Charlie Stein's Photoblog

Harriman State Park, Rockland County, New York

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Charlie

My hiking partners today were Suri, Greg and Malky. We went to the southwest corner of Harriman, a part of the park I had never visited before. From Route 17, we turned east onto Seven Lakes Drive, and parked at the Reeves Meadow Visitor Center.

We began hiking east on the red-blazed Pine Meadow trail, but after about 200 yards turned south onto the white-blazed Reeves Brook trail, which paralleled a small brook. Small trees provided plenty of shade.

Pile of Boulders on Reeves Brook Trail

In one place, the trail passed over two inclined ledges of bare rock. We probably could have scaled the rock itself, but discovered that there were narrow gaps between the rocks in two places, and that at least one of the gaps was wide enough for hikers to pass through.

Bare rock ledges

A Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata) resting on a downed log:

Six-spotted tiger beetle

When I took this photo, I only saw the leopard slug (Limax maximus), and didn’t notice the spider until I reviewed the photo on my computer. I wonder if they are friends.

Leopard slug and spider

After 1.4 miles, we reached the intersection with the blue-blazed Seven Hills trail and turned right (southwest) onto that, which led out of the tree cover.

Seven Hills Trail

We reached the scenic Torne View:

Torne View

A fused HDR image from Torne View:

Fused HDR image of Torne View

At Torne View, I heard something move through the grass behind me, and turned to see the tail of a black rat snake slithering out of sight beneath a rock. He didn’t stick around long enough for me to take a photo. In another spot on the hike, I saw a chipmunk or squirrel scamper under a rock, and he also was too shy to allow himself to be photographed.

A tree growing from a rock seam:

Tree growing from rock seam

The elevation of this hike varied from around 600′ to 1100′, but included a lot of ascents and descents. Here, Suri and Greg descend the trail:

Descending the Seven Hills Trail

I gave Greg my camera, and he photographed me sitting on a rock a few feet from a vertical wall, while Malky contemplated how to best descend the trail:

Vertical wall on Seven Hills Trail

I don’t know if there are really seven hills on the Seven Hills Trail, but there are a lot of them. Here, having just descended one area, we were immediately faced with a steep climb up a hill of broken rock:

A rocky incline on the Seven Hills Trail

I scrambled up the rocky hill first and then photographed the others following me:

Scrambling up a rocky hill on the Seven Hills Trail

I thought this was a very nice scenic view, and yet it wasn’t shown with a star on the NY-NJ Trail Conference map:

After 0.7 miles, the blue-blazed trail intersected the orange-blazed Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail, and for the next 0.2 miles both trails continued together. The trails then split, and we turned left (southwest) onto the orange trail. Here, we found Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) in bloom:

Red Columbine

After 0.4 miles, we reached the scenic view Ramapo Torne, where we stopped for lunch. The view was marred by an electrical substation (not visible in the photo), and power lines crossing through the photo, as well as by U.S. 87 on the right, and the strange landscaping in the middle (we didn’t learn what that was):

View from Ramapo Torne

After lunch, we backtracked 0.4 miles over the orange-blazed trail and then 0.2 miles over the jointly blue and orange-blazed section. We then continued on part of the orange trail we hadn’t seen yet, moving toward the east.

Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail

This part of the trail included areas without heavy tree cover, and there was also bare rock to appreciate:

Tree on Hillburn-Torne-Sebago Trail

A fallen tree:

Fallen tree

The trail crossed through a grove of slender trees:

Grove of slender trees

The trail began a steep climb of about 200′, to a scenic view known as the Russian Bear. I did not find the view to be so scenic and do not have any photos. The Russian Bear formerly referred to a large boulder at the top, but it fell in 2004. The trail turned north at this point.

After 1.0 mile, the orange trail intersected the black-blazed Raccoon Brook Hills Trail, and we turned left (west onto that). In one spot, the trail was not well blazed at all, and we followed a couple of cairns. We were planning to turn north onto the white-blazed Reeves Brook Trail, and beside a footpath we saw a cairn with a white blaze on it. But was only a single blaze, and not the three blazes that we would expect at the end of a trail. Also, there were no corresponding black blazes to signify an intersection with the black trail. Nonetheless, not seeing any other blaze or trail, we turned onto the footpath, and before long came to black blazes proving that we had remained on the black trail. So that cairn should have been blazed black instead of white.

After 0.4 miles on the black trail, we did finally come to the three blazes signifying one end of the white-blazed Reeves Brook Trail, and we turned north onto that, heading back to the car.

Another fallen tree:

Fallen tree

A stagnant pool off the Reeves Brook Trail:

Stagnant pool

A tiny waterfall on Reeves Brook:

Reeves Brook

This was about a 6.2 mile hike. While there was only about a 500′ difference between minimum and maximum elevations, I estimate that with all the hills, we ascended about 1700′ and descended the same amount.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Harriman, New York, Rockland County | 1 Comment

Appalachian Trail, Putnam County, New York

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Charlie

My friends and I hiked a 7.5-mile section of the Appalachian Trail (AT). We met at the intersection of Old West Point Road East and Graymoor Village, where Old West Point Road East transitions from a paved road to a dirt road.

After shuttling my car to Dennytown Road in Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, we returned to Old West Point Road. We hiked down the dirt portion for 200′ and turned left (north) onto the AT.

11:32 a.m.: Almost immediately after turning north on the AT, we found this ancient saw blade resting against a rock:

Old saw blade

11:50 a.m.: We were hiking along a ridge line, at about 700-800′ of elevation, and looking toward the west we could see the ground drop away. (U.S. Highway 9 was running toward the west, at about 500′ of elevation.)

