Yes, my pack weighs 70lbs, but it's all light weight gear....
Bob's brother-in-law
That’s great to know. Opens up more options, for sure. I saw it in the guide books but there’s no discussion of the parking rules. I don’t want to be “that guy” who parks on someone’s property unless it’s perfectly ok.
The Tuxedo lot has the potential for confusion. If you’re not paying attention it would be easy to park in the Metro North lot overnight and get ticketed.
You can also park overnight at Kakiat County Park, about 2.5mi south of the Equestrian center. Very nice parking area.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
BTW, for any NY, LI, NJ HF'ers interested in joining me, I'm going to be doing a Harriman hike tomorrow and camp someplace with a quick out on Sunday morning.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
I did my little hike Sat and out early Sun. I was going to park at the loop at the end of Johnsontown Road but it was jammed so I parked at the entrance to Dater Mtn County Park, which is one of the few snippets of trail in/around Harriman that I haven't done. I also hadn't done that little piece of the Kakiat trail up to the Tuxedo entrance, nor the Triangle (yellow) trail north of there, so it provided a good opportunity to scratch a couple off the list.
Harriman_Dater_Park_20201003.jpg
Next morning was a 2.3mi hike out, and breakfast at Rhodes North Tavern in Sloatsburg with a friend of mine.
Just about everything in Harriman can be done without a guide book. The NYNJTC map set is really quite solid and the topo contour lines give you a good idea about the elevation profile, so you can pick a trail head and a distance you'd like to walk and plan from there. On the phone, I use Maprika and a map that I uploaded to their server (which you can download) that is named "Harriman State Park N+S." It incorporates both of the NYNJTC maps into one, and the GPS location marker on the phone is really spot-on... I have checked it in many areas, all over the park.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
Very nice.
Last Thursday I did a fairly easy hike with my neighbor who's just getting into dayhikes and eventually wants to backpack and hammock.
We did a 7 mile loop that has only ~1000' of vertical—which is somewhat hard to do in Harriman!—but also has some nice views. You could also make it an easy overnighter by stealth camping somewhere along the route, or plan to camp at one of the many campsites near Dutch Doctor shelter. We walked it clockwise, and if camping at DD you'd have a very easy 1.7mi walk out the following morning... all downhill!
Parking is at the circle at the end of Johnsontown Road, N41.1800, W74.1637, which you can type directly into Googlemaps search and hit 'start.'
Screenshot_2020-10-08-13-23-06.jpg
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
I'll add more routes as I complete them, in an effort to share with those looking for quick and easy over-nighters near NYC. And for the latest installment:
Pine Meadow Lake (loop) from the Ramapo Equestrian Center. Chapter 5 in the NY-NJ TC book "Circuit Hikes in Harriman" Park at the Equestrian Center (Google Maps will take you there) but not in one of the reserved spots for the stables. The lot at the top of the road heading down to the stables is best. The start of the trail is not particularly well marked, and behind the stables. From there, hike 1.3 miles uphill (all my trips are uphill both ways!).Eventually it levels out and there are some nice views along the way to the lake.
Looping around in front of the lake you'll eventually come to the Stone Memorial Shelter. There were quite a few campers in the sites adjacent to the shelter, including one hammocker who had an entire outpost set up with separate suspension lines for his pack, clothes and I think he was dry aging meat on a third line
Always look up!
I haven't hiked in this corner of the park but there was a LOT of deadfall, more so than I've seen elsewhere. That giant branch was hanging in limbo over the first site I selected. In a park that's wall to wall trees, it can still take some time to find the right combination of trees and terrain.
Up with the chirping birds so I could get home in time to cook brunch, and was rewarded with a nice sunrise
This was my first trip with the Altra Lone Survivor shoes. I've been using traditional boots. They're a trade off in terms of rock protection versus weight and breathability. In some ways they're like hiking in enclosed sandals. It took a few miles to get accustomed to them but my feet definitely felt as though they hadn't been lifting weights all day. Keepers. It was also the first trip with an Ursack. I won't go back to throwing rocks at trees!! End of the day pack the food and cook kit into the bag, tie it off and go to sleep.
The HG Wanderlust continues to provide a good night's sleep. I peeled the net back >>> WOW it completely changes the sleep experience for the better, as does an UQ (dipped to 55 overnight).
Lessons Learned:
I waited too long to try trail runners.
I dont miss the net now that bugs are gone
I tried packing the hammock, UQ, and TQ as one unit, shoving it to the bottom of the pack for the return trip. What a junk show of tangled cords when I unpacked at home. I have to work on that....the panel loading pack probably doesn't help.
7.4 miles total including an excursion to the lake....and I was back home in time to cook pancakes for the family! It's not a lot of miles but it's better than nothing. It gets me out there, clears the head and builds skills and experience.
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