Charlie Stein's Photoblog

Stonetown Circular Trail, Passaic County, New Jersey

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Charlie

I spotted this hike on the NY-NJ Trail Conference’s “North Jersey Trails” map. I like doing loops, so as not to have to cover the same territory twice on one hike, and I also like hikes of about 8–10 miles, so this was perfect. This hike covers a number of different properties, as I will describe. I moved in a clockwise direction. I later found reviews that others had written about this hike, and many of them moved in a counterclockwise direction. It doesn’t matter, though the character of the east and west portion are different.

I drove on I-287 to Wanaque, took Ringwood Avenue north, then took West Brook Road across the Wanaque Reservoir, turned right onto Stonetown Road and left on Mary Roth Drive into the Recreational Area, where I parked.

10:57 a.m.: I began hiking north on Stonetown Road, following the red triangular blaze of the Stonetown Circular Trail, which would guide me all day. After 0.3 miles, I turned left onto Magee Road. I followed that for another 0.2 miles, crossing a bridge, then followed the red triangular blazes into the woods to the right. This is land owned by the Passaic River Coalition.

11:35 a.m.: At first the trail was only wooded, but I soon came to a few rocks, over which the trail scrambled.

Rocks on trail

11:39 a.m.: More rocks.

Rocks

11:40 a.m.: After about 0.6 miles in the woods, I came to a bit of a scenic view.

Scenic view

11:51 a.m.: This dead tree caught my eye.

Dead tree

11:54 a.m.: I don’t know how old this bi-level hunting platform is, but it was well-constructed.

Hunting platform

12:06 p.m.: After another 0.7 miles, I reached the second scenic view on the trail.

Scenic view

12:10 p.m.: This is Tory Rocks. According to legend, British Tories hid out in the caves here during the American Revolution. The rocks didn’t look that big or the “caves” too extensive to me, but maybe I missed something.

Tory Rocks

Looking down at a scramble:

Tory Rocks

After successfully making my way down, here’s a view looking up at the rocks.

Tory Rocks

12:26 p.m.: On the western half of the hike, I encountered a few abandoned cars. Here was the first, a quarter mile from Tory Rocks: a Volkswagen Beetle crushed by a falling tree.

Crushed Volkswagen Beetle

Another view of the crushed Volkswagen Beetle

12:38 p.m.: Another scramble.

Scramble

Trees

Crossed trees.

Crossed trees

The trail continued through a stand of young birch trees.

Birch trees

1:17 p.m.: I was moving slowly. In part it was because I was on my own, so I didn’t feel rushed to keep up with someone else, and I was stopping to explore, take photos, etc. In part it was because it was a hot and humid day, so I stopped frequently to sip some water and cool off. At this point in the hike, 0.4 miles past the VW, I had just exited the Passaic River Coalition land and entered Norvin Green State Forest. The trail intersected Burnt Meadow Road and the orange-blazed Sonoma Trail. I continued on the red trail.

Red trail

1:25 p.m.: I crossed several small brooks on the hike.

Brook

1:52 p.m.: A pickup on its side. I’m not sure how it ended up on its side: if that was an accident, or if someone did that after it had been abandoned.

Wrecked pickup

It didn’t appear to have been there very long, either—certainly not many years.

Wrecked pickup

Around this time the trail exited Norvin Green State Forest and entered Long Pond Ironworks State Park.

2:08 p.m.: I only saw two people on my entire hike. The first was a man who walked past me carrying fishing poles as I was examining debris from the truck. He told me that he had seen a rattlesnake on the trail in the direction I was heading. That slowed me even more, as I made sure to walk slowly and to keep an eye on where I was stepping. But I didn’t see or hear the rattler.

Small clearing

2:15 p.m.: About 0.8 miles after the intersection with the orange trail, the red trail came to high-voltage power lines, which were sizzling overhead.

Transmission lines

I found a big feather, which I believe is the tail feather of a wild turkey.

Wild turkey feather

Beside the tower of the electric transmission line was a frame and rear bumper of a vehicle. If someone was going to go so far as to remove the rest of the vehicle, why leave the frame and rear bumper?

Frame and bumper of vehicle

2:23 p.m.: The trail moved past rocks.

Rocks

2:26 p.m.: After another 0.2 miles, the red trail intersected the white-blazed Horse Pond Mountain Trail and the teal-blazed Highlands Trail. The Highlands Trail continued to run with the red trail for most of the remainder of the hike.

2:27 p.m.: Another nice rock.

Boulder

2:38 p.m.: The red trail again passed under the transmission lines, with a scenic view of Monksville Reservoir (to the northwest of the much larger Wanaque Reservoir).

Monksville Reservoir

2:49 p.m.: The red trail once again passed under the transmission lines. Here they may be seen cutting across the Monksville Reservoir and heading for the Monksville Dam (a spillway between the Monksville Reservoir and the Wanaque Reservoir).

Monksville Reservoir and Dam

3:00 p.m.: This low-elevation area was flat and easy to traverse, so I made better time. After another 0.9 miles, the red-blazed and Highlands trails crossed Stonetown Road. Across the road, the land on the eastern part of the Stonetown Circular Trail is owned by the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission. Just in the woods on the eastern side of the trail, I encountered the second person I saw that day, another man. This one looked like he was hiking, as I saw no fishing poles. I decided this was about the halfway point in the hike, and I finally stopped for lunch.

Stream

3:48 p.m.: After another 1.3 miles, the trail intersected the HT Connector, a short trail that led to a parking area. I continued on the red trail, which was climbing from around 400’ (the elevation of the reservoirs) to the top of “Board Mountain” (which at just 860’ in elevation is not a mountain).

3:50 p.m.: I crossed a brook, and a splash of movement attracted my attention, as a frog sought temporary refuge underwater. See him?

Brook

How about now? (It helps to know where to look, right?)

Frog hiding underwater

I knew that he couldn’t hold his breath for long, and he soon came up for air. He decided that he wasn’t afraid of me, and didn’t flee as I passed by.

Frog coming to the surface for air

Closeup of frog

4:27 p.m.: The heat and humidity were wearing on me, but after another 0.4 miles, I finally made it to the top of Board Mountain.

View from Board Mountain

4:41 p.m.: A nice flat rock. I was then descending Board Mountain, and as soon as I had dropped to around 600’ elevation, the trail began to ascend again on “Bear Mountain” (which no relation to the famous Bear Mountain in New York).

Flat rock on trail

4:46 p.m.: A large black rat snake was stretched leisurely across the road. He was so big that I had to make a stitched panorama to get all of him into one photo. My clicking photo lens apparently bothered him, as he soon reared up impressively, and then slithered along the ground to a hollow tree trunk, which he entered.

Black rat snake

5:12 p.m.: After another 0.8 miles, I made it to the top of Bear Mountain, which at around 920’ is still not quite a mountain. As soon as I got there, I heard a large animal in the woods and caught a flash of red. I’m almost certain that it was a deer, but I didn’t get a good look, much less a photo.

View from Bear Mountain (N.J.)

I descended Bear Mountain. After another 0.7 miles, I came to a woods road which I believed to be an extension of Windbeam Lane, which connects to Stonetown Road. I was feeling tired, because of the heat, humidity, distance, elevation, etc., and thought about cutting the hike short. (It would have saved me ½ mile and another 600’ of elevation gain and 600’ of elevation descent.) But when I hiked 0.1 miles along the woods road, I discovered that there was a fence with a locked gate blocking access. The North Jersey District Water Supply Commission is kind enough to allow the red-blazed and Highlands trail to cut through their property, as well as the HT connector, but otherwise they don’t want people accessing their property, and they prefer that people stick to the marked trails. So I had no choice but to continue to the end of the loop.

