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Tag Archives: peace
Some Food For Thought (Or Walking)
As I was looking for quotes to put with my last post, I came across two that were a little lengthy but convey how I feel every time that I am in the woods. They are both by Frederic Gross from his book A Philosophy of Walking. Feel free to read them and leave your thoughts in the comments section.
Happy Hiking!
“Walking: it hits you at first like an immense breathing in the ears. You feel the silence as if it were a great fresh wind blowing away clouds. There’s the silence of woodland. Clumps and groves of trees form shifting, uncertain walls around us. We walk along existing paths, narrow winding strips of beaten earth. We quickly lose our sense of direction. That silence is tremulous, uneasy. Then there’s the silence of tough summer afternoon walks across the flank of a mountain, stony paths, exposed to an uncompromising sun.”
“None of your knowledge, your reading, your connections will be of any use here: two legs suffice, and big eyes to see with. Walk alone, across mountains or through forests. You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs heavy with greenery. You are no longer a role, or a status, not even an individual, but a body, a body that feels sharp stones on the paths, the caress of long grass and the freshness of the wind. When you walk, the world has neither present nor future: nothing but the cycle of mornings and evenings. Always the same thing to do all day: walk. But the walker who marvels while walking (the blue of the rocks in a July evening light, the silvery green of olive leaves at noon, the violet morning hills) has no past, no plans, no experience. He has within him the eternal child. While walking I am but a simple gaze.”
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation (19)
“I wanted to unfurl my toes for a little while. I wanted silence, isolation and an invitation to exhale life’s complications. I heard nature’s melody and I harmonised with every single note. I needed the trees, their colours, and the sounds of wildlife breathing. I inhaled the essence of the forest and smiled as life coursed through my veins”
―Amelia Dashwood
“There is always an adventure waiting in the woods.”
―Katelyn S. Bolds
“Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.”
-Janice Anderson
Today I decided to try hiking a little more locally than I usually do. Instead of traveling to Dutchess or Orange county, I went in the opposite direction to Westchester County. Located just off of route 121 in Pound Ridge, NY, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation offers many hiking trails, camping and picnic areas in what is truly a pristine area of the county.
The standard warnings located on the opposite end of the Kimberly Bridge parking area.
The Blue trail heading up towards the remnants of a fire tower.
This is the spot where a fire tower used to stand.
I am not going to lie, whenever I do a loop hike I look at the map and try to determine the easiest way to traverse it. Even though this hike started with a pretty steep climb, when I finished I was glad that I hadn’t gone the other way! If you look at the picture below, I took it after hiking down this section. If I had been coming from the opposite direction I would have had to scramble to get up this section of the trail.
As with other parks in the Hudson Valley, these woods are filled with enough varied terrain and landscape to keep things interesting!
An inchworm making its way to safety!
The first half of this hike was a decent mix of soft earth, grass and rocks. The second half was all on a woods road. After climbing pretty steeply and then navigating some pretty tricky descents, the hiking was easy all of the way back to the parking area.
The woods road leading to the parking area.
When I finished, I did take the opportunity to sit on the bench to rest and enjoy the view.
If you are looking for a place to hike and maybe have a BBQ or picnic, then this is the place for you. I don’t know how crowded this park is on the weekends, but when I was here today, it was very quiet.
Happy hiking!!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
8/9/17-4.1-96.22
Long Mountain and Turkey Hill Lake (18)
“It is a surprising and memorable, as well as valuable experience, to be lost in the woods any time.”
-Henry David Thoreau
“Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.”
The weather for hiking this summer has been pretty good. Even though we have gotten more rain than in past summers, we have only had just a few days where the temperature has actually got into the 90’s. The Hudson Valley has also been spared the oppressive humidity that usually define the months of July and August. Until today. With the temperature hovering just around 70 and the dew point being just as high or even higher, I anticipated sweating even more than normally do!
As usual, I got to the trail at about 6:30 am and was hiking before 6:40. Starting at the kiosk on the Long Path, the trail starts off level and then heads sharply downhill.
The beginning of the hike on the Long Path.
After hiking for around 10 minutes, you will cross paths with the Popolopen Gorge trail on the right. At this point, stay on the blue blazed Long Path where you begin a relatively steep and winding climb to get to the top of Long Mountain.
Once you get to the top, not only do get some awesome views, but you see this memorial.
The Raymond H. Torrey Memorial on top of Long Mountain.
Turkey Hill Lake from Long Mountain.
The opposite side of Bear Mountain. Note Perkins Memorial Tower on the right hand side of the picture.
Looking towards NYC from Long Mountain on a really hazy day.
After spending some time checking out the views, I pulled out my map and saw that the descent looked like it might be steeper than the ascent. It also didn’t help that it had rained the night and added with that some steep drop offs to the left of the trail, the way down was more than a little treacherous. I actually slipped a couple of times and thought that the end might be near!
After getting to the bottom, the Long Path continues straight ahead. You should take the woods road that cuts sharply to the left and follow that until you meet up again with the Popolopen Gorge Trail. Remain on the PG Trail until you get to Turkey Hill Lake.
Turkey Hill Lake. Long Mountain is in the background.
As I made my way around the lake, I came across this shelter. It was actually very well built and looked as though it would keep you relatively dry during a rainstorm.
Obviously someone had some time on their hands to construct this shelter.
The tail end of Turkey Hill Lake.
A small flower alongside the trail.
Summer 2017 Mileage;
8/4/17-5.1-92.12
Pre Phish-Appalachian Trail->Osborne Loop->Carriage Connector->Appalachian Trail (17)
“Hiking is the best workout! You can hike for three hours and not even realize you’re working out. And, hiking alone lets me have some time to myself.”
“Hiking and happiness go hand in hand or foot in boot.”
