Tag Archives: Photography

Iron Mines Short Loop (4)

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“Hiking is the answer. Who cares what the question is.

-Anonymous

“I walk, I look, I see, I stop, I photograph.”

-Leon Levinstein

After resting my ankle for three days, I decided it was time to get back out into the woods. The swelling was gone and it felt pretty good so I figured at the very least I would lace the boots up and if it hurt too much I could just turn around and end today’s hike early.

As you pull into the parking lot, this is your view.

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Lake Skannatati

As is the norm with most of my summer hikes, I got the parking area pretty early today. Since it is the day before Independence Day, I thought that even at this hour more people would have been out. But at 6:10 am, the only other person I saw was this guy fishing!

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To the right of the lake you immediately see a kiosk and two trails. This will be the start as well as the end of the hike. The blue blazed Long Path is on your left and the red triangle A-SB (Arden Surebridge) will be on your right.

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The beginning and end of the hike.

Starting on the Long Path, you will wind your way around the lake, mainly staying on even ground. As you move deeper into the woods, you begin a series of small ups and downs on the trail until you intersect with the yellow blazed Dunning Trail. If you are looking for an even shorter hike than this one, you could make the right onto this trail and it will eventually intersect with the A-SB trail. Instead, take a left and after a few minutes the Long Path will turn off to the right while Dunning Trail stays on the left.

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The Long Path intersects with the Dunning Trail

Staying on the LP, you begin a steady climb until you reach the A-SB trail.

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The blue blazed Long Path

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Red Triangle A-SB Trail

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Heading down the A-SB Trail back towards the lake.

Once you turn onto the A-SB trail, it’s mainly all downhill until you get to the lake.

Overall I enjoyed this hike. The difficulty rating of moderate that I have seen in its description seems appropriate. The only negative thing that I can see with it, and this has been an issue with the Long Path in the past is the way that they blaze the trail. While I was on the LP today I spent way to much today not being able to find blazes and I had to reroute myself several times.  They could definitely put some of the blazes closer together and at critical junctures make it easier to follow them.

Summer 2017 Mileage:

7/3/17-4.3-16.02

 

Nuclear Lake (3)

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“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”

-Anonymous

Before I even begin to describe this hike, I think I spent too much time telling you how good my new boots were. The reason I say this is because about half way through the hike (approximately 2 miles), I went to step up with my left foot and with my right foot on an uneven tree root, it slid to the left, twisting my right ankle and sending me to the ground. Of course I really can’t blame the boots, but why blame my own clumsiness??

Since I was in the middle of the woods, I had no choice but to keep going. Up, down and over rocks, tree roots and leaves I went, the pain increasing with every step. I really  wanted to stop, but I knew that wasn’t possible. So I forged ahead for the remaining two miles and finished the hike.

Wow…I certainly am not a baby when it comes to pain, but this really hurt. I’m confident it isn’t broken, but it certainly is sprained. So as I sit on my couch with my foot up on a pillow with a bag of vegetables as an ice pack, I’ll describe what still was a really nice hike! Unfortunately I’ll be of the trails for a few days to let my ankle rest.

Parking just off of route 55 in a small parking lot, the initial blue trail lasts from the parking area until it joins the AT. A kiosk just off of the parking lot has a map for the nuclear lake hike as well as the obligatory warning about ticks.

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The start of the Nuclear Lake hike.

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Map of today’s hike.

Within a minute or two of leaving the kiosk, you will see the AT. Stay to the left on the AT and begin your journey through the woods. After about 5 minutes you will see the blue blazed Beekman Uplands Loop on the left. Do not take this trail! That is a hike for another day.

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The AT runs through some very nice woods.

The two bridges below make for pleasant distraction as you meander through the woods.

Almost immediately after crossing the bridge on the right, you will see this sign on a tree off to the right of the AT.

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The start of the yellow blazed Nuclear Lake Loop Trail.

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A section of the trail.

Photos of Nuclear Lake.

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The Nuclear Lake Loop

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As you circle the lake you cross several interesting rock walls.

Keep following the Yellow Blazes until you reach the point where the loop ends and meets up with the AT again. Take the left and continue on the AT until you get back to the blue trail that leads back to the parking lot.

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The end of the Nuclear Lake Loop Trail.

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A stretch of the AT.

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The AT goes back into the woods.

Summer 2017 Mileage:

4.2-11.72

 

 

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

 

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.

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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A Variation on the Doodletown Bridle Path

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“In winter, I plot and plan. In spring, I move.”

-Henry Rollins

We are enjoying another beautiful day here in the Hudson Valley. It appears as though winter has left us and spring will take hold until summer crashes down upon us (in a couple of days!) So, a great day means a great hike. Today, my daughter and I went into Bear Mt. and did a variation on one of the hikes in Circuit Hikes In Harriman. I got to spend some quality time with my daughter and got some fantastic pictures. Spring continues to be an awesome time to hike and get recharged for summer.
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Horn Hill Bike Path X2-Walking Meditation

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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
“Walk so that your footprints bear only the marks of peaceful joy and complete freedom. To do this you have to learn to let go. Let go of your sorrows, let go of your worries. That is the secret of walking meditation.”
-Nhat Hanh

 

Last summer I did a whole bunch of hikes from a book called, Circuit Hikes In Harriman by Don Weise. Today (4/11/17), I was going to do a pretty lengthy hike but when my daughter asked if she could go hiking again today (WOW!!), I decided to do this relatively easy loop in Harriman State Park.

Once again, the difference in what the woods look like from season to season is truly amazing. Five and a half miles later, I think that I got some pretty decent photos.

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The start of the Horn Hill Bike Path. Nice and flat!

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Canada Geese feeding a pond next to the trail.

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The same geese…

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Trees along the trail.

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The Appalachian Trail crosses this trail at two points during the hike.

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The AT headed south towards Georgia.

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Looking south behind us on the trail.

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As you hike along the bike path, the Ramapo Dunderberg Trail crosses its path. Here are some nice stone steps to help you on your way.

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Beechy Bottom Road