6:28 p.m.: After another 0.9 miles, I had ascended the last mountain of the day, Windbeam Mountain. At least this peak deserved its name, being over 1000’ in elevation. Windbeam Mountain affords views to both the west and the east.

View from Windbeam Mountain

Steep Descent on south side of Windbeam Mountain

View descending Windbeam Mountain

A forest fire about a year earlier had killed a number of trees on the south side of Windbeam Mountain.

After another 0.3 miles, the red trail turned toward the right, while the Highlands Trail continued on straight (south). I followed the red trail another 0.5 miles back to Stonetown Road and my car.

All together, the hike was about 9.6 miles. It took me 8 hours, which was a very slow pace. Reading reviews by others, they did it in 5.5-7 hours. Sometimes I’m fast, sometimes I’m slow.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New Jersey, Passaic County, snake | Leave a comment

Sterling Forest State Park, Orange County, New York

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Charlie

I had intended to park along Route 17A and hike the Highlands Trail, but there were no other cars in that area, and there was a sign that read something like, “Seasonal hunting and parking by permit only.” I really have difficulty parsing such signs, and didn’t know if that meant that a hiker wanting to park there would need a permit, or if a permit was only required by a hunter.

I then intended to drive to a location where Route 5 had a parking area near the Appalachian Trail, but I guess I drove by Route 5 and it wasn’t marked. I then was looking for another road crossing the Appalachian Trail, and apparently the road has been renamed. So I was having all sorts of problems. I turned around and drove east of Route 17A, missing the turnoff to the visitor center for Sterling Forest, and ended up crossing Route 17 and entering Harriman.

1:19 p.m.: I found a sign for river access to the Ramapo River, which I had crossed over the week before in my Harriman/Sterling hike. I entered there and found a nice parking area with several areas for launching kayaks or canoes (or maybe larger boats). There were no vehicles there and I didn’t see any craft on the water.

Ramapo River

I then returned to Route 17A, drove west again, this time finding the turnoff to the Visitor Center, State Route 84. After three miles on that route, I turned onto Old Forge Road and finally found the Visitor Center. I asked the man at the desk about the “seasonal hunting and parking by permit only” sign, and he said that the signs did not apply to hikers and that I could have parked at that area. By this time, I decided it was too late to return there, so I instead began my hike on trails that started from the Visitor Center. Oh, parking at the Visitor Center was limited to 20 minutes, but the Rutgers Highlands Environmental Research Institute across the road had a large parking lot that was marked as offering visitor parking. There were about 20 or 30 vehicles there, and I found a spot and parked.

1:45 p.m.: I began hiking on the blue-blazed Lake trail, then after 0.4 miles switched to the yellow-blazed Lakeville-Ironworks Trail, a 0.5 mile trail that presented some of the history of the iron mining and forging that had been conducted in the area for two centuries.

Daughters of American Revolution Plaque

2:02 p.m.: It looked like there was a mine shaft under this ledge, with a metal gate added to bar access.

Mine shaft

I believe this is a Eastern Ribbon Snake:

Eastern Ribbon Snake

A few surviving structures remain from the iron works. A sign indicated that these dated from the 1920s.

Ironworks structures

The yellow trail then ended back at the blue trail, which I followed for another 0.25 miles. I then followed the red-blazed Fire Tower Connector trail due south, and uphill. This was an old woods road, and in fact I met a State truck driving down it as I was hiking up. After 0.5 miles, the Fire Tower Connector trail ended at the Fire Tower trail, which continued either straight ahead or to the left. I somehow turned left when I should have continued straight. I think the problem was that I saw a sign that said “Fire Tower,” and I thought that meant the Fire Tower was in the indicated direction. Instead, the sign just meant that it was the Fire Tower trail.

2:45 p.m.: I came to a paved (but abandoned) road and kept going. I found a stand of dead trees in one spot:

Fire Tower Trail

After 0.8 miles, I began hearing road traffic, which didn’t make sense, because I shouldn’t have been anywhere near a road. That’s when I realized that I had foolishly turned in the wrong direction, and had hiked almost all the way to the end of the Fire Tower trail, which dead-ends at a parking lot near Route 84. I stopped for a late lunch and then backtracked. After another 0.8 miles, I returned to the intersection of the Fire Tower trail and Fire Tower Connector trail, I turned in the correct direction.

3:49 p.m.: After another 0.8 miles, I finally arrived at the fire tower, probably an hour later than I should have been there.

Fire tower

Looking up at the fire tower:

Fire tower

View from fire tower

Another view of the fire tower:

Fire tower

I then continued on the Fire Tower trail, which also at this point joined the blue-blazed Sterling Ridge Trail and the teal-blazed Highlands Trail. This part of the trail was a footpath, which was fine with me, because I really don’t like walking on woods roads.

4:11 p.m.: I encountered an interesting tree growing out of the rocks.

Highlands Trail

4:28 p.m.: I reached an overlook that is noted on my map. After about 0.6 miles, the trails diverged, with the blue-blazed and Highlands Trail continuing to the southwest, while I continued on the red-blazed Fire Tower trail, which now turned northwest. The trail again became a woods road.

Fire Tower Trail

4:53 p.m.: After about 0.5 miles, the Fire Tower trail reached Jennings Creek, with a “seasonably flooded” area.

Jennings Creek

I continued another 0.15 miles, until the Fire Tower trail reached an intersection with the orange-blazed Bare Rock trail, which I followed toward the northwest.

5:25 p.m.: This overlook from the Orange trail includes a view of the fire tower:

Scenic view from orange trail

I zoomed in for a better view of the tower, and also cropped the photo to gain an even closer view:

Fire tower as seen from orange trail

5:47 p.m.: After 1.2 miles on the orange trail, I reached Bare Rock, an overview of Greenwood Lake to the west. I could see (and hear) motor boats racing around on the lake.

Greenwood Lake

I continued on the orange trail, this time heading east back toward my car.

6:15 p.m.: I encountered a few shrubs of Mountain Laurel. This was the nicest:

Mountain Laurel

6:46 p.m.: After about 1.9 miles, the trail led me back to the blue trail around Sterling Lake, which had barely a ripple:

Sterling Lake

After another 0.75 miles, I arrived back at my car at 7:00 p.m., having completed a hike of about 9.15 miles. When I had parked it, the parking lot was almost full. When I returned, my car was the last one left.

I really wouldn’t recommend this hike. Part of the hike ran along footpaths, which I enjoy, but probably 80% of the hike was on trails that ran along wood roads, including zones with large rocks that were difficult to walk over.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New York, Orange County, snake, Sterling Forest | Leave a comment

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

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Charlie

2:28 p.m.: I got off to a very late start this day, but finally got in a good hike. I had read of a scramble on the Appalachian Trail (AT) that I decided to investigate. I drove to Harriman State Park and parked in the Elk Pen off Arden Valley Road. I started west on the AT as it followed the road for 0.2 miles, crossing over the New York State Thruway (I-87), the Ramapo River and the Metro-North railroad tracks, with all views toward the south.

Here’s I-87:

Arden Valley Road crossing I-87

In this area, the Ramapo River was all but hidden, invisible to the drivers on I-87 or passengers on the train. Crossing a bridge spanning it was one of the few ways to see it.

Ramapo River

The Metro-North line:

Arden Valley Road crossing Metro-North Line

The Arden Valley Road then immediately dead-ended at Route 17. It seems to be at a blind curve in the road, so one has to stop, look and listen before dashing safely across the road. A break in the foliage on the west side of Route 17 shows where the AT resumes.

2:35 p.m.: The transition from an open road to a dark forest was nice.

Appalachian Trail

The trail quickly began climbing, starting at around 500′ elevation.