View from Appalachian Trail

11:56 a.m.: A densely packed stand of 5 or 6 trees had fallen:

Fallen trees

The NY-NJ Trail Conference map 101 (East Hudson Trails) shows that after 3/4 of a mile we should have arrived at a side trail leading east toward a starred scenic view. However, we were not paying close attention and I do not recall any side trail.

12:28 p.m.: When we were 1.5 miles into our hike, we came to a blue blaze marking a path to the left (northwest). The map showed this as leading to a scenic view from Denning Hill, and we detoured 0.1 miles to investigate. This is the view:

View from Denning Hill

12:45 p.m.: Returning to the AT, after another 0.7 miles the trail made a hairpin curve to the south, before turning north again after another tenth of a mile. (As the crow flies, this was about 0.3 miles east of Denning Hill, and about 0.35 miles south of Ft. Defiance Hill.) There was a scenic view here, as well:

View from Appalachian Trail

12:55 p.m.: We dropped down from about 900′ elevation to 700′ elevation. Here my friends reach the bottom of that hill:

Descending a hill

12:56 p.m.: It looks as though a tree toppled over with roots remaining in the ground, and therefore remained alive:

Fallen tree lives

1:01 p.m.: We climbed another hill back up to around 800′ elevation:

Hill

1:09 p.m.: A small rock ledge. I hiked up the small hill to take a closer look, while my friends remained on the trail.

Rock ledge

1:22 p.m.: The trail passed over puncheon through an area that the map shows can be swampy:

Puncheon

1:29 p.m.: At 0.6 miles beyond the hairpin curve, the Appalachian Trail then crossed Old Albany Post Road, one of the oldest unpaved roads in the U.S. still in use. The crossing was right at an intersection with Chapman Road. We did not immediately see where to pick up the AT on the north side of the Post Road (as a vehicle was parked in front of it). We therefore walked northeast on the Post Road about 200′, until we came to a marker indicating the edge of the Federal land through which the AT is routed. We also spotted this historic marker of the Old Albany Post Road:

Historic marker, Old Albany Post Road

1:33 p.m.: A driver was passing by on the road, so we flagged him down and asked him where to re-enter the woods on the AT northbound. He directed us back about 200′ to the intersection with Chapman Road, where I realized that a vehicle had blocked our view of the trail. Re-entering the woods, we immediately came to a colorful scene. After so many months of winter and nothing but dormant vegetation, it is nice to see greenery!

Appalachian Trail

We reached the edge of NY-NJ Trail Conference map 101, and we switched to map 103, also within the East Hudson Trails map set.

1:44 p.m.: We began to encounter ancient rock walls.

Rock wall

1:51 p.m.: More fallen trees:

Fallen tree

1:51 p.m.: Another rock wall:

Rock wall

We stopped for a leisurely lunch, then continued on northward.

2:49 p.m.: At a mile from Old Albany Post Road, we reached a scenic view on Canopus Hill, at around 800′ elevation:

View from Canopus Hill

3:02 p.m.: A dead tree:

Dead tree

3:09 p.m.: After another 0.5 miles we reached a small stream, which was just south of Canopus Hill Road:

Stream at Canopus Hill Road

We crossed the road and re-entered the forest.

3:24 p.m.: We encountered an ancient stone foundation. I would have guessed it was a root cellar, though I later found a website that stated that it was a building used as a Smallpox inoculation station during the Revolutionary War.

Revolutionary War Smallpox Inoculation Station

3:26 p.m.: Investigating a vine:

Vine

3:32 p.m.: More stone walls:

Stone walls

3:50 p.m.: A broken tree:

Broken tree

3:56 p.m.: Another mile past Canopus Hill Road, the AT crossed South Highland Road. Continuing to the north on the AT, we immediately crossed a stream and this memorial marker. An Internet search did not turn up any details, besides other hikers who were also curious.

Memorial marker

4:04 p.m.: Another stone wall:

Stone wall

Around 4:15 p.m., 0.5 miles past South Highland Road, we entered Fahnestock State Park.

4:52 p.m.: After another mile, we reached an intersection with Fahnestock’s red-blazed Catfish Loop trail. We stayed on the AT.

5:16 p.m.: The AT in Fahnestock included some bare rock, though this piece was covered with lichen:

Appalachian Trail

5:31 p.m.: About 1.2 miles beyond the intersection with the Catfish Loop Trail, we reached Dennytown Road, where I had left my car. We then drove back to the starting point, where my companions reclaimed their own cars. As noted at the beginning of the post, I estimate this was about a 7.5 mile hike.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Appalachian Trail, Fahnestock, New York, Putnam County | 2 Comments

Stokes State Forest, Sussex County, NJ

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Charlie

This was the Jewish Outdoor Club’s Sixth Annual Fun Day. The club sold 240 tickets, and while I didn’t get a count of participants, presumably a high percentage attended. The event was held at Stokes State Forest, in northwestern New Jersey, and included hikes, a barbecue, and workshops.

There were hikes for everybody, including an easy hike (4.6 miles on flat terrain), four moderate hikes (4.5 or 4.8 miles, with 500′ in elevation gain), a moderate-plus hike (5.5 miles, with 500′ in elevation gain), and a challenging hike (advertised as 8 miles, with 650′ in elevation gain, though one of the participants said it was 10 miles). While I ordinarily like longer hikes, the challenging hike was to be conducted at a fast pace (in order to return in time to enjoy the barbecue). I prefer to hike at a moderate pace, and therefore selected one of the moderate hikes.

I had never been to Stokes State Forest before, a 16,000 acre park. It is close to the border with Pennsylvania, and positioned on the northwest side of Kittatinny Mountain ridge, about 25 miles northeast of the Delaware Water Gap.

