Long Path: Over 100 miles!

Scott alongside boulder in Harriman State Park

Since my last post we have trekked over 130 miles along the Long Path from 175th Street in Manhattan. At the end of last week we took our first steps into one of our favorite parks in the region, Harriman State Park. I first fell in love with this special place while hiking the Applachian Trail, it was also the first place that I ever set eyes on the Long Path...

Intersection with Appalachian Trail

On my first long hike along the Appalachian Trail, I remember coming to this very intersection and seeing this sign for the Long Path. I looked at my miles with nearly 800 miles still to go and thought I am on the longest of paths! But I couldn't help but be intrigued by this other long trail that apparantly ran on nearly 300 miles in the other direction. Since that hike Scott and I have returned multiple times to Harriman for day hikes along both the AT and Long Path but never had enough to time to really explore. Well with three days through Harriman...this time...we really soaked it up.

Scott climbing boulder in Harriman

Harriman is known for its grassy trails strewn with glacier rolled boulders. The trails rolls on over many a hill and over rocky topped mountains. The woods are typically open allowing lots of light to pour through the canopy and affording gorgeous views from the cliffs. It is here that the first miles of the Long Path were also laid - so it felt pretty amazing to be walking a bit of Long Path history. We camped throughout this section but the shelters are also a piece of history, many having been built from stone in the 1930's.

Big Hill Shelter

There is even a memorial to Raymond Torrey, the man who first began scouting the Long Path route from the George Washington Bridge through the Catskills and who would publish articles weekly in the New York Times promoting each section he mapped.

Torrey Memorial - Harriman State Park

Speaking of NYC...we became suddenly disoriented and terrified when we came across this trail marker...had we gone through a time warp??

Harriman's Times Square

We decided we preferred this Times Square to that of NYC, especially considering there was not another soul around and we were amidst a mountaintop garden of Goldenrod, Sweet Fern, and Pine. 

Hiking with fellow FLT hiker buddy, Star Left

While hiking our last day in Harriman, we also had the incredible company of a trail compadre, Star Left. For those of you who followed my blog along the Finger Lakes Trail, you will remember that Star Left was one of only two long distance hikers I met while thru-hiking the Finger Lakes Trail over the course of 2 months. This badass woman ended up hiking 700 miles from Niagara Falls south along the Finger Lakes Trail and then the Great Eastern Trail. When she heard that I would be thru-hiking this trail, she offered her maps and assistance along the trail and best of all, her companionship. Star Left met us during our most rugged day through Harriman on which the three of us summited four steep peaks. She camped with us and brightened our night as well. She brought fuel and water to boot! Thank you, Star Left! 

Schunemunk Ridge

Scott atop the Schunemunk Ridge

After Harriman, we descended to Estrada Road and into Central Valley where we took a lunchtime detour to Danny's Deli. Anyone who may be hiking this trail through this area should stop into this lil deli that Danny has owned for 20 years - he makes a mean egg salad sandwich and was more than accommodating to all of our hiking needs. Thank you, Danny! And thank you to George of Estrada Rd who filled our water bottles and made the recommendation! This was just the boost we needed to climb High Knob in Schunemunk State Park and climb even higher onto the Schunemunk Ridge. Scarlet Mountain Ash berries lined the cliffsides and the views were tremendous. We could even see the Catskills from this rock slab ridge, pointed and layered in the distance. 

Atop Schunemunk Ridge

What we did not know on this evening, was that we had unknowingly turned the wrong direction onto the yellow-blazed Jessup Trail that the Long Path is co-aligned with along the ridgetop. It also runs in the entirely other direction down the opposite side of the ridge. After a night of sleeping with the coyotes - which was alarming when we realized they were on the boulder just behind our tent but also pretty darn cool - we hiked several more miles the wrong direction over the most challenging portion of trail that we had hiked yet out here. We realized about 3.5 miles later that we had gone the wrong direction. The detour was by all means rewarding, more picturesque than the easy miles of the Long Path going the other direction on the ridge...but we would have happily save those miles for a day hike. 

Heritage Rail Trail

As a result, we hit the lil town of Chester much later than planned for an evening of reprieve but at least the miles were easy the next day. Beginning in Monroe and traveling through to Goshen we would have this easy path to hike: the Heritage Rail Trail, 11 miles of graded and mostly paved walkway. And again we were graced with friendship! Our dear friend, Alex from Asheville, happened to be driving down Route 84 coming from visiting family in Connecticut and en route to visit more family in Pennsylvania. Lucky for us, she thought it would be a grand idea to drop in on us on the trail and join us for a stretch! Asheville is my other home and so to have a lil piece of my Asheville fam join us on this trail made my heart smile. Alex also assisted us with 4 miles of slackpacking along the trail. What a treat! Thank you Alex!! 

At Historic Chester train station with our dear friend, Alex Krug

After these gloriously easy miles with a stop-off at Amore's Pizzeria in Goshen - highly recommended! - we spent the night at a stealth campsite with a porcupine and had another day of walking the pavement. This time for 15 miles through the towns of North Hampton and Waywayanda. Normally I think of road miles as easy ones, but many of these were straight uphill. However there were still some interesting finds such as the roadside wild edibles and a free library!

Free library along Long Path road walk

Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

We spent that night beside a beautiful pond on DEC land and then had another stretch of easy walking along the abandoned Erie railway as well as the power-lines. Along this portion of trail we crossed another special trail: the Shawangunk Ridge Trail, a 71 mile stretch of trail that we began section hiking last year. 

Scott and I at junction for Shawangunk Ridge Trail

That afternoon in the town of Otisville, we had a special visit from my mother. We devoured lunch at Nick's Pizza in town and enjoyed several hours of just sitting and chatting. She was the highlight of our day! And she brought some helpful resupply items like heavy duty tinfoil and water! Thank you, Mama!

Pond along DEC land

Scott walking trail under powerlines

Mullein rosette (Verbascum thapsus)

After a lovely visit with Mom, we then had more trail magic...Andy Garrison, chair of the Long Path and a friend as well! We had no sooner been dropped off back at the trailhead and walked a few yards across the road to begin our climb of Gobbler's Knob when a pickup truck pulled over. It was Andy with a load of trail maintenance gear in the back of his truck. He had been busy cleaning up the trail in preparation for the big Shawangunk Ridge Trail Race that will be happening this weekend. We had a nice long visit there on the corner of Route 61 and 211. Another bright spot in the day. Thank you Andy for all your help so far in helping us to plan our hike and in all the work you do for the trail!

A chance meeting with our friend and chair of the Long Path, Andy Garrison

And so we are in the Shawangunks!! Having started the day with a hike along the beautiful Basha Kill Wildlife Refuge. This large swath of marshland is rich with bird, reptile, and amphibian life. This portion of the trail is also along an old railroad bed and so is nicely graded and with the White and Gray Birch as well as Oaks and Maples that line the trail corridor you feel as if you are walking through a picturesque green tunnel. We had also explored part of this refuge last year when section-hiking the Shawangunk Ridge Trail, so we knew to expect beauty but I believe it was even more beautiful than before!

Basha Kill trail

Baby snapper turtle (we think?)

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

View of Basha Kill

 Shawangunk Mountains here we come!  Stay tuned for the next post!