Appalachian Trail

A stitched panorama that came out nicely:

Appalachian Trail

Still climbing. The steepest part is called Agony Grind. Looking at my NY-NJ Trail Conference map, it appears as though Harriman continues a bit on the west side of I-87, and then as the AT enters Agony Grind, the map shows that the land belongs to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The National Trails System Act of 1968 protected the AT and, while in some cases the National Park Service acquired land, in other cases the land is owned by the states, local government, land trusts and private landowners. So if a map shows that the a particular part of the AT is running through land labeled “Appalachian National Scenic Trail,” does that mean that the NPS owns the land? That’s my guess, but I’m unsure.

Agony Grind

2:47 p.m.: It didn’t take long to gain a little altitude.

View from Agony Grind

Here’s a nice scramble:

Scramble

Looking down the same scramble:

Scramble

Around this time I encountered an older man heading east, who asked me how far it was to the road, so I told him that it was about a half mile away. He seemed pretty tired and said that he thought he had just finished Agony Grind. I told him that I believed I had just finished it, and that it would be downhill for him. As I continued on toward the west, I didn’t find the trail overly steep, so I wonder what part he had found to be so strenuous. I passed another older man right after that, also heading east, who said that I looked familiar and he asked if I had met him before. I said that anything was possible, as I enjoy hiking on Sundays.

2:59 p.m.: Another overlook.

Scenic view

3:14 p.m.: Flowers.

Flowers

The outdoors sure looks greener than it did a month or so ago.

Green outdoors

3:19 p.m.: When I’d met the first man, who asked me the distance to the road, I asked him if he had seen a turnoff to the blue trail, and he said that he hadn’t seen it. I don’t know how he could have missed it, since there’s a big cairn in the middle of the trail, with three blazes signifying the beginning of Harriman’s Sapphire trail.

AT meets Sapphire Trail

I continued on the AT, though.

Bare rock on AT

3:27 p.m.: After an hour, I had hiked a mile on the AT, including the stretch that ran along Arden Valley Road. Covering a mile in an hour is slow progress on a hike, but maybe not when there is a lot of scrambling involved. On the right side of this stitched panorama, the AT continues to the west. A wooden box contains a log book. I glanced through it. Most people seem to write nicknames, or at most a first name. There were a handful of entries for the most recent days. I flipped back to the winter, and found that then there were only one or two names per month. To the left side of the panorama is the beginning of the blue-blazed trail into Sterling Forest. I turned left (southwest) onto that trail.

Intersection of AT with Sterling Forest’s blue trail

3:44 p.m.: I needed two maps this afternoon. For the beginning and end of the hike, I needed the Northern Harriman Bear Mountain Trails map (No. 119) and for the middle part, I needed the Sterling Forest Trails map (No. 100). Sterling Forest State Park, established in 1998, has almost 22,000 acres, including a number of stone walls. The blue-blazed trail was short, only about ½ mile, and it descended from around 1,160′ to 800′ elevation, so only 17 minutes passed before I reached the end of it, where it dead-ended in the yellow-blazed loop. I followed the yellow-blazed Indian Hill trail to the left, i.e., moving clockwise on the trail.

Indian Hill Trail

3:50 p.m.: At least one giant tree (a white oak?) has survived in the forest.

Large tree

3:53 p.m.: For about 0.1 mile, the trail ran along a woods road, which was constructed between two very wide stone walls.

Trail between stone walls

Stone walls

4:03 p.m.: At first, it appeared that this tree had fallen and had hung-up on another tree. But then I realized that it wasn’t a dead, fallen tree, but rather was a live tree. So, what’s the story?

Sideways tree

Here’s the base of the tree. Did it fall over in a storm but refuse to die?

Sideways tree

4:09 p.m.: I reached an overlook on the trail.

Overlook from Indian Hill Trail

4:20 p.m.: More stone walls. There were many farms in this area, long ago.

Stone walls

4:27 p.m.: Another overlook, toward the east (Harriman). I rested here for a while, and a young woman hiked past me, continuing on the yellow-blazed trail in the same direction I was going.

View of Harriman

I continued on, and found that there was an even better overlook, but the aforementioned young woman had stopped to eat a snack there, and I didn’t want to stop to take photos there, out of fear it might make her nervous to be alone in the woods and have a strange guy stop near her.

4:39 p.m.: This stitched panorama of 28 shots came out very well. Every “step” in front of me is about 5′ down. I’m glad that the trail didn’t go in that direction, as it would have been quite a scramble.

Bare rock

4:43 p.m.: I cross a brook that the map shows is unnamed, running from a tiny unnamed lake.

Unnamed brook

4:44 p.m.: The woman apparently finished her snack, caught up to me and passed me just as I came to an intersection with the red-blazed Furnace Loop. She continued to the right, while I turned left onto the southern portion of the Furnace Loop, having covered 1.5 miles on the yellow trail.

Furnace Loop

4:59 p.m.: After about 0.5 miles, descending from 900′ to 700′ elevation, the aptly-named Furnace Loop led me to the Southfields Iron Furnace (N 41.25381 W 74.18214), located next to a decent-sized river (that isn’t named on my map) and County Road 19 (“Orange Turnpike”). The Southfields Iron Furnace was built in 1805 and rebuilt in 1836. When was it abandoned? Maybe one could find answers in: Ransom, James M., Vanishing Ironworks of the Ramapos, if only I had a copy of it. According to the January 2000 issue of “The Sterling Messenger,” which had been the newsletter of the Sterling Forest Partnership, Inc., the furnace was stabilized by Scenic Hudson, with the intent of making the site accessible to the public. The property is surrounded by a chain-link fence, but I could see that the furnace has been reinforced with steel beams and some sort of roof. Scenic Hudson was probably involved before the Sterling Forest was established as a state park in 1998, or before these lands were added to it. If the state is now responsible for funding, probably nothing will ever be done.

Southfields Iron Furnace

Here’s the adjacent river, which is not named on my map.

River

The only bad thing about this hike is that there’s no good way to make a loop out of it, so I had to walk along the Orange Turnpike for about 0.6 miles. There needs to be an extra trail or two through Sterling Forest/Harriman State Parks, to avoid this necessity. The Orange Turnpike then dead-ended at Route 17, and I walked north on that about 200′, crossed to the east side, walked east all two blocks of Railroad Avenue (in the hamlet of Southfields), and then after I did my stop/look/listen hurried across the tracks of the Metro-North line.

5:22 p.m.: I continued walking north alongside the tracks for about 200′, until I found my objective, white blazes indicating a trail to the east.

Trail marker to east of Metro-North Line

Here is the Nurian trail of Harriman State Park, just to the east of the tracks.

Nurian Trail

5:25 p.m.: My map shows a “Southfields Pedestrian Bridge” across I-87, but doesn’t address how the Nurian trail crosses the Ramapo River. Well, it also had a pedestrian bridge. Cute, isn’t it? There is very old, faded paint on the right side of the steel. I think it might have said “BRIDGE,” which seems rather silly.

Pedestrian bridge across Ramapo River

South and north views of the river, from mid-stream.

Ramapo River

5:28 p.m.: A stitched panorama of the “Southfields Pedestrian Bridge.” I wonder who commissioned this? Is it to serve the residents of Southfields? Or to serve the bus stop at the intersection of routes 17 and 19, where the Short Line sometimes drops off hikers from New York City? In any case, I was happy to cross it.

Southfields Pedestrian Bridge over I-87

5:38 p.m.: On the east side of I-87, the trail turned north for 0.2 miles, following the unmaintained Arden Road. The trail then turned east, climbing Green Pond Mountain. I continued on the unblazed Arden Road for about 100′, as the map showed “Road Monument 1894.” Well, here it is: “This road was built in 1894 by E.H. Harriman to show the advantages of level roads in hilly countries.” Well, duh! I think I literally said that. What’s stupider, a bridge that is labeled “BRIDGE,” or building a road to show the advantages of level roads in hilly countries? Was that the first level road built in a hilly country in the history of humanity? I would have thought that the Romans or Mayans would have done something like that.

