The Hiking Blog

Sterling Forest Hike: A Cautionary Tale

Posted on by Peter Minde

Finally, a day off with nice weather. Unfortunately, working until 9 PM Saturdays makes for poor odds for a dawn patrol start Sunday morning. As I organized my kit, I had no particular plans. Only that it was too late in the morning for a Catskills expedition.

Sterling Forest kiln

I fired up the diesel shooting brake, then I looked at a road map… anyone still use those? Jenny Jump, Stevens State Park… nothing in NJ appealed.

There was Sterling Forest, abutting the NJ-NY state line in Tuxedo. Never been there. Why not? I slipped the clutch, and off we rolled.

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Tagged: Hiking9 Comments

Between Two Worlds: The Long Path Trail

Posted on by Julie McGuire

Poles? Check. Pack? Check. IPA? Check. Metrocard? Checking for this item was something new.

For some context, my year and a half of country living is being interrupted by this year of teaching back in the city. I plan on making the move full-time upstate this summer, but my intuition told me to go back to the city for one more year.

West Side Highway
West Side Highway

I don’t know how to express to people how hard this is. Being upstate was so transformative. In the city you always have to be on guard. If you appear weak, whether it’s walking down the street or standing in front of a classroom, then you’re a target. It’s constant vigilance and anticipation.

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Tagged: Hiking, Hudson Valley, NYC14 Comments

Shawangunk Ridge Trail Run

Posted on by Ripitz

Recently an adventure presented itself, the Shawangunk Ridge Trail Run. A 13, 30, or 70-mile hike/run, the SRT is organized by Run Wild, a non-profit dedicated to preserving open space. The 70-mile starts at High Point on the NY/NJ border, the 30 at Sam’s Point and the 13 at Peterskill all finishing at the restored train trestle in Rosendale.

My buddy Freebird suggested the 30. He and I had completed the 24-mile Devil’s Path in a day earlier this summer so we deemed ourselves qualified. This would be my biggest distance by far. “We got this” was part of our foolish banter. On 9/11 at 9 am, after a moment of silence for the victims of the 2001 attacks twenty years earlier, we took off in a swarm.

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Tagged: Gunks, Hiking11 Comments