I decided to begin the new year doing what has become my passion: backpacking and hiking.
Parking: 41.295329, -74.059578 Silvermine Lake Picnic Area, Seven Lakes Drive, Stony Point, NY
Nights: 2
Miles Hiked: 12.5-13.5
My Gear:
Backpacking is not for everyone. Carrying days' worth of food, minimal clothes and no facilities do not appeal to most people. Winter backpacking especially so. Colder temperatures make hiking more difficult no matter the terrain, and I'm sure 7/10 people would prefer warm weather in order to enjoy the outdoors. I on the other hand, do not let the weather dictate my plans. As long as I plan accordingly and am prepared I do not mind cold, snow, rain or heat.
After the warmer than normal Christmas, the climate took a turn towards winter. Weekend temperatures for New Year's would see highs in the 30's and lows in the 20's. I was looking for some zen time while actually not hiking high mileage. I chose two shelters not far from one another and for once I was able to be lazy and not worry about making time.
Thursday 12/31 I was released from work early. Knowing this was a possibility I packed my gear and brought it with me. I arrived at the Silvermine Lake parking area a little after 2 p.m. Just a mile and half south was the Brien Memorial Shelter. Situated along the Appalachian Trail (the AT), many thru-hikers use this shelter while hiking the 2,100+ mile trail that runs from Georgia to Maine. It was originally built in 1933 as the Letterrock Shelter; it was renamed in memory of William Brien, the first president of the New York Ramblers Hiking Club. It boasts 4 bunks and a platform that can sleep 4 (so a capacity of 8). The surrounding area has spots for tents and many other hikers have built fire pits to accommodate each site. I arrived just before 3 o'clock. After setting up my tent I began my search for firewood. Within an hour I had enough wood to burn until I was tired enough to go to sleep.
Shortly after I arrived at the shelter I was joined by a nice couple from Vermont, Charlie and Nancy. They were very accomplished backpackers, having hiked the High Sierra's in California and the Grand Canyon several times. Charlie is originally from northern NJ but moved to Vermont many years ago. He explained to me how very different the forests of Harriman were from those near his home in Vermont. He was used to dense, thick woods with not many views. Harriman is more open, with trees and brush spread out. The bald rocks and ridges that provide beautiful views are unique to Rockland County, NY and cannot be found anywhere in Vermont, as Charlie so eloquently described.
As the sun faded and temperature began to fall, I proceeded to start my campfire. It wasn't long after I had my fire going that Charlie returned with his wife Nancy and provided company as I cooked dinner and fed the fire. We swapped hiking stories and close calls; looked toward the future to trips we'd like to take. Charlie then bestowed upon me some breakfast luxury: bacon jerky! I hadn't had any before. I was reluctant to accept his kind gesture but was assured he would be fine without it.
After a few hours of stories and conversation, Charlie and Nancy bid me well and retired to their tent. It was a pleasure meeting them. It is so often that I come across sweet persons on the trail. Each and every time their generosity comes as no surprise but I am always hard pressed to accept such pure gestures. This would not be the only such experience of the trip.
As Charlie walked off to his camp site I broke out my flask of tequila! After all it WAS New Year's Eve so a little celebration was in order. I stoked the fire, drank my liquor and enjoyed the solitude of the night. I stumbled off to my tent a little before midnight hoping to sleep later than usual. Indeed I did.
Rising around 8:30 on January 1,2016 I looked forward to not rushing anything. I took my time collecting my food and cooking breakfast. I made some cinnamon oatmeal which went extremely well with the bacon jerky. What a treat that was! The coals from my fire the night before were still warm so I gathered some small wood and got it going again. Breakfast by the fire is always nice. It was around 10 that I had finally departed. My destination was the Fingerboard shelter, also located along the Appalachian trail just 5 miles or so to the southwest. I moved at a slow and steady pace in which I had not moved so in a long time. Along the way I stopped at a stream to rest and top off my water supply. I hadn't much further to go before I hit the shelter.
The Appalachian Trail merges in and out with the red-dot blazed Ramapo-Dunderberg trail. The RD as it is known is a 21 mile trail that traverses the park and is one of Harriman's most rugged and beautiful trails. Multiple shelters can be found along the way.
