer Hiking (A Shadorma)
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Tag Archives: Hudson Valley Hiking
The World Awakens
One of the unique things about hiking and walking is you get to see the world in many different lights. Depending on the time of day that you venture out, you can, and probably will, have a drastically different experience than you would if you had decided to wait to head out, either later or even earlier in the day. On the days that I am not on one trail or another, I have several loops on the local roads that I like to walk to start my day. Because it has been so hot, I have spent just about the last week getting up and walking at 4:30 am.
Although I get up around the same to go to work during the school year, I can’t compare getting up to hike and getting up to go to work. Not that I don’t love my job, because I do, but it is much easier on the psyche getting up that early when you are doing something that is going to help your mind and body move forward on every level.
Now, the reason I mention this is because I have noticed that whether I am deep in the woods or on the road, each day starts remarkably the same way. On the trail, the woods are eerily silent and the only sound I hear, and quickly become in sync with, is my boots kicking up the earth as I explore my surroundings. As the sun makes its way over the hills and through the dense brush of the summer woods, you can start to hear the chipmunks and squirrels begin their daily routine of survival.
The same can be said of those living in the suburbs. At this time of year, all I hear when I start walking is the communal hum of air conditioners in the houses of those who are also beginning their daily routine of survival. Bleary eyed, or in some cases teary eyed, I see the people on my walk leaving the comforts of home, briefcase or bag in hand with looks of temporary despair as they start their daily journey to, where?
As the sun continues its relentless march upward and across the morning sky, the dew begins to dry on any exposed leaves and as a summer breeze moves in from the west, the trees silently stir. At this time of the morning, especially when I am on the trail, I’ll take a few minutes to just sit with my eyes closed and take it all in. The shift from the night slumber to awakening reality can be a real eye opener (no pun intended).
More and more life continues to stir and it is obvious to me that in both cases, each place has its routines that must be adhered to. Routines, that when looked at closely, follow a pattern that help determine whether, if followed, they are among the survivors that day.
Isn’t daily survival a short-term goal for everyone? Isn’t it important to start every day in peace so we can make the decisions going forward necessary to help maintain that peace? I am looking for peace at home, peace at work and just living life without the drama that seems to consume us. Think about how you can preserve your peace as well as those around you based on how you start your day.
The Fahnestock Special-7/20/16
“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.”
-Frank Herbert
“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.”
-Rosalia de Castro
“Let me live where I will, on this side is the city, on that the wilderness, and ever I am leaving the city more and more, and withdrawing into the wilderness.”
― Henry David Thoreau
Today was a perfectly glorious day in the Hudson Valley. When I started hiking at 6:45 am, the temperature was a cool and refreshing 58 degrees with absolutely no humidity. The sky was blue and if only for the wisps of white fluffy clouds, the suns brilliance would have been absolute. For an early morning hike on July 20th, you weren’t going to get much better than this. Mornings like this are a rarity in this area for mid to late July, with days usually being much warmer and humid than what I was faced with today. Instead of being confronted with a hazy film and endless bugs that thought I was a good source of protein, the slight breeze that was present made my eventual journey into the woods a positive one
Leaving the house, the sun was slowly rising as I made my way around Lake Mahopac. I was amazed at its brilliance, but with no humidity to hinder its ascent, the warm glow basked everyone who was out shortly after sunrise.
One of the best things about hiking in Fahnestock State Park is its proximity to where I live. Traveling north on the Taconic State Parkway, it only takes 15 minutes to get from my front door to the trail head.
Parking alongside Route 301, the Charcoal Burners Trail makes a hasty retreat into the woods where it meets with the Perkins Trail (Y) about .1 of a mile after you start.
Slowly winding its way uphill, the trail snakes its way further and further away from the heavily traveled route 301.
If you have never done this hike before, you will be pleasantly surprised when you come out of the woods, turn left and begin walking on grass. It is a welcome change from the usual rocks and uneven terrain that are a staple of every trail.
As you walk through the grass, be prepared for your boots to get wet!!!
After a short distance you turn right and in front of you will be a gate. Make sure that as you make your way through this area, you stay on the trail as you will be hiking on private property.
Instead of being confined to a narrow rocky trail, once you pass through the gate the entire world opens in front you. Breathtaking in its scope, a myriad of photographic opportunities await as you take a moment to reel everything in.
As you continue hiking, you will see horses on your left and cows on the right. The trail continues on some really nice terrain, and even though the grass was wet with a cool morning dew, it was somewhat better than the trails we are used to in this area.
