On an odd Sunday in July, I wasn’t working for a change, and the weather was good. After having driven through three monsoons in five days, I was ready for a day in the woods. I kicked around various destinations, including the Schaeffer trail up Gore, and the Taconic Hereford multiple use area.
Waking up at 6:30 put the kibosh on Gore. Decades ago, I’d climbed Breakneck Ridge near Cold Spring NY, and as I finished my coffee, I decided I’d check out Hudson Highlands State Park.
I followed my nose to a small trailhead just off Route 301 outside Cold Spring. Unloader brace? Check. Heart rate monitor? Check. Hydration vest? Check. Off we go.
My plan was a big loop: Undercliff Trail to the Breakneck Ridge trail. Head north on Breakneck Ridge, then return via the Notch and Nelsonville trails. Leaving the shooting brake, I negotiated a flat, muddy section of trail.
My sacroiliac joint has been giving me problems off and on. Today, it barked at me, slowing me down to a kind of asymmetrical lope. No matter, I was there and I intended to make the most of it. Running here reminded me that for some reason, there’s a dearth of evergreen trees in this part of the world.
Around six tenths of a mile in, the trail jinked left, and ramped up a bit. And then it really ramped up. While not as brutal as Breakneck Ridge — see Ripitz’s story from a few months back — I later figured that it was an 11% grade for 1.8 miles. A couple of sections required three- and four-point contact.
It wasn’t a day for solitude: a lot of people were out enjoying themselves after the previous week’s lousy weather. Trail runners rocking hydration vests. A large group of city people led by a guy with a portable radio blasting out pop music. If he leaves the city, he gotta bring the city with him. Dumbfounding. We’ll say nothing about the shoes that were better suited for walking the mall.
I came out to an outcropping that afforded great views of the Hudson. West Point was across the river, below Storm King. A mile-long freight train snaked along the Hudson’s west bank, horn moaning. A tugboat pushed a barge downriver.
At the junction with the Washburn Trail, I decided that Breakneck Ridge was overly ambitious and I turned north. There were flattish sections where I could run, intermingled with more scrambling. I passed people relaxing on the summit of Bull Hill.
Turning on to the Nelsonville Trail, I began a long, gradual descent. The trail seemed to be a rubble-filled, buggy, dry watercourse. Even though it trended downhill, it was nasty enough that I walked a lot.
I made it to my car and repaired to J. Murphy’s in Cold Spring. A pint of hefeweizen was a great companion to lunch. The day was short, but it was steep, deep, and technical. All I gotta do is worry less about getting home and work on extending those precious days off.
Nice read. That’s a very vivid (and accurate) description of recreating in that area. You’re never really alone. I think I may have been out on the river while you were hiking up above.
1,400 ft above the river doesn’t come easy. The Highlands always give a fair fight. Nice view of West Point and its’ ski area Victor Constant in the first pic. Almost at sea level, it’s probably one of the lowest downhill areas in the country. Bull Hill is also a good ski up the old Cornish estate and up the backside.