Tag Archives: westchester county ny

Reverse Green

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“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”

-Lauren DeStefano

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

Another beautiful autumn day means another day to get out and hike. Since it’s the end of a work day and daylight is dwindling, that means a shorter hike than usual. That’s no problem however, because it’s just good to get out into the  woods, no matter what time of day!

Today I did the Green Trail again and instead of going in the direction where I would end my journey on a steep downhill, I reversed directions and went up the steepest portion first. Even when I do the Red and Green Trails (they are together for the first 2.4 miles), I usually go in one specific direction. The opposite way proved to be much challenging than I am used to. That’s ok though, sometimes you need to get the old ticker moving!!!

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

10/3/17-3.6-260.62

The Rock Trail

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“It feels good to be lost in the right direction.”

-Anonymous

“Only one who wanders finds a new path.”

-Norwegian Proverb

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A beautiful day to be hiking!

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A stone chair right off of the parking lot.

Today I decided to mix things up a little bit. Although I started on the Red Trail, after a mile I took a connector trail until it met up with the Leatherman’s Loop. The Loop eventually meets back up with the Red Trail which I stayed on literally for about 100 feet until I veered off to the left onto another connector trail which led me to a point further along the Red Trail. Here is where things got interesting.

If you have followed my posts about Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, you know that the Red Trail is not that strenuous. It does have some inclines, but nothing that I would call difficult. With that said, I decided that at the 1.9 mile mark I would take another connector trail to the Rock Trail (RT).

Not having been on the RT before, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Although I absolutely love WPRR and its many trails, the only issue I have with them is that they do not have a map that adequately represents the demanding nature of some of its ascents and descents. I include the descents with this because they are actually more taxing on my legs than going uphill. The portion of the RT that I did today was a mixture of punishing uphills, even more steeper and punishing downhills as well as some nice flat areas.

Meandering its way through the woods, the RT finally meets up with yet another connector trail that once again joins the Red Trail. Making a left, I stayed on the Red Trail until it met up with the RT. This time, however, you only stay on the RT for a very short time until you start hiking on the Yellow Trail. You will end the hike by following the Yellow Trail back to the parking lot.

Although this hike was only 1.2 miles longer than yesterday’s, this one was much more demanding. With the addition of the portion of the RT, the added up and downs did a lot more to tax my legs than just staying on the Red Trail. With that said, it was more than worth the added exertion.

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

10/1/17-6.7-257.02

Check That Forecast!

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Rule #1 of hiking: Check the weather forecast before you plan to go out on a long hike.

My original plan yesterday was to hike between 9 and 10 miles, all depending on how I felt. As I closed in on around 4.5 miles, it started raining. I looked up at the sky and immediately knew that I wouldn’t be finishing that long hike. Since I hadn’t bothered to check the forecast, I didn’t bring ay rain gear. With the temperature at the time at around 51 degrees, hiking in the pouring rain was out of the question.

Well folks, another lesson of live and learn!!!

Happy Hiking!!!

2017 Mileage:

9/30/17-5.5-250.32

 

How Lucky We Are

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Close to the end of my hike today, I crossed paths with two older gentleman. The first man, probably around my age, tipped his hat and greeted me with a hearty “good morning!” The second man, quite a bit older than his hiking partner and moving very slowly, also greeted me warmly. It was what he said next that has stuck with me all day. As we passed each other, he looked me in the eye and said, “aren’t we lucky to be out here?” Indeed we are…

It’s Officially Fall!

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“Our minds, as well as our bodies, have need of the out-of-doors. Our spirits, too, need simple things, elemental things, the sun and the wind and the rain, moonlight and starlight, sunrise and mist and mossy forest trails, the perfumes of dawn and the smell of fresh-turned earth and the ancient music of wind among the trees.”

-Edwin Way Teale

“Although the vast majority of walkers never even think of using a walking staff, I unhesitatingly include it among the foundations of the house that travels on my back.”

-Colin Fletcher

If you have read this blog of mine, you know that fall is my favorite time of year. Apple picking, college football, cool days, cooler nights and of course awesome hiking make every day truly magnificent. Today I was back hiking the Labyrinth at Ward Pound Ridge. As I was in sight of the finish, I felt good and decided to make the left turn onto the Yellow Trail to add some mileage.

Making my way up the trail. I pulled out the map and saw that the RT Trail would soon take me off of the Yellow trail and then put me on the Red Trail for literally a couple of hundred feet. Heading up a small hill, it then finished on the Green Trail.

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On the Red/Green trail.

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My trusty pack and poles leaning on my favorite resting rock at 2.5 miles. 