11:25 a.m.: Check-in was adjacent to Stony Lake, which includes a sandy beach that in warmer weather is enjoyed by swimmers. Our hike began by walking past the small lake.

Stony Lake has a nice beach

11:33 a.m.: We entered the forest by hiking southeast on the Stony Brook Trail, which parallels Stony Brook, a small stream that feeds into the lake.

Stony Brook

11:44 a.m.: The forest includes many red pines planted during the New Deal in the 1930s. In one area, quite a few had fallen during Hurricane Sandy.

Fallen trees

12:11 p.m.: The trail began relatively flat, but eventually began climbing the slope of Kittatinny Ridge.

Ascending Stony Brook Trail toward Kittatinny Ridge

12:13 p.m.: Chany crosses over a brook:

Crossing a Brook

12:21 p.m.: The trail crossed Sunrise Mountain Road, and reentered the woods.

12:27 p.m.: The Stony Brook Trail ended, and we turned right (south-southwest) onto the Appalachian Trail. For the most part we hiked through unbroken forest, though we finally reached a scenic view, at the intersection with the Tower Trail.

1:10 p.m.: I pose for a photo, looking down from the Kittatinny ridge toward the north.

Posing on Kittatinny Ridge at Intersection of Appalachian Trail and Tower Trail

A fused HDR image from the same scenic view:

View from Kittatinny Ridge at Intersection of Appalachian Trail and Tower Trail, NJ

1:22 p.m.: Birds were circling overhead:

Birds circling

1:23 p.m.: The Tower Trail is named for the fire tower at the top. I climbed it, for a panoramic view of the area:

View from Fire Tower on Kittatinny Ridge

1:40 p.m.: While we were enjoying the scenic view, we were also getting hungry, and eventually began our descent on the Tower Trail, heading north.

Descending Tower Trail from Kittatinny Ridge

1:56 p.m.: The trail crossed Sunrise Mountain Road, and reentered the woods.

2:30 p.m.: Wild flowers:

Wild Flowers

2:32 p.m.: Hurricane damage was also visible on the Tower Trail:

Fallen trees

We returned to the area near Stony Lake, which included a pavilion where the caterer had hamburgers, hot dogs, and other delicacies prepared for us. After lunch, there were a number of workshops on different topics, run simultaneously.

4:24 p.m.: I attended a workshop presented by Dr. Simcha Nath, on Backcountry Safety. Here, he demonstrates how to build a rope litter, a makeshift stretcher for carrying a wounded or ill person:

Demonstration of a Rope Litter

Happily, it was only a demonstration.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Appalachian Trail, New Jersey, Sussex County | Leave a comment

Hudson Highlands State Park, Westchester & Putnam Counties, NY

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Charlie

This day I hiked on the Camp Smith Trail, with temperatures in the 50s, which was much warmer than my prior visit in January 2012.

My first visit had been a solo hike, and I had ascended the Camp Smith Trail from the old Bear Mountain Bridge toll booth, continued to Anthony’s Nose, then descended on the Appalachian Trail to Route 9D, and walked along Route 6/202 back to my car. Today, I was hiking with the group, so we shuttled my car to a parking area where the Appalachian Trail crosses South Mountain Pass Road, and then returned to the old toll booth to begin our hike, around 11:00 a.m.

11:36 a.m.: We reached one of the first scenic views of the hike, and other hikers who were there were kind enough to photograph the five of us:

Posing at a scenic view of the Hudson River

Noon: Another scenic view:

Hudson River

12:14 p.m.: The Bear Mountain Bridge comes into view:

Hudson River and Bear Mountain Bridge

12:33 p.m.: The Camp Smith Trail is accessible from two parking areas. One, as discussed, is at the southern end of the trail, where the old Bear Mountain toll booth has been relocated. The second parking area is about halfway between the southern end of the trail and the northern end of the trail, and it is at the point where Broccy Creek exits to drain into the Hudson. (Within Camp Smith, there is a Broccy Creek Reservoir, at 537′ of elevation, and Broccy Creek runs from there to the Hudson.) We had previously reached an elevation of about 700′, and at this point had descended to around 400′, where we crossed the creek.

Crossing Broccy Creek

12:37 p.m.: We had no idea what this device was, but an Internet search shows that it’s a Suunto product called a Control Marker, used for orienteering. Inside of it was another Suunto product, a Control Punch, that the orienteering participant uses to mark his scorecard, as proof that he reached the control station.

Orienteering Control Marker

12:49 p.m.: A colorful rock:

Colorful rock

Rocks showing stratification:

Rock strata

1:01 p.m.: We stopped for lunch beside a pond. While the temperatures were nice, at times the wind was blowing and chilled us. We debated having lunch at Anthony’s Nose, but thought it prudent to break at this point, where we were protected from the wind.

Pond on Camp Smith Trail

I have complained that the terrain has been dull the last few hikes, and I am happy to see some green begin to appear:

Moss

1:42 p.m.: After lunch, we resume our hike toward the north, regaining the elevation we had dropped in descending to the creek:

Scenic View

1:54 p.m.: This is a northern fence lizard (also known as the eastern fence lizard), which blended well with the fallen log on which it was resting.

Northern Fence Lizard

2:07 p.m.: Now at around 900′, at the scenic view just before the short path to Anthony’s Nose.

