As I sat on Anthony’s Nose I was treated to this delicious sky as it cast shadows over some of the best hiking in the Hudson Valley.
The Daily Post Photo Challenge-Elemental
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Tag Archives: tranquility
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation-Brown Trail (20)
“The closer you get to real matter, rock air fire and wood, boy, the more spiritual the world is.”
―Jack Kerouac
“I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all”
―Jack Kerouac
***With this hike I finally went over 100 miles for the summer. Woo Hoo!!!! Hopefully no more rain!
Just the other day I ventured onto the Blue Trail on the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. I chose to tackle the trail in a counterclockwise manner and I am glad that I did. Although the trail was pretty steep at the beginning and had several demanding climbs and even more demanding descents, the last section of the trail was relatively flat. To get a better idea of the rest of the trails in the park, I purchased Walkable Westchester by Jane and Walt Daniels. This book gives detailed descriptions of trails in the parks in Westchester County, NY.
Parking in the Kimberly Bridge parking area again, you actually stay on the parking lot side of the road to access the Brown Trail. Starting off on the DH trail, you follow that until it intersects with the Brown Trail.
The Cross River just off of the Kimberly Bridge parking area.
The DH Trail as it re-enters the woods. Shortly you will veer right onto the Brown Trail.
As you begin hiking on the Brown Trail, it ascends quickly and steeply for a short time. As with the blue trail, unless you are looking for a hike with what seems like never ending climbing, you should do this in a counterclockwise direction.
The Brown Trail moving to the right.
After climbing, leveling off and then descending, the trail turns sharply to the left and with the exception of a very short climb, stays level or moves downhill for the rest of the hike.
The hiking was easy on this portion of the trail.
The Brown and the DH Trail stay together for a short time.
One of the more interesting things about this hike is the varied terrain that you come across. Woods roads, forest, Cross River and now an almost tunnel like experience as you hike through this portion of the trail.
A bridge connecting the Brown Trail with the FH Trail.
The Cross River again, this time deeper in the woods.
After completing the Brown Trail Loop, I crossed the street and hiked some more on the DH Trail until it came to Reservation Road. At this point I turned left and headed back to the parking area.
Happy Hiking!!!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
8/13/17-5.1-101.32
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
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
Pine Meadow Lake (9)
On Wednesday 7/12/17, I went on a hike that was a bit of a beast. It involved some pretty intense ascents that required climbing on all fours. Needless to say, once you made it to the top, you had to go back down. This was even more treacherous. There were points on the descent where I had to throw my hiking sticks down 20-30 feet and “butt scoot” down in order to get through certain sections.
Anyway, back to the beginning. This hike started out at the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center in southern Harriman State Park.
Reeves Meadow Visitor Center
Starting to the right of the kiosk, the trail starts off pretty level but will soon begin a slow but steady climb. You will pass the white blazed Reeves Brook Trail on your right but you should stay on the red trail. Shortly after this the Pine Meadow trail (red blaze), stays to the right while the Stony Brook Trail (yellow blaze) quietly drifts off to the left and hugs the brook. Although you won’t take this trail now, you will be returning on it to finish the hike.
After a steady climb on the red trail, it will intersect with the Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail (orange blaze). Take this until you cross a bridge and make a right onto the Kakiat Trail (white blaze).
This next part of the hike is on pretty rocky terrain so you will need to take care as you move among the rocks. We had just had rain recently so they were still pretty slippery, and as a cautionary measure, I went through this area very slowly. The Kakiat Trail eventually meets up with the Pine Meadow Trail again until it intersects with the Pine Meadow trail. Turn left and begin following the yellow trail. It winds its way uphill until you get to a very rocky area. This is where the fun begins!
At this point the trail turns to the right and takes a dramatic turn uphill. Climbing on the rocks, I remember thinking, “Man, am I glad it isn’t raining.” This climb, as dangerous as it was, would have been much more treacherous if it had even been drizzling. After about twenty minutes of moving steadily uphill, the trail levels off and intersects with the Orange and Blue trails. Follow this dually blazed trail for half of a mile until the blue trail heads to the right and the orange trail makes a turn to the left and proceeds downhill, very steeply.
As I mentioned earlier, this part of the trail was pretty dangerous. It doesn’t look like this side of the mountain gets much sun because the rocks were still very wet, which made for very difficult for hiking.
Kiosk at the start of the hike.
One of the only concerns I had as I looked over the map prior to the hike was that in several places where bridges were supposed to be, they were all designated as being “bridge out.” Bust as I hiked, I found that each of the bridges had been fixed or replaced. Here are just about all of the bridges that I passed on today’s hike.
As I neared Pine Meadow Lake, I came across the following structure. I will admit that when I first saw this, I thought “Blair Witch Project”.
Hmmm…I was a more than a little surprised when I walked up on this in the middle of the woods.
A close up of one of the cairns.
Pine Meadow Lake
Based on the last part of this hike, I would not recommend it for the faint of heart or if you have small children. The ascent on the yellow trail above Pine Meadow Lake can be very difficult, but the trip down the orange trail is dangerous. One wrong step or a slip could certainly mean a broken bone or worse.