Road monument, 1894

I knew that I still had plenty of sunlight left, but I was feeling a little tired, so I considered continuing along the level Arden Road for 0.85 miles, rather than following the Nurian trail up the hilly country, which would add about 0.6 miles and some elevation to the hike. I would not normally follow an unblazed and unmaintained trail, but as the map showed Arden Road continuing to run just to the east of I-87, I wasn’t worried about getting lost. However, after walking about another 100′ to the north, I saw that the “road” was blocked by tall vegetation. I had no choice but to backtrack 200′ and follow the Nurian trail uphill, climbing from about 500′ elevation to 800′ elevation.

Nurian Trail

The white-blazed Nurian trail finally hit level ground, turning northeast, then running along a woods road.

6:11 p.m.: After following the Nurian trail from Arden Road for a mile, it turned toward the east, but I instead continued toward the north, on the red-blazed Stahahe Brook trail.

6:19 p.m.: The Stahahe Brook trail crossed the Stahahe Brook. At one point, I spotted a deer grazing in the middle of the trail, but she moved off before I could get very close.

Stahahe Brook

The trail ended after 0.8 miles, and continued heading northeast as the Arden-Surebridge trail.

6:29 p.m.: The trail ran alongside a fence to the left. Both sides of the fence are in Harriman, so why is there a fence there? Is it a remnant from when it was private land? Harriman has been state land since 1910 and I doubt the fence has been there a century. Maybe parts of Harriman were added later? Anyway, the fence bothered me, because I spotted a tiny fawn on the other side, and when I tried to take a photo of her, my camera focused on the nearby wire instead of on the fawn. I tried switching into manual focus and couldn’t get the mode to work.

Fawn behind wire fence

I found a better spot where I could photograph through the wire, but the fawn had moved off a bit by then. In the past, I have only seen such tiny fawns in close proximity to their mothers. I didn’t see her.

Fawn

After 0.4 miles, the trail returned me to the Elk Pen, where I had parked. So I estimate that this was a 7 mile hike, with a good scramble, and it took me a little over 4 hours.

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

Delaware Water Gap, New Jersey & Pennsylvania

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Charlie

Sunday: I joined DaveTrek for another Memorial Day event. This was my first visit to the Delaware Water Gap. Two others from Queens rode with me. We met the rest of the DaveTrek group at the Visitor’s Center at Kittatinny Point, New Jersey, where we were transported by van to the launching point at Smithfield Beach, Pennsylvania.

10:39 a.m.: Gentlemen—start your paddling.

Smithfield Beach

And we’re off. In honor of Memorial Day, I brought my U.S. flag, and I placed this ensign in the position of honor at the stern (i.e., I put the staff between my back and the seatback of my rented kayak).

Posing at Delaware River, with American flag

11:35 a.m.: The Delaware River was very placid, not unlike the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey the year before. One difference, though, was that this stretch of the Delaware never got as narrow as some locations of the Batsto River, and we also did not have to worry about downed trees, unlike the Batsto River. So it was smooth sailing—er, paddling.

Kayaking on Delaware River

11:47 a.m.: I spotted a raccoon gingerly climbing down a tree. I pointed him out to a couple of other DaveTrek boaters. I took a few photos, but I don’t think any turned out adequately to post.

12:25 p.m.: There were one or two areas of turbulence, but I don’t know if I actually saw any whitewater. If so, it was only Class 1.

Delaware River

The year before, the group found a big beach for lunch. This year, I was toward the front of the pack instead of the rear, and if anyone organized a lunch meeting I don’t know about it. In other words, I kept paddling and drifting until I suddenly realized (when I saw the I-80 bridge) that I was almost back to Kittatinny Point, which would mark the end of our water adventure. I therefore pulled my kayak onto a tiny spit of land. There may have been room for another kayak or canoe there, but no one joined me. Many sailed past, and apparently didn’t eat their lunch until after they returned to Kittatinny Point.

12:38 p.m.: Following are three stitched panoramas, including a couple of views of my kayak. When I exited for lunch, I temporarily remounted my flag to the front of the cockpit, out of necessity, as I couldn’t figure out how to mount it in the stern without me anchoring it between my back and the seat.

Shore of Delaware Water Gap

Kayak beached beside Delaware River

There’s a lot going on in this shot: in the foreground, a tree on the beach of my lunch spot; in the background, the water and mountains, with a passing kayak visible through the upper branches of the tree. But wait—there’s more: is that a snake resting in the tree?

Delaware Water Gap

Yes, seen here from the kayak after launching, it’s a Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon).

Northern Water Snake

1:39 p.m.: Fortified by lunch, I resume paddling south, getting closer to the I-80 bridge.

I-80 Bridge

1:55 p.m.: After six miles on the Delaware, I pulled into the beach at Kittatinny Point.

Kittatinny Point, Delaware Water Gap

It was a cloudy day, and I foolishly had neglected to put on sunscreen. I soon realized that my legs were very burnt. I hope they’ll eventually heal.

We were told not to even report to the barbecue/camping site until 4:00, which left a lot of time to kill. I began playing Frisbee with a lovely lady, but another lovely lady—one of my passengers from Queens—wanted to visit Dingmans Falls, in Pennsylvania. Loathe to leave the Frisbee lady behind, I suggested that she come with us, but she was a driver and didn’t feel that she could leave her group there. [My other passenger also declined, and he said that he’d catch a ride to the barbecue/camping site with someone else.]

So my passenger and I began driving on Old Mine Road, soon becoming lost as the road branched without a sign telling us which branch to follow. I eventually plugged in my GPS, which directed us to Dingmans Ferry. There we found this bridge across the Delaware River (the photograph is actually from our return trip, heading east). [The Dingmans Ferry Bridge is the last privately owned toll bridge on the Delaware River.]

Dingmans Ferry Bridge

4:41 p.m.: We arrived at the Dingmans Falls Visitor Center. Following the footpath, we first arrived at Silverthread Falls, with a vertical drop of 80′.

Silverthread Falls

We continued on the path, which ran along a nice stream.

Stream

4:51 p.m.: We soon arrived at Dingmans Falls, which has a 130′ drop.

Dingmans Falls

5:06 p.m.: A path and series of steps led to the top of Dingmans Falls:

Dingmans Falls

We then returned over the Dingmans Ferry Bridge, again got lost (even with the GPS, which was telling us to drive offroad), but eventually made it to Rivers Bend Group Campsite. This was around 6:30 p.m., and we were afraid that all the food would be gone. In fact, the salad appetizers were gone, but the main course of burgers and hot dogs was just getting started, and we waited in line and soon had a bit of food.

Monday: Some people came only for boating, some only for the barbecue, etc., so it is hard for me to say how many were there at any one time. I believe there were about 70 camping, though. Here’s the campsite in the morning.

Rivers Bend group campsite

1:19 p.m.: We eventually broke camp and drove to Millbrook Village. This was a community which was occupied until the 1960s. A few of the buildings are original to Millbrook (though possibly relocated), and others are relocated from elsewhere or reproductions.

I think this was considered a wagon storage shed:

Wagon storage shed

The George Trauger house, ca. 1860.

George Trauger house

Inside the Trauger house:

Inside the George Trauger house

Millbrook Village

2:30 p.m.: We then set off on a hike, south along the original roadbed of the Columbia-Walpack Turnpike, as it paralleled the Van Campens Brook. It was very hot. Not every camper came to Milbrook Village, and not everyone who came to Milbrook Village decided to hike. And many of those who did begin the hike dropped out along the way.