Scenic view

2:11 p.m.: Anthony’s Nose, with the stunning view of the Hudson, Bear Mountain, and Bear Mountain Bridge:

The view from Anthony’s Nose

Another view of Bear Mountain, Bear Mountain Bridge, and the Hudson River:

Another view of Bear Mountain and the Bear Mountain Bridge

We stayed at Anthony’s Nose almost an hour, enjoying the view. It was not especially windy, and there were many other people there. (In addition to the aforementioned parking areas at the southern end and middle of the Camp Smith trail, some people park along Route 9D below Anthony’s Nose, and then hike up the Appalachian Trail to the northern end of the Camp Smith trail, which they then follow south to Anthony’s Nose.)

3:05 p.m.: We continued north on the Camp Smith trail, passing a small pond:

Pond

As I mentioned above, on my first visit to Anthony’s Nose, when I had reached the northern end of the Camp Smith Trail, I had turned west on the Appalachian Trail, descending to Route 9D. Today, after 4.3 miles on the Camp Smith Trail, we turned east on the Appalachian Trail, entering part of the Hudson Highlands State Park that I had not seen before.

3:29 p.m.: A tree has suffered a spiral fracture. One of the party thought one fracture looked fresh, while another looked older, and wondered if the tree could have possibly survived the first fracture.

Tree with spiral fracture

A side view of the same tree. This doesn’t look good:

$Tree with spiral fracture$

Tree with spiral fracture

3:37 p.m.: The Appalachian Trail had followed a rocky woods road for a while, and I had been happy when the blazes had turned off into a footpath. Here the path reaches the edge of a hill, and we are about to descend from about 800′ to 700′.

Appalachian Trail

3:41 p.m.: The trail was moving east at this point, toward a woods road, but then turned toward the northeast, sticking to the woods.

Appalachian Trail

I zoomed in to show the stonework that had gone into preparing the road bed. I found a map that calls this Military Road, as it connects to a road within Camp Smith, the New York State Military Reservation, which is off-limits to hikers. I don’t know if this part of the road, within Hudson Highlands State Park, is ever used by the military or by state park rangers, but from a distance it appeared in excellent shape.

Military Road

4:05 p.m.: The trail descended to about 400′, then deposited us on Military Road, which did indeed look pristine.

Military Road

One of our group spotted a broken skull on the road, which I believe was from a whitetail deer. We continued hiking northeast on the road, which soon intersected South Mountain Pass Road, where I had left my car. The hike along the Appalachian Trail was only 1.2 miles, so our total for the day was only 5.5 miles. I then drove my friends back to their cars as the southern end of the Camp Smith Trail.

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

Breakneck Ridge to South Beacon Mtn., Putnam/Dutchess County, NY

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Charlie

This was a repeat of my August 1, 2010 hike, except that this time instead of a solo outing I went with four other hikers. Also, instead of Summer it was a Spring (that felt more like a late Winter).

10:25 a.m.: We met on Route 9D, and began the hike up Breakneck Ridge, which is listed in several guide books as a demanding and rewarding scramble. The ridge gains 1260′ in a horizontal distance of about 3/4 mile. Many people were out hiking, including a large group that started before us, and others close behind us.

Beginning to climb Breakneck Ridge

10:36 a.m.: It wasn’t long before the hike turned into a scramble.

Scrambling Up Breakneck Ridge

Climbing from the Hudson River, it wasn’t long before Breakneck Ridge offered nice views of the river and Storm King Mountain.

Storm King Mountain, from Breakneck Ridge

We continued our scramble:

Scrambling Up Breakneck Ridge

11:07 a.m.: Breakneck Ridge seems to arrive at a peak, but then one discovers there is a farther distance to go.

Storm King Mountain, from Breakneck Ridge

After conquering Breakneck Ridge, we continued on the white-blazed trail to the northeast, eventually stopping for lunch. I went almost three hours without taking photos.

2:00 p.m.: Continuing, we reached a wooden deck beside the trail, which offered a nice view of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. How did the deck builders get the materials there?

Newburgh-Beacon Bridge

2:36 p.m.: A hanging rock beside the trail:

Hanging rock

The trail had dropped to about 1000′ in elevation, but we had to climb 500′ to reach the fire tower at South Beacon Mountain.

3:02 p.m.: We finally reached our objective, the fire tower on South Beacon Mountain. The temperature on this day was in the 50s, but at times the wind was stiff, and I had to repeatedly take my fleece jacket off and put it back on. The wind was especially fierce on South Beacon Mountain, and we only stayed a few minutes. The stairs at the fire tower were chained off, as always, but there were a number of young people there who ignored the chain and climbed the tower. We stayed on the ground.

Fire Tower on South Beacon Mountain

Another view of the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, as well as communications towers on North Beacon Mountain.

Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, from South Beacon Mountain

Meredith rests on a ledge below the top slab on South Beacon Mountain, finding shelter from the stiff wind.

Resting on a Rock Ledge

3:18 p.m.: After a few minutes, we began our return trip, backtracking at first on the white trail. Here, Meredith explores her “inner koala bear,” as the other hikers admire her prowess.

Climbing a Tree, with Admiring Witnesses

. . . but after a few seconds they lose interest.

Climbing a Tree, with Bored Witnesses

3:26 p.m.: The white spots visible in this photo are tiny remnants of snow or ice.

Hudson Highlands

We debated whether it’s easier to scramble uphill or downhill.

Scrambling in Hudson Highlands

When the white trail intersected the yellow trail, we turned onto that, hiking for a couple of hours in which I didn’t find anything to photograph.

5:28 p.m.: Our final climb of the day was only about 100′, to the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain, which offered a view of the Hudson and Pollepel Island.

