Charlie Stein's Photoblog

Allaire State Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Charlie

On Washington’s Birthday/Presidents’ Day, we decided to visit Allaire State Park. We followed a hike written up by Daniela Wagstaff in 2011, though there have been a few changes to the park since then. We parked in the lot on County Route 524 (Atlantic Avenue) at 40.15755, -74.12056. We crossed the road, turned left, and walked a short distance (passing a house), coming soon to a double gate on the right, at which point we entered the woods on the orange trail. For reference, see the park map:

Start of Orange Trail

As expected for a February in New Jersey, there were many areas devoid of greenery:

Trees

Here we found a bit of green:

Winter greenery

A stream:

Stream

Another stream:

Stream

The park was relatively flat, though there were a few minor hills in places. About a mile into the hike, the trail followed a ditch between two hills. I couldn’t tell whether the ditch was erosion from vehicular traffic from an old woods road, or whether it was from water, as a water tank appeared on the hill to the left, with a shattered fiberglass drainage pipe running into the ditch.

Eroded trail

Eroded area:

Eroded trail

Panorama of trees:

Trees

The orange trail looped through a portion of the park that is north of County Road 524 and south of Interstate 195. We reached one point that was a former rail bed of the Freehold-Jamesburg Railroad. Part of it has been paved as a biking trail, but another part remains unpaved. We only walked on a few feet of the rail bed, then turned left to continue on the orange trail. We soon returned to County Road 524, where it crossed under the interstate. Here we diverged from Daniela’s directions. She wrote, “Walk beyond the chain link fence then turn right and walk under I-195 along Route 524 with the chain link fence on your right.” My recollection is that there are now parallel chain link fences, with the orange trail running in between them. We walked in between the fences, which brought us under the interstate. However, it left us in a place on the orange trail, whereas Daniela’s directions had called for us to walk along Route 524 for a while, diverging from the orange trail. We were separated from where we needed to be by about 50′ of thorny underbrush that did not seem reasonably passable. Rather than going back and walking on the traffic side of both fences (which seems somewhat risky), we continued on the orange trail.

This led us behind a few cabins of a camping area, and then again to the former rail bed of the railroad, continuing to the west of the interstate. We stopped for lunch along the rail bed.

Afterward, we continued moving west on the orange-blazed rail bed, until we came to blazes for the green trail to our left. We followed the green trail south, passing by a pond:

Pond

The green trail led us back to Route 524. Following Daniela’s route again, to the best of our ability, we crossed the highway, and re-entered the green trail on the other side.

Green trail

The green trail soon led us back under Interstate 195. Whereas we had first crossed under the interstate at the country road, this second crossing was on the green trail alongside a shallow canal. Back on the east side of I-195, we soon left the green trail for the red trail(s).

Red trail

Beside a boardwalk, a bloom of skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) had poked through the ground.

Skunk cabbage

We soon came to a find pond beside the park’s Nature Center. Here too, the current layout of the park differed a bit from Daniela’s instructions. She wrote, ” The footpath ends at a sand road, the green-blazed sand road along the canal from earlier in the hike. Straight ahead is an attractive pond. Veer left then turn right and cross the bridge with a sign directing you to the Nature Center.” Actually, the footpath she mentioned was rerouted slightly so that it ends about 15′ from where it used to end. The bridge to the Nature Center is now straight ahead of the footpath, so there’s no need to veer left then turn right on the sand road, just go straight ahead. However, we did take a bit of a detour, walking right on the green-blazed sand road to admire the pond, before returning to cross the bridge.

(In fact, the sign on the bridge is mounted on the right of the bridge, where someone walking on the green-blazed sand road would see it, but someone coming straight from the footpath across from the bridge would not see the sign. It seems that the park should have relocated the sign when they rerouted the footpath.)

Pond

A sign on the Nature Center:

Smokey the Bear

We had hoped to find restrooms at the Nature Center, but the building was closed, and we saw no sign of restrooms. However, we soon came to historic Allaire Village within the park, and there was a large building with restrooms and vending machines.

Millpond and Allaire Village

We walked through Allaire Village, and then followed a path that ran along the Manasquan River.

Manasquan River

Another view of the river:

Manasquan River

After sightseeing along the river, the path took us us to the blast furnace that had formerly served the ironworkers of Allaire Village.

Blast Furnace

We then returned to Allaire Village, though most of the buildings were closed.

Allaire Village

We walked past a small railroad that runs at time for tourists, and then followed a bike path bath to the parking lot. This was about an 8-mile hike. As noted, it was relatively flat, and thus an easy to moderate hike. One couple in Allaire Village stopped us to ask us if we considered ourselves hikers or walkers, and asked how we defined hiking. Wikipedia says that hiking is generally considered a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails (or sometimes off-trails). Strolling through the paved Allaire Village hardly seemed like hiking, but the balance of the day seemed to qualify.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New Jersey | Leave a comment

Marine Park, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Charlie

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation lists Marine Park, at 530 acres, as the largest public park in Brooklyn (narrowly beating out Prospect Park, which is listed as 526 acres). Marine Park includes an area northwest of Avenue U that includes a jogging track and baseball fields, and an area southeast of Avenue U that includes a golf course and the Salt Marsh Nature Center.

