The woods can see,
A sense of tranquility.
Resonating from the clean earth,
Absorbing anguish
Shedding the veil of today
With the promise of tomorrow.
The Woods
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Tag Archives: tranquility
Iron Mines Short Loop (4)
“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.
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!
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.
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.
The Long Path intersects with the Dunning Trail
Staying on the LP, you begin a steady climb until you reach the A-SB trail.
The blue blazed Long Path
Red Triangle A-SB Trail
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)
“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.
The start of the Nuclear Lake hike.
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.
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.
The start of the yellow blazed Nuclear Lake Loop Trail.
A section of the trail.
Photos of Nuclear Lake.
The Nuclear Lake Loop
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.
The end of the Nuclear Lake Loop Trail.
A stretch of the AT.
The AT goes back into the woods.
Summer 2017 Mileage:
4.2-11.72
Anthony’s Nose (2)
“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!
This hawk was riding the downdrafts with a friend. Pretty spectacular!
Another view of our fine feathered friends.
One last look….
Summer 2017 Mileage:
3.7-7.52
Summer’s First Hike (1)
“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.
The kiosk at the start of the hike.
The smell of pine was intoxicating on several sections of this hike!
More pine…
The only short hill on this hike.
This wasn’t here the last time I was here.
Although these roots can be perilous, they are cool to look at!
The trail near the end of the hike.
Summer 2017 Mileage:
3.85-3.85
Prophecy
A change in my mind
Veils lifted from my eyes
Prescient warning
Charcoal Burners/Perkins/Fahnestock Loop
“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.
My pack and poles at the second juncture of the hike.
Stay to the left on the yellow marked Perkins Trail.
The view as you make your way through a farm.
A cairn to keep you moving in right direction.
A friendly face on the trail. He stared at me for a good five minutes…
In about one and half hours, you will be hiking along the far side of this lake.
The path moving downhill towards the stream seen in the picture below.
You get to hike next to this stream for about 1/2 mile.
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!!!)
The Fahnestock Trail
More awesome hiking on a trail that says “peace.”
The Fahnestock Special (again and again)
“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.”
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!!!
The Appalachian Trail
When thru hikers go to cross route 301, they will see this sign.
A waterfall after almost three inches of rain four days ago.
Quite simply-a dandelion.
Compare this to other pictures from the hike a couple of weeks ago. What a difference!!!!
The AT headed back to Route 301.
More of the AT.
Late Afternoon Photos…
“Just living is not enough… one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
-Hans Christian Andersen
“Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a flower and draws all good things towards you.”
-Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
I was outside cooking some burgers on the grill and took these pictures of some very small flowers that are around my yard.
May Sunrise
“Every sunrise holds more promise, and every sunset holds more peace.”
-Anonymous
On my way work…
A few minutes later…
The Zen Hiker 