Pollepel Island, from Sugarloaf Mountain

Storm King Mountain:

Storm King Moutain, from Sugarloaf Mountain

On Pollepel Island, Bannerman’s Castle continues to deteriorate:

Bannerman’s Castle

The trail then led us back to our cars on Route 9D. Our loop hike was about 8 miles, and took us 7-1/2 hours. I don’t know what the elevation gain was, but it was at least 2000′.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged Beacon, Dutchess County, Hudson Highlands, New Jersey, Putnam County | Leave a comment

High Tor State Park, Rockland County, New York

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Charlie

Nachi suggested a short hike in High Tor State Park, and ten of us participated. It was not the prettiest of days, with gray skies and temperatures in the 40s, and obviously no green vegetation.

Rather than starting the hike in the park, we met at a parking area about 1/2 mile outside the park, off Old Route 90 (Haverstraw Road), east of County Road 23. Our route was on maps 111 and 112 of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference “Hudson Palisades Trails” series. The parking area is not marked on map 111, but is at GPS coordinates 41.1771, 73.9604.

Nachi called the meeting for 10 a.m., but some drivers were late, got lost, etc., and as a result we didn’t begin hiking until around 10:40. We began walking a short distance west along Haverstraw Road, following the aqua blazes of the Long Path, which turned north into the woods shortly after the intersection with Country Road 23.

10:47 a.m.: The Long Path soon passed an old stone wall and began a gradual climbing. The road was at 200 feet in elevation, and the high point reached during the day would be 830 feet, at High Tor.

Stone wall

By 10:57, we had already entered into High Tor State Park, on map 112, and we passed the white-blazed Spur Path. We continued on the Long Path.

11:03 a.m.: Around 500′ of elevation, the path turned northwest, skirting around a hill.

High Tor State Park

11:09 a.m.: While there was no greenery, the hikers provided more than a touch of color.

Hikers in High Tor State Park

11:13 a.m.: The Hudson appears in the background:

Hikers in High Tor State Park

11:14 a.m.: The group gathered for a moment just below the peak of High Tor.

Below High Tor

We then climbed the remaining 20′ for an unobstructed 360 degree view, but it revealed an ugly quarry below, and I think the obstructed view presented above is nicer.

We resumed our hike to the northwest, at a leisurely pace, stopping when we reached Little Tor, at about 710′ elevation, where we stopped for lunch.

12:11 p.m.: The scenic view here was a little nicer. Instead of the ugly quarry, we had a nice view of the western part of Haverstraw, as well as the Hudson.

West Haverstraw

The area has a lot of history. High Tor was used as a signal point by colonists during the Revolution. Benedict Arnold met an English general at a beach in Haverstraw and offered to sell plans to West Point. And in the late 1800s, Haverstraw was the leading center of brick production in the United States. The property was at risk of being quarried for its trap rock, but locals rallied to save it, and it was purchased and made a park in 1943.

In Haverstraw, a water tower in the town is owned by–or advertises–the local hospital, which is named for the famous actress and philanthropist, Helen Hayes.

Water tower in Haverstraw

After lunch, we explored another little side path which took us around the west of Little Tor. The view here was of a different character, as we were now looking toward the western part of High Tor State Park (and perhaps also toward South Mountain County Park), and thus away from the residential areas of the surrounding towns.

Scenic view from Little Tor, High Tor State Park

We began hiking back. There was no loop path here, or at least not to our knowledge, and thus we retraced our steps on the Long Path.

1:35 p.m.: I pose for a photo with Yitz, one of my apartment mates.

Yitz and Charlie

1:50 p.m.: On the return path, I spotted a place where the Long Path has been rerouted, taking a short cut. While the other hikers retraced their steps on the path that we had followed earlier, I decided to follow the partially-obscured blazes that marked the old route of the trail.

Old Route of Long Path at High Tor

1:51 p.m.: The old route paralleled the new route, but at a higher elevation to the north. I could see my fellow hikers moving below me:

Old Route of Long Path

1:53 p.m.: The old route ended at the top of a steep hill, which I had to descend with a hand and foot scramble, rejoining the others below. The photo doesn’t reflect how steep the scramble was. It was safe enough in the dry conditions of that day, but perhaps the path had been rerouted with wet or snowy conditions in mind.

Old route of Long Path, including scramble

After only a few minutes on the old route and scramble, I soon rejoined the rest of the hiking group.

2:12 p.m.: When we reached the white-blazed Spur Path, we detoured on it to the west, visiting a small pond for a few minutes.

Pond off Spur Path

We then returned to the cars, having completed a roughly 5.5 mile hike. It was not very strenuous, as we were moving at a slow pace and did not have a great deal of elevation gain.

While not a pretty day, I am always happy to get out and exercise, and the company was nice. This was also the first time I visited High Tor State Park, and I am glad to add it to my list.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New York, Rockland County | 3 Comments

Sam's Point Preserve and Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Ulster County, New York

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Charlie

I met Martin and Lisa at Sam’s Point Preserve at 10:00 a.m. Our cars were the first ones in the parking lot at the Conservation Center, though we were immediately followed by another car carrying a couple not with our group. This other couple had brought along snowshoes, which they strapped to their backpacks, and they began hiking a few minutes before us.

We signed into the guest register, paid the $10 parking fee (ouch!), and learned that the famed Ice Caves were closed. They can reportedly have ice in them into the Summer months, so I didn’t think it would be much of a novelty to find ice in them in the Winter. As it turned out, in the Winter there was so much ice that the caves could not be safely entered.

10:25 a.m.: We began hiking counterclockwise on the Loop Road, which circles Lake Maratanza, and within 15 minutes had hiked the 0.65 miles to the scenic overlook of Sam’s Point. On clear days, one can see from the Hudson Highlands in the southeast to High Point State Park and the Kittatinnies in the southwest.

