High Point or Bust

The AT at Pochuck Mt and Wallkill Valley

[March 24, 2013]

As mentioned prior, the optional (by-pass) route on the Long Path for many hikers is the Appalachian Trail from Harriman State Park in NY to High Point  State Park in Sussex NJ and then on up to Wurtsboro on the Shawangunk Ridge Trail.  My main journey on the Long Path has now reached West Fulton NY, which is a full 2 1/2 hour drive each way, so I can only get up there on days when I can arrange shuttles etc...In the meantime, I've set out to also walk the by-pass route which is closer to home. I left off on this section at the base of Pochuck mt in Vernon NJ and decided to park at RT. 284 in the Wallkill Valley near the NJ/NY state line. My plan was to power walk east 4 miles along the roads to the starting point and then walk back about 3.5 miles along the AT (trail) to the car, have lunch at the car and then basically set off west and again turn around at some point to return to the car and cover 15 miles total distance during the day.  The morning was sunny and cool, but not cold, so I left my pack and jacket in the car and went for speed in the brisk air with just a small water bottle shoved in my back pocket. Less than a mile on Rt 284 from where I parked and there is a gas station with deli food market [End of the line Groceries, 2 RT 284, Westtown NY10998 (845 726 3228)] and is a short walk from the AT. It has provisions for this section and I bet you could make some arrangements with them in advance to get some stuff you might need on the trail if you are thru-hiking.   

Wallkill Wildlife Preserve

A flock of "Birders"

I turned the corner on Oil city rd and continued over hills and dale to the Walkill river. The Wallkill wildlife preserve section is next and part of the Wallkill river flood plain.  This scenic park is pretty big and is an engineered (diked and valved) wetland that is a migrating bird sanctuary. I walked the shorter way through the park and made it to the AT trail on the East side.  The trail here between the wildlife preserve and Pochuck is a boardwalk through a boggy area that ends at county road 667 at the base of Pochuck Mt. I did the first 4 miles in only one hour so I was moving pretty fast which was in stark contrast to my last hike with Chris upstate where we suffered a slow pace in deep snow.  I turned around, retraced my steps over the boardwalk and slowed up a bit as the few inches of melting slush was now becoming really slick on the wet boards. When I emerged back into the wildlife preserve, I followed the AT blazes around the park and saw geese and other water fowl, and many birds flying into the area.  I also saw an elderly "flock of birders" in camo garb laboriously carrying tripods full of spotting scopes and other camera gear. I took a picture of them in their native habitat as they were as interesting to me as the birds they were watching. After crossing back over the river, I tuned left on a road and went up and over some woods and fields to return to my car in about two hours of time to cover 7.5 miles.  My legs were feeling tight but good after the brisk morning walk over the  hills, so I grabbed my pack out of the car and decided to eat lunch while walking west, now towards High Point. As I walked I started thinking about the possibility of walking all the way to High Point. I had called Vernon Taxi (Ron Meyer) in the morning to inquire about leaving my car at High Point and having him drop me off by Pochuck on rd 667. He wasn't able to do it (schedule conflict) and said if I do make it to High point he would be able to pick me up there in the afternoon and drive me back to Pochuck for $45. I initially thought it a steep price for a 12 mile shuttle, but now think it's a fair price when considering the service in back country.  I originally decided against that option which is why I parked at RT284 and walked the morning loop the way I did. It was still pretty early in the day and High Point loomed 8- 9 miles away.  