I was on the RD, as it had split from the AT for short while. After the stream and water re-supply, the AT joined in again and I proceeded on these merged paths for another 2+ miles. The terrain was rolling with short and steady inclines mixed in with rocky descents through wide open forest. A second road crossing brought me to the top of the Lake Tiorati picnic area. There are a couple of water towers that feed the fountains and bath house a few hundred feet below. From this intersection it was about a mile to the shelter. I arrived quite early in the afternoon with plenty of time to gather wood and relax.
As I was eating some tuna for lunch I was joined by 4 Asian women who hiked in for what I call day camping. They had full packs like me, yet they had filled them with food and cookware destined for a picnic lunch. I have seen this many times before. There is a big interest in the Asian community in day camping. I have encountered many groups, some as large as 15 that have hiked in to a shelter with full overnight packs filled with food and picnic regalia. These groups really know how to do it! Stoves and pots cooking rice, noodles; all kinds of traditional cultural foods. The shelter had 2 fireplaces and one of them had some hot coals still burning. I kept that fire going and the ladies used it to cook some of their meal. They were even kind enough to offer me some roasted chestnuts, something I had never had before. Man were they good! I found myself thinking about them the rest of my outing. The women were very sweet, inquiring about my plans and surprised that I was backpacking alone for multiple nights. One of the woman asked if I was single or married, wondering what my wife or girlfriend thinks of me doing this! An hour later they departed in a light, steady snowfall as I remained. The sun would finally shine as the snow clouds moved out of the area an hour or so later.
Nearing sunset I set off down the trail a few hundred yards to a rock clearing at a slightly higher elevation than the shelter. With clear skies I watched the sun set over the mountains in the distance. Its impossible for me to describe what it feels like to sit and watch a gorgeous sunset. More than just the visual effects, there is a certain sense of spirituality present. To know how small and inconsequential we are when compared to the power of the sun is a glimmer of thought that runs through my mind. So far away, shining so bright and hot; the earth moving ever so slowly yet you can still actually watch it disappear from the horizon. I took some snaps and a short time lapse video to mark the occasion.
I ventured back to the shelter and was delighted by more generosity. This is what thru-hikers would call trail magic. The kindness of those encountered on the trail providing food and drink. Korean rice wine was the offering, and I was glad to accept without hesitation this time. I helped them with their fire while burning mine until bedtime. They enjoyed themselves as did I. While hanging out at the shelter, I was thoroughly delighted by the beautiful night sky. Stars littered the sky all around; nary a cloud in site. I laid down on the rocks out in front of the shelter and stared; millions of miles away yet bright as a light in front of my face. Tiny and nearly meaningless it felt to be human at that moment. I am not religious at all, but the universe and its burning gases and stars of heat energy bring that spiritually to my surface. It makes me look at life through a different set of lenses.
Around 10 after my last log burned down I retired to my tent. This night would bring much colder temperatures then the first night. I put on every layer I had (4 plus a fleece and outer shell windbreaker). I carry a 37° rated bag because it is lightweight and keeps me warm at reasonable temps; this night was way colder than that, hence the sleeping in my clothes. That is the trade off while winter camping with an autumn sleeping bag.
While tossing and turning trying to keep the cold away, I woke a 3:30 a.m. needing to relieve myself. Normally it would not be enough to get me to actually get up out of my tent, especially when the thermometer read 22°. This was different and I hope it happens again. It seemed unusually bright for 3 in the morning. I knew it could only be the moonlight. When I emerged from my tent I was smitten by the glowing white half moon shining directly above. The night sky was crystal clear, full of more stars than I remember seeing earlier. I had to do something I had never done before; I traveled back to the sunset spot from earlier and sat and stared. I never imagined a middle of the night excursion to star gaze, although I know people do it. I just could not bring myself to go back to my tent; it was so cold yet so stunning. Half an hour later I reluctantly returned to my slumber.
Three hours later I rose again, and for the third time in 12 hours, hiked to the rocky clearing to witness the sky. Sunrise was around 7:30, and I got there just in time to watch the sun crest the mountains and glow in its entirety. More pictures were taken in the frigid winds in between jumping jacks to generate some heat. After 20 minutes or so I returned to the shelter, where my neighbors that already started a fire and began cooking their breakfast. I was preparing my own breakfast when I was offered some instant coffee. A nice, warm and unexpected treat in the cold morning. As I was enjoying their coffee I was hit with another warm treat - Korean style noodles! Needless to say I think it would have been rude NOT to accept!; so we all sat together and ate hot noodles by the fireplace.