Sam’s Point

10:49 a.m.: Driving to the park I didn’t see much snow, but the park is at a higher elevation and still retained plenty of snow. This part of Loop Road was easy to walk on, though, as the snow was thin and well-compacted, so we didn’t have a problem with sliding or sinking into the snow. At the beginning of the day, the sky showed some promising blue. Note also the dwarf pine barrens, a rare plant community occurring at upper elevations in Sam’s Point and Minnewaska State Park Preserve. My hiking companions mentioned that in the Spring, the area is famous for blueberries.

Loop Road

11:05 a.m.: After another 0.6 miles, we left Loop Road and continued on Ice Caves Road, which also led to Verkeerder Kill Falls Trail. While we knew the Ice Caves were closed, we decided to see the entrance, and descended the slope and stairs a short distance.

Entrance to Ice Caves

This was as far as we could go. Where the trail descended below the overhanging rocks, the steps were coated with thick ice.

Entrance to Ice Caves

A detail in which the ice can be seen:

Entrance to Ice Caves

We climbed the short distance that we had descended and backtracked about 0.2 of a mile on Ice Caves Road to the turnoff to Verkeerder Kill Falls Trail, a footpath that is shared by the Long Path.

11:22 a.m.: We turned onto the trail, which almost immediately left Sam’s Point Preserve and entered Minnewaska State Park Preserve. We found the snow here to be a little thicker, though still compacted and not too slick.

11:36 a.m.: Frost flowers on the trail:

Frost flowers

11:42 p.m.: A view from the trail:

Verkeerder Kill Falls Trail

12:02 p.m.: As we approached Verkeerder Kill and the Falls, the trail exited Minnewaska State Park Preserve and entered private property. It is nice of the property owners to allow hikers to use their land to visit the Falls.

After hiking 1.7 miles on the Falls Trail, we reached the “Kill,” which is a Dutch word for a water channel:

Verkeerder Kill

This is the top of the 180′ Verkeerder Kill Falls:

Point of Verkeerder Kill Falls

Another view of the water around the top of the falls.

Verkeerder Kill

A short distance beyond the Falls, an observation point allowed hikers to see at least the top part of the Falls. We stopped here for lunch, noting that our blue sky had disappeared, replaced by clouds:

Verkeerder Kill Falls

We continued on the Verkeerder Kill Falls Trail for another 0.3 miles, climbing about 160′ in elevation. The hike had been primarily flat to this point, other than the short detour we took to descend to the opening of the Ice Caves. The trail then reached a three-way intersection, with the Scenic Trail and the red-blazed High Point Trail. We turned left onto the High Point Trail.

1:01 p.m.: The High Point Trail had deeper snow, and it also had more hills and a few scrambles. There were also slippery spots. Here my companions contemplate climbing a few feet of rock.

A scramble on the High Point Trail

As Lisa noted, scrambles are easier for those with long legs.

A scramble on the High Point Trail

At one point, I stepped into a puddle of cold water that was about a foot deep, with water running into the top of my left boot. I eventually stopped to replace my wet sock with dry ones from my backpack.

1:29 p.m.: We followed bare rock, though in many places it was covered with snow.

High Point Trail

2:11 p.m.: From the High Point Trail, we could see an antenna farm at Sam’s Point Preserve, to the west. We knew that we would eventually be hiking past there, but for now the High Point Trail was taking us north.

Antenna farm

2:16 p.m.: The High Point Trail took us through “The Badlands,” more dwarf pine barrens.

High Point Trail

2:30 p.m.: The ground was visibly icy here, and in a few places we were practically reduced to crawling to obtain traction.

High Point Trail

2:32 p.m.: After 2.4 miles on the High Point Trail, during which we gained another 300′ in elevation, we reached a side path to the west that would take us to the High Point Carriageway. The sign indicated that we were only 0.1 miles from the carriageway, and 2.4 miles from the Conservation Center.

High Point Trail

2:38 p.m.: The Carriageway was about 100′ lower than High Point Trail, and the 0.1 mile path was slippery in places. When we reached the High Point Carriageway, another sign told us that we were 2.8 miles from the Conservation Center. In light of the previous sign, we had expected to be 2.5 miles away. Someone’s math was off. We turned south on the Carriageway.

High Point Carriageway

2:47 p.m.: While the Carriageway was wide and relatively flat, snow here was even deeper, about 6″. In places the surface was strong enough to support our weight for a few steps, but then we would break through, which made for strenuous hiking. We saw snowshoe trails, perhaps from the couple we had seen at the beginning of the day. The snowshoes, with their greater surface area, allowed for the users to avoid sinking into the snow in many of the places where our boots broke through the surface.

High Point Carriageway

3:28 p.m.: We finally passed the antenna farm, and turned onto the Loop Road, with a sign indicating that we were only 1.1 miles from the Conservation Center.

3:51 p.m.: There were a few ruined buildings on the Loop Road, which had apparently been used long ago by blueberry pickers.

Ruins

We returned to the Conservation Center shortly after 4:00 p.m., having hiked about 8 miles.

Posted in Hikes | Tagged New York, Ulster County, waterfall | Leave a comment

Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park, Putnam County, New York

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Charlie

While this has been the second mild winter in a row, we did have snowfall on Friday night, and Fahnestock reopened its winter park.

Suri, Greg and I decided to visit. I reminded them that two years earlier I had tried to rent gear there, arriving at 11:00 a.m., it had been too late. Nevertheless, they were unable to commit to meeting me earlier than 9:00 a.m. So it was that we arrived at Fahnestock at 10:15, waited in a long line of cars for 15 minutes, only to be told once again that it was likely that all the gear would be rented until the afternoon, when some early renters might return their gear.