High Point today is possible

Old Wasp nest next to trail

I decided to reconsider the taxi as an option if I continued to feel really good.  The day progressed well as the miles ticked off one by one. It turned a bit colder here so I put on my jacket and gloves and pushed through the  4 inches of slushy snow that was still hanging on  in the higher elevation near the Shawangunk Ridge line. I was now committed to the full trek to high point and wanted to call Vernon taxi to alert him to my plan to get picked up later but there was no cell coverage anywhere. I looked at my phone again and it was 3:30 and I had at least an hour still to go. I realized I made a rookie mistake leaving my phone on all day as the battery had discharged itself roaming for a non-existent signal. The battery warned me I only had 4% left, which I knew from experience it would be dead within 5 minutes.  I shut it down and continued on my way. I hit Greenville Rd at the base of High Point State park and proceeded up the mountain.  Sweat poured off me as I kept pushing to make time because Vernon taxi advised me in the morning not to be later than 4PM if I wanted to use his service so I wanted to respect his wishes.  It was already past 4, I'm basically out of communication, so I'm thinking I will have to beg a ride or two to get back to my car from strangers. At the top of the ridge, I turned on the phone and was surprised to receive a text message from Vernon taxi inquiring if I was still interested in a ride. Hope surged, and I tried calling him but no signal could be found.  The battery was now at 1%.  I immediately replied with a text saying "yes" and shut off my phone to buy time.  I was still far enough away from High Point and I didn't want him there too soon only to have him leave frustrated that I was a no show. I could finally see the monument was only about 10 minutes away and I rapidly pushed up the steeper section and arrived panting and sweating near the top. On the way up, I passed a side trail indicating a shelter there but I didn't stop to explore it. At the top, I turned my phone on for the last time, sent another text, "come now!" and received a wonderful instant reply of "I'll be there in 15". I suddenly found I was standing at the cross road of the AT and  the SRT trail.  I took a picture of the blazes on the SRT and the camera flash went off and the phone died without power enough to recharge the flash. I walk out to the access road and away from the monument and slowly walked another mile towards Rt23 in the direction I thought the taxi would come from.  Ron eventually came uphill near RT 23 in an unmarked van and since I was the only person in the park who looked dog tired and bedraggled, he stopped to pick me up.  He seemed surprised I walked down most of the access road to meet him, but I was so soaked and cold I had to keep walking to stay warm. During the shuttle back I found out Ron is an author of a raunchy book about life being a taxi man and he offered me a copy (for free).  I gave him a good tip for the great service and the book.  What a good guy to have actually sent me a text in the afternoon to check up on me, take off from Vernon Valley late on a Sunday afternoon on nothing more than a cryptic text back from me. He then went into High Point state park without really knowing where I was at [as he did try calling me and my phone was dead]. Ron is very hiker friendly and frequently shuttles AT hikers to the hostel in Vernon. So take my advice, support Vernon taxi when you have the need!  He is not cheap, but not expensive either when you really needed a ride. My legs were pretty sore and it was a personal high point in terms of completing this section like I did in a day. My next hike will be to take time to explore the High Point tower and loop the park to Port Jervis, but not push much more. This will put me in the position to use the Metro North Rail Service to hike the lower SRT.

Trail stats - I went almost 12.5 miles on the AT (including elevation changes)  and about 5 extra miles of road walking for a total of 17.5 miles on foot.

The AT maps for this section are at:

http://www.cnyhiking.com/ATinNJ-HighPointStatePark.htm

Junction of the AT and SRT (start)

AT Near Unionville 

At at High Point

Odyssey in White

March 9, 2013

Previous Link on LP: South Mt to Mine Kill Falls

Lansing Manner

My twin daughters learned I was going to hike again near Albany on Saturday and they asked if I could drop them off at Sienna college (North of Albany) and Bennington College (Southern VT) to visit some friends.  I decided the only way to accommodate this was to leave Friday evening and stay over somewhere reasonably close to this section.  I left Jersey in daylight, made my drops and I finally arrived alone in Cobleskill NY at the Super 8 motel after 6 hours of driving. For those interested in a motel in this area, the rate was a fair $72 incl tax and fees and a breakfast, good for a hiker budget.  

Lansing Manner Visitors center

As the sign says, the easy part of our day

Mine Kill Falls to West Kill Creek

I met Chris over on West Kill Road at 9am and he was waiting in an area about a mile short of where my section map told me to go to and he flagged me down.  It seems the LP crosses the West Kill rd a few times so it didn't seem to matter where you parked as long as you find the aqua blaze nearby. Because it snowed the two days before, we decided to shuttle twice this day, once back to Mine Kill Falls where we left off last time, and the second time around lunch to West Fulton near the end of this section. This gave us the chance to test the snow and see if we needed snowshoes or alternate exit plan in case it was deeper than we could handle. We planned on doing 6 miles in the valley to finish the section 29 (old section 27*, Mine Kill Park and Lansing Manor) and then re-position our cars to follow up with the harder ~10 mile Burnt-Rossman Hills of section 30 (previously section 28* Dooney Hollow (West Kill) to West Fulton). We only found about 4" to 5" of fresh snow on the valley section and it wasn't quite enough to use snowshoes, so I left them in the car.