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The view directly behind the rock where I take a break just before the Green trail veers off to the left.

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The trail about one mile from the finish.

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Some of the more interesting rock formations along the trail.

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More of the Red Trail.

 

From this point on I will be listing my mileage as an accumulation for the entire calendar year. Taking the information from my blog as well as my GPS, I have calculated that prior to the first hike of the summer I had hiked 45.2 miles. I am adding that to the 181.22 that I did for the summer, giving me a total of 226.42 miles. With the addition of the 7.7 miles that I hiked today, that brings my total for the year to 234.12 miles.

2017 Mileage:

Hikes from 1/1/17-6/26/17-45.2-226.42

9/23/17-7.7-234.12

A Nice Mental Enema (30)

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“Can you help me get my head on straight just a half an inch so I can muddle on through?”

-Assembly of Dust

It appears that summer is on its way out and fall is on its way in! Although the forecast has temperatures heading into the mid 70’s to posssibly 80 midweek, the signs are already here that the seasons are changing. The nicest thing about hiking today was the fact that between Monday (when I last hiked) and Saturday, enough leaves had fallen so you had the awesome crunching sound as you made your way through the woods.

As it has been for a couple of weeks now, the temperature was in the mid 50’s with a nice breeze whenI hit the trail at about 10:15 am. For me that it is a pretty late start, but when the alarm on my phone went off at 5:00 am, my brain said, “no way.” So I waited.

Once I got on the trail however, it was all good. I did my favorite trail again and it was glorious! It is long and varied enough to give you not only a good physical workout, but a decent mental cleansing as well.  That’s all I want and it’s all I need.

Happy Hiking!!!

Summer 2017 Mileage:

9/9/17-6.0-175.22

 

The Labyrinth + Connector Trails= Relative Peace (29)

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“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” 

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” 

-John Muir

After a day of rain on Sunday, the weather today was next to perfect! Once again, temperatures were in the mid 50’s with clear skies and a nice breeze. When I hit the trail at 5:40 am, it was still pretty dark but I knew that with an earlier than usual start I would have a  little more flexibility with how far I could go.

I decided that after yesterday’s post I am renaming the Red Trail, “The Labyrinth.” It only seems fitting since I have hiked it numerous times and have likened its benefits to a traditional Labyrinth.

Today’s trek first took me on the The Labyrinth, back around to a connector trail to the Leatherman’s Loop and I finished by heading back on a very short loop from the yellow to the end of the red.

One of the best things about the cool weather has been the absence of any blood sucking thugs. It’s been really nice not to have to spend entire hikes swatting and slapping these beasts away from me. I can’t remember the last time that I had to actually use any bug spray on a hike.

Another nice day and another really nice hike!

Happy Hiking!!!

Summer 2017 Mileage:

9/4/17-9.2-169.22

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation-Red Trail (21)

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“Walking is magic. Can’t recommend it highly enough. I read that Plato and Aristotle did much of their brilliant thinking together while ambulating. The movement, the meditation, the health of the blood pumping, and the rhythm of footsteps… this is a primal way to connect with one’s deeper self.”
-Paula Cole

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

-Thomas Jefferson

Today (8/14/17) marked the third day out of the last four where I have hiked at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. As with the first two hikes, I have never hiked the Red Trail prior to today so I was hoping that it would be as good as the others. Needless to say, even though this one was the longest, I enjoyed it the most. The trail varies from soft earth to rocky and had a minimal amount of ascents. With that said, none of the climbs were that bad.

As I pulled into the parking lot I was met by this wonderful metal sculpture. Just awesome!

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Starting on the right just off of the Michigan Road parking lot, you will pass a gate with a kiosk filled with the usual warnings. After looking at the map and reading the section on the Red Trail in Walkable Westchester, they even recommend tackling this hike in a counterclockwise direction.

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The Michigan Road parking lot

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The Red Trail begins and ends just after the kiosk.

Immediately after the kiosk, the Red Trail starts off level and on soft earth.

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As you wind your way through the park, the surface of the trail changes throughout the duration of the hike. Earth, rocks, gravel, this trail has it all.

The one very cool thing about this Ward Pound Ridge is that they have cabins and shelters scattered throughout the park. This one happened to be just off the Red Trail.

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Here are some interesting rock formations along the trail.

Happy Hiking!

Summer 2017 Mileage:

8/14/17-6.0-107.32

Ward Pound Ridge Reservation-Brown Trail (20)

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“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.

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The Cross River just off of the Kimberly Bridge parking area.

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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.

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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.

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The hiking was easy on this portion of the trail. 

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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.

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A bridge connecting the Brown Trail with the FH Trail. 

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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