Tag Archives: peace

Anthony’s Nose (2)

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“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

-Buddha

“Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering – an image of death.”

-Buddha


It was another beautiful day for hiking in the Hudson Valley! At 7 am it was sunny, the temperature was about 52 degrees and the hiking was easy with a nice cool breeze that stayed with me all the way to the top. It really doesn’t get much better than this, especially at the end of June. It could be much hotter with humidity that would stop a horse in its tracks!

I did have an opportunity to meet a young lady who, according to her, hadn’t been to the Nose in a couple of years. She was hiking with her golden retriever, an absolutely beautiful dog who obviously knew I was a dog lover since he came right up to me and introduced himself! She had forgotten where the turn off was for the view-point so I pointed her in the right direction and off they went.

As we went our separate ways at the top, the retriever kept coming over to me to say hello! Some hikers might not like that, but I had no problem with it. He was really friendly and seemed to enjoy being out in the woods. That is one smart dog! Before she left, we did speak again about different hikes in the area and she asked me to take a picture of her and her friend with the Bear Mt. Bridge in the background.

I mention this because my faith in humanity has been partially restored, if even for a day. It is unfortunate, but even out hiking people are often times so distracted by one form of technology or another that the simple act of speaking to someone is often seen as an intrusion.  So kudos to this young lady for taking the time to speak with me and share some of her experiences and her furry friend!

Since I have documented so many trips to the Nose, I’ll spare you the usual pictures. What I have for you instead is some pictures of a hawk that flew straight up and then would ride the downdraft out of sight. To say the least, it was pretty awesome!

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This hawk was riding the downdrafts with a friend. Pretty spectacular!

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Another view of our fine feathered friends.

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One last look….

Summer 2017 Mileage:

3.7-7.52

 

Summer’s First Hike (1)

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“We don’t stop hiking because we grow old-we grow old because we stop hiking.”

-Finis Mitchell

“I could never resist the call of the trail.”

-Buffalo Bill

The first hike of the summer season!!!!

I headed out to the Horn Hill Bike Path after publishing my previous post to start breaking in my new Vasque boots. Overall they did well. They were comfortable and I didn’t really experience any discomfort until close to the end of the hike. Not much, but exactly what I would expect from a new pair of boots. No twisted ankles, blisters or hot spots.

I decided to do the shorter loop of this hike and it truly is amazing how it changes throughout the year. I have documented this hike in just about every season and with the amount of rain we have had recently, everything is in full bloom.

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The kiosk at the start of the hike.

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The smell of pine was intoxicating on several sections of this hike!

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More pine…

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The only short hill on this hike.

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This wasn’t here the last time I was here.

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Although these roots can be perilous, they are cool to look at!

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The trail near the end of the hike.

Summer 2017 Mileage:

3.85-3.85

Out With The Old And In With The New….

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After several years of great hiking with my Vasque boots, it’s time to retire them for a new pair. I’ve spent the last several days researching a new pair, paying special attention to boots that have a great deal of ankle support due to the fact that my ankles at this point are shot. Normal every day hiking boots won’t help me now, so I have to get some good backpacking boots.

Out with the old….

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Good bye old friend!!!!

And in with the new….

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The new Vasque St. Elias GTX Size 12W

I have been hiking in Vasque boots for the better part of 20 years now and I have found them to be incredibly good boots. This new pair appear to be much lighter than my old ones and the young man who helped me at Campmor said that the technology has advanced to the point where a good pair of backpacking boots don’t have to weigh 10 pounds!!!!

I’ll be heading to some familiar trails by the Anthony Wayne parking area to start breaking them in later to get a feel for how they do.

Stay tuned for the first hike write-up of the summer!!!!

The Catfish Loop Trail

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“Hiking is a bit like life:

The journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other…again and again and again. And if you allow yourself the opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the trek, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit.”

-Anonymous

“Remember to turn everything off once a week including your brain and walk somewhere quiet.”

-Anonymous

Today’s hike, located just across the street on Dennytown Road from the parking lot, was a decent one. It started on the Appalachian Trail and after 100 ft made a right turn onto the Catfish Loop Trail. Five miles of up, down and all around!