Last night I went to my fourth Phish show in just over a week. If you are not aware, tonight will be night number nine of a thirteen night run for the band at Madison Square Garden. These shows provide me with the same type of Zen that hiking does. As with hiking, the music allows my mind to wander and to block out the stress of the day.
Yesterday’s hike started out at the intersection of route 9 and route 403 where the Appalachian Mart is located. Starting out on the AT, the trail begins a slow and gentle climb for a just over a quarter of a mile. Turning sharply left, the climb now becomes a bit more demanding. Heading up through the woods with the sweat now streaking my shirt, I stopped for a quick water break and to take a picture of the climb.
The AT at the start of the hike.
The AT as it begins its ascent.
The AT during a moderate climb.
The AT as it meanders through the woods of the Hudson Highlands.
Once you get to the end of the climb, the AT joins the Blue Blazed Osborne Loop trail where they will remain together until the AT heads off to the left to continue towards Bear Mt. and the loop moves off to the right.
The Osborn Loop
A small marker where trails from Manitoga intersect with the Osborn Loop.
A little over half way through the hike you will see the sign above. Trails from Manitoga join up with the Osborn loop or you can hike to your right and meet up with the AT in .7 of a mile. You can learn more about Manitoga here-www.visitmanitoga.org
More of the Osborn Loop.
Overall this was a pretty decent hike and a great way to prepare for seeing what will be another awesome Phish show!
Happy Hiking!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
8/1/17-7.2-87.02
Post Phish Trip To The Nose (16)
“Music has always been my protection against the world, from a very young age. I feel safe inside of a jam.”
-Trey Anastasio
“We want to have a spontaneous adventure. You can’t plan an adventure, or it ceases to be one.”
-Trey Anastasio
Sunday was a late night. After attending my third Phish show in a week, I needed to get out into the woods to think and get the legs moving. So where did I go to accomplish this? The Nose of course.
Phish at MSG 7/30/17
Looking south on the Hudson River as seen from the southern end of the Nose.
Iona Island
Happy Hiking!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
7/31/17-4.0-79.82
Horn Hill On A Thursday (15)
“Don’t ruin a good day by thinking about a bad day yesterday, Let it go.”
-Anonymous
“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.”
-Hans Selye
Despite a late short hike last Wednesday, I decided to head out early the very next morning (7/27) to get some hiking in. As with some of the other hikes that I enjoy, I went back to the Horn Hill Bike Path, which is located just off of the Anthony Wayne Parking Area. It was a nice cool morning with low humidity so that made the hike a really pleasant one.
The trail, about a mile in…
The one and only hill on the hike.
Happy Hiking!!!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
7/27/17-6.1-75.82
Nature Therapy & The Nose (14)
“For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
-Buddha
I usually don’t hike late in the afternoon, but after an incredibly horrific day on Wednesday the 26th, I needed to get some anger out of my system. The cure?? A trip to Anthony’s Nose. I have to admit that I don’t really have too many bad days, but this was one for the books. I don’t want to get into details, but I really needed sone Nature Therapy.
Bear Mt. at 5 pm instead of 5 am!
This wonderful cairn appeared out of nowhere. I was just on the Nose the other day and it wasn’t there.
Happy hiking!!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
7/26/17-4.0-69.72
Lake Wanoksink (13)
‘Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity…”
― John Muir
Starting at the Lake Sebago boat launch, the blue blazed Seven Hills trails begins as soon as you cross Seven Lakes Drive. Like many of the hikes in this area, as soon as you enter the woods you begin a punishing climb. This one happens to go on for approximately half of a mile. The pictures below show the steepness going up and down the trail. On the left is the climb up. Since this is a loop hike, the picture on the right is the hike down.
The trail continues moving downhill until you begin another ascent where the Seven Hills Trail veers sharply off to the right and for a brief time becomes Woodtown Road West. After about a quarter of a mile, you make a sharp left turn and begin walking on Pine Meadow Road West.
The point on the Seven Hills Trail where it becomes Woodtown Road West.
Although this sign is pretty big and prominently placed where it can’t be missed, people still drop water bottles, trash and yes, even diapers on the trail and the side of the trail.
You would think that this sign was self explanatory…
Stay on this road until you intersect with the end of the yellow blazed Buck Trail and then make a right turn onto Pine Meadow Road East. Although the Harriman-Bear Mountain Southern Trail Map 118 is pretty detailed about where you need to go, these roads are unmarked and some trails and other roads veer off to the left and right all along your route. At one point I did make a wrong turn but with good results. I stumbled upon these ruins and I took a short break to rest and take some pictures.
After doubling back to the correct trail, I eventually got to the shores of Lake Wanoksink where because of the weather, the views weren’t that great. It’s still an interesting picture!
Lake Wanoksink
Once you head around the lake, take some time to walk across the earthen dam where if you look to your left, you see this bridge that you will soon cross over.
Happy hiking!!!!!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
7/25/17-7.1-65.72
A Respite On The Nose (11)
“Thoughts come clearly while one walks.”
-Thomas Mann
“Never trust a thought that didn’t come by walking.”
-Friedrich Nietzsche
As the week has progressed, the temperature and humidity in the Hudson Valley has risen into the 90’s. Being as hot and humid as it is supposed to be, I decided not only to keep today’s hike relatively short, but also something familiar. Soooo…..another trip to the Nose seemed to be in order.
When I started the hike at 5:50 am, the temperature was already over 70 and the dew point was equally as high. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I was sweating buckets! Even at this early hour, the hiking wasn’t easy with the oppressive air sitting right on top of you. But once you get to the top, it makes it all worthwhile.
A hazy morning on the Nose.
Looking Northeast from the Nose.
Summer 2017 Mileage:
7/19/17-3.7-54.62
The Zen Hiker 