After we all ate I broke down my tent and campsite while the guys packed up their things. They departed with my thanks and I stayed at the shelter for a while longer while preparing my pack and keeping the fire going. At around 9:30 a.m. I left the shelter and set out on the same path in which I came the day before. Knowing I needed water I planned on stopping at the same stream. What I hadn't thought about was the cold. Whatever water was in my filter had froze. Not cool. With a little less than 1 liter of water I wanted another .5 liter just to be sure I had enough for a hot lunch and to get me to my car. I packed the filter in the middle of my bag hoping this would warm it to the point of thawing. When I arrived at the water source it was still not working. I filled my "dirty" bag and packed it away. This time I put my filter in my stretchy wool gloves and then into my pocket. The combination of body heat from my leg and warmth of the wool was sure to melt the water inside, I thought. While hiking along I felt a drop of water on my leg. I didn't just pee, did I? No I did not pee myself! It was the filter; it had thawed! I stopped to filter the water I had in my dirty bag and was glad to see it was working. I proceeded to drink and move on down the trail towards the shelter.
Not surprised at all at what I found when I arrived, I sat alongside a contingent of Asian company while I made some noodles for lunch. A nice half hour break out of the cold and wind was refreshing. Only a mile and a half downhill to return to my car. On the way down I passed a few groups of people out for the day; some with packs, others were casual day trippers who were not hikers. You could tell by the lack of preparedness - no boots, no packs, and jeans! Jeans! To each his own, I hope they enjoyed themselves.
Another successful trip concluded while experiencing some new things and meeting more nice people. I look forward to my next backpacking outing!
Parking: 41.295329, -74.059578 Silvermine Lake Picnic Area, Seven Lakes Drive, Stony Point, NY
Nights: 2
Miles Hiked: 12.5-13.5
My Gear:
- Overnight pack
- Tent
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping Pad
- Non-cotton layers
- 3 days worth of food
- 3 liters of water
- Soloist cookset, fuel and utensils
- Headlamp and batteries
- Lighter and tinder
- Paracord
- Flask of liquor
- Sanitary shovel
- Folding saw
- Toilet paper and wipes
- Water filter
- Trekking poles
- First aid and tape
- Multi-tool
- Map - NYNJTC #119
Backpacking is not for everyone. Carrying days' worth of food, minimal clothes and no facilities do not appeal to most people. Winter backpacking especially so. Colder temperatures make hiking more difficult no matter the terrain, and I'm sure 7/10 people would prefer warm weather in order to enjoy the outdoors. I on the other hand, do not let the weather dictate my plans. As long as I plan accordingly and am prepared I do not mind cold, snow, rain or heat.
After the warmer than normal Christmas, the climate took a turn towards winter. Weekend temperatures for New Year's would see highs in the 30's and lows in the 20's. I was looking for some zen time while actually not hiking high mileage. I chose two shelters not far from one another and for once I was able to be lazy and not worry about making time.
Thursday 12/31 I was released from work early. Knowing this was a possibility I packed my gear and brought it with me. I arrived at the Silvermine Lake parking area a little after 2 p.m. Just a mile and half south was the Brien Memorial Shelter. Situated along the Appalachian Trail (the AT), many thru-hikers use this shelter while hiking the 2,100+ mile trail that runs from Georgia to Maine. It was originally built in 1933 as the Letterrock Shelter; it was renamed in memory of William Brien, the first president of the New York Ramblers Hiking Club. It boasts 4 bunks and a platform that can sleep 4 (so a capacity of 8). The surrounding area has spots for tents and many other hikers have built fire pits to accommodate each site. I arrived just before 3 o'clock. After setting up my tent I began my search for firewood. Within an hour I had enough wood to burn until I was tired enough to go to sleep.
Shortly after I arrived at the shelter I was joined by a nice couple from Vermont, Charlie and Nancy. They were very accomplished backpackers, having hiked the High Sierra's in California and the Grand Canyon several times. Charlie is originally from northern NJ but moved to Vermont many years ago. He explained to me how very different the forests of Harriman were from those near his home in Vermont. He was used to dense, thick woods with not many views. Harriman is more open, with trees and brush spread out. The bald rocks and ridges that provide beautiful views are unique to Rockland County, NY and cannot be found anywhere in Vermont, as Charlie so eloquently described.