This was a great place to get some excellent pictures of the surrounding countryside. Without the summer haze that you would expect in mid July, the mountains in the distance were crystal clear. Even more interesting were the tractors, some dead and some alive, that seemed to inhabit the area. They added some nice character to the pictures that you see here.
Continuing on the grass, follow the trail markings (not hard to miss) and you will make the hard left turn.
After walking for another 10 minutes, you will eventually end up re-entering the woods. As with everything else, all good things must come to an end and the trail picks up exactly where it left off, in the woods.
Once you get back on the trail, you will see that it heads downhill for probably about a mile, ending at a small bridge. If you were to do this hike in reverse, you would have a pretty long climb, so if you decide to do this hike, choose your direction wisely! This is also an excellent place to stop and rest for a little bit because you have a small climb ahead of you.
After crossing Glynwood Road, the trail heads steeply up hill for approximately 1/4 of a mile and then turns on to a dirt where you will stay until it heads deeper into the woods.
As the trail gradually slopes downward, you will see a lake to your right. Now marked by Blue Blazes, this will continue to be the color of the blaze that you will follow for almost the rest of the hike.
As the trail winds around the lake, it begins a slow ascent back to the Charcoal Burners Trail where, one mile from the end of the hike, you can rest for a final time at yet another lake.
After you rest and get some good photos, cross the bridge and follow the blue blazes until they turn left. You will stay on the red Charcoal Burners trail until you reach Route 301.
Overall this hike is 6 miles long. Technically it isn’t a very difficult hike, but it does offer a couple of small climbs that will get your heart pumping. As you can tell by the pictures, it does, however, offer a wide range of scenery that will allow you to get some excellent photos.
Peace and happy hiking!!
Carefree
Details 2
Details
Feast
Cresting the hill, and moving only a little slower than when he started hours earlier, one thought kept pushing him forward and placing one foot in front of the other, mile after mile. As tired as he was, and as long as the hike would prove to be, he couldn’t stop now and be denied what every hiker cherishes, because he knows what awaits him as the journey nears its end. Coming around the final bend after a long day, he can smell the burning wood of a warm fire and the almost extinct odor of burning charcoal. This would prove to be the genesis of the nights feast.
Feast
Breaking Out Of Your Comfort Zone
This week was an excellent one. I broke out of my comfort zone and decided to follow some predetermined hikes, and ended up completing some hikes that I had not done before. I hate to admit it, but a great deal of the time when it comes to hiking, I stick with the tried and true and just do something that I have done before. Case in point, Anthony’s Nose.
With that said, the hikes that I did this week challenged me physically as well as mentally. I wanted and needed to do something different, so I did. I also have tried some new things in the blogging world that I hadn’t done before. So this week and the week before have been pretty eye-opening and I have learned a great deal from just having some time to do something different. As I think more about it, the past couple of weeks have been a kind of mental purge. A purge well in the making.
Here are some of the highlights:
- I had the opportunity to do more blogging than I have at any time since I started.
- I have found some new blogs that have really been extraordinary.
- The blogs that I have found have covered many areas, not just hiking and the outdoors.
- Overall, the blogs that I have chosen to follow have been only positive. People are stressing the good things instead of harping on the negative and I firmly believe that we all need more of this.
- Blogs that I never thought that I would have liked have proved to be some of the most interesting ones that I have explored.
- Most importantly, I have been able to catch up on blogs that I have been following but have been too busy to read as frequently as I would like to.
So, while doing things out of your comfort zone may not feel right at the time and you may be nervous or anxious even thinking about it, the end result is what you are looking for. Feel free to step out of that box. How did it make you feel?
Another take on the Nose
Since I have written about my love of Anthony’s Nose and you have seen many, many pictures of it before, I will only share with you the new pictures that I took this time (7/15/16). I can tell you that I didn’t see anyone on the way up, on the top or on the way down. It was bliss!
I usually don’t get up to the Nose early enough to catch its silhouette as the sun rises behind it. Today, however, although it was somewhat hazy, it wasn’t bad enough to ruin the picture.
Even though people have been flying the American Flag at the Nose for years, this is the first time that I have seen a Marine Corps flag flying with it! I wish that the wind had been blowing the other way because I couldn’t get to the other side of the flag without risking life and limb. Very treacherous!
If you have some time, research Hessian Lake, which is located at the bottom of Bear Mountain.