The Salt Marsh Nature Center includes a visitor center and trails on either side of Gerritsen Creek. Northeast of the creek are shorter trails, bounded between the creek and the golf course. Southwest of the creek is a trail about a mile long.

My hiking activities in 2016 were curtailed in part by the fact that I’ve seen many of the parks in the New York City area, in part because it takes longer to get to the parks from south Brooklyn than it did from Queens, where I lived from 2007-early 2014, and in part because my wife tripped on the street and broke her shoulder on August 24. As she began to recover and feel better, we looked for easy places to walk, and decided that Marine Park would be a good place to visit. The first photos below are from a visit on October 30, 2016:

View from southwest of the creek, near the northern end of Gerritsen Creek:

Pale-bellied brant geese (Branta bernicla hrota) enjoying Gerritsen Creek:

Pale-bellied brant geese

The trails run southeast from Avenue U, paralleling the creek. There is one trail close to the creek and one farther away, with a number of connecting trails in between them. The strip of land between the creek and the surrounding neighborhood is very narrow, so there is no risk of being lost in here.

Trail within Salt Marsh Nature Center

At the beach, dozens of tiny crabs come out at times to scavenge, socialize, or do whatever it is that crabs do. One of these days I may purchase a macro lens, but for now I try my best without one:

Crab

Rear view of one crab:

Crab

Our next trip to the Salt Marsh Nature Center was three months later, on January 29. This is a view of Gerritsen Creek from the back of the visitor center:

Gerritsen Creek

We followed the trail to the end of the park, where we reached a dead end at Plumb Beach Channel, which separated us from Plumb Beach and its bridge.

Plumb Beach Channel and Bridge

Marine Beach was at one point a dumping ground, but it was cleaned up in the 1990s. Still, the area could be better tended. The trails were littered with debris that was either blown in from the surrounding community or intentionally dumped by slobs. Furthermore, as we returned to Avenue U by walking along the shoreline of Gerritsen Creek (rather than returning on either of the parallel trails), we saw two vehicles that had probably been stolen and then burned there:

Burned Vehicle

Burned Truck

There were also a large number of abandoned boats, though most of them were mere shadows of what they once were:

Abandoned boat

There were also countless motors rusting away in the water or on the beach.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New York | Leave a comment

Harriman State Park/Sterling Forest State Park, Orange County, New York

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Charlie

This was the third time I completed this particular hike, one of my favorites in the New York area. The first time was a solo hike, On June 12, 2011, and the second time was with friends, on October 14, 2012. This was the first time that Batya had been on this hike.

We began in Harriman State Park, leaving the car in the “Elk Pen” parking area, and walking west along Arden Valley Road. I have seen deer both previous times that I did this hike and today, even before the road crossed over I-87, I spotted a fawn in the woods:

Fawn

She was not tiny, and therefore I suspect that she was born in May or even in late April, rather than in June:

Fawn

We crossed over I-87 and then the Ramapo River, and then when Arden Valley Road ended at Route 17, we carefully ran across the highway and entered the woods, hiking northwest (southbound on the Appalachian Trail). The trail quickly gains about 500′ elevation, with part of it called “Agony Grind.”

We were happy to see plenty of greenery, which provided a nice contrast with the rocks and the fallen leaves from the previous Fall:

Boulder

Some of the cliffs near Agony Grind:

Cliffs near Agony Grind

As we gained a bit of altitude, we were rewarded with our first scenic view:

Scenic View from Appalachian Trail

We kept climbing. Here, I have caught Batya in an action shot on one short scramble:

Batya Scrambling on Appalachian Trail

We reached another fine scenic view. My New York-New Jersey Trail Conference map doesn’t indicate any scenic views in this stretch of the trail, but I think this qualifies as one:

Stitched Panorama from Appalachian Trail

We had lunch at this spot, enjoying the view:

Stitched Panorama from Appalachian Trail

I’m not sure which of these stitched panoramas is best, so I’ve included all three:

Stitched Panorama from Appalachian Trail

After enjoying my sandwich and yogurt, I spotted some blueberries, and sampled a couple of them:

Blueberries

We continued hiking west. Here, we found a stand of shrubs that were probably kalmia, maybe mountain laurel (kalmia latifolia). We had seen mountain laurel flowers in Connecticut two weeks earlier, but this stand was not yet in bloom:

Kalmia shrubs

A close-up on the shrubs:

Kalmia shrubs

We reached the intersection with the blue-blazed trail that led to the Indian Hill region of Sterling Forest State Park, where we found a pair of perfectly good boots that someone had perhaps lost.

Lost boots

We left the Appalachian Trail, turning on the blue trail into Sterling Forest. Here, we encountered a handsome specimen of the eastern eyed click beetle (Alaus oculatus):

Eastern eyed click beetle

The blue trail met the yellow-blazed Indian Hill Loop, and we took the left-hand (eastern) portion of that. Here, we encounter a rock wall:

Rock wall

Even more impressive is when the trail briefly follows an old road that is bordered on both sides by rock walls:

Rock wall

The Trail Conference map does show scenic views exist on this trail:

Scenic view from Indian Hill Loop

A stitched panorama of one scenic view:

Stitched panorama of scenic view from Indian Hill Loop

A tonemapped image:

Tonemapped scenic view from Indian Hill Loop

The stump of a dead tree:

Tree stump

We reached the red-blazed Furnace Loop. We ultimately wanted to turn left to take the southern portion, but diverted a bit to the right (the northern portion) so as to visit the unnamed pond, where I photographed this pickerelweed:

Pickerelweed

The pond was covered with algae:

Pond

We walked along the entire western side of the small pond and continued on the trail, until Batya was kind enough to point out that we were on the yellow-bird-on-green-blazed Warbler Trail. (That would not have taken us terribly far out of the way, but it wasn’t what I had intended.) We backtracked from the pond and returned to the red-blazed Furnace Loop, and followed the southern portion.