We started hiking near Mine kill falls at 9:30 am and we made our way to the main park and 20 minutes later we signed in at the main park office. The snowfall was pleasant to walk in and soft to the feet. The day started cold, around 25 F, but by now it was warming into the low 40's and we packed our jackets away and mopped our brows.  The sun swept across the sky as we walked through the park and crossed over to the Lansing manner Power Authority property.  It was very well maintained and the rows of Arborvitae looked like large dark mushrooms from a distance as they were bigger on the top then the bottom, because the lower half was caged by a wire surround to keep the deer browse in check.  We tracked bobcat prints on the snow and then saw evidence of a fresh kill.  The blood signs were very similar to the splotches I saw in the snow near Wawayanda on the AT previously this year, so I guess this is what predators do: kill, eat, sleep, repeat.

Water Turbine at Lansing Manner
Note lack of snow here if zoom in

We saw a huge metal (brass?) water turbine on a display near Lansing Manner.  These turbines are at the core of hydroelectric power generation from the potential energy stored in a reservoir.  They are a great source of energy that is completely pollution free. They are not completely free of issues, but realistically, I'll take hydro electrics over smokestacks any day.  The barn at Lansing manner has an interpretive display that explains all this. After a brief walk along the lower Schoharie creek, we turned up to the access road and then passed by a very old cemetery on the right side hill. The trail led up hill around the cemetery and across a farmers field and then onto West Kill road. Many of the local buildings in Blenheim are more than a century old and most were in some state of disrepair, which constantly reminded me of the chronic economic distress many families are experiencing in rural NY. We diverted briefly back in the woods and soon made it to my car. We went back to Mine Kill Falls, and then shuttled around the Burnt - Rossman hills to West Fulton.  We left Chris's car there and returned to West Kill rd with my Jeep, pausing briefly to remove a small boulder on Bear Ladder rd that had recently dropped onto the road from the eroding cliffs above. 

West Kill Creek

8.1 Miles between access points in Winter

After hiking the lower section, we decided there was no needl for snowshoes, so I again left  them in my car. In hind-sight I should have strapped them to my pack because this proved to be a big mistake. We set out hiking along the West Kill and wound our way steadily uphill, crossing on both sides of the road at times.  After a mile of tacking back and forth, we visited the creek for a spell and then with finality turned away up hill to the right and left Dooney Hollow. The slope was a steady grade at a gentle 20 degree angle.  We soon began to notice the snow added about an inch or more for every 1/4 mile we traveled, until near the 2000' mark we were actually pushing through at least a foot of very wet snow. This was not good at all.  The effort to move forward was about triple the normal hike. We took turns in the lead, but Chris spent far more time in the vanguard spot than me as the hill seemed to go on forever and I simply didn't have the conditioning required to lead him and keep up the pace we needed to complete this one on time. Chris went beyond the call of duty in this respect. I'll say this more than once as the story unfolds. We finally crested the summit and our jaws basically dropped as we were now in 18" of wet snow on this side. Oh crap! We had many more miles of this.  

We plowed on and the slope soon dropped steeply and we basically gained an advantage by running down the slope in big "moon walk" leaps, not caring where we landed and letting gravity pulls us down the hillside and allowing the deep snow to govern our speed. I think the GPS recorded our actual speed here and it shows us going down these steep points at over 5 mph.  This was an exhilarating drop in elevation!  That way of descent was really fun and it got our heads back in the game after the tough uphill trek. We soon crossed onto a lower snowmobile track along the Cole Hollow road and we were so very happy to find the snow broken up here by sled tracks.  It still wasn't easy, but we took any reprise we could get from the deeper snow. We later saw a dog print and foot prints and eventually spotted a landowner walking to his cabin.  No cars are allow here and he had to carry his provisions for a long distance in a heavy bag.  We saw him lay down on the trail ahead of us and we were concerned he was ill, but as it ended up he was just resting while he let us catch up as the snow also bogged him down.  We chatted and thanked him for letting the us cross his land.  He seemed surprised we were not on skis or in snowshoes.  "Yeah," we said, "we underestimated this one" was our honest answer. He advised us he heard the snow was "even deeper up Huckleberry Kingdom road" and added "I can git my snowmobile running once I git to my cabin. I'll give ya'll a ride out . "We thanked him and moved on thinking we could make it out on our own.  As predicted, we left the sled tracks below for unbroken deeper snow drifts and began a very long and laborious hike up Rossman Hill.  Little was said between us as we grunted forward like good soldiers. The next couple of hours can best be described as "soulful agony".  While it was great to be outside with a hiking buddy on a warm winter day, the level of challenge we both experienced was beginning to break us down physically and mentally.  Just when we begin wondering if we could go on, our spirits were lofted by a more gentle slope and by a cross country ski track that broke the snow on our trail near the summit of Rossman Hill.  It really wasn't much, but every little bit of help like that was a small miracle at this point. We finally made the Rossman Shelter at almost 12 miles into the day and we got out the map and started appraising our situation.  About then, neither of us were completely confident we had the energy to go on and get out before nightfall.  Chris commented about getting shaky and I admitted much the same.  He asked if I had a headlamp.  I replied  "yes".  We checked our water stock.  We had less than a pint between us.  That was our lowest point. It looked bleak and the sun was steadily dropping. But after ten minutes of rest and some Cliff bars and power gels, we began  thinking more clearly and plotted our attack.  I didn't say it, but I needed to lead more even if it hurt. Chris had done all he could in his extra time in the lead and it took him down a bit for the time being. We had to go 1.4 mile more in the deep stuff, and then we would hit a road walk.  We needed to get out of the snow. 

