Another Mini-Vacation in the Woods

Another Mini-Vacation in the Woods

Following my annual retreat at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw (Aug. 13-19) and a family event on the 19th, I was able to take 3 days of mini-vacation.

My original plan was do another Appalachian Trail hike (see   http://sdbnews.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-trail-of-10000-acorns.html and http://sdbnews.blogspot.com/2015/06/meeting-thru-hikers-on-west-mountain.html).  I went so far as to purchase the AT guide for New Jersey and New York, study it, and photocopy the pertinent pages to pack along with me.  I was intending to hike up to the AT from Greenwood Lake, N.Y., at the N.J. state line, then go north and east to the Elk Pen at the western edge of Harriman State Park, a demanding hike of about 19 miles with some gorgeous views (reportedly). Except for the last 3 miles or so, I've never been on that section.  I've done Agony Grind a couple of times.

View of the Russian Bear from the Kakiat Trail

I invited Fr. Jim Mulloy and several of my old Scouts to come along.  I also offered the "out" of a shorter and easier plan in Harriman.  But I had no takers until I met up with Fr. Jim, who was on the same retreat as I.

He was reluctant to tackle the AT.  So we agreed instead to get ourselves dropped off at Reeves Meadow (on 7 Lakes Dr. in Sloatsburg) and hike eastward to Pine Meadow Lake and up (south) to the Suffern-Bear Mt. Trail, spend Sunday nite at the Stone Memorial Shelter, then go northeastward to the Big Hill Shelter for Monday nite, and out on the Long Path to my car on Tuesday.

Typical look of 7 Lakes Drive at Reeves Meadow on the weekend--lots and lots of cars for lots and lots of hikers

Then Fr. Jim had 2d thoughts about that too, due to a bad ankle he's got.  So he dropped me off at Reeves Meadow on Sunday at 10:40 a.m. and agreed to meet me on Monday afternoon at Big Hill.

Lots and lots of hikers were moving in both directions on Pine Meadow Trail on Sunday a.m.  It's one of the most popular trails in all of Harriman-Bear Mt.'s 52,000 acres.  On a whim, sort of, I decided to do a section of trail I'd never been on and broke off the Pine Meadow Tr. around 11:30; about 10 minutes up the trail (and it was up), I took another look at the map and realized I was on the wrong trail--the Hillburn-Torne-Sebago, going away from where I wanted to go; so I backtracked, and at noon reached the trail I wanted, the Kakiat, and headed south (and more or less up).  Had lunch from 12:15 to 12:30.  The trail was relatively easy and scenic but with quite a few ascents and descents.

My lunch stop (PB & J sandwich) on the Kakiat

As Yogi said, "When you come to the fork in the road, take it." This is a fork

with the Raccoon Brook Hills Trail going left and the Kakiat going right.

What you'll see on the southbound Kakiat

2 brooks proved to be dry--no filling my water bottles.  That got me to fretting; I had 2 more chances to find water before Stone Memorial, or I'd have to go all the way down to Pine Meadow Lake.

The party of 25 day hikers that passed me on the Kakiat and moved rapidly along

I met only 7 hikers traveling individually or in pairs on the Kakiat, and 1 party of 25 heading back to their cars at Montebello (Rte 202); probably had done a long loop hike.  At 2:30 I finally reached junction with Suffern-Bear Mt Tr.  This diversion on the Kakiat added almost 2 miles and 2 hours to my hike, and my legs complained about it.  I was happy to hit new trail, but not happy about the extra mileage (which I knew I was going to get when I opted for the Kakiat--the map was not deceptive at all).

A lot of the SBM is like this, easy hiking (and sometimes not blazed as clearly as you'd like

And a lot of it is like this--steep ascents and descents

Fortunately, a little brook along the SBM had enuf water in it for me to refill my canteen and fill my 3 water bottles.  That was a relief, even if 5 extra pounds in my backpack was not.  Along SBM I met only 1 hiker, a guy I'd seen earlier on the Kakiat. 

Structures of the new Tappan Zee Bridge (and towers in White Plains) visible from the SBM

Thru the haze you can discern the Manhattan skyline

Got to Stone Memorial Shelter at 5:00 p.m after 6 miles of hiking.  At that point, I was grateful to Fr. Jim that he didn't want to do the AT, which would have demanded 6 miles on 3 consecutive days.

Stone Memorial Shelter with 4 Baker Camp tents pitched alongside (athwart the trail!)