The orange daylily (Pontederia cordata) is an Asian species that was cultivated in the U.S. and has escaped to the wild, becoming an invasive species:

Orange daylily

We soon reached the remnants of the Southfields Iron Furnace, built in 1805 and rebulit in 1836:

Southfields Furnace

We then left Sterling Forest, walking southwest on County Road 19 (“Orange Turnpike”) which took us back to Route 17. We crossed Route 17, walked east along Railroad Avenue, and then followed the train tracks of the Metro-North Line until we came to the blaze marking the end of Harriman’s Nurian trail. We followed that trail, crossing the Ramapo River:

Ramapo River

The trail then took us to a pedestrian bridge over I-87. If desired, refer to my June 12, 2011 post for photos of the pedestrian bridges over the Ramapo River and I-87.

Back in Harriman State Park, we hiked briefly along Arden Road, where we again saw a deer, this time an adult:

Deer

As the flat Arden Trail is too overgrown to take it all the way back to the Elk Pen, we had to follow the Nurian Trail up and down a number of hills. On the way, I spotted a raccoon, though I struggled to hold my telephoto lens steady in the lower light levels:

Raccoon

A couple was hiking toward us, asking if we had seen the red-blazed Stahahe Brook trail, which we would also want, to take us back to the Elk Pen parking area. I told them that it was behind them, so they turned around and walked with us toward the east. We still had over an hour before sundown, but it would not have been a good time to be lost in the woods, so I am glad that we were able to help them.

Here, I took another stitched panorama, of fallen trees:

Fallen trees on a hillside

Another area was very green:

Grassy area

We finally found the intersection with the Stahahe Brook trail. While it shows on my map as red-blazed, it is actually blazed as a (very) thin red horizontal stripe against a white background. Thus, it did not offer much contrast with the white-blazed Nurian trail that we were following. I can understand that the other couple missed their turn, as I first took it to be an intersection with a second white-blazed trail, before spotting the very thin red stripe.

Red-Belt Conk grew on an old tree trunk:

Red-belt conk

A clearing appeared, not far from the end of our hike:

Grassy field

We returned to the Elk Pen, and the couple again thanked us for helping them with the directions. It was a fun hike, and I was happy to have experienced it for the third time. I don’t know if there are always deer there, or if I have just been lucky to have seen them on every visit.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Appalachian Trail, deer, Harriman, New York, Orange County, Sterling Forest | Leave a comment

Allamuchy Mountain State Park, Sussex County, New Jersey

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Charlie

Interested in visiting a park we had not visited previously, I selected Allamuchy Mountain State Park, in Sussex County. Despite the name, we found the park to be very flat. We began our hike on the white-blazed Deer Path Trail, hiking north:

Deer Path Trail

A tiny scenic view from the trail:

Scenic view from Deer Path Trail

The terrain was generally flat and not very exciting, though there were a few boulders:

Boulder Deer Path Trail

An eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalus) was in the middle of the trail. It was small–only about two feet long:

Eastern garter snake

We also spotted a shell from a robin’s egg:

Robin egg shell

There was a rocky outcrop hidden behind the trees:

Rocky outcrop

A more visible rocky outcrop:

Rocky outcrop

Near the northern most part of the white trail, the NY-NJ Trail Conference map showed an unblazed trail diverting a short distance to the west to a scenic view. We found that unblazed trail and followed it through a gap in a fence. It led to a parking area where traffic from Interstate 80 could pull over and appreciate the scenic view and have a picnic. We made use of one of the picnic tables, then after lunch, we walked over to enjoy the scenic view.

This is a stitched panorama:

Scenic view

This is a stitched and tonemapped panorama:

Scenic view

Unfortunately, while there were garbage cans adjacent to the picnic tables, there was a lot of garbage on the ground and at the tree line, left by litterers.

There were also “no trespassing” signs at the tree line, which seemed odd, as we imagined that both the park and the parking area were public land. We re-entered the woods and returned to the white trail of the state park.

Trail

Deer Park Pond became visible through the trees:

Deer Park Pond

We reached a small clearing that gave us a clear view of the entire pond:

Deer Park Pond

The pond had many water lilies:

Water Lilies in Deer Park Pond

We completed a loop that took us back to the car, though at one point we found a confusing intersection and walked about 15 minuted down a trail before realizing that it was not the trail we wanted. I am certain that the park is treasured by those that live nearby, but we did not find it so exciting. As mentioned, the park seemed very flat, and there were only a few interesting rock outcrops that we noted, and the scenic view actually required leaving the park and hiking to a car park also shared with traffic off I-80. Also, while not the fault of the park, we were tormented by gnats flying around our face the entire hike, a seasonal hazard that probably affected hikers throughout the region that week.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New Jersey, sussex | Leave a comment

Trout Brook Valley, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Charlie

We drove to Connecticut to visit Trout Brook Valley conservation area, where I had visited four years previously. I refer readers to that earlier post to learn more about the park and trails.

