Tag: #Hiking

  • Disc Golf

    Last week I was on vacation with my family up in Maine. The wife asked me what I most wanted to do while away, and this first thing I said was napping. But after that I just blurted out, disc golf.

    Am I a disc golfer? No.

    I have done it twice in my life, and the last time was 10 years ago while at my best friend’s wedding. (Here comes a story!) My friend went to grad school in Kansas City, and that was where the wedding was taking place. As such, he invited a good number of his grad school friends. A couple of days before the wedding, the grad school gang all wanted to go disc golfing, and they were a real nice group of people, and invited the wife and I to go along. We were game, and had a great time with them. One guy brought a portable cooler with beer, and another person loaned us discs to play, so everybody got a little tipsy, and it was competitive enough to allow some friendly trash talking.

    Every now and then, disc golf pops into my head, but living in NYC there really isn’t a place to do it here in the City. But, way up in the woods in Maine, I had a feeling that there would be a place.

    About thirty minutes from our house we were staying in, there was a totally rugged, as it took you up the side of a very steep hill, but also a well-maintained course. The baskets and chains were what looked to be new, and tees all were clean, solid slabs of cement. There were discs to borrow, and being that I was there on a Monday, I had to place all to myself. It was like hiking but while playing a game.

    I enjoyed myself, and it was one of the highlights of our vacation. And I am doing the thing I did the last time I disc golfed; I am wondering if I should go and buy a set of discs. You know, just in case I need them in ten years.

  • Hiking Review: Mianus River Gorge Preserve

    It had been a month since we had last been hiking. July was pretty busy with camps and trips and visiting friends, so as this weekend approached, I was pretty adamant that we were going hiking, damn it! Not that I had to coerce my family, but there was a thought that they might not be that into it. So, I went looking for a trail that wasn’t too far from home, which meant finding a place that was only about an hour drive time from the City. That’s how I chose Mianus River Gorge Preserve in Westchester County.

    My go to for trail finding is still the AllTrails app on my phone, and the site has not steered us wrong on our search of hiking spots. The app rated Mianus as “easy,” and I wouldn’t go that far, as there were some ups and downs on the trail for the gorge. “Moderate” might have been a little more accurate.

    That have been said, this place was a jewel. We got there at 11am, an hour later than we normally like to start a hike, but the trails were empty of people. Though we were not too far from a major road and a neighborhood, it was silent out there except for the sounds of the river and the forest. I actually found it hard to believe that a forest this untouched, it is one of the last old growth forests in the area, could exist so close to New York City. The river cutting through the land, and the embankment of the gorge was just beautiful to experience. Sadly, my pictures don’t do the Preserve justice.

    It had all the things we have come to like about hiking; the trails were all well maintained, which was good for the kid, the solitude of the forest was impeccable, and the trail head had plenty of parking.  The kid enjoyed spotting fish in the river, and the diversity of the fungi on the forest floor. For me and the wife, we enjoyed that the trails were rugged enough so that we felt like we were getting a work out.

    When we finished our hike, and had a picnic out of the back of our car. It was a littler after twelve noon, when people started to arrive and began to hike the trail. That lead us to believe that the late afternoon is the popular time there. As we watched other couples and families head out on the trails, we decided that Mianus River Gorge Preserve is trail that we want to do again. Maybe in the Fall.

  • Hiking Review: The Cornish Estate Trail

    This week’s hike was the Cornish Estate Trail at the Hudson Highlands State Park and Preserve, just outside of Cold Springs, NY. This one had been on my radar for a while, as AllTrails and many other hiking sites have rated it highly. The trail leads to the Cornish Estate, which was built in the 1910’s, but burned down in the late 50’s, which eventually lead to the land being donated for a park. My hesitancy for going there was that all the reviews mentioned that it was a busy and popular trail. When we started this Summer project, we had wanted to find out of the way trails, that don’t get much foot traffic.

    We went out on Sunday morning, and made the park around 10:45am. The parking lot for Little Stony Point Park was packed, and we got the last spot. At the trail head, there was a tent with, what I assume were, volunteers who offered maps, guidance, and bug spray. There were also some port-o-potties, a sanitization station, water for dogs, and a display for wildlife in the area. It was a nice way to start our hike.