After 0.5 miles, we came to the Watergate Recreation Site.

Watergate Recreation Site

3:14 p.m.: We continued on, paralleling Van Campens Brook.

Van Campens Brook

“Savta” (grandmother), our oldest weekend participant, crosses a bridge over the brook.

Bridge across Van Campens Brook, Delaware Water Gap, NJ

Van Campens Brook

3:54 p.m.: At least the greens now look much more vibrant than from my photos on the hikes of a few weeks ago. But it was hot.

Van Campens Glen Trail

4:02 p.m.: After another 0.5 miles (i.e., only covering 1 mile in 1-1/2 hour, quite possibly the slowest progress ever made in the history of the human race), we finally came to a place where the brook became prettier, and there were many nice swimming holes, and some short waterfalls, and we had some tree cover protecting us from the sun. It was also later in the afternoon, and thus cooler. Unfortunately, we were down to about 12 hikers by then.

Van Campens Glen Trail

4:59 p.m.: Toward the end of the hike, I spotted a tree with a hollow area in its base.

Van Campens Glen Trail

Holding the camera inside the tree, pointing out, I snapped a self-portrait.

Self portrait

5:15 p.m.: Many people were enjoying a number of spots along the brook for swimming. Two miles into our hike, we reached the parking/picnic area of Van Campens Glen. Owing to the lateness of the day/the heat/the snail pace of our hikers, Dave hitched a ride back to his truck, and then shuttled a few other drivers to their cars and back, eventually carrying all of us to Millbrook Village.

Van Campens Glen

All-in-all, it was a very enjoyable weekend. I had been dreading the drive home, because the previous Memorial Day at the Pine Barrens ran into horrendous traffic returning to NYC. But there was no traffic coming home from western NJ! My only complaint (other than only getting in a 2-mile hike instead of my usual 8-mile hike) is the sunburn. I’ve tried various remedies, such as aloe and Shea butter.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New Jersey, snake, waterfall | Leave a comment

Bear Mountain State Park, Orange & Rockland Counties, NY

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Charlie

The Jewish Outdoor Club had a day of hiking and barbecue to celebrate Lag B’Omer. This was my first visit to Bear Mountain, though I have photos of my grandmother visiting here decades ago. There is a large lawn near the parking lot, where we gathered and played Frisbee.

In this stitched panorama, on the right is the 900′ Anthony’s Nose, in Westchester county, on the east side of the Hudson. (The Bear Mountain Bridge lands there after crossing the Hudson.) On the left is the Bear Mountain, which I would soon be climbing.

A number of hikes were offered, for all skill levels. I would have signed up for the most strenuous, but I heard that in the past that group returned late and missed part of the barbecue. [I don’t think they had that problem this year.] So I instead took a moderate-strenuous hike, which led to the top of Bear Mountain and back.

11:30 a.m.: We began hiking on the red-blazed Major Welch trail, walking north on a paved path along Hessian Lake.

Rocks beside Major Welch Trail

Major Welch Trail

11:48 a.m.: The trail left the paved path and moved northwest into the woods.

Climbing Bear Mountain

12:13 p.m.: We had gained about 220′ elevation, from 180′ to 400′, with only a slight grade. Now, however, the trail turned southwest and became steeper, climbing steadily, frequently on bare rack slabs.

Scrambling on bare rock

Views toward the east:

Scenic view

12:19 p.m.: A stitched panorama.

Panoramic view

Here’s a shot in which you can see the Bear Mountain Bridge.

Bear Mountain Bridge

Here’s a close-up of the bridge. We drove across the bridge both coming and going. It is very scenic, and only costs $1. My stupid GPS would have routed me over the George Washington Bridge and through New Jersey. I prefer driving north through the Bronx and then crossing over either the Tappan Zee, or in this case, the Bear Mountain Bridge, which was both a delight and a bargain. The Bear Mountain Bridge was completed in 1924, and for 19 months was the longest suspension bridge in the world!

Closeup of Bear Mountain Bridge

Hudson River

12:48 p.m.: Around 1200′ in elevation, the grade became less steep. Here we found a deer, standing patiently as we snapped its photo.

Deer

1:00 p.m.: Made it to the toop of Bear Mtn, at 1284′. This is Perkins Memorial Tower, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Perkins Memorial Tower

A view from the top:

Scenic view

1:23 p.m.: We began our descent on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail, and I spotted a neat tree trunk.

Tree trunk

Descending Bear Mountain

2:04 p.m.: Getting closer to the Hudson, and the barbecue.

Hudson River

2:12 p.m.: Continuing our descent.

Descending

This was only about a 3-mile hike, and not very strenuous. The sky was overcast, as you can see. Still, the temperature was nice, it didn’t rain, the company was nice and the barbecue was very good.

Here’s another shot from the lawn, toward the Hudson and the Bear Mountain Bridge (which can’t be seen) and Anthony’s Nose.

Anthony’s Nose

Here’s a photo of my grandmother, may she rest in peace, on a hike in 1928. She’s at the lower left, with three friends. This was quite possibly taken at Bear Mountain.

Jeanette Kesten (lower left), hiking with friends in 1928

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

Harriman State Park, Orange & Rockland Counties, New York

Posted on May 8, 2011 by Charlie

I joined the Appalachian Mountain Club for this hike, though apparently Mother’s Day isn’t the most popular day for hiking, as there were only four of us on the hike. The hike began where the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail crosses route 106.

9:38 a.m.: We began hiking south on the Ramapo-Dunderberg (red-blazed) trail, starting at about 900′ elevation and climbing Tom Jones Mountain.

9:46 a.m.: After about 0.6 miles, we had climbed to the peak of Tom Jones Mountain, at 1270′.

Tom Jones Mountain

10:10 a.m.: For the next 0.6 miles, we descended about 100′ and then reclimbed the 100′, then continued along a fairly level stretch, to the peak of Parker Cabin Mountain at 1250′.

Parker Cabin Mountain

10:15 a.m.: We had a view of Lake Sebago to the south.

Lake Sebago, from Parker Cabin Mountain

Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

10:17 a.m.: We turned south onto the yellow-blazed Triangle trail, which descended sharply. We were immediately faced with a short scramble down. Here it is, from the bottom looking up.

Scramble on Triangle Trail

10:38 a.m.: After descending 400′, Lake Skenonta came into view through the trees. This small lake, at 829′, had been hidden from view from the peak of Parker Cabin Mountain.

Lake Skenonta

The lake included small islands:

Lake Skenonta

The same island, from a different angle:

Lake Skenonta

We crossed a rocky area:

Crossing a rocky area

Another small island in the lake:

Lake Skenonta

10:57 a.m.: Before long, Lake Sebago came into view. This lake is at 771′ elevation.

Lake Sebago

11:21 a.m.: The Triangle trail ended, and we followed the White Bar trail for 0.2 miles, passing by the Dutch Doctor shelter.

Dutch Doctor Shelter

11:25 a.m.: We turned west onto the Tuxedo-Mt Ivy red-blazed trail, crossing a brook that was filled with green algae.

Tuxedo-Mount Ivy Trail

11:50 a.m.: Over the course of 1.3 miles on the Tuxedo-Mt Ivy trail, we had a strenuous climb to 1020′, then descended about 100′ to Claudius Smith Den, with a nice view to the west. We stopped there for lunch. The peak is named for a notorious Tory outlaw, hanged in 1779, who supposedly used caves at the base of the peak to hide stolen horses.

Claudius Smith Den

12:14 p.m.: After a short lunch, we continued to the north on the White Cross trail.

White Cross Trail

12:20 p.m.: There were a few level spots on the hike, and the White Cross trail was not that bad.

