nature-you.org Blog

Colorful Trail Marks
June 20, 2009

It was an end-to-end full course Seven Hills trail trip so we just needed to follow the Blue colored trail mark. Actually, it was not so boring at all. Moon studied the map knowing in fact this would be a very colorful trip. The Blue Trail will meet or cut a lot of other trails. Today was the day before Fathers’ Day. I had 8 people in this event but with only Sam being a father. That might explain fathers were busy not only at the Fathers’ Day. Other hikers were John, Minh, Rose, Esther and Simon.

Since Seven Hills Trail was not a circular trail, I needed to arrange shuttle. Luckily, I still had 2 cars to make this trip possible. We started at Lake Sebago boat basin at 10:15 after warming up. The weather forecasted raining after 3 pm so we should have enough time to finish the trip. The sky was so cloudy that likely the clock of Mother Nature was different from ours. Rain was no big deal if no thunderstorm followed. We climbed Conklin Mtn. as the first hill which was a good exercise. We saw Yellow Buck Trail on the left and cut Red T-MI Trail in a mile. After caught up with another hiking group at a view point, we hit another Yellow Trail on the left and then first met Orange HTS Trail. Moon told us we would meet Orange Trail 4 times today. We hit the Yellow Trail again and climbed Diamond Mtn.

The rain came early so most of us had to put on the raincoat. Minh borrowed an outstanding colored poncho from Rose to make himself liked a priest. Under the heavy rainfall, we knew the downhill was more dangerous than uphill. There was a cliff so steep that we had to go by the side trail. Hiking poles were burdens at this point so John grabbed them and helped to carry them down. We finished 3 miles and took lunch by Pine Meadow Brook under rain. We saw White Kakiat Trail and Red Pine Meadow Trails merged at the bridge. I asked if anyone wanted to give up and we were now only 2 flat miles from the car. Minh joked he would quit now if there was no any short cut after this point. I led all 7 hikers climbed the 4th hill after lunch. We were blessed and 15 minutes of sunshine was delivered to greet us at the mountain top after we second time met the Orange Trail.

We hit White Reeve Brook Trail in a mile. Moon announced we would meet Black Trail very soon. Sam was puzzled and worried about any bad luck would bring when we hit the Black Trail. After hitting Black Raccoon Brook Hills Trail, we hiked on the section where Orange and Blue Trail overlapped. We kept on Blue Trail after taking picture with a greenish tree. The fog kicked in the wood made it more liked a fairyland. After we reached the trailhead of Orange Trail, we hiked on relatively flat terrain. All seven hills had been conquered. As clouds accumulated again, we hiked on fast pace and finished this 7 miles trip by 4 pm. We saw trails with all main colors except green in this trip.

The stamp today was again very dedicatedly designed by Moon. It captured the meaning of Daddy’s Day, Level D, Blue colored Seven Hills Trail and pronunciation of Father as Full. Even the background color of the stamp was intentionally picked in order to show the toughness of fathers. Under this high level standard, it would be as tough as a level D hiking if I had to design hiking stamps in the future.

5 Miles for a 5 Years Old
June 14, 2009

The trip was added mainly because the successful of Hook Mountain trip that I thought easy trips were demanded by most people. It was a 5 miles trip where last 2 miles could be classified as walking. It turned out 12 other people caught the news and joined this event. I had Angie, Ping, Rose, Paul, Aida, David, Ann, Ying, Sam, John, Moon and Jeffrey. Jeffrey was a 5 years old boy from Mei’s family.

We started from Johnstontown Circle Blue Trail climbed the slope to the viewpoint after Almost Perpendicular. That is the spot we could oversee the entire area. We took a long break over there because it was not easy for both Paul and Jeffrey to reach here. As Jeffrey was too young to handle the wet and rocky trail, Paul had to carry him to jump on the rocks. In addition that he had to take care of Aida and Ann. I joked Paul would hike 3 times more difficult than us. We took a group picture over here because it might be the first group picture of Angie, Ying, John and Ann with Nature You. Paul was surprised to see Rose’s camera tripod.

Next mile to Claudia Smith Den was flat but the trail was really wet. I showed them the narrow Elbow Brush which attracted most hikers to go inside. This trip was too easy for them so they didn’t hesitate to play extra. Little Jeffrey started asking when would be the time for lunch around 11:30 am so I knew Claudia Smith Den would be perfect spot to take the lunch break. We were there after hitting T-MI before noon. The spectacular view on the ridge once again opened the eyes of all new hikers. It would be a perfect spot to see fall foliage because of the rich vegetation underneath. Paul was so relax to lie down under the sun. Little Jeffrey wanted to explore the cliff so Paul had to warn him by exaggerated the danger. Jeffrey was frightened by knowing he would bleed to die if he fell. Aida caught a noisy bee in a bottle. We had really good time on the cliff. Both pairs David & Sam and Angie & John had a lot of conversation. Ying enjoyed the time of being quiet and listened.

