Background: Judging by my own antsiness/cabin fever and informal polling, I think all New York City dwellers are ready for spring to legitimately start. It seems like a lifetime since I've gone on a hike (the last trip review I wrote was in early October). While I did do a fair amount of hiking when I was home in Hawaii for two weeks around Christmas, it's hard to remember any of that now--nearly three months later. I promised myself that I would kick things into gear, really get with the momentum of the regenerating plants and renew my energy by going on a hike. I picked Saturday March 21st as the big day; the weather forecast looked promising and I had a pretty empty weekend socially.
But Saturday came and went, and I rested on the tired and convenient excuses that I hadn't prepared for a hike and that we had to run errands. I woke up Sunday morning pissed and disappointed in myself for not making an executive decision to quit my bitching, finish the chores and get outside. So, after washing four loads of laundry and hanging them to dry*, Jeff and I sat down together, pulled out the maps I bought in the fall, and brought up the Metro-North train schedules to piece a simple, carless hike together.
*eco-friendly, saves your clothes from being eaten alive, and does not require 8 quarters per meager load!
View Larger Map
Transportation: At 1:00, we decided to take the train to Garrison and hike south along a stretch of the Applachian Trail to the next train station, Manitou, and come back home. We left our apartment at 1:45, took the Metro-North Hudson line leaving from 225th Street/Marble Hill at 2:04. We arrived in Garrison and started hiking at the trailhead across the parking lot at 3:05. The train is $15.50 roundtrip from Marble Hill to Garrison if you buy your ticket in the station.
Trail Conditions: This is an odd section of the Appalachian Trail as it cuts down from the boonies to the Bear Mountain Bridge near West Point. Since it was the first official weekend of spring and a whopping 46 degrees out, there were not too many hikers about. We saw a grand total of four other people. The trees are still sparse, but I was delighted to see one sapling with hearty buds growing all over it. As with most NYNJTC-maintained trails, the blazes are copious and legible, so I doubt you would get lost. Also, following the intermittent sounds of train horns will orient you towards the river.
We ambled comfortably and finished the hike in 2.5 hours, leaving us 45 minutes at Manitou "station" where there is a covered bench and a nice, but windy view of the Hudson.
Food: Having only 30 minutes to prep before heading out the door, and knowing this was a short dayhike, we didn't grab too much food. I baked another wonderful loaf of sourdough on Saturday, so I sliced some of that and threw it in a ziploc with a partially-consumed tub of hummus. [Note: Always put hummus in a plastic bag. It will leak and you do not want garlicky chickpea crust all over your stuff.] Jeff made one of his signature peanut butter-honey-apricot-chocolate chip sandwiches for the train ride. We each brought 2 liters of water, a bit overkill for a cool-crisp dayhike.
Final Thoughts: It is strikingly easy to get out of the city for a quick burst of nature-filled relief. Reminded of and heartened by the ease of going on a hike, Jeff and I have committed to going on at least one hike every month. As always, I'll post trip reviews here and hopefully some of you can use our suggestions for your own escapes! Lastly, please do not use the google map I created as a replacement for a legit topo map. While I think it implausible that anyone would get seriously lost in the very manageable Hudson Highlands park system, it's not impossible. You can pick up the NYNJTC tyvek maps at any worthwhile sporting store in the area--Paragon, EMS, and Sports Authority all carry them--or on the linked website for about $10 for a packet of East Hudson maps.
But Saturday came and went, and I rested on the tired and convenient excuses that I hadn't prepared for a hike and that we had to run errands. I woke up Sunday morning pissed and disappointed in myself for not making an executive decision to quit my bitching, finish the chores and get outside. So, after washing four loads of laundry and hanging them to dry*, Jeff and I sat down together, pulled out the maps I bought in the fall, and brought up the Metro-North train schedules to piece a simple, carless hike together.
*eco-friendly, saves your clothes from being eaten alive, and does not require 8 quarters per meager load!
View Larger Map
Transportation: At 1:00, we decided to take the train to Garrison and hike south along a stretch of the Applachian Trail to the next train station, Manitou, and come back home. We left our apartment at 1:45, took the Metro-North Hudson line leaving from 225th Street/Marble Hill at 2:04. We arrived in Garrison and started hiking at the trailhead across the parking lot at 3:05. The train is $15.50 roundtrip from Marble Hill to Garrison if you buy your ticket in the station.
Trail Conditions: This is an odd section of the Appalachian Trail as it cuts down from the boonies to the Bear Mountain Bridge near West Point. Since it was the first official weekend of spring and a whopping 46 degrees out, there were not too many hikers about. We saw a grand total of four other people. The trees are still sparse, but I was delighted to see one sapling with hearty buds growing all over it. As with most NYNJTC-maintained trails, the blazes are copious and legible, so I doubt you would get lost. Also, following the intermittent sounds of train horns will orient you towards the river.
We ambled comfortably and finished the hike in 2.5 hours, leaving us 45 minutes at Manitou "station" where there is a covered bench and a nice, but windy view of the Hudson.
Food: Having only 30 minutes to prep before heading out the door, and knowing this was a short dayhike, we didn't grab too much food. I baked another wonderful loaf of sourdough on Saturday, so I sliced some of that and threw it in a ziploc with a partially-consumed tub of hummus. [Note: Always put hummus in a plastic bag. It will leak and you do not want garlicky chickpea crust all over your stuff.] Jeff made one of his signature peanut butter-honey-apricot-chocolate chip sandwiches for the train ride. We each brought 2 liters of water, a bit overkill for a cool-crisp dayhike.
Final Thoughts: It is strikingly easy to get out of the city for a quick burst of nature-filled relief. Reminded of and heartened by the ease of going on a hike, Jeff and I have committed to going on at least one hike every month. As always, I'll post trip reviews here and hopefully some of you can use our suggestions for your own escapes! Lastly, please do not use the google map I created as a replacement for a legit topo map. While I think it implausible that anyone would get seriously lost in the very manageable Hudson Highlands park system, it's not impossible. You can pick up the NYNJTC tyvek maps at any worthwhile sporting store in the area--Paragon, EMS, and Sports Authority all carry them--or on the linked website for about $10 for a packet of East Hudson maps.
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