As you look to the right of the Nose, you will find another excellent hike that will take you to the “Torne.”
And finally, this huge cairn that has made an appearance since the last time I was here. This had to have taken hours to complete!
And of course the cairn with my signature day pack pose:
If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again-You gotta love the Nose!!!!
Happy hiking everyone!
Lake Sebago and Skenonto-I Dub Thee…Solitude…
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity”
― John Muir
“In solitude there is healing. Speak to your soul. Listen to your heart. Sometimes in the absence of noise we find the answers.”
–Dodinsky
WOW!!! All I can say about this hike is solitude…If you are looking for hike where after being on the trail for less than a mile you pretty much don’t see or hear any signs of civilization, then this is your hike. Of course this is just another quality hike that I got from Don Weise’s book, Circuit Hikes in Harriman-35 Loop Hikes and Trail Runs in Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks. (I completed this hike on 7/13/16).
If you look at this hike on the map, it resembles a melting lollipop!
Starting off at the end of Johnsontown Road (which is a circle), the beginning of the trail is clearly marked with horizontal white bars.
The beginning of the trail immediately starts heading uphill, although slightly and for a short period is, at first, a mixture of dirt and road. As you move deeper into the woods and away from everything, the trail goes through many variations and runs the gamut from dirt to rocks to a fine grassy surface.
A pleasant surprise that I had on the trail today was the wildlife that I encountered. Usually I don’t get to close to many animals, but today, I could have reached down and touched the rabbit that you see in this picture. It was truly amazing!
I am not going to lie, I love rabbits!
The trail, meandering its way through the woods, continues to move uphill ever so slightly and at times you don’t even notice that you have been gaining any elevation until you turn around and look at where you have been.
Although you do spend time on trails at the start, you also find yourself traversing a woods road that is easy to walk on. As I have noted on other hikes, this is also one in which you could introduce small children to the joys of hiking.
One and a half miles into your trip you will pass the Dutch Doctor Trail on your right. You will also encounter this shelter again on the return trip, this time on your left side.
One of the other scenic wonders that are in abundance in this area are the isolated and stray boulders that just appear to be cast throughout the park. These boulders seem to have just been placed where they are by some unseen force.
Continue to follow the white bar trail for 1.75 miles where you will see the start of the yellow triangle trail. This, and the victory trail (later) will signify the head of the lollipop. Stay to your right and now follow the yellow triangle trail.
One of the more unique things that I did notice after I moved on to the yellow triangle trail was the almost immediate change in the terrain of the trail. The triangle trail represented a calmer, more meditative and deliberative approach to this hike. Notice how the lush woods seem to envelop you as you become one with the terrain. It is more earthen and the sound of your boots striding along the trail signifies the solitude that I was seeking.
At almost three miles, you will be able to see Lake Sebago on your right. I decided at this point to stop for a water and picture break.
The trail becomes a little tricky at this point as you should continue on to the right along the shores of Lake Sebago. The markings aren’t that clear, but even if you follow what looks like what should be the obvious trail, you will end up back on the yellow trail triangle trail shortly. Staying on this trail, you will eventually come to the shores of Lake Skenonto.
After you spend some time at Lake Skenonto, a short walk will bring you to the Blue “V” (victory) trail (this is a woods road for the time you will be on it). As it was another incredibly humid morning, it was a great relief to find that when I turned onto this trail, a strong breeze began to blow. Luckily and thankfully, this breeze stayed with me for the rest of the hike.
After walking on this road for almost a half of a mile, you will see the familiar markings of the horizontal white bars that you had left to go on the yellow trail. Turn left here and you will now stay on this trail for the remaining three miles of your hike.
Please note that once you turn back onto the white bar trail, it begins a nice uphill climb that will get you breathing pretty hard! As you move up the hill, feel free to periodically look to your right to enjoy the views.
After you crest the hill, you will start a descent that takes you to the end of your hike.
Another interesting rock formation.
As I noted at the start of this post, this is an excellent hike if you are looking to get away from everything for a few hours and still get a good workout. During this hike I heard nothing but birds singing, chipmunks and squirrels running through the woods and the distant sound of freight trains. The breeze, which I gladly welcomed on the latter part of the hike, provided its own mystical soundtrack as I moved through the woods. There were no car horns, trucks, anything that resembled the civilized world. To say that it was bliss would be an understatement.
That is why I dub thee…solitude.
Another awesome hike!!!
The Zen Hiker 