This visit was similar to the last one, except that I did not notice any vernal pools or encounter any snapping turtles resting in the middle of a trail. I also don’t think we saw any dogs, either on-leash or off-leash.

We began at the parking area on Bradley Road, taking the red-blazed trail north.

The trails were maintained well, and the hiking there was pleasant, with plentiful shade provided, and varied scenery from the trees and rocks.

Wooded scenery

A rock outcrop:

Rock outcrop

The trail was steep in one short section, and a rope had been tied to trees, perhaps to assist some hikers in climbing the slope:

A steep section of the trail

This was a very interesting tree that included a right-angle bend, such that part of the trunk was practically parallel to the ground, while another part was growing up as expected:

Right-angle tree

In addition to colored blazes on the trails, intersections in the preserve have numbered signs, and maps available either online or at the kiosk near the parking area show the intersection numbers, making it easy for visitors to track their progress.

We followed the red trail from the parking lot up to intersection 17, where we briefly followed a green-blazed trail north to intersection 19, before resuming north on a red-blazed trail. I had been confused on my previous visit by the short switch from red to green.

It was a good day for mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), the state flower of Connecticut:

Mountain laurel

It was a sunny day, so we were glad that we had tree cover for the great majority of our hike:

Sunshine in the forest

Three trees grow together:

Triplets

We took the second red trail up to intersection 53, in the adjacent Jump Hill Preserve. From intersection 53, in the northern part of the park, we turned south onto a white-blazed trail, which led us to intersection 11.

At one point we heard and then saw a family of three deer, at a distance, but they bounded over a hill and out of sight before I could change my lens from the wide angle to the telephoto.

Fallen trees rest against stone, providing nice texture:

Fallen trees

From intersection 11, we followed a yellow-blazed trail further south, to intersection 14. We then took an orange-blazed trail, which meandered northeast, then southeast, and then south-southwest, to intersection 4.

The hand of man left a few rock walls in the park, probably around 1800:

Rock wall

The trail passed under a fallen tree:

Fallen tree

A rocky area:

Rock outcrop

Another rock wall:

Rock wall

At intersection 4, we took a blue-blazed trail that continued south-southwest.

This tree had a significant burl:

Burl

The trail led us back to the parking area where we had left our car.

It was a beautiful day for a hike in Connecticut.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Connecti, Connecticut, Fairfield County | Leave a comment

Sourland Mountain Preserve, Somerset County, New Jersey

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Charlie

Today we drove to Sourland Mountain Preserve, a 3025 acre county park, where we enjoyed a late Fall day with temperatures in the upper 60s! It was nice to hike with a short sleeved shirt this time of year. The name “Sourlands” is derived from the fact that early settlers found the rocky soils difficult to farm.

The park has a single point of access, with a spacious gravel parking lot. It is a very popular park, though, and with cars spaced generously from each other, it was tricky finding a spot. Don’t come to this county park expecting to find solitude. There is no entrance fee, and other than a porta-potty, no facilities. The park seems to just exist for hiking, biking, and bouldering.

There are a few trails, but we chose the longest trail, the 5-mile Ridge Trail, and we deviated from it at one point to take the red-blazed 2.1 mile Roaring Brook Trail, so our hike may have been 5.5 or 6 miles.

This photo was taken just past the trailhead:

Trail

We progressed counterclockwise on the trail, gaining about 350′ in elevation and soon reaching the eastern-most part of the park, featuring Devil’s Half Acre, a boulder field. Here I scrambled to the top of one of the boulders:

Charlie climbs a boulder

The park has both sedimentary and igneous rocks. Here are more boulders:

Boulders

I was impressed that this tree grew sideways out of a crack in a boulder, then made a 90 degree angle toward the sky:

Tree growing from a rock

We also saw a number of trees that grew as twins, triplets, and in one place a stand of four trees that grew together. Here, three trees grew together on the left:

Triplet trees

There were also a number of fallen trees in the park, perhaps from the storms that the region has experienced over the past several years:

Fallen tree

Here, the top broke off a standing dead tree:

Broken snag

The west part of the park has another boulder field. This is called Roaring Rocks Boulders. Batya noted that the name was curious, as rocks don’t generally make roaring sounds. However, these boulders are adjacent to Roaring Brook, which perhaps roars at time:

Boulders

More boulders:

Boulder field

Roaring Brook was practically dry, and was very silent on this day. A sign across the brook identified the opposing land as belonging to 3M, and asked people not to cross into their property.