The shelter had no occupant, but a youth group from Baker Camp on Lake Sebago was encamped in tents--doing the The Duke of Edinburgh Award program.  Eventually there were 8 of them, plus a couple of adults loosely monitoring them.  They were a friendly and responsible bunch, more or less green as hikers and campers (most of them were from NYC) except for a veteran Boy Scout named Ben Haddley from England by way of Minnesota.  We hit it off well.  I had the shelter to myself, except for a couple of the boys stashing their backpacks there.  The mosquitoes were tolerable.

On Monday a.m. I was up at 6:20, said Mass, ate oatmeal, a granola bar, and an orange with instant coffee, prayed the breviary, packed up, texted Fr. Jim, and got on the trail at 9:00.  The Baker Camp youths were out at 8:00, half of them returning to camp having completed this phase of their program, the other half heading to Big Hill by a circuitous route.

East of the shelter a great deal of the mountaintop had been burned over by a wildfire several years ago (since the last time I was up there).

At 10:00 a.m. I met the 4 Baker Camp kids at the junction of Pine Meadow and SBM trails. 

They were obliged to leave some written records at certain points along the trail (for trailing adults to check), and we hop-scotched a little as we hiked along.  Mostly they moved a lot faster than I did (with my 30-lb pack and 68-year-old legs).  Later I ran into their 2 trailing adults, and then I hop-scotched along with them.

In the distance, Haverstraw Bay and the village of Haverstraw

Monday was eclipse day.  I wasn't sure when that was supposed to happen, and didn't notice anything special--no more darkening of the daylight than often happens when clouds dart over the sun. 

What the sun looked like whenever I looked up

But at 3:00 p.m. (as I caught up with Baker Camp kids at the 3d reservoir, filling their water bottles), I noted and remarked upon how silent the woods were--no birds, no crickets making their usual noises.  Apparently that's when the eclipse was happening.

The kids moved on as I filled my water containers, and their 2 adult monitors passed by.  At 4:10 I reached Big Hill Shelter--very welcome to my weary legs--after 5.2 miles from Stone Memorial Shelter.  The 4 youths and Fr. Jim were already there--Fr. Jim asleep in his hammock.  I settled into the shelter, and Fr. Jim awakened and joined me.  Later another 10 Baker Camp youths arrived, doing a more advanced phase of the Duke's award, and a couple of supervisory adults.

Fr. Jim and I made a small fire in a shelter fireplace and cooked hot dogs for supper.  I downed lots of Crystal Lite and water, replenishing what I'd been sweating out all day.  We prayed Evening Prayer with my iPad, chatted, watched the Baker kids start and maintain a fire in the outside fireplace and chatted with some of them too, warned some of them several times about the abundant poison ivy nearby, and otherwise relaxed.

I didn't have the presence of mind to take any photos around Big Hill except this one, prompted by Fr. Jim:

The blaze ignited in the fireplace by the youth hikers

Around 9:00 Fr. Jim retired to his hammock, I went to my sleeping bag, and all the kids except a bunch of Asians went to their tents; the last finally retired around 11:00 when I made a nice plea to the last 2 of them still up.

On Tuesday I was up at 6:15 a.m., and by 6:30 Fr. Jim came in and we celebrated Mass.  He had his usual really light breakfast and prayed the Office while I prepared my usual breakfast (same as above). 

I noted above that the Baker Camp youths are city kids except for Ben, and quite green.  They're so green that one of them told Fr. Jim that it had rained last nite, and Fr. Jim had to inform him about dew.  All of them except the Asians were out by 7:30. 

Fr. Jim and I completed our packing up, waved good-bye and "safe hiking" to the Asians, and hit the trail (the Long Path) at 8:00.  We reached our cars in the hikers' parking lot on St. John Rd. at 8:45.  Fr. Jim headed home to Don Bosco Prep, and I back to my room at the Marian Shrine (for a very welcome use of the bathroom and shower, and then the Divine Office).

I really appreciated the quiet hours on the trail, the vistas, the shade of the woods (but not the mosquitoes that lurked about there, and eventually left me with half a dozen souvenirs--more likely from the shelters, tho).  Not sure I should be doing 5-mile hikes with a full pack any longer, given how seldom I get to do it and thus how out of shape I am.  Maybe I can figure out how to reduce the weight by 10 pounds?  Probably not, without ditching the tent (in case I don't land a shelter), extra fuel, head lamp, some clothing, and some spare pieces "just in case."  On this trip I did need the 2d fuel canister and a new set of batteries for the flashlight--that last could have been handled before I left.