As the sun faded and temperature began to fall, I proceeded to start my campfire. It wasn't long after I had my fire going that Charlie returned with his wife Nancy and provided company as I cooked dinner and fed the fire. We swapped hiking stories and close calls; looked toward the future to trips we'd like to take. Charlie then bestowed upon me some breakfast luxury: bacon jerky! I hadn't had any before. I was reluctant to accept his kind gesture but was assured he would be fine without it.
After a few hours of stories and conversation, Charlie and Nancy bid me well and retired to their tent. It was a pleasure meeting them. It is so often that I come across sweet persons on the trail. Each and every time their generosity comes as no surprise but I am always hard pressed to accept such pure gestures. This would not be the only such experience of the trip.
As Charlie walked off to his camp site I broke out my flask of tequila! After all it WAS New Year's Eve so a little celebration was in order. I stoked the fire, drank my liquor and enjoyed the solitude of the night. I stumbled off to my tent a little before midnight hoping to sleep later than usual. Indeed I did.
Rising around 8:30 on January 1,2016 I looked forward to not rushing anything. I took my time collecting my food and cooking breakfast. I made some cinnamon oatmeal which went extremely well with the bacon jerky. What a treat that was! The coals from my fire the night before were still warm so I gathered some small wood and got it going again. Breakfast by the fire is always nice. It was around 10 that I had finally departed. My destination was the Fingerboard shelter, also located along the Appalachian trail just 5 miles or so to the southwest. I moved at a slow and steady pace in which I had not moved so in a long time. Along the way I stopped at a stream to rest and top off my water supply. I hadn't much further to go before I hit the shelter.
The Appalachian Trail merges in and out with the red-dot blazed Ramapo-Dunderberg trail. The RD as it is known is a 21 mile trail that traverses the park and is one of Harriman's most rugged and beautiful trails. Multiple shelters can be found along the way.
I was on the RD, as it had split from the AT for short while. After the stream and water re-supply, the AT joined in again and I proceeded on these merged paths for another 2+ miles. The terrain was rolling with short and steady inclines mixed in with rocky descents through wide open forest. A second road crossing brought me to the top of the Lake Tiorati picnic area. There are a couple of water towers that feed the fountains and bath house a few hundred feet below. From this intersection it was about a mile to the shelter. I arrived quite early in the afternoon with plenty of time to gather wood and relax.
As I was eating some tuna for lunch I was joined by 4 Asian women who hiked in for what I call day camping. They had full packs like me, yet they had filled them with food and cookware destined for a picnic lunch. I have seen this many times before. There is a big interest in the Asian community in day camping. I have encountered many groups, some as large as 15 that have hiked in to a shelter with full overnight packs filled with food and picnic regalia. These groups really know how to do it! Stoves and pots cooking rice, noodles; all kinds of traditional cultural foods. The shelter had 2 fireplaces and one of them had some hot coals still burning. I kept that fire going and the ladies used it to cook some of their meal. They were even kind enough to offer me some roasted chestnuts, something I had never had before. Man were they good! I found myself thinking about them the rest of my outing. The women were very sweet, inquiring about my plans and surprised that I was backpacking alone for multiple nights. One of the woman asked if I was single or married, wondering what my wife or girlfriend thinks of me doing this! An hour later they departed in a light, steady snowfall as I remained. The sun would finally shine as the snow clouds moved out of the area an hour or so later.
I continued to search for firewood and proceeded to break it down when I was joined by yet another group. This second group was of Korean nationality and consisted of 2 women and 4 men. I learned that the men would be staying overnight and would later be joined by 2 friends; the women would depart for the evening. My tent was already set up and the guys intended on sleeping in the shelter. Both fireplaces would be working hard this night. The other men had brought with them folding saws, as did I; only they were sawing down very large logs that took great effort, logs that would normally require a small chainsaw or hacksaw. I was not about waste those kinds of calories! I kept my sawing activities to much smaller pieces.
Nearing sunset I set off down the trail a few hundred yards to a rock clearing at a slightly higher elevation than the shelter. With clear skies I watched the sun set over the mountains in the distance. Its impossible for me to describe what it feels like to sit and watch a gorgeous sunset. More than just the visual effects, there is a certain sense of spirituality present. To know how small and inconsequential we are when compared to the power of the sun is a glimmer of thought that runs through my mind. So far away, shining so bright and hot; the earth moving ever so slowly yet you can still actually watch it disappear from the horizon. I took some snaps and a short time lapse video to mark the occasion.
