beauty

Walking Across Wakley Dam on a Full Moon

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One thing that everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime, is to walk across Wakley Dam at a Full Moon. Wakley Dam, located at the Cedar River Flow, crosses the river and provides access to 5 of the primative campsites at Cedar River Flow portion of Moose River Plains.

Moonlight on Cedar River Flow

When you across the moonlit lake, across the lake towards Little Moose Mountain in the distance, and towards Sturges Hills, you’ll take in a deep breath, as you try to comphrend what moonlit beauty you are looking at. You’ll look up towards the sky, with millions of stars, uncompromised by distance city lights. There are no cities nearby, indeed, the nearest town is the Hamlet of Indian Lake, 12 miles away on a rough dirt road.

Campfire Across the Lake

… Cedar River Flow is amazing in the day time.
It’s even more amazing at night …

Vromans Nose

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After spending the night at Burnt Rossman I decided to go up Vromans Nose for a short hike, where I could sit out and watch over the Schoharie Valley and take some pictures. I’ve been up Vromans Nose a dozen of times before, but it’s always nice to go up for another visit.

The old roadbed up the mountain.

Old Road Bed

The edge of the mountain.

Edge

With thunderstorms coming in the sky was the most interesting of colors.

Pinkish

I spent about an hour up there before coming down.


View Hiking in 2009 in a larger map

March

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They say this month comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. This is the month where the harshest part of winter comes to an end and spring starts to take over. Certainly by the end of the month we may start having some temperate warm days, as average high temperatures start to work their ways over 50 degrees.

The thaw is much needed this year. It has been a long harsh winter. The green that will soon surround us will refresh and inspire us; it will wash away all the salt and muck that has piled up throughout the winter. We need to be able to put away our winter coats and enjoy the great outdoors without being bundled up.

While nobody thinks that things will green up this month, the warmer weather and the melting snow is a sign of what is to come. Things will get muddy, and we will get more snow, but the calender will say spring as we move into nicer warmer weather, finally.

Soon will be when we can go out camping and enjoy long summer evenings under the stars. When a weekend hike won’t involve cold but just the beauty of springtime and summertime. When the summer seems endless and we won’t have to think of shoveling anything related to snow or ice.

This times are near. We just have to work out way through this cold month and it will become nice once again by the end of April..

Think Spring!

Burst of Color

Storm King Mountain

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About a month ago I went down to Storm King Mountain to go for a hike on this historic mountain and explore some of the lower Hudson Valley. I drove over the Storm King Bypass Highway, stopped and took a few pictures. The views in this area on a warm spring day where truly fantastic, and I was inspired for a long time to come.

I took Route 9W and Route 32 all the way down to Storm King. I looked out over West Point then drove up to the Overlook on the Bypass. I went up to the parking lot and took the steep trail up the mountain, somewhat afraid of heights. I looked around and my breath was taken away. I walked further and looked around some more. I was inspired.

I looked down at the sweeping and inspirational views of the Hudson River. The river was so powerful as where the mountains. The river winds through this area. I hike further on the mountain and got inspirational views to the west, and then to the North. I wrapped around to the south side of the mountain and looked south on the river. More beauty.

There was no escaping the industrial landscape though. The river was dotted by power plants, bridges, and the Newburgh oil terminal. None of these things where pretty, but necessary for our lives so dependent on electricity and fossil fuels.

I couldn’t believe that the plan originally was to blow this mountain up and make it into a massive pump storage plant, inaccessible to all but Consolidated Edison employees. This would have destroyed such beauty, despite the real benefit the plant would have had to reducing air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions.

I went down the easy trail back to the parking lot. Not as impressive of a view, but an easy hike on back. With a broken boot it was a bit painful and resulted in blisters on my foot. Still I enjoyed the beauty. On the way back home I visited Bear Mountain State Park Overlook, and then went across the Bear Mountain Bridge, and took Route 9D north. More amazing views.