Roaring Brook

Another tree grew from a boulder:

Tree growing from a rock

An old wall, possibly built as a dam:

Old wall

The maximum elevation in the park is around 500′, so the hiking is not very strenuous. There are no scenic views, either, but it is always nice to get out into the woods. Obviously, the park will look very different in the middle of the summer, when there are leaves on the trees, but it was also nice to visit on such a warm day in mid-December.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New Jersey | Leave a comment

Shore Parkway Greenway (western section), Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Charlie

We had a previous hike of the western section of the Shore Parkway Greenway about a year before, and decided to repeat the walk on this day.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge looked about the same as always:

Verrazano–Narrows Bridge

This is non-powered barge RTC 81, owned by Reinauer Transportation:

Barge RTC 81

Continuing north, we crossed under the bridge. Pedestrian walkways cross over the Belt Parkway to the east, and we took one, detouring from the Greenway and finding ourselves in a narrow and discontinuous park known as Shore Road Park, nestled between the Belt Parkway and Shore Road. One part was nicely landscaped, another section included a small baseball field, another section included playgrounds and restrooms.

Shore Road Park

Another section of the park included a small garden, with plants such as this cactus:

Cactus in Shore Road Park

We continued walking through the Shore Road Park until we reached Bay Ridge Avenue, at which point we walked under the Belt Parkway onto the American Veterans Memorial Pier, where we had lunch.

The pier provided good views of the harbor and its ships and other sites. Here is the 300 meter long, 74642 ton Maersk Detroit container ship:

Maersk Detroit Container Ship

The 26′ tow boat Tommy Miller passes the giant Maersk vessel:

Rigid-inflatable boat Tommy Miller

The iconic Statue of Liberty:

Statue of Liberty

And “Freedom Tower,” One World Trade Center:

One World Trade Center

We began walking back along the Greenway, passing the 183 meter, 23196 ton oil/chemical tanker Bow Jubail:

Verrazano–Narrows Bridge

The tiniest watercraft we saw all day were these three men in their sea kayaks:

Three kayakers pass the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge

They were three different models, but all were British-style kayaks. American-style kayaks have rudders and thus may be easier to manage, but the British-style kayaks are more flexible in the hands of experts.

A TideRace Xplore X:

TideRace Xplore X sea kayak

A Valley étaín sea kayak:

Valley étaín sea kayak

A Sea Kayaking UK Romany model:

Sea Kayaking UK Romany model

The three men paddled past us:

Three British-Style Sea Kayaks

We also saw the 95-foot Whaling City Express, operated by SeaStreak:

Whaling City Express

And the largest ship we saw that day, the 325 meter Norwegian Breakaway:

Norwegian Breakaway

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New York | Leave a comment

Laraway Mountain, Long Trail State Forest, Lamoille County, Vermont

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Charlie

Monday: I had initially hoped that we would be able to climb the five highest peaks on our first visit to Vermont, but we had to cut short our hike at Camel’s Hump (third highest peak) due to rain and hail. We then successfully climbed Killington Peak (second highest) and Mount Mansfield (highest peak), but Batya’s new boots were causing her foot pain, so we had to abandon plans for a hike to Mount Ellen and Mount Abraham (fourth and fifth highest) and find an easier hike. [Mount Ellen shows the same elevation as Camel’s Hump, so I’m not sure why it’s listed as fourth highest instead of tied for third. Perhaps Camel’s Hump is a few inches higher.]

Our backup hike was to climb Laraway Mountain, a hike of only 4.8 miles round-trip, climbing and descending about 1600′. From Highway 109, one follows Codding Hollow Road to a parking area at 44.708, -72.713 (or about 0.2 miles further down the road, at 44.708, -72.710, though this requires driving over a rough patch of road). Once again my GPS had trouble directing me there. When I typed in the coordinates, it led me to Highway 109, but then passed Codding Hollow Road and directed me on Laraway Mountain Road and would have had me driving through streams, etc., so we backtracked to Highway 109 and made sure to turn onto Codding Hollow Road. From the second parking area, follow the Long Trail north.

11:47 a.m.: The trail starts at around 1200′ elevation and immediately crosses Codding Brook, and then begins climbing Laraway Mountain. There are a few small streams along the way:

Stream

A few areas of the trail are rocky or wet, but for the most part the terrain is easy. Of course, as I mentioned, there is a climb of 1600′, so the trail is not flat.

Rocky section of the Long Trail

Parts of the trail were clearly an old logging trail, while other parts were footpaths. The transition points from one to another were not always clear.

Old logging road

A fallen tree:

Fallen tree

1:24 p.m.: One distinctive feature of this section of the Long Trail is a cliff that extends 100 yards or more. The trail passes right beside it, and it’s difficult to get a photograph that properly presents it:

Cliff

The trail then runs along a streambed. It is quite deep in places, but perhaps this is through eons of erosion, and there is never deep water in it.

Streambed

Batya posed by the side of the streambed:

Batya at side of streambed

2:01 p.m.: We soon came to the highlight of the hike, the Laraway Lookout, which afforded us with about a 180-degree view. Looking southwest, Mount Mansfield is about 13 miles away:

View from Laraway Lookout

My zoom lens brought Mount Mansfield into closer view. This isn’t the best angle to discern features of a face, though even the best angles require much imagination to identify a forehead, nose, lips, chin, and Adam’s apple:

Mount Mansfield from Laraway Lookout

View toward the west:

View from Laraway Lookout

While the trail wasn’t exactly crowded, we also didn’t have it all to ourselves, even though this was a workday. One couple, who live nearby, visited Laraway Lookout while we were having lunch there, and agreed to take our photo:

Charlie and Batya at Laraway Lookout

After spending 45 minutes at the lookout, we pushed onward toward the summit, 0.4 miles further and 100′ higher.