LP North Signage

LP North Bridges - We crossed like 5 of em.
Note depth of snow on bridge if you zoom in

We pushed on from the security of the shelter with me breaking trail and the next mile went by relatively fast, even though the snow was still deep. It's amazing how even 10 minutes of shelter time and some food and drink can recharge you. Chris was soon recharged and took the lead when I had to pause to put on my jacket and gloves to offset the rapidly dropping temperature. We crossed the edge of Looking Glass pond on the dam on the right side and the snow drifts here were even beyond the full depth of my hiking pole, like three foot deep.  We just broke up laughing.  Sounds completely crazy, but it was so ridiculously funny to us that the snow was this freaking deep.  I had tears in my eyes from laughing. I lifted my poles and yelled to the heavens "is this it? Is that all you can bring!"  The hardest moment of the day suddenly became the best moment of the day.  It was like living the children's book "The Little Engine That Could". Man, I had read this book over and over again as a child and never thought about it before like this, and here it was coming up into my psyche like I needed it most. It's the power of positive thinking..."I think I can - I think I can" soon turned into "I know I can - I know I can..."  Still pushing onward, we paralleled the stream out of the pond.  Whew, it stunk to high heaven.  An awful rotting sewage smell.  Fellow hikers, do not drink any water downstream, as the pond under the ice stinks, maybe it is a sulfur spring or worse, yuck. 

We pushed on holding our noses, and the slope dived down for the second time today and we again bounded down slope like laughing children in a low gravity theme park hitting about 6 mph downhill. We stopped briefly at a small waterfall that disappeared under a rim of ice.  Chris pointed toward the rim and shouted out "Look at that Big Icehole". I laughed and said "Hey, I've been called worse."  On the move again, we ran down slope until the snow thinned to only 5 inches once again. We slowed up our pace as the snow no longer held us back.

Elevation Profile and GPS tracks

By the time we got to the bottom, my legs were completely spent. I had nothing left to give. I silently limped about 20 yards behind Chris and eventually made it out to Sawyer Hill Rd (ccRT 20). I felt hammered and relieved at the same time. We joked about wanting to embrace the solid pavement of a plowed road.  We walked the remaining 2 miles along this road flanked by corn fields and sugar maples under sap harvest. The tapped maple collection buckets would have been a good photo but I didn't even have the energy to pause to take it. Our pace picked up as we recovered on the fly. Chris's car at the bottom of the hill after about 8 hrs of snow hiking was a welcome sight. Once there, he tried getting his boots off on his own, but his legs cramped up so badly that I had to pull them off for him. Small favor, he earned it ten times over.

I write this entry with great humility because we were pushed to our personal limits as we fought to compete it.  Putting it in a different perspective, we both has a few cold beers waiting for us in our cars when we finished and we were both too tired to even open a single one.  We all know the perfection of a cold brew after a tough hike, so me passing on one pretty much defines exhaustion!  I uploaded the GPS tracks into google earth and was actually surprised to see we walked 16.4 miles today with all the elevation changes and snow loads factored in. We clearly underestimated the snow and the mountain and learned, if there is even a small chance you will need snowshoes, take them. Lastly, always take a hiking partner when venturing into back country for long distances. There is no doubt that this hike and story would not have ended the same without a buddy to provide mutual support and leadership.
Google Earth Data for Mine Kill to West Fulton

Trail Stats:  16.4 by GPS and google earth. 

* many of the section numbers have been changed, see the NY/NJ trail conference site for more info. I link this next time.