    The Cornish Trail starts off running somewhat parallel to Highway 9D. In some areas it’s only one person wide, and as we were a group of two adults, a kid and a dog, we let people pass us, so we could take our time. After a short hike, the trail runs into the concrete driveway that leads up to the ruins of the estate. And you are going uphill. Not that it was a difficult climb, but for our six-year-old, it seemed to go on forever! Once we made it to the top, our daughter loved exploring all the ruins. The park does a very good job having markers all around explaining the different parts of the estate, which did help conceptualize what it was like to live on that hilltop a hundred years ago. We had a picnic lunch in the ruins of the main house, overlooking the abandoned swimming pool, all the while wondering what it is like up there in Fall when the leaves change.

    All in all, I get what the hype is all about. In one sense, the climb to the ruins does make you feel like you have found a lost gem of the Hudson Valley. The downside is that there are always people around you. Secluded, it was not. But even with that, it was a place we enjoyed exploring, and all wanted to come back again.

  • ODDS and ENDS – England v Germany, REI Again, and SCHOOLS OUT!

    “Odds and Ends” is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    So, England made it out of the Group Stage at EURO 2020/21, and is in the Knockout Round. It’s not a clean path. First, they have to play Germany, who isn’t playing like Germany of old, but at the same time, Germany is never easy. If England gets past that, my guess is that they will have to play Sweden, which I think they should win. After that, all bets are off. In the semi-finals, England will play either the Dutch or the Czech Republic. Sadly, I don’t see Wales or Denmark beating the Dutch or the Czechs. Am I getting ahead of myself? Oh, yes! But, as of this moment, EURO 2020/21 is the only sport that seems interesting to me. (And I am fully aware that Cubs threw a combined no-hitter against the Dodgers last night.)

    Last week, I talked about going to REI to exchange my boots for a half size larger, and I was curious if their 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed return policy was real. It’s real. They exchanged my boots, no questions asked. And in my excitement, I bought a day pack. Now, the kid-o is saying that her boots are too small as well. So, Saturday, we are headed back to REI for another exchange. And I might pick up a small first-aid kit for the day pack. (Yes, I keep buying hiking stuff.)

    And today was the last day of school! I never want to do a remote school year again! I know I am not alone on that, but man, never again. SO starts the adventure of a real Summer Vacation, of Day Camps, road trips, museum runs, and sleeping in. All Hail Summer!

  • Hiking Review: Leon Levy Preserve and Loop

    This weekend, the hike we chose was the Leon Levy Loop in Westchester County, near the Connecticut border. This was a little father out than we normally go, an hour from the City. Also, we went out on Sunday, instead of our normal Saturday, due to errands, such as going to REI to exchange my boots for a half size large, (And true to REI’s policy, they exchanged the boots, no questions asked) and I wanted to get a proper daypack for our hiking adventures.

    Another reason I picked the Leon Levy Preserve was that there were the “ruins” of the Black Mansion on the trail. I thought that this would be a little more exciting for the kid. Such as “discovering” some ruins and exploring the grounds sounded like a fun adventure for her. The land used to be a summer home estate, but fell in to disrepair, then was ravaged by a fire. The Jerome Levy Foundation donated the money to the Town of Lewisboro to purchase the land, and to create the preserve and trails.

    The Leon Levy Loop was the type of trail we were looking for. The was rated as “easy” and I will agree that it was, which makes it very kid friendly. The main Blue Trail was wide and well maintained. The canopy of the forest made the hike cool on a very hot and humid day. We saw a handful of other families on the trail that morning, but by no means did it feel crowded, which let us feel like we could explore unencumbered. We ventured off on the Pink Trail to take a look at the ruins of the guest house, which the kid loved. Her imagination was intrigued, and she came up with wild stories of what happened at the house, long ago.

    In our one hour+ hike, we didn’t even cover half of the Preserve, which was great, as we all enjoyed it out there. As we returned to our car at the trailhead, we decided that this was a place we would like return to, and explore the other trails around the Preserve.