3:09 p.m.: There were even wet areas up here, with logs or rough timber set down as puncheon:

Batya on Puncheon

3:14 p.m.: At 2796′, Laraway Mountain is far from the tallest of peaks in Vermont, but it still made for a nice hike. The summit features a geodetic survey marker and sign:

Survey marker at summit

The sign says 2790′ elevation, but the datasheet of the National Geodetic Survey says 2796′.

Sign at summit

We then retraced our steps to the south. Here Batya hikes by the cliff:

Hiking past cliff

5:14 p.m.: We completed the hike, returning to the parking area. There were wildflowers at the end of the hike, growing near Codding Brook:

Wildflowers

After this hike, we drove back to Stowe. We noticed a small park very close to the hotel, and pulled in to investigate. The park gave us access to the Stowe Recreation Path, a hiking/biking path.

6:34 p.m.: We walked along the path for a while, which passed by a corn maze owned by Percy Farm. The maze was already closed for the day, but I marveled at the fact that we had driven to the eastern part of the state to visit a corn maze there, when there was one within a mile or two of our hotel:

Percy Farm corn maze

The Percy Farm also had two pens, one with two baby calves, and one with two goats. If we had only had a quarter, we could have bought some pellets of food from a dispenser at the above corn maze admission booth. As we didn’t have a quarter, we fed the goats a few blades of green grass that had been just outside their reach:

Batya feeds goats

The pathway included this sign (with two misspelled words). I don’t know if there are any beavers in the area, but if there are, I am fairly confident that they cannot read. Therefore, I do not know the purpose of the sign. A search online does not reveal any proof that there is a Stowe Rodent Regulation Board. I guess someone was just having fun.

Anti-beaver sign

Tuesday: Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and we had to leave Vermont behind. We don’t know if we’d enjoy the state in the winter, but it was fantastic in the summer, and we hope to see it again, perhaps to reach the summit of Camel’s Hump (without rain and hail), and to hike other mountains in the state.

On the way home, we stopped in Massachusetts at the Yankee Candle Company‘s flagship store:

Exterior of Yankee Candle Factory

We spent an hour or so inside, admiring the many sizes, shapes, and scents of the candles:

Batya selects candles

Afterward, we continued our drive home, stopping in Hartford to visit my mom’s cousin Mickey, and then continuing back to New York.

Posted in Hikes, Vacations | Tagged Vermont | Leave a comment

Shelburne Museum & Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Chittenden County, Vermont

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Charlie

Sunday: We drove west to Shelburne, south of Burlington, where our first stop was the Shelburne Museum. The museum is a large 45-acre facility with 38 buildings, including 25 historic buildings that had been relocated to the site. The buildings house collections of Americana that include fine art, folk art, quilts, carriages, firearms, etc. The museum was founded by Electra Havemeyer Webb, whose father had great wealth from the sugar industry, and whose late husband had even greater wealth as a descendant of the Vanderbilt family.

Our first stop was at a 1901 round barn from East Passumpsic, which currently houses a collection of carriages:

Round barn

The Abbot-Downing Company of Concord, New Hampshire built more than 1,500 stagecoaches, which were used throughout the U.S. and saw exports to Australia, Africa, and South America. Their best-known coach was this 1852 Concord Coach, modeled after the coronation coach of King George III.

1852 Concord coach

The American Carriage Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, produced this ca. 1875 Pony Runabout. This tiny vehicle allowed a child and adult to sit together, with the child observing the adult controlling the pony. The child could then take over and learn to drive:

1875 Pony runabout

The lighting in the barn was not ideal, and with my camera set at 400 ISO, the remaining photos had shutter speeds slow enough to introduce a bit of blur. I hadn’t realized it at the time, or I would have opted for a higher “film speed.” Still, a few of the photos are acceptable.

Joubert and White of Glens Falls, N.Y. designed this rugged, all-terrain Buckboard Surrey ca. 1900. Surreys cost around $50-100 at that time:

Buckboard surrey

A three-seat surrey by an unidentified manufacturer, also ca. 1900:

Three-seat surrey

This Million et Guiet 1890 Berlin model was imported from Paris:

1890 Million-Guiet Berlin coach

This hearse by A. Tolman & Co. of Worcester, Massachusetts could be fitted with either wheels for traveling over roads or sleigh runners for operating in snow. It is dated ca. 1865:

Hearse

This is a cutter, a small horse-drawn sleigh by B. Ledoux of Montreal, dating from ca. 1885:

Cutter sleigh

Leaving the barn, we charted a clockwise tour through the grounds and walked to the adjacent Circus Building, constructed for the museum in 1965. The building houses carousel figures and circus posters, but the highlight is a 500′ long miniature model of a circus parade carved by Roy Arnold and five assistants between 1925-55:

Roy Arnold’s Miniature Parade

African Lion Wagon in Roy Arnold’s Miniature Parade

Sinbad the Sailor Tableau Wagon in Roy Arnold’s Miniature Parade

Sleeping Beauty Tableau Wagon in Roy Arnold’s Miniature Parade

Robinson Crusoe Tableau Wagon in Roy Arnold’s Miniature Parade

Outside of the Circus Building was an operating carousel, and we enjoyed a ride:

Charlie and Batya on Carousel

Next we visited a firearms collection in the Beach Gallery:

Firearm collection

Of course, what collection of Americana would be complete without railroad artifacts, so the Shelburne Museum has . . . a railway station, steam locomotive, and rail car! Here’s the 1915 locomotive no. 220, a 4-6-0 engine that saw service with the Central Vermont Railway.

