Crossing the Hudson

I left the Church Hostel on Monday, June 6th. I began where I had left the trail, at the beginning of a remarkable one and a half mile long raised boardwalk that passed through a wetlands wildlife sanctuary outside of Vernon. It took ten years to construct using volunteer labor and donated materials. Unlike most of the trail, backpackers are far outnumbered by locals. I came across runners, power walkers, strollers, and dog walkers. I spoke with a woman walking her dog who, in jest, pleaded with me not to reveal that northwest NJ was such a beautiful place to live, lest too many others move there. The boardwalk ends with a wood suspension bridge that spans a creek.

Boardwalk.

View from boardwalk.

After the boardwalk was a very grueling climb to the top of a mountain. They call the climb the stairway to heaven because of the great views on top. I could see well onto New York State, as well as the Vernon ski slopes and the clean-up crew from the hippie fest in the valley below. Before long I was out of NJ and headed for the Hudson River, a little over 35 miles from where the trail leaves New Jersey.  Part of the walk included some very steep and rocky terrain. One section included steel ladder rungs because there was no other way to get up the steep rock face.

Not part of the stairway to heaven, but a stairway, nonetheless.

Toward the end of that very rocky section I spotted a Bear in the middle of the trail, about 70 feet in front of me, nibbling on some vegetation along the edge. It was a fairly large, very black bear. The Bear spied me and began moving down the trail away from me, occasionally glancing back warily. I managed to take a picture of it as it was moving away. After the Bear was out of sight I continued down the trail, mindful that I was walking in the same direction that the bear had retreated to. I never saw the Bear again though; wild bears have little desire to interact with people.

The best view of a Bear.

The final few miles of trail before the Hudson River descend down hundreds of steps from the top of Bear Mountain down to the town of the same name. Bear Mountain State Park encompasses the mountain as well as a large area beside the river and the Bear Mountain Bridge. It includes a number of stone buildings, a skating rink, a lake, a zoo a giant indoor merry-go-round, and more. For some reason, there were dozens of Orthodox Jews visiting the park. I passed by many while making my way to the Zoo, which the trail goes right through. The Zoo features a majestic, healthy looking bald eagle, as well as several unhealthy looking black bears, among other animals.

I passed through a Revolutionary War era fort (Fort Montgomery - captured by the British) while making my way to the little town of Bear Mountain and a small, hiker-friendly motel run by a German immigrant couple. A barbecue restaurant and a bagel place were both within a few hundred yards of the motel, so dinner and breakfast were covered. The motel owner gave me a ride to the bridge the next morning.

The Hudson River.

After crossing the Hudson I still had several days of hiking in New York before passing into Connecticut. I enjoyed the New York section of the trail, both east and west of the Hudson. It included much rocky terrain and passed through many former farms, as evidenced by the remaining stone walls. I saw more beaver activity in NY also, including seeing several rather large felled trees adjacent to beaver lodges. I did not know that beavers routinely gnaw through trees more than a foot in diameter, but they do.

Beaver power.

Beaver art.

New York has a number of nice state parks that the trail ran through, including Harriman, Bear Mountain, and Clarence Fahnestock State Parks. The New York section also featured great delis right near the trail. I was able to enjoy a deli meal for either lunch or dinner just about every day while hiking in New York.