Thus, I was again frustrated in my attempt to try cross-country skiing or snow-shoeing. Canopus Lake appeared frozen, and Greg and Suri explored it for a few minutes while I donned my snow bibs. We opted to hike on the trails, and followed the blue-blazed 3 Lakes trail southwest 1.4 miles, then turned north onto the white-blazed Appalachian Trail, which we followed northeast for 0.8 miles. We then reached Highway 301, turning right to follow a trail beside the road, and after 0.2 miles we reached my car.

Obviously a 2.4 mile hike is anemic, but it was hard going in the soft powder. The snow on the trails had been compressed somewhat, apparently by snowshoe wearers, though that did not compress the snow enough to support people wearing only boots. Thus, we frequently sank through the surface, slid backwards on the snow, and then had the exertion of pulling our boots out of the snow to step forward.

I did manage to take a few photographs along the way. I only noticed the arching tree in this image, but Greg noted the two dead trees underneath it, saying they looked like two centipedes fighting.

3 Lakes Trail, Fahnestock State Park, NY

“2 centipedes fighting”

Here the trail passed under a shaded area and in between snow-covered boulders, and I told Greg and Suri to pose for a photo:

Two boulders

There was a lot of snow:

Snow everywhere

Greg and Suri examine a partially-frozen stream:

Partially-frozen stream, Fahnestock State Park, NY

Inspecting a partially-frozen stream

Not all the water was frozen:

Stream in the snow, Fahnestock State Park, NY

A stream in the snow

Where the trail crossed a freezing stream, icicles formed under a ledge:

Icicles forming under a ledge

A freezing stream:

Freezing stream

Another view of the freezing stream:

Freezing stream

The trees cast long shadows on the snow:

Trees casting shadows on snow

During the Civil-War, a railroad was constructed to aid in mining ore. The railroad bed is incorporated into the Appalachian Trail:

Railroad bed on Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail passing by rock outcroppings:

Rock outcropping on Appalachian Trail

When we returned to the car, we all had wet footwear. I do not remember having that problem on my last snow outing from two years earlier (or from my hike in Harriman a few weeks ago). I think that I encountered deeper snow than I had on those occasions, and the snow poured over the top of my boots. I had fresh socks, but the insides of the boots themselves were wet, so after returning to the car we decided that 2-1/2 hours of playing in the snow was enough, and we returned home.

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

Harriman State Park, Orange County, New York

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Charlie

I joined five hikers at Harriman, most of whom I had hiked with previously with the Jewish Outdoors Club. Whereas the week before, I had seen a lot of snow on my drive to the park, this Sunday I saw very little. The temperatures had been above freezing for most of the week, and I thought it possible that all the snow had melted from Harriman.

It was not a bright sunny day like the Sunday before. While again in the mid-40s, it was very foggy. Our group met in a parking area at the intersection of Route 9W with the road to Jones Point, southeast of Iona Island. The intent was a loop that would have us hike about 5 miles on the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail to a scenic outlook called The Timp, and then to return about 3 miles on the Timp-Torne trail, for a total hike of about 8 miles, with elevation change of 1500′.

10:13 a.m.: We began our hike with some confusion. A sign near the parking lot indicated there were footpaths directly behind the lot, but we did not see any blazes directing us to the red-blazed Ramapo-Dunderberg trail. We learned at the end of the day that the trail exits the woods about 50 yards south of the parking area. But early in the morning, we wandered around aimlessly for a while. Two of the ladies had beautiful red hair, and at times their hair seemed to match the vegetation:

Searching for Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

10:30 a.m.: We finally found the red blazes and began ascending the R-D trail. Here a couple of trees had fallen across the path, though someone with a chain saw had already been there to clean up part of the mess.

Fallen Trees on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

10:35 a.m.: My fellow hikers, at lower left, round a curve in the trail from behind a tall hill.

Hikers on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

11:34 a.m.: The fog was denser in some places, but remained a constant throughout the day. The weatherman had said that it would clear, but it did not.

A foggy day on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

11:47 a.m.: We learned that there was indeed some snow remaining in Harriman.

“Hikers in the Mist“: A foggy and snowy day on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

Soon after this we stopped for a break at a tree, and then we continued straight.

Moss peeking out from the snow:

Moss in the Snow

After about 1/4 mile, we realized that there were no blazes. We had unintentionally diverted from the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail and were on the Bockberg woods road. We backtracked, and discovered that the R-D trail had turned right at the tree where we had taken our break. We continued on the R-D trail.

1:23 p.m.: With the snow and fog, some of the photographs were so monochromatic that they almost could have been black and white.

Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

1:27 p.m.: Some areas were covered with snow, and others were clear.

1:52 p.m.: We reached a stream. One hiker safely crossed on logs bridging the stream, while the rest of us crossed about 30′ away, on stepping stones.

Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

1:54 p.m.: Another monochromatic image.

Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail

1:57 p.m.: The heartwood of this small tree was so light in color that we suspected the tree had fallen very recently.

Freshly-broken tree

We reached the intersection with the red-blazed 1777 Trail, but continued on the Ramapo-Dunderberg trail.

Finally, we reached the intersection with the blue-blazed Timp-Torne trail. We knew that the fog made it impossible to enjoy the scenic views, and it was also getting late. Nevertheless, we decided to continue the short distance to our original goal, The Timp. Therefore, we turned right (west) onto the Timp-Torne trail.

2:37 p.m.: Here, another large fallen tree appealed to me.

Timp-Torne Trail

2:44 p.m.: At The Timp. We imagined the beautiful view that we would have had on a clear day. I hope I’ll be able to return on such a day.