White Cross Trail

12:27 p.m.: Most fallen trees were cleared from trails, but this one was apparently left on purpose, providing a minor obstacle.

Fallen tree blocks White Cross Trail

12:56 p.m.: After 1.9 miles, we reached the end of the White Cross trail. This ended around 1040′, at the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail, about 0.3 miles past where we had left the trail in the morning to take the Triangle Trail.

Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

1:01 p.m.: We then had to climb 200′ to reach the summit of Parker Cabin Mountain.

Parker Cabin Mountain

1:20 p.m.: This is somewhere between Parker Cabin Mountain and Tom Jones Mtn.

Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

1:38 p.m.: From Tom Jones Mountain, looking southeast.

Tom Jones Mountain

View from Tom Jones Mountain

1:41 p.m.: Heading back to the car.

Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

1:49 p.m.: Considered one of the most beautiful cars ever made, someone had bravely taken this Jaguar E-Type (Series II, 1969-71) into the park, and had left it next to my beat-up Camry.

Jaguar E-Type

So this was an 8 mile hike, with a fair amount of elevation changes, and we finished it in the blazingly fast time of just over four hours. I didn’t know that I could hike that fast. If I had been on my own, I would have moved more slowly. But it was a good workout.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Harriman, New York, Orange County, Rockland County | Leave a comment

Mt. Washington State Forest, Massachusetts

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charlie

I left Queens around 7:00 a.m. and arrived at the forest at around 9:15 a.m. This was another hike in which I was following in the footsteps of Daniel Chazin, who had submitted the hike to the NY-NJ Trail Conference website.

9:19 a.m.: At the parking lot, I pass the kiosk and enter the trailhead of the Alander Mountain Trail, at about 1700′ elevation.

Alander Mountain Trail

After crossing an open field, the trail entered a relatively dense woods.

Alander Mountain Trail

However, the trail soon popped out of the woods and crossed another field.

Alander Mountain Trail

9:31 a.m.: The trail then made a left turn and came to a brook, spanned by a footbridge. There had been significant rain and snowmelt recently, and the brook was therefore probably higher than usual. As a result, one end of the footbridge was under water.

Alander Mountain Trail

The water was clear enough:

Alander Mountain Trail

After 0.7 miles on the Alander Mountain Trail, I turned left (south) onto the Ashley Hill Trail. This trail ran parallel to the east of the Ashley Hill Brook.

9:54 a.m.: One complaint I had was that this trail (apparently an old woods road) was blocked in many spots by trees. I later learned that a number of trees had fallen during a winter storm about a month earlier, and the two park employees had been busy clearing other trails, but had not yet gotten to this one.

Ashley Hill Trail

9:58 a.m.: A blockage that required that I detour off the trail.

Storm damage

10:19 a.m.: At first, the Ashley Hill Brook was far below the trail, so that I could hear it, but I couldn’t see it. However, after a while, the brook ran right beside the trail, which was pleasant to behold.

Ashley Hill Brook

10:31 a.m.: More photos of the brook:

Ashley Hill Brook

10:52 a.m.: There were also one or two spots where a stream crossed the trail, and I had to hop from rock to rock. My boots never got too wet, and the waterproofing was effective.

Stream crosses Ashley Hill Trail

10:57 a.m.: After about 1.6 miles, the trail turned left, departing from the woods road and becoming a footpath. A hunter apparently left behind his spent shotgun shell. The plastic and metal shell is not biodegradable.

Shotgun shell in the woods

11:26 a.m.: The footpath.

Ashley Hill Trail

In places, it was muddy or even submerged under an inch of water, which did not affect my boots.

Ashley Hill Trail

11:33 a.m.: After about 2.7 miles on the Ashley Hill Trail, I reached a monument on the border of Massachusetts and New York, right around 2100′ elevation. One side was engraved “Mass.” and one side “N.Y.”

Massachusetts-New York Border

After another 200′, the Ashley Hill Trail ended, and I turned left (east) onto the Mt. Frissell trail.

11:45 a.m.: After about another 0.1 miles, I encountered a second boundary marker. This marked the intersection of New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut. One side is engraved “N.Y.”, one side is engraved “Mass.”, and a third side is engraved “1898”. I don’t know why “Conn.” was not engraved on the fourth side.

Intersection of New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut

11:57 a.m.: I continued following the Mt. Frissell trail east, as it began climbing..

Mt. Frissell Trail

Looking back toward the west, I was rewarded with a nice view.

View from Mt. Frissell Trail

12:04 p.m.: About 0.2 miles from the tri-state point, I reached the highest point in Connecticut, at 2379′. A couple—let’s call them “Chris and Liz”—was eating lunch there, so I only lingered long enough to snap a few shots toward the south, of Lake Riga, at 1752′ the highest lake in Connecticut.

Lake Riga

I continued another 200′ up the trail and had a broader view to the southeast:

Lake Riga, Connecticut

Speaking of the “High Point” of Connecticut, it is on the slope of Mt. Frissell. The peak of Mt. Frissell is in Massachusetts, however. Thus, Connecticut is unique as being the only state in which its highest point is not the peak of a land feature. I therefore continued east on the Mt. Frissell trail, heading for the peak.

Mt. Frissell Trail

12:14 p.m.: About 0.2 miles past the tri-state point, I reached a spot where the trail began descending sharply, and I realized that I must have passed the peak. Before returning to the west to look for it, I snapped a few photos toward the east.

Scenic view from Mt. Frissell Trail

12:19 p.m.: After backtracking 0.2 miles, I found the peak of Mt. Frissell, at 2454′. It is apparently marked by a cairn that is several feet off the trail. [Maybe there is a formal marker that I did not see.] A log book is also there, inside an aluminum box. [Of course, the highest point in Massachusetts is the peak of Mt. Greylock, at 3489′. I hiked there the previous season.]

Peak of Mt. Frissell

I recorded my name in the log.

Log book

The cover has an engraved nameplate “Optime Ambulate,” which Google Translate says is Latin for “walk very well.”

“Optime Ambulate”

12:31 p.m.: The couple who had been enjoying lunch at High Point, perhaps the “Chris and Liz” who had signed the log book before me, walked by toward the east, so I returned west to High Point. Here is a cairn to draw attention to a tiny brass marker with a vertical post in the center, marking the highest point in Connecticut. It’s not Everest, but it’s still got Florida beat.

Highest Point in Connecticut, on slope of Mt. Frissell

A close-up of the “high point” marker.

Highest Point in Connecticut, on slope of Mt. Frissell

I then continued east on the Mt. Frissell Trail, passing the intersection with the Ashley Hill Trail and continuing about another 0.3 miles past that, until it ended at the South Taconic Trail.

1:11 p.m.: The South Taconic Trail provided very nice views towards the east of the New York Taconic area.

View from South Taconic Trail

Toward the south, I had a view of Mt. Brace, at 2311′ the highest point in New York’s Dutchess County.

Mt. Brace, NY

A big cairn is on top, with a wind sock. (People hang glide off Mt. Brace.)

Closeup of peak of Mt. Brace, NY

1:19 p.m.: I then began hiking north on the South Taconic Trail.

South Taconic Trail

1:48 p.m.: I couldn’t really tell if this was meant to be a wall (for a boundary marker) or if people were just moving rocks out of the way for some reason.

South Taconic Trail

2:06 p.m.: I was able to get by this fallen tree without trouble. Only the Ashley Hill Trail had a problem with blockages.

South Taconic Trail

2:22 p.m.: The South Taconic Trail had dropped to about 1500′ elevation, running through the track of an old woods road, but here the white markers indicate a sharp turn to the right, away from the wood roads.

South Taconic Trail

2:23 p.m.: A sign confirmed that this was the path of the South Taconic Trail.