Quick note-The Bear Mt. hike should have been labeled as hike #8. This hike therefore is #9.
Summer 2017 Mileage:
7/12/17-6.6-40.82
Flowers at the Elephant Trunk
“When words escape, flowers speak.”
-Bruce W. Currie
“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”
-Luther Burbank
These flowers were also at the Elephant Trunk Flea Market. I believed that they needed a space all of their own instead of being meixed in with everything else that was for sale.
Lake Tiorati (7)
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”
-Henry David Thoreau
Today I decided to keep the hike kind of short. I parked my car in the Lake Tiorati lot and made my way up the blue connector trail that joins up with the Appalachian Trail in three tenths of a mile. Turning left, I immediately saw a Doe with her Fawn. This in itself isn’t so strange, but when they didn’t run as I approached, I thought it would be nice to get a picture.
As I took off my pack and took out my camera, fawn actually approached me and stopped about fifteen feet away!
Mama and baby checking me out!
I was actually very surprised that neither deer ran when they saw me.
Continuing on the AT, it was much nicer terrain than when I was on the trail the other day. Today’s section of the trail was wide open and I didn’t experience the closed in feeling that I did hiking around Silvermine Lake!
The AT runs parallel to Lake Tiorati in Bear Mt. State Park.
My trusty pack on the AT!!!!
Shortly after I took this picture, the AT would intersect with a blue blazed trail that leads to the Fingerboard Shelter 350 feet away.
Four tenths of a mile after passing the shelter, you end up back on Seven Lakes Road. Turn left and walk along the road (approximately 1 1/4 miles) and you end up back where you started.
Lake Tiorati
Summer 2017 Mileage:
7/8/17-3.5-28.82
Silvermine (6)
“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
“Once in awhile, climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash you spirit clean.”
-John Muir
“Life is better in hiking boots.”
-Every hiker
Located about 2 miles on Seven Lakes Drive, Silvermine Lake is currently a fishing, picnicking and hiking area in Harriman State Park. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, it used to be a pretty popular area for families to go for the day to just hang out and have a good time. As a child I have fond memories of going to this lake and running through the woods, skipping rocks on the water and eating many hot dogs!
A sign on the Menomine Trail next to Silvermine Lake.
After leaving your car, head towards the lake and you will see a yellow blaze on a rock. This is the Menomine Trail, the one that you will follow until you reach the William Brien Shelter where you will then begin hiking on the dually blazed Appalachian/Ramapo Dunderberg Trail.
Silvermine Lake at the beginning of the hike.
As you enter the woods and wind around the lake, the trail has its fair share of ups and downs on some very rocky terrain.
The trail before a steady steep climb.
As the trail veers off to the left, you begin a steady and then very steep climb until you reach the shelter.
The start of what turned out to be a killer climb!
The second section of the climb. I thought once I reached the top where it curves left, the climb would be over.
I was wrong. It only got worse…This is the last section of the climb.
Once you get to the top, the William Brien Memorial Shelter is on your left.
The William Brien Memorial Shelter
As I mentioned earlier, once you get to the shelter you would leave the Menomine Trail and continue hiking on the Appalachian/Ramapo Dunderberg Trail. Turning left, you immediately begin another steep climb, this time pretty short.
Appalachian/Ramapo Dunderberg Trail
You will follow the AT until you reach a woods road. Turning left, you begin a steady descent until you reach the lake.
After returning to Silvermine Lake, I had some extra time so I decided to follow the Menomine Trail in the opposite direction.
A strange looking tree…
The trail covered in pine needles.
HAPPY HIKING!!!!!
Summer 2017 Mileage:
7/6/17-5.5-25.32
“Dance Like There’s Nobody Watching”
“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
-William Purkey
One of the things that I love about hiking is the solitude. Most of the time, based on my really early start times, I get a great deal of alone time. For me, that’s ok. I don’t mind hiking alone and I certainly don’t crave having a hiking partner. If someone wants to join me, then of course I’ll hike with them, but it doesn’t really matter.
Why do I mention that? And why did I choose the very famous quote from William Purkey to start this post? I’ll tell you why. When I get out on the trail, I get into a zone. My legs feel good, my mind is clear and I feel like I can go on forever. When I take a break, I’ll drink some water and listen to music (usually Phish). This morning, I was on the AT taking a quick break before I finished the hike. I pulled out my iPod, put on my headphones and dialed up a Phish show from last summer.
One thing that you need to know about Phish is that most of their songs are songs that you can’t help but dance to. Filled with funk and rhythm, the music itself calls out to you!
So, today I’m taking this break and I’m moving and grooving. I’m not going to lie-it was at the end of great hike, I was in the zone and I was really getting into the music. The one thing that I didn’t see were the four thru hikers that had come up behind me! They said that they had been watching me for almost 5 minutes. At first I was a little embarrassed, but then I thought, WTF??? Why be embarassed? The best part??? I got a round of applause when I turned around and saw them.
Another reason to love hiking!!!!!
The Zen Hiker 