Pochuck Boardwalk - LP Bypass on the AT

March 3, 2013

Pochuck Suspension Bridge

Have you ever had a day that you feel like you made all the right decisions?  I woke up really late and looked in the mirror at my profile and said holy crap, please get out and do something!  Stagnant is an adjective for something that never moves and I'll admit I've done less exercise in the last month than a slug. My first good decision of the day was to go on a hike and get motivated and back in the game. Over the past month, I only did a few days of skiing at Killington on Superbowl weekend and that was it. Unfortunately Mauro broke his leg on that trip after hitting a tree in such a way that it required surgical intervention.  He was more fortunate in his decision to don a helmet that day as he would have possibly otherwise risked pulling a "Sonny Bono". The serious thing is, we wake up each day and never really know the consequences of all the little decisions we make until fate intervenes.
Today was a warm winter day, sunny and about 30 F, and I drove solo to Rt 94 in Vernon to pick up the AT near Pinwheel Vista where I last left off. I headed west towards Pochuck and beyond. I crossed a field of grazing cows and had to step over the manure patties. It reminded me of my time in Texas, except here it was still cold and they didn't stink. My plan was to walk as far as my legs could take me as long as I left an equal portion of daylight to walk back the same distance. Some trips can be about a hard push to the next mile marker, but today, I was basically a laid back mindless idiot walking with tunes cranked up in my ears.  I needed to escape a bit as I've been seriously overworked of late. I ended up here closer to home because Chris wasn't available to shuttle the next leg on the  LP way up at Mine Kill near Blenheim NY.  He informed me he would instead be leading a trail crew building a bridge across the Horsechock creek in Harriman ( LP near rt 202 by Letchworth cemetery).  People like Chris are so involved in volunteering for the trail system that it is sometimes best to first look up their crew schedule on the NY-NJ trail conference website before calling them to check availability for an actual hike. The mile long Pochuck boardwalk and suspension bridge on the AT is a stellar example of how trail crew volunteers and lots of monetary support from private and public sources led to the building of a real outdoor treasure in NJ. This boardwalk is pretty remote, so I would bet most New Jerseyans know nothing about it.  Go ahead and ask anyone on the Seaside Heights boardwalk if they ever heard of the Pochuck Boardwalk.  Pochuck? WTF? This quiet elevated wooden walkway crosses a wetland valley in a way the doesn't seem out of place. It allows one to see nature in all seasons (as it's technically still winter now) and it is well built to last a lifetime.  There are streams and wildlife and birds (and even more birds), even in winter. Most importantly, I managed to hike this wet section of the New Jersey AT and stay completely dry.  I really couldn't imagine crossing this section without the boardwalk.

Pochuck Suspension Bridge

Pochuck Boardwalk

Pochuck Suspension Bridge

I walked on with my ipod in shuffle mode and somehow each tune seemed to magically fit the pace and the mood of the current section. I eventually crossed the boardwalk and went up Pochuck mountain. I caught up with two hikers, Greg and Martin and a dog called Seamus (pronounce Shay-mus).  Seamus was a chocolate lab who I think was genetically designed for the trail.  I learned he was born on St Patricks day and his actual birthday is celebrated by millions of Irish drinkers like me. I'll be sure to toast Seamus in a few shorts weeks with some Jamesons or the like. That quiet Lab covered double to triple the distance we walked by flaring out left or right over a hundred yards and keeping perfect pace with us the whole time.

Greg and Martin

Seamus

Pochuck Vista - Looking to Highpoint

I ended up walking and talking with these two hikers for a considerable distance and its always nice to meet laid back people on the trails. There is a magic to experiencing the world at a slow paced two to three miles per hour. We walked on and I passed my halfway mark and I kept walking on in good company on a pretty easy trail. The descent down the higher Pochuck mountain was steep and icy.  The snow was not melted in this area.  Trekking poles would have helped here. We eventually crossed the full expanse of the three foothills called Pochuck mountain and ended up on a vista (similar to the Pinwheel vista) facing High Point and the Shawangunk Ridge Trail (SRT). This time, we were many miles closer to the point and it could be seen as a prominent feature on the horizon beyond the Wallkill Valley.  We descended the last bit to where their car was parked.  My new found companions graciously agreed to take me all the way back to my car about 8 miles away and I was in good spirits since their kindness meant I didn't have to power walk almost eight miles in a return trip into the darkness of the night.  My decision to keep walking with them was correct, and their decision to trust me and take me back to my car was a kindness I hope to repay someday. It's about a day + walk now to Highpoint where I will leave the AT and head North on the SRT trail to reconnect up with the LP in Wurtsboro.  Hopefully next weekend I can reconnect up North on the Long Path with Chris and continue the main journey.
Trail Stats: About 8 miles (guessing) on the AT (the LP by pass)