Locomotive No. 220

The rail car is the 1899 Grand Isle, designed as a private car for Dr. and Mrs. William Seward Webb. He practiced medicine, but presumably had more financial success from his marriage to Eliza “Lila” Vanderbilt, granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. (Their son, James Watson Webb II, married Electra Havemeyer, daughter of Henry Osborne Havemeyer, the President of the American Sugar Refining Company. She founded the Shelburne Museum.) As noted above, it was Electra Havemeyer Webb who founded the museum. Very wealthy people who did not want to share a rail car with other passengers could purchase their own private railcar, and this is one such example.

Interior of Railcar Grand Isle

As if having a locomotive engine and railcar (and station) isn’t cool enough, the museum also has a 220′ steamship! The 1906 Ticonderoga is the America’s last remaining walking beam sidewheel passenger steamer.

Ticonderoga

Parked on the deck of the steamer were a 1925 Durant touring car and a Ford Model T truck:

1925 Durant

Ford Model T

We toured the interior of the steamship, including the passenger compartments, dining area, and even the engine room and crew quarters.

We then left the steamship and continued our clockwise tour of the grounds, next visiting a well-stocked Apothecary Shop.

Apothecary Shop

We also toured a tiny two-cell jail constructed of slate, which was built in 1890 in Castleton, Vermont. We also toured a shop that included toys, and viewed an exhibit of contemporary quilts. We walked past a covered bridge, and visited the Webb Gallery, which included works by a number of important American artists.

While we could have spent longer at the Shelburne Museum, we also wanted to visit the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Therefore, we left the museum and drove a short distance to the south, arriving at the brightly colored factory, where we registered for a tour.

Vermont Teddy Bear Company

Unfortunately, as it was a Sunday, the factory was silent. The tour was still interesting, and we learned all about the (relatively short) history of the company, how it is distinguished from other teddy bear manufacturers, the parts that go into making a teddy bear, etc.:

Vermont Teddy Bear Company

It was a quiet day in the hospital, where injured bears are restored to perfect health:

Hospital at Vermont Teddy Bear Company

The gift shop was open, and included this adorable pair:

Nuptials at Vermont Teddy Bear Company

We purchased our own Vermont Teddy Bear, complete with a t-shirt embroidered with our names, and headed back to Stowe for the evening.

Next: We hike Laraway Mountain.

Posted in Vacations | Tagged Vermont | Leave a comment

Mount Mansfield, Chittenden County, Vermont

Posted on August 8, 2015 by Charlie

Friday: We decided to tackle Mount Mansfield, which at 4,393′ is the highest point in Vermont. The mountain is only about a ten minute drive from Stowe.

10:56 a.m.: We parked at the Gondola Base Lodge, at around 1,500′ elevation.

Gondola lift

11:00 a.m.: We quickly found the trailhead for the Haselton Trail and began our ascent.

Haselton Trail

11:30 a.m.: It was a beautiful day for hiking.

Haselton Trail

11:32 a.m.: A series of zip-lines had just been put into service at Mt. Mansfield, and at this point in our hike the trail passed directly beneath the parallel twin wires of the zip-line. The lines ran to a very large nearby platform, where that zip-line ended and the next began. While I’m sure the zip-line is quite fun, it is somewhat disconcerting to be enjoying a hike in nature and then to suddenly hear the singing of a wire cable, accompanying by the excited screams of riders.

11:38 a.m.: We crossed a tiny stream of water, though the rocks suggested that at times there was more water passing there:

Rocky stream crossing

11:48 a.m.: A tree grew around a large rock:

Tree growing around a large rock

Haselton Trail

12:01 p.m.: The trail briefly broke into the clear, crossing an unmarked service road. However, we crossed the road and re-entered the woods.

12:35 p.m.: The trail again left the trees, climbing adjacent to a ski slope, now green.

12:41 p.m.: The ski slope in summer:

Ski slope in summer

12:54 p.m.:

Batya climbs the ski slope

Ski slope in summer

1:10 p.m.: We spent a half hour climbing the ski slope. It would probably only take a skier a minute or two to descend that distance in the winter:

Ski slope in summer

After 1.6 miles, we reached the auto toll road, at 3,100′. This is a 4.5-mile road for people who prefer to drive up to the mountain. It begins south of the gondola base, from a point a little lower on the mountain, at 1,302′ elevation. The toll seemed insanely expensive to Batya and myself, but perhaps we are overly frugal. The charge is $19 for a car (and its driver), with an additional $6 for each passenger.

We followed the auto toll road for 0.5 miles, climbing another 600′ to the road’s terminus at a parking lot at around 3,700′ elevation. At this point we had been hiking for over two hours and had only covered 2.1 miles, a very slow pace, though that included an elevation gain of about 2,200′. We sat on a large rock and ate a leisurely lunch.