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Just cross the street to start the hike.

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The trail as it heads deeper into the woods.

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And deeper…

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The view to the left as I made my way down a hill.

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At the bottom of a hill.

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The trail went on like this for about 1.5 miles.

 

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A little scramble through this tight space.

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Almost at the end of the hike.

The Fahnestock Special (in reverse)

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“While you’ll feel compelled to charge forward it’s often a gentle step back that will reveal to you where you and what you truly seek.”
― Rasheed Ogunlaru

“How weird it was to drive streets I knew so well. What a different perspective.”

-Suzanne Vega

To change things up a little and get a new perspective on a hike that I’ve done many, many times, I reversed the route the route on the Fahnestock Special. For many years I have done this circular clockwise route in the same direction because it offers a hill that gives your legs, heart and mind a workout. The reverse route has a couple of very short climbs, but nothing like what is offered in the other direction.

Anyway, taking  a new way did make the hike seem a lot quicker than it usually is and I did get a much different perspective than what I am used to seeing.

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I had passed this tree just a couple of days earlier and did not see any mushrooms.

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A close up of one of the mushrooms.

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Charcoal Burners/Perkins/Fahnestock Loop

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“Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.”

-Thomas Jefferson

“Open the window of your mind. Allow the fresh air, new lights and new truths to enter.” – Amit Ray

“A few simple tips for life: feet on the ground, head to the skies, heart open…quiet mind.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru

Yesterday, 5/20/17, I was able to experience a beautiful 6.2 mile hike around a section of Fahnestock state park. After several days with temperatures in the high 80’s with matching humidity, today proved to be much cooler. As I parked my jeep, I noticed a couple of raindrops on my windshield. Since I hadn’t heard about any rain, I checked my cell and it confirmed what I had thought, no rain for at least 120 minutes.

Of course within 15 minutes later it started to rain and didn’t stop for well over an hour.

With that said, it was nice to hear the rain falling through the woods and it promoted a nice sense of isolation.

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My pack and poles at the second juncture of the hike. 

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Stay to the left on the yellow  marked Perkins Trail.

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The view as you make your way through a farm.

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A cairn to keep you moving in right direction.

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A friendly face on the trail. He stared at me for a good five minutes…

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In about one and half hours, you will be hiking along the far side of this lake.

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The path moving downhill towards the stream seen in the picture below.

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You get to hike next to this stream for about 1/2 mile.

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This is a good place to take a break, drink some water and listen to the stream. (right after this you will climb a pretty steep hill so rest up!!!)

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The Fahnestock Trail

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More awesome hiking on a trail that says “peace.”

The Fahnestock Special (again and again)

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“The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”

-Nhat Hanh
“Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet”
-Nhat Hanh
 

One of the best things about hiking this time of year is you get to see the woods come back to life literally right before your eyes after a long winter. If you are familiar with my blog, you know that I have a 2.7 mile hike in Fahnestock State Park that I enjoying doing when I don’t have much time but have the need to get out on the trail. In the last couple of weeks I have done this hike several times and the change I have witnessed is nothing short of remarkable!

This is why I hike!!!

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The Appalachian Trail

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When thru hikers go to cross route 301, they will see this sign.

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A waterfall after almost three inches of rain four days ago.

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Quite simply-a dandelion.

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Compare this to other pictures from the hike a couple of weeks ago. What a difference!!!!

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The AT headed back to Route 301.

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More of the AT.

 

The Calm Before the Storm

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The A.T. calls me

Boots on the trail, walking

Lost in thought, my peace

The weather forecast here in the Hudson Valley of NY is not good for the next several days. They are saying we could get several inches of rain from late  tomorrow through Sunday. Knowing that I won’t be able to get out for a hike this weekend, I decided to take yet another trip to the Nose. As you know from previous posts, a hike to the Nose is never disappointing! Here is what it looks like in May.

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Bear Mt. from the Nose in May.

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Northwest from the Nose.

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Looking south towards the Timp.

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