Cooling Off in the Woods at Island Pond

Cooling Off in the Woods at Island Pond

Fr. Jim Mulloy and I took a couple of days, August 10-12, to traipse again into Harriman State Park.  He’d finished his camp season in North Haledon, N.J., and taken a vacation with family and was quite looking forward to another camping adventure.

We made a late start because I had an 11:00 a.m. Mass.  We met at his home, Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, around 1:45 p.m. and aimed ourselves at the Elk Pen parking lot off Rte. 17 in Arden, planning a hike southward on the Arden-Surebridge Trail to a good camping spot along a brook.  But Arden Valley Road was closed, and there was no backroads way to get to the Elk Pen.

So we opted to go to Island Pond.  With the temperature in the upper 80s, we wanted to be in shade and near water.  By the time we’d parked in the lot along Kanawauke Rd. (Rte. 106), it was almost 3:00 p.m.  The lot was full, indicating there were a lot of day hikers taking off on the White Bar Trail, possibly to further connections (like us).  Of course, we couldn’t know whether there were some backpackers too (like us).

We got off to a good start.  But altho we were hiking northward, our plan quickly went south (to use an idiom):  we didn’t pay attention to Island Pond Road’s wide left bend and kept going straight up the narrow White Bar Trail (really a dumb thing to do).  When the trail climbed unexpectedly for a while, we realized our error.  A map check confirmed it, and we decided to continue until we reached the Dunning Trail crossing; we could follow that west .6 mile to our intended road.

We met 5 or 6 hikers coming down the White Bar Trail, some singles and a family trio.

Our actual route turned out to be comparatively difficult, not just because of more ups and downs and rocks, but because Fr. Jim’s bad ankle acted up.  Eventually we hobbled into our campsite near Island Pond around 5:00 p.m., having required 2 hours to get there instead of 45 minutes (mostly because of adding distance to our hike, but also because of my buddy’s pain).

Island Pond seen from our camp

Fr. Jim did his usual chore of fetching water from the pond, and I did mine of hunting up firewood.  The site has an excellent, well used fire ring, and it was soon set up for our cooking fire, which I ignited and photographed.  Then I went for a refreshing dip.

When I returned, the fire had gone down to embers, and Fr. Jim had gone into his tent instead of cooking the meal he’d prepared (tinfoil hot dogs or chicken).  I didn’t have any trouble rekindling the fire out of the embers.  I couldn’t rekindle Fr. Jim, tho.  He was in severe pain and stayed holed up in his new tent till 8:30 a.m.

So I cooked and ate supper—the aforementioned hot dogs with some veggies, Crystal Lite, and some dried apricots.  Then I hung up our bear bag, heavy with uneaten food (including what would be tomorrow’s anyway), put the rainfly on my tent since we had imminent rain, and prayed the Divine Office.

I was too tired to stay up and read.  So around 8:45 p.m. I retired—and I was barely inside when the rain started.  It lasted in the form of scattered showers, off and on, until almost 7:00 a.m.  Fortunately, our tents were secure and dry.  This was a shakedown trip for Fr. Jim’s new tent, and he was very pleased with it (like mine, a Kelty but different model).

The nite was quiet—nothing but the constant croaking of the frogs in the swamp adjacent to our campsite.  Unlike our last venture to this particular site, no raccoons (or other critters) carted off any food or anything else.  Nevertheless, I didn’t sleep well, which isn’t uncommon on my campouts.

I rose at 6:35 and, after retrieving our food, cooked my oatmeal and coffee, which were followed by nuts, trail mix, and apricots—and a pile of pills for my various ailments.  Then, with a misty rain coming down, I went to the pond with my iPad and prayed the Hours.

Eventually I checked on Fr. Jim, who was awake and feeling much better.  Shortly, we celebrated Mass.  While he went to the pond for more water, I did some exploring of the relatively thick thickets behind our camp, discovering 2 well hidden fire rings (not much used of late) and making it almost to the end of the little point aiming at an island that looks so enticing from the other point where the cabin ruins are (where one wing of Island Pond Road ends).

I went for another refreshing swim.  By then the sun was out in force, and the temperature was well on its way to the 90s.  (It was much more comfortable in our well shaded campsite.)  I met a hiker and her dog; the latter also frolicked in the water.  Later, Fr. Jim also met a hiker and dog.  We weren’t aware of any other trail traffic all day.  There were some kayakers out on the water.  We both had some serious nap time.

I did some more woods exploring after lunch (tuna sandwiches, etc., washed down with plain water), chiefly to retrieve a red bag I’d spotted in the woods, which turned out to be a little aluminum-lined thermos bag.  I hiked down the trail to the Arden-Surebridge crossing, then followed that west a short distance, as far as the other branch of Island Pond Road, which runs up the pond’s west shore.  I returned to camp with a bit more firewood.  The rest of the afternoon passed with idle chatter between us and some reading (Biblical Archeology Review, for those who have to know).

At 4:30 we made a new fire and cooked the remaining tinfoil meals and finished up assorted cheeses and other munchies.  After Evening Prayer I returned to the pond and cooled off in the water for 20 minutes.

We’d been hearing distant thunder for a couple of hours; weren’t even sure it was thunder.  At the pond, I could tell it definitely was, and it was much closer by then.  Back in camp, Fr. Jim unstrapped his hammock (where he’d lounged much of the day and was planning to sleep, weather permitting).  At 7:30 the rain came, and into our tents we went.

The rain didn’t last long—and neither did I in the tent.  I was too tired even to finish a Rosary.  Around 10:00 a.m. we heard briefly some loud voices from the trail, but nothing more.

After another poor nite’s sleep, I bestirred myself at 5:45 and got to packing up sleeping bag liner (it was too warm for a full bag), 2 pads, and my backpack.  I could hear Fr. Jim packing up too.  He planned to leave about a half hour before me in case he had any hiking trouble.

By the time I emerged from my tent, he was completely packed and had retrieved the bear bag.  I had my breakfast, then took down my tent and finished my packing.  The Hours would have to wait till I got home because I had another 11:00 a.m. Mass to celebrate in New Rochelle.

I left camp at 7:29 and was back at our car by 8:05.  The day was going to be another scorcher, and our car was the only one in the lot.  Fr. Jim was waiting—no difficulty on the outward trek.  Back to Ramsey, and the end of another pretty happy hiking (and camping) experience.  God willing, there will be more before long.

I can add that we left the campsite cleaner than we found it (and it was pretty clean when we arrived).