South Taconic Trail

2:34 p.m.: This became steep, climbing about 700′.

South Taconic Trail

3:00 p.m.: After about 3.3 miles on the South Taconic Trail, I finally made it back to open rocks with nice views.

Scenic view from South Taconic Trail

Turkey vultures soared on the thermal air currents.

Turkey vulture

3:03 p.m.: Self-portrait/shadow:

Shadow self-portrait

3:04 p.m.: Stitched panorama.

Panorama from South Taconic Trail

3:18 p.m.: I arrived at the peak of Alander Moutain, where the foundations of a fire tower remain. The peak is at 2239′.

Peak of Alander Mountain

Magnetic and triangulation geologic survey markers are present, at 2231′:

Peak of Alander Mountain

3:27 p.m.: I began my descent, heading east on the Alander Mountain Trail, heading back to the parking lot. This is a cabin that can be used by campers.

Cabin, Alander Mountain Trail

4:07 p.m.: Again, I’m not sure if this is a boundary marker or what purpose this wall served.

Alander Mountain Trail

4:20 p.m.: I reached a beautiful spot where the trail crossed a wide stream.

Wide stream, Alander Mountain Trail

Happily, a substantial bridge was provided for hikers.

Footbridge, Alander Mountain Trail

Stream, Alander Mountain Trail

4:41 p.m.: I returned to the bridge I had crossed at 9:31 a.m. One end was still underwater.

Alander Mountain Trail

I returned to the car around 4:52 p.m., having hiked about 12 miles in 7½ hours.

* * *

5:11 p.m.: On the drive to Mt. Washington State Forest, I had passed nearby Bash Bish Falls State Park, also in Massachusetts. I stopped off there on the way back. A trail ran about ¼ mile to the falls, dropping about 300′. Here is a makeshift bridge for crossing a wet area.

Trail at Bash Bish Falls State Park

5:22 p.m.: I made it down to Bash Bish Falls, a waterfall with a drop of about 80′, which is fed by most of the brooks and streams that I had seen in Mt. Washington State Forest.

Bash Bish Falls

I then climbed the 300′ trail back to my car, and drove home.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, waterfall | Leave a comment

Harriman State Park, Orange County, New York

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Charlie

I joined the Appalachian Mountain Club for this hike. I drove to Orange County, took Highway 17, crossed the bridge on Arden Valley Road across the Thruway (I-87) and parked in the “Elk Pen” parking lot.

9:45 a.m.: The beginning of the hike, at about 500′ in elevation, crosses a field to the east.

Elk Pen

9:52 a.m.: We then followed the Appalachian Trail east, climbing Green Pond Mtn.

Appalachian Trail

10:08 a.m.: Still climbing.

Appalachian Trail

10:16 a.m.: Still climbing.

Green Pond Mountain

10:18 a.m.: Looking down:

Gaining elevation

10:39 a.m.: After about 1.0 mile we crossed Island Pond Road, a woods road dirt road built by Edward Harriman around 1905, and passed by Island Pond, at 970′ elevation.

Passing Island Pond

10:59 a.m.: This stone spillway was associated with a dam that was begun, but never finished.

Stone Spillway near Island Pond

There were a few iron mines in the area, and I understand this was a rotary gravel sorter used to separate iron from gravel.

Rotary gravel sorter near Island Pond

11:04 a.m.: Another view of Island Pond.

Island Pond

11:17 a.m.: After another 0.7 miles, we reach the Lemon Squeeze at about 1160′ elevation, where the AT continues through a cleft in the rock, requiring hikers to contort their bodies to pass through. We do not go that way, but I took a few shots.

Lemon Squeeze

Looks like fun. I’ll have to return and give it a try.

Lemon Squeeze

11:27 a.m.: We instead turn onto the red-blazed Arden-Surebridge (“A-SB”) trail, continuing east. After only about 0.2 miles, the red-blazed trail is joined by the teal-blazed Long Path. Here’s a nice rock wall with some green moss.

Rock wall along the Long Path

After another 0.3 miles, we turned south on to the blue-blazed Lichen Trail, climbing up to around 1300′.

11:50 a.m.: One of the hikers enjoyed adding to cairns.

Adding to a cairn

11:54 a.m.: Nice bare rock:

Bare rock

11:55 a.m.: Here’s a stitched panorama of this beautiful relatively flat rock.

11:58 a.m.: Here are additional photos of the area.

Scenic view

Bare rock

12:05 p.m.: Another stitched panorama.

Bare rock

Cairn

A tree finds a bit of soil among the bare rock

12:13 p.m.: We decided to take a lunch break at the end of the blue trail, which only extends about 0.5 miles.

Scenic view

12:45 p.m.: Lunch over, we continued on, turning southwest onto the red-blazed R-D trail. (If we had gone east on that trail, we would have quickly come to “Ship Rock.” I’ll be sure to add that to my bucket list. As it is, I enjoyed the huge expanse of rock that I photographed above, which does not appear to be named on my map.) We successfully crossed a stream without falling into the water.

Stream on R-D trail

12:48 p.m.: A boulder.

Boulder

Moss

The Goldwaithe Memorial. I wonder if anyone will ever remember me with a plaque.

Goldwaithe memorial plaque

Bare rock

After about 0.4 miles, we turn west onto the yellow-blazed Dunning trail.

Dunning Trail

1:52 p.m.: About about 0.8 miles, we came to the “Boston Mine” a surface mine that had one produced iron ore. I followed the man ahead of me through the cut in the rock that gives access to the mine.

Boston Mine

After entering the cut in the previous photo, I turned left and took this photo. The mined area is not very large. I do not think the overhang extended too far. A pool of water covers the ground under the overhang, and I see there is some ice floating on the water. I wonder if there is always water here, or if it dries up later in the year.

Boston Mine

Leaving the mine, we almost immediately turned north onto Island Pond Road, and after 0.4 miles turned left (northwest) onto the red-blazed A-SB trail, which descends. After another 0.6 miles, the A-SB trail passes by a steep drop-off of about 120′, so it’s good to move slowly and cautiously in this area.

2:40 p.m.: Descending.

Descending on A-SB Trail

After another 0.7 miles, the A-SB trail had descended back down to about 500′ in elevation, and then we walked along flat ground for 0.3 miles back to the cars.

So this was a shorter hike of about 6 miles.

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

Hudson Highlands State Park, Putnam County, New York

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Charlie

I was waiting for warmer weather to resume hiking, and finally decided that it was warm enough. I returned to Hudson Highlands State Park, having previously visited South Beacon Mountain and Breakneck Ridge. This day I decided to explore the area of the park near Nelsonville.

9:14 a.m.: I parked beside Little Stony Point and crossed highway 9D to the trailhead.

Washburn Trail

9:26 a.m.: I began to climb the white-blazed Washburn trail, and soon was rewarded with a nice view of the Hudson. In the foreground, one can see the tracks of the Metro-North Hudson Line. Across the Hudson is the southern part of Storm King State Park.

Hudson River from Washburn Trail

9:33 a.m.: A little higher up the trail, and one can see the town of Nelsonville (on the near side of Highway 9D), the town of Cold Spring (on the far side of Highway 9D), as well as Foundry Dock Park, the Constitution Marsh Sanctuary and Constitution Island, with West Point across the Hudson.

Nelsonville, Cold Spring, and Hudson River

After hiking around 1.1 miles and climbing to 1060′ elevation, I reached a four-way intersection and left the white trail, instead turning right (southeast) onto the yellow-blazed Undercliff trail. This trail was blazed in places with signs that featured an outline of a bull standing on a high spot (Bull Hill, known unofficially as Mt. Taurus), with words reading “Nelsonville Footpath / Hiker’s Hamlet.” This yellow trail descended to about 300′.