Moon found us the right direction on T-MI so we continued the 3rd mile on Red Trail. Ann was worried to know we hadn’t even finished half of the trip. I comforted her that the challenging part had been over. There were a little bit of ups and downs on T-MI but the trail was not so wet. Little Jeffrey was an active kid so enjoyed more on hands free hiking. He was the model star under Rose’s camera. Moon shouted to let us know we were at White Bar that I had known 30 seconds ago. Sam was very humorous to say something that made Moon laughed and almost choked by water. I was the victim of getting a few splashes on my face.

We approached to Dutch Doctor Shelter where new hikers learned the purpose of this construction. Rose, Ping and I memorized this was where the rumor of 500 shelters in Harriman came from. Moon memorized we had received Valentine’s Day gift from Rose in February at this spot. As last 2 miles was so easy and we didn’t need to be rush, we took a long break outside the shelter. Moon was happy to see the afternoon sunshine on the shelter which was exactly the same picture reflected on the hiking stamp that she prepared. We walked back to the cars on wide flat White Bar Trail. This was the safe section that Jeffrey could be free. We finished the trip by 2:45 pm and completed 5 miles. It was Little Jeffrey’s second trip with Nature You. He finished 4 miles last year at Silvermine Lake. I would expect he would come again for a 6 miles event next year and followed the trend on years after.

Renaming of the Trails
June 7, 2009

How long was 13 miles? It was the distance of half Marathon or 21 kilometers. There were 7 other missionary hikers: Ping, Rose, Esther, Feng, Jennifer, Minh and Moon in this trip to see how the legs would feel after hiking for 6-7 hours. The trip would begin with A-SB Red Trail and connected to Red Cross Trail for first 5 miles. A mile on Yellow Trail will link us into R-D Red Trail. After 5 miles on R-D to Times Square, we would switch back to A-SB for last 1.5 miles. Minh concluded that we would go for all Red Trails today. I clarified immediately we would go for 3 different Red Trails. Actually, the colors of our 4 lady hikers matched perfectly with the 4 trails we would hike on. Jennifer, Rose and Esther were in red and Moon was in Yellow today. We could rename and associate the four trails with these four ladies.

We started the trip at 9:15 am on Jennifer Trail (A-SB). Jennifer was a very tough hiker who had non-exhausted energy. We hiked 14 and 15 miles last year and she was always at the front. The triangle of A-SB Red Trail symbolized her toughness. After climbing up the steep slope, we passed a viewpoint which could line up 3 lakes.

We connected to Rose Trail (Red Cross). Rose was relatively a new hiker. Her ability and experience increased rapidly week after week. As she was working in a medical related field, Red Cross would definitely be her trail. Rose Trail was basically a flat trail which cut through auto road 2 times. Moon would remember this trail as she was scared by a long black snake which was only 3 feet from her right. Ping and Minh helped to clear the snake from the trail for all other hikers. We had a fast pace on this section and finished first 5 miles before 11:30 am.

After a short break at the turning point, we kept on Moon Trail (Menomine Trail). Moon was an important asset of the Club as she was the stamp designer. She joined 95% of the trips of Nature-You last year. She could hike long but suffered from knee pain recently. Moon Trail was only less than a mile but steep uphill. We climbed the Letterrock Mtn. and took early lunch outside the William Brien Shelter.

We continued on Esther Trail (R-D) after lunch. Esther dressed liked a Japanese cartoonist, Little Pill Ball so the Red Dot symbolized her perfectly. Esther used to be a relax hiker so surprised me of joining this high level activity. She had experienced dehydration last month so she was well prepared of 3 liters of water today. A well prepared hiker would grant confidence for both the leader and herself. We hiked 4 miles on R-D passed 2 times on auto road. Before we reached the Fingerboard Shelter, Moon felt knee pain and needed a longer break. In order not to pull back others, we divided into 2 groups. The Mountain Laurel garden was so pretty right after we passed the Shelter. We switched back to Jennifer Trail after reached Times Square. The fast group was back at parking lot by 4 pm and the second group finished this 13 miles trip by 5:30 pm.

The hiking ability was different among the hikers. I had no worries on Feng, Ping and Jennifer. Esther, Rose and Minh had never hiked more than 10 miles. Moon had knee problem in last trip. No matter what individual feelings about the difficulty, all of us should be proud of our endurance and persistence.