The Timp on a Foggy Day

We turned around and headed east on the Timp-Torne trail, which would complete our loop back to the cars. On the way back, we saw a young deer, but it scampered away before I was able to take a photo.

3:27 p.m.: We passed another fallen tree.

Timp-Torne Trail

3:40 p.m.: More fog.

Timp-Torne Trail

3:53 p.m.: A boulder beside the trail.

Boulder beside the Timp-Torne Trail

It became too dark for more photos. I broke out my headlamp, but we made it back to the parking lot by around 4:45 p.m., after sunset but before it grew very dark.

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

Harriman State Park, Orange County, New York

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Charlie

New York City does not presently have any snow on the ground, but I thought that the parks that I frequent, being further to the north, might have snow. But how would I learn that? While weather reports can tell you what is happening at a place at the present time, there’s no easy way to find out if it has previously snowed there, with snow remaining on the ground. While cameras have proliferated in cities, most are recording for security, rather than presenting a feed that is publicly accessible on the Internet. Thus, the only webcams I was able to find that were helpful were from the parking lots of a couple of schools in Connecticut, showing snow on the ground. This suggested I would also find snow on the ground in the New York parks that I frequent. Therefore, I decided to choose a hike that was relatively flat, as I knew that I would not have good traction in snow.

I drove to Harriman State Park and at noon pulled into the Silvermine Picnic Area on Seven Lakes Drive. I began hiking west on the yellow-blazed Menomine Trail, which for 0.2 miles ran parallel to and just south of Seven Lakes Drive.

The trail then turned north, crossing the drive and re-entering the woods on the other side, where it ran along a woods road.

Menomine Trail, Harriman State Park, NY

12:14 p.m.: After another 0.2 miles, the path passed beside the northeastern edge of Lake Nawahunta:

Lake Nawahunta, Harriman State Park, NY

I kept going straight onto unblazed Nawahunta Fire Road. Many footsteps through the snow led the way on this woods road. The snow coverage was extensive, but there were a few areas that had somehow been spared:

View from Nawahunta Fire Road, Harriman State Park, NY

12:29 p.m.: The weather was definitely above freezing, and possibly hit the 40s. There were a fair number of streams and puddles that were not frozen.

Nawahunta Fire Road, Harriman State Park, NY

12:35 p.m.: The sky was a pretty blue color:

View from Nawahunta Fire Road, Harriman State Park, NY

12:57 p.m.: After 1.2 miles, the fire road ended at the Long Path, onto which I turned left (southwest). I was soon passed by an Asian man who was moving at a faster pace. In places the snow was slippery, and as I did not have poles or traction devices on my boots, I was content to move slowly and carefully.

Intersection of Nawahunta Fire Road and Long Path, Harriman State Park, NY

1:30 p.m.: I didn’t see any animals, but there were tracks everywhere.

Long Path, Harriman State Park, NY

1:36 p.m.: I spotted graffiti in the snow, which I suspect was left by the Asian man who passed me. Perhaps someone can leave a comment telling me what it says. Later on the path I saw a couple of smiling faces that had been drawn in the snow.

Snow Graffiti, Harriman State Park, NY

1:38 p.m.: Fallen trees across the Long Path:

Long Path, Harriman State Park, NY

1:50 p.m.: After about 1.2 miles on the Long Path, I reached the cave shelter on Stockbridge Mountain, and discovered that the Asian man had stopped there for lunch. I also ate my lunch there, and then asked him to take my photo.

Stockbridge Mountain Cave Shelter, Harriman State Park, NY

2:18 p.m.: Leaving the cave shelter, I followed footprints in the snow in the direction the trail had been moving, but I didn’t see any blazes. The footprints ended, suggesting that the people who had left them had also realized that they were off the path. I backtracked to the cave and finally discovered that the trail climbed up the hill immediately to the right of it. It was a bit steep and slippery, so I took my time climbing it. This is the view from the top looking down:

Long Path, Harriman State Park, NY

2:27 p.m.: There was a scenic view at 1200′ elevation:

Scenic View from Stockbridge Mountain, Harriman State Park, NY

2:30 p.m.: A fallen tree:

Fallen Tree on Long Path, Harriman State Park, NY

2:32 p.m.: Carefully climbing another hill, I reached the rear of the Stockbridge shelter.

Stockbridge Shelter, Harriman State Park, NY

I circled it carefully, as there was more slippery snow there, and saw a number of people. Four hikers had been talking to the people inside the shelter, who were having a barbecue.

Stockbridge Shelter, Harriman State Park, NY

The other hikers were going in the same direction as me, but they were better equipped, as they had poles and at least some of them had traction devices on their boots. So whereas I crept down the hill beside the shelter, they moved at a much faster pace and were soon out of my sight line.

Long Path, Harriman State Park, NY

2:45 p.m.: A rock wall with icicles:

Rock Wall on Stockbridge Mountain, Harriman State Park, NY

2:52 p.m.: About 0.4 miles from the cave shelter, I reached the Long Path’s intersection with the yellow-blazed Menomine Trail, on which I had begun my hike. I turned east, heading back toward my car.

Intersection of Long Path and Menomine Trail, Harriman State Park, NY

3:18 p.m.: Fallen trees:

Fallen Trees on Menomine Trail, Harriman State Park, NY

3:21 p.m.: Another view of partially-frozen Lake Nawahunta:

Lake Nawahunta, Harriman State Park, NY

3:45 p.m.: After about 1.4 miles on the Mekomine Trail, I returned to the Silvermine picnic area, and for a few minutes watched people sledding down the hill:

Sledding at Silvermine Picnic Area, Harriman State Park, NY

I estimate this was a 4.6-mile hike.

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

Archives