10:29 a.m.: A few boards from a hunting platform remain in this twinned tree.

Hunting platform

11:15 a.m.: After 1.0 mile, the yellow trail intersected the green-blazed Nelsonville Trail, a woods road, which I followed to the northeast. Right around that intersection I began seeing debris. First, while still on the yellow trail, I found some shattered concrete and bricks. Was there a home here at one time?

Debris on Nelsonville Trail

11:16 a.m.: Then, turning onto the green trail, I found an even worse garbage dump. It looks like part of an automobile (can anyone identify it?) and an old washing machine.

How can a trail be routed past a garbage dump?

11:20 a.m.: The green trail featured the same Nelsonville tags as the yellow trail. My East Hudson Trail Map 102 (2010 Edition) of the NY-NJ Trail Conference shows this area is not part of the Hudson Highlands State Park. [It is apparently part of the “Nelsonville Trail & Nature Preserve,” as I’ll soon learn.]

Nelsonville Trail & Nature Preserve, NY

11:22 a.m.: A nice stone wall.

Stone wall

11:24 a.m.: The green trail crossed Gatehouse Road, where there was a small parking area and kiosk. The kiosk featured a map and identified the areas as the Nelsonville Trail & Nature Preserve. This map disagreed with the NY/NJ Trail Conference map, which was a little disconcerting. Specifically, the NY/NJ Trail Conference map did not show the green trail intersecting Gatehouse Road, and as I was standing at that intersection, I would say that the NY/NJ Trail Conference map was wrong. I filed a report, and hopefully they can get to the bottom of this and fix the map as required.

Kiosk with map

11:35 a.m.: After spending a few minutes unsuccessfully trying to figure out why the two maps didn’t agree, I continued on the green trail, which soon crossed the Catskill Aqueduct. This house encloses an inverted siphon.

Inverted siphon house

11:37 a.m.: More litter on the trail (a “dime bag” decorated with marijuana leaves).

Dime bag litter

11:57 a.m.: The green trail began regaining the altitude that I had lost when I departed from the white trail to the yellow trail. Here, a water bar protects against erosion.

Water bar

12:49 p.m.: After 1.6 miles, the green trail dead-ended at the northeast end of the white trail. (I had started at the southwest end of the white trail.) I turned onto the white trail, climbing toward the top of Bull Hill (which has a peak at 1420′). The woods road of the green trailed continued on this part of the white trail, though it then began to switchback, while the blazed footpath took a straight line toward the top of Bull Hill. I followed the footpath instead of the switchbacks of the woods road.

Climbing Bull Hill (Mt. Taurus)

I even found a few remnants of snow near the summit.

Snow

12:53 p.m.: More views from the summit.

View from summit

And a stitched panorama from the summit:

View from summit

1:16 p.m.: There were also nice lookouts descending Bull Hill.

Scenic view descending Bull Hill (Mt. Taurus)

After 0.9 miles on the white trail, I once again reached the intersection between the white trail and the yellow trail. This time I followed the yellow trail in the other direction, toward the northwest.

1:48 p.m.: The yellow trail reached a nice overlook of the Hudson, Nelsonville, Cold Spring, West Point, etc.

Scenic view of Nelsonville & Cold Spring

1:55 p.m.: At another overlook, about 0.4 miles after I had turned onto the yellow trail, I had a nice view toward the northwest. On the left side of the Hudson is Storm King Mountain. On the right side of the Hudson is Breakneck Point. One can also see the three tunnels: one carrying the lanes of Highway 9D, and two carrying the Metro-North Hudson Line.

Storm King Mountain, Hudson River, and Breakneck Ridge

The yellow trail then made a 90 degree turn toward the northeast, after about 0.4 miles crossing over the aqueduct. After another 0.4 miles, the yellow trail again turned back toward the northwest, and then after 0.5 miles reached Breakneck Brook and the intersection with the red-blazed Brook trail.

2:35 p.m.: At the intersection of the yellow and red trails, a bridge crossed Breakneck Brook. I remained on the southeast side of the Brook, and turned left (southwest) onto the red trail.

Bridge over Breakneck Brook

The brook:

Breakneck Brook

2:46 p.m.: The red trail ran along an old fence, with posts made of a concrete amalgam. Here, a tree has grown around the fence wire.

Tree growing around wire fence

2:50 p.m.: After about 0.2 miles, the red trail reached an intersection with the blue-blazed Cornish trail, and I turned left onto that trail. Remnants of the Edward J. Cornish Estate remained in this area. The Cornish family had purchased the land and buildings in 1917, though the property had been developed over the previous decade by a diamond merchant. There was a fine mansion, greenhouse, and dairy farm. Here is a screw-in gate pintle.

Screw-in Gate Pintle

Perhaps this cistern was associated with the estate.

Cistern

Here’s a stitched-panoramic view of the cistern.

Cistern

2:59 p.m.: The remains of the greenhouse.

Greenhouse

3:06 p.m.: The porte-cochère of the mansion.

Porte-cochère

A view through a window opening. The mansion was three stories, and some of the stone walls and chimneys remain. The mansion was apparently all but abandoned upon the death of the Cornishes in 1938, and was destroyed by fire in 1956.

Interior

3:19 p.m.: Almost at the end of my hike and back close to sea level, I had a nice view of the Hudson and Storm King Mountain. After 1.4 miles, the blue trail returned me to the start of my hike.

Hudson River and Storm King Mountain

3:37 p.m.: Since I had parked next to Little Stony Point, I decided to investigate it:

Little Stony Point

A pedestrian bridge crosses over the railroad. The point itself has a few very short trails and a tiny beach. I probably walked around 0.6 miles here.

So this was my first hike of the spring, and was about 8.5 miles.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Hudson Highlands, New York, Putnam County | Leave a comment

Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, Putnam County, New York

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Charlie

YBS, Xi and I were interested in cross-country skiing or snow shoeing, so we headed north to Clarence Fahnestock State Park, which has a winter park featuring groomed trails and gear rental. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, close to 11:00 a.m., the man at the gate told us that the parking lot was full and that they had rented all the ski gear. Disappointed, we drove southwest on Route 301 a half mile and decided to hike a bit.

We started out exploring Conopus Lake, to the north of Route 301, joining a number of skiiers and at least one ice fisherman who were enjoying the lake, which had several inches of powder over thick ice:

Conopus Lake

One of my roommates lent me his snow pant bibs, which came in very handy. I’ve never worn any before, but I enjoyed both the insulation and the waterproofing.

Sitting on frozen lake

I try making a snow angel. Xi was a prettier snow angel, but I’m not sure that she wants me to post her photo.

Making a snow angel

After an hour or so on the lake, we left and crossed to the south of Route 301, hiking southwest on the Appalachian Trail.

Appalachian Trail

After about three-quarters of a mile we stopped for lunch:

Lunch in the snow

It was a sunny day, with a clear blue sky:

Blue winter sky

After a mile on the Appalachian Trail, we turned left onto a blue-blazed park trail, hiking roughly northeast back toward Route 301:

Blue trail

Even though Conopus Lake had been frozen, we did find a few streams that still had running water:

Stream in winter

Some tracks diverted southeast. This was apparently the green-blazed park trail, though at the time I didn’t see any blazes.

Intersection of blue and green trails

We continued on the blue-blazed trail, however.

Blue trail

A fallen tree:

Fallen tree

Another fallen tree frames a depression:

Fallen tree

We only hiked about 2.5 miles on the Appalachian Trail and blue-blazed trail, and maybe we covered another mile at Canopus Lake. It’s much harder work to hike in snow than on hard-packed ground, so even though we were only at the park about three hours and didn’t cover many miles, it was still a fun trip and a workout.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Appalachian Trail, Fahnestock, New York, Putnam County | Leave a comment

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