I ventured back to the shelter and was delighted by more generosity. This is what thru-hikers would call trail magic. The kindness of those encountered on the trail providing food and drink. Korean rice wine was the offering, and I was glad to accept without hesitation this time. I helped them with their fire while burning mine until bedtime. They enjoyed themselves as did I. While hanging out at the shelter, I was thoroughly delighted by the beautiful night sky. Stars littered the sky all around; nary a cloud in site. I laid down on the rocks out in front of the shelter and stared; millions of miles away yet bright as a light in front of my face. Tiny and nearly meaningless it felt to be human at that moment. I am not religious at all, but the universe and its burning gases and stars of heat energy bring that spiritually to my surface. It makes me look at life through a different set of lenses.
Around 10 after my last log burned down I retired to my tent. This night would bring much colder temperatures then the first night. I put on every layer I had (4 plus a fleece and outer shell windbreaker). I carry a 37° rated bag because it is lightweight and keeps me warm at reasonable temps; this night was way colder than that, hence the sleeping in my clothes. That is the trade off while winter camping with an autumn sleeping bag.
While tossing and turning trying to keep the cold away, I woke a 3:30 a.m. needing to relieve myself. Normally it would not be enough to get me to actually get up out of my tent, especially when the thermometer read 22°. This was different and I hope it happens again. It seemed unusually bright for 3 in the morning. I knew it could only be the moonlight. When I emerged from my tent I was smitten by the glowing white half moon shining directly above. The night sky was crystal clear, full of more stars than I remember seeing earlier. I had to do something I had never done before; I traveled back to the sunset spot from earlier and sat and stared. I never imagined a middle of the night excursion to star gaze, although I know people do it. I just could not bring myself to go back to my tent; it was so cold yet so stunning. Half an hour later I reluctantly returned to my slumber.
Three hours later I rose again, and for the third time in 12 hours, hiked to the rocky clearing to witness the sky. Sunrise was around 7:30, and I got there just in time to watch the sun crest the mountains and glow in its entirety. More pictures were taken in the frigid winds in between jumping jacks to generate some heat. After 20 minutes or so I returned to the shelter, where my neighbors that already started a fire and began cooking their breakfast. I was preparing my own breakfast when I was offered some instant coffee. A nice, warm and unexpected treat in the cold morning. As I was enjoying their coffee I was hit with another warm treat - Korean style noodles! Needless to say I think it would have been rude NOT to accept!; so we all sat together and ate hot noodles by the fireplace.
After we all ate I broke down my tent and campsite while the guys packed up their things. They departed with my thanks and I stayed at the shelter for a while longer while preparing my pack and keeping the fire going. At around 9:30 a.m. I left the shelter and set out on the same path in which I came the day before. Knowing I needed water I planned on stopping at the same stream. What I hadn't thought about was the cold. Whatever water was in my filter had froze. Not cool. With a little less than 1 liter of water I wanted another .5 liter just to be sure I had enough for a hot lunch and to get me to my car. I packed the filter in the middle of my bag hoping this would warm it to the point of thawing. When I arrived at the water source it was still not working. I filled my "dirty" bag and packed it away. This time I put my filter in my stretchy wool gloves and then into my pocket. The combination of body heat from my leg and warmth of the wool was sure to melt the water inside, I thought. While hiking along I felt a drop of water on my leg. I didn't just pee, did I? No I did not pee myself! It was the filter; it had thawed! I stopped to filter the water I had in my dirty bag and was glad to see it was working. I proceeded to drink and move on down the trail towards the shelter.
Not surprised at all at what I found when I arrived, I sat alongside a contingent of Asian company while I made some noodles for lunch. A nice half hour break out of the cold and wind was refreshing. Only a mile and a half downhill to return to my car. On the way down I passed a few groups of people out for the day; some with packs, others were casual day trippers who were not hikers. You could tell by the lack of preparedness - no boots, no packs, and jeans! Jeans! To each his own, I hope they enjoyed themselves.
Another successful trip concluded while experiencing some new things and meeting more nice people. I look forward to my next backpacking outing!
Comments
Post a Comment