Hike to Turkey Hill Lake
On Sept. 19-20 I hiked to and camped at Turkey Hill Lake in the northern part of Harriman State Park. There are 3 trails that lead to the lake (south on the Popolopen Gorge Trail from the Long Path, which is the shortest way; north on the Anthony Wayne Trail from Anthony Wayne Rec Area, about the same length as the route I used; and west from the hikers lot off 7 Lakes Dr east of the Palisades Pkwy. (on the way to Bear Mt.).
I parked on Sunday afternoon at that hikers lot ca. 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. There must have been 20 vehicles there (including a van for which I had to back out of the entrance so they could exit—but it freed a parking spot). A Slavic family (my guess, from their accent) with 3 little kids was about to depart after completing a 5-mile loop hike up to West Mt. Shelter—breaking the little guys in early! I parked next to a pick-up from Oregon;
when I returned on Monday ca. 9:30 a.m., there were only 3 cars besides mine: from Virginia, N.J., and Massachusetts.
The hike from there to Turkey Hill Lake is 2 miles, uses parts of 4 trails, and passes behind a police pistol range (which was quite active on Sunday, deserted on Monday).
2 of the trails are “Revolutionary”: the 1777W (used by the British to attack Ft. Montgomery) and the 1779 (used by Anthony Wayne to attack Stony Point). The others are the Timp Torne and the westbound Popolopen Gorge trails. At every intersection I had to consult the map to be sure I went in the correct direction. The route crosses over a lot of beech tree roots and several boggy areas where the trail maintenance folks (God bless ’em) have set up steppingstones. The 1777-Timp combo passes by the pistol range, which has warning signs at both ends of side trail (which is effectively the main trail). The 1779-PG combo passes by Queensboro Lake past the shooting range. The PG goes to the west side of Turkey Hill Lake, and an old woods road goes along the east side (above which I camp).
I didn’t meet
anyone on the trail in. I reached the lake
at 4:30, and the 1st sight was a pathetic pile of garbage (no photo)—cans, bottles,
cooking stuff, a deflated rubber boat. (On
my way out, I filled by trash bag with 16 of the soda cans—a tiny environmental
contribution; my own trash consisted of 5 pieces of paper.) There was a family of 7 or 8 (mostly kids) fishing
near the dam, and from the sounds, several groups of campers or day hikers on the
far side of the lake. All of these other
lake visitors departed late in the afternoon, leaving my campsite above the lake
delightfully quiet except for the constant noise of the traffic on Long Mountain
Parkway/Rte 6. The traffic abated only late
into the nite and resumed before sunup.
I gathered firewood; there was so much I didn’t need to cut anything, and my saw stayed in my backpack. When I set up my tent, I didn’t put on the rainfly; instead, I used that for a pillow. When the temps dropped into the mid- or low-50s, the fly might have kept me a bit warmer, but I wasn’t cold (had enuf clothing). Besides the fresh air, the full moon and the stars were the plus of leaving the fly off. I picked the closest spot to one that was level for the tent, so during the nite I slid downhill only a wee bit.
Supper, cooked on a backpacking stove: half a package of freeze-dried risotto with chicken, Crystal Lite, an apple, and some trail mix. And pills, of course—the diabetes meds with supper, and later the cholesterol meds and a Tylenol (3 different aching body parts, unrelated to hiking). Then rigging the bear bag—only 2 flings needed to get it over a high tree limb.
Actually, the
only wildlife I saw on the trip was some small birds, and waterfowl on the lakes—and
lots of insects, especially mosquitoes. Miraculously,
none of them got into the tent.
I
considered taking a refreshing dip in the lake but decided it was too chilly,
and I didn’t really want to trek down the slope from camp in my slippers.
As usual, I prayed the Divine Office; I lit a small campfire in a natural rock setting around sunset (a little before moonrise), and sat by it reading a back issue of The Tablet (not Brooklyn’s but the U.K.’s). There was time before and after bed (ca. 9 p.m.) for more personal prayer. These woods excursions are mini-retreats.
I got up before
the sun, just after 6 a.m. after a restless nite, dozing a little bit. I answered nature’s call, then prayed the Office. Since this was a 1-niter, I didn’t bring a Mass
kit with me but celebrated the Eucharist after I got home. Breakfast was oatmeal and coffee, as usual, and
some nuts and trail mix. By 8 a.m. I was
packed and out (after double-checking the site). The hike back to the car was a little faster than
on the way in—no rest stops, only 1 photo stop, and no need to check the map.
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photos: https://link.shutterfly.com/EliTGG8iIjb
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