Adjacent to the parking lot was a small visitor’s center, manned (or womanned) by volunteers from the Green Mountain Club. In addition to providing directions and information, the volunteers sought to educate visitors to avoid the alpine tundra at the high elevations of the mountain.

The ridgeline of Mt. Mansfield has a number of high spots, traversed by the Long Trail. When viewed from the east or west (and a few miles away), the mountain is said to resemble a human profile (facing the sky). These peaks are referred to as the forehead, nose, lips, chin, and Adam’s apple. However, in this particular “face” it is not the nose that is the highest point, but the chin. The visitor’s center is just north of the nose, and about 100-150′ below it. We did not climb to the nose, though, instead turning south and climbing toward the chin.

2:09 p.m.: We turned north toward the summit of the “chin,” 1.4 miles away and still about 700′ in elevation higher:

Long Trail sign

The Long Trail provided beautiful scenery on Mt. Mansfield:

Panorama

As discussed, we followed the Haselton Trail part of the way up the mountain, and then the Long Trail. The Long Trail itself can be followed all the way up the mountain, either from the south or the north, and there are also other trails that join the Long Trail, from both the east and west of the mountain ridge.

2:18 p.m.: I took a 360-degree panorama from a spot still fairly close to the “nose”:

360-degree panorama

2:42 p.m.: We continued hiking north on the Long Trail, growing closer to the “chin”:

Chin of Mount Mansfield

Batya scrambling toward the top:

Batya scrambling toward the summit

2:54 p.m.: Getting close to the top:

Chin of Mount Mansfield

. . . closer . . .

Chin of Mount Mansfield

3:15 p.m.: Made it to the top! After climbing about 2,900′ over the course of 2.7 miles, we reached the summit. Here’s another 360-degree panorama, this one from the “chin” of Mt. Mansfield, the highest point in Vermont:

360-degree panorama from the summit

Batya at the highest point of Vermont:

Batya at the summit

Charlie at the summit:

Charlie at the summit

Together (taken by a kind stranger with my cell phone):

Charlie and Batya at the highest point in Vermont

3:38 p.m.: We began our descent:

Descending from the Summit

I had originally planned to take the Long Path north from the summit, however the Green Mountain Club had another volunteer posted at the summit (to give directions, answer questions and particularly to ask people to avoid walking on the alpine tundra). She said that the section of the Long Path immediately north of the summit was exposed and not a good route for anyone who might be nervous about heights. She instead recommended that we backtrack a short distance north on the Long Trail and then turn onto the Profanity Trail. Batya asked the guide why the trail had been given such a name, and the guide thought that because it was a trail to be used in case of bad weather (being less exposed and thus less a lightning risk), the bad weather might invoke profanity. We developed our own theory, as the short trail was pretty much a non-stop scramble requiring very slow going.

3:58 p.m.: I somehow tripped over this tree root, falling . . .

Cruel tree root on the Profanity Trail

. . . and tearing a hole in one of my treasured hiking pants, with which I have been on so many adventures. For a while I couldn’t find any manufacturers of cotton/poly pants in my inseam (and without the zip-off lower leg convertible feature). Now they seem to be available once again from Lands End, though reviewers allege that they aren’t always true-to-size, so I am a bit afraid to order a pair. Luckily, the damage was mostly confined to the pants, though I also did have a superficial cut on my leg to match the minor cut that my finger had received while replacing a brake light in my car days earlier.

Torn hiking pants

Profanity Trail

4:32 p.m.: We finally reached the bottom of the hated Profanity Trail:

Bottom of the Profanity Trail

4:49 p.m.: At this point, we rejoined the Long Trail heading north, well clear of the exposed area that the guide had suggested we avoid. There were plenty of trees now, so it was no longer exposed, but it was still steep and required yet more scrambling. So while we were clear of the Profanity Trail, the scrambling continued unabated.

Scrambling down the Long Trail

6:44 p.m.: The Long Trail finally reached the road, about 0.6 miles north of the Gondola station. It only took us a few minutes from this point to return to the station’s parking lot, where we had left the car. The loop was probably only 7 miles or less, though the 2,900′ in elevation gain was impressive, with beautiful views.

The hike had taken longer than we had anticipated, with the extensive scrambling and with Batya still suffering some discomfort from an ill-fitting boot. Still, it was a great day and a great hike!

We made it back to the hotel about 45 minutes before the start of our Sabbath. We just relaxed at the hotel, though we were able to enjoy a parade of classic cars that drove by our hotel on Saturday afternoon. Stowe hosts a classic car show every year, and the parade route was very convenient for us.

Sunday: Shelburne Museum and Teddy Bears

Posted in Hikes, Vacations | Tagged Vermont | Leave a comment

Charlie Stein's Photoblog

Allaire State Park, Monmouth County, New Jersey

Marine Park, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

Harriman State Park/Sterling Forest State Park, Orange County, New York

Allamuchy Mountain State Park, Sussex County, New Jersey

Trout Brook Valley, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Sourland Mountain Preserve, Somerset County, New Jersey

Shore Parkway Greenway (western section), Brooklyn, Kings County, New York

Laraway Mountain, Long Trail State Forest, Lamoille County, Vermont

Shelburne Museum & Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Chittenden County, Vermont

Mount Mansfield, Chittenden County, Vermont

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