Ascending Popolopen Torne
We’ve been blessed with some fantastic fall weather (not every day, of course). Sunday, Oct. 16, was one of those days, and I was among hundreds who took advantage of the gorgeous day to go hiking in Harriman State Park or Bear Mt. State Park. I was able to do that because the only Sunday morning Mass I had was at 8:00 a.m. (I also had a Saturday evening Mass.)
My hike was a 2-hour trek up and down Popolopen Torne in Bear Mt. State Park. The torne (a huge pile of rock) is north of Bear Mt. on the southern boundary of the U.S. Military Academy (aka West Point) and offers spectacular views of the Hudson River—and of fall foliage. Its elevation is about 940' above sea level (not as high as Bear Mt.). The Bear Mt. Bridge, by contrast, is about 120' above.
There could easily have been a hundred other hikers (and a dozen dogs) on the trail during the time I was there. The torne can be ascended from 2 sides, both part of the Timp-Torne Trail, and both approaches are steep; in fact, someone has put up permanent ropes to help one ascend or descend in 3 spots. I needed the help not only of those ropes but also of some human hands in a couple of places, and I came away with some light abrasions on one elbow and one shin from scrambling up some of the boulders.
I asked one guy to take a picture of me with the Bear Mt. Bridge as backdrop. He got carried away and took 4; here's the 1st.
On my way down, I met a Filipino couple who recognized the Don Bosco (Boston) shirt that I was wearing, and they were pleased to hear that I’m a Salesian and have a little bit of familiarity with the SDBs in Manila. They asked for a blessing, which I gave them.
All 18 photos from this hike: https://link.shutterfly.com/GK8dEKyEbub
22 pix from August 2010: https://link.shutterfly.com/NFU8s9zyBub
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