Perfect Trip for Beginners
May 31, 2009

What were the criteria of the best trip for hiking beginners? I would cite: moderate terrain, pretty viewpoint, special landmark or nature sculpture, easy on the way back, driving not too far and restrooms availability. The trip of Hook Mountain would definitely win over the title of Best Beginners Trip for New Yorkers. With the presence of cheerful participants and supportive good weather, this Hook Mountain trip was crowned as the perfect trip for beginners.

I had 33 participants with 21 new hikers. Most people signed up in pairs or groups. I had Ken and Emily, Maggie and Eric, Stella and Jeff, Jessica and Magnetic, JinYan and Thomas, Sharon and Ben, Amy and Gina, Fong’s family, Lin’s family and other single but not lonely participants. It was a trip suitable for all ages so an excellent family outing activity. After 30 minutes drive from GWB, we reached the trailhead. The parking lot was not big so a few of our 10 cars had to park far away. After warming up exercise, we climbed uphill followed Long Path which was the toughest part of the day. Luckily, the trail was fully covered with trees so the impact of sunshine was not serious. There was a deer on a side trail. We didn’t disturb his lunch time by only taking long distance pictures. We reached the summit of Hook Mountain in 2 miles and enjoyed the nice view of Hudson River including Tappan Zee Bridge. The sunshine was rich but the sky was a little bit foggy. We took group picture at the summit with a few people refused to stand and post under the sun. Moon encountered a deer while she went off trail and had a chance to take a few shots to show its movements.

We descended along Long Path and turned into White Trail in a mile. This White Trail was running liked at the backyard of some residents. We saw houses and gigantic leaves vegetations at the trail end. We hit the auto road and the trail led us into Nyack Beach State Park. We found picnic tables but preferred to sit along the bank with shades from line of trees. It was the best lunch point I had ever seen. What could be better to have sea breeze and wave sound under shades? Simon said the restroom facility was 3-stars which was already a luxury if we normally had to go behind the trees.

We took full hour lunch at the picnic area. Someone took a lap and Jeffrey took this chance to read his book. Our photographers could have time to calculate the angle of each shoot. In order to put Tappan Zee Bridge as the background, Rose held her camera for a minute to wait for a speed boat to enter into her view screen. David showed me his new equipment, a waist bag, which was good to avoid contact of backpack with his back. As the last 2.5 miles were flat and relax, we didn’t need to be rushed. I could have chance to meet and talk to new friends.

We packed the garbage into the backpack as there was no dump site in this park. I led the group members walked on the bike trail along the Hudson River for 2 miles before turned into the uphill section. This uphill was the last challenge before reached back to the cars. This was also the last chance to see the cliff of Hook Mountain by looking up from the bottom. We reached the parking lot and finished this 6 miles perfect trip by 2:30 pm.

Breakneck Club Members
May 23, 2009

Since Breakneck was too risky to hike under thunderstorm or bad weather, I had a plan B in my mind when the weather turned bad. I would lead the team to climb the boulders as usual but there were 2 choices of descending route depended on the Mother Nature. The trip would only be 4 miles because the 8 miles long route would be too aggressive. David, Leo and Nick were the first time Breakneck Club member while Simon, Su, Esther and Moon were re-visiting.

We started at 9:45 am after serious warming up exercise. Old members knew the first mile was as tough as climbing 100 floor stairs but would be returned by terrific views over Hudson River. Because of the body size, Leo and Nick climbed quite fast while David had to do it slowly. Both Artist Simon and Artist Moon hiked at the back. Simon couldn’t sit and set up his drawing board so he enjoyed the nature’s beauty by eyes while Moon was widely using her camera. Su claimed she would like to hike at Breakneck once a week if the driving was not so long.

The weather and terrain were magnets to attract so many hikers today. I saw groups of young hikers passed us who all climbing with smiling faces. Welcome Breakneck Club new members. I also never saw so many eagles or hawks flying in the sky. We took pictures in front of the American flag landmark and Pollepel Island from a distance. Since we were not in a rush, the pace was relaxed.

We took lunch at the junction of White and Red Trail. Thanked Leo who remembered where we would turn back. We hiked in a faster pace after lunch as the sunshine was cruel. In order to climb Sugarloaf Mtn without hiking on the same trail, I led the group to hike on an unmarked trail. Leo located correctly the entrance of the trail and I led the exploration. We hiked in a trail which was covered by trees and filled up with fallen dry leaves. The trail was not clear. Leo enjoyed this wild adventure but the girls were afraid of twist of ankles. When we climbed to the end of the trail, Leo thought it was a junction of another trail. I told the group everyone should follow my lead while I was following the direction on the compass. We walked cutting the field without looking for the trail because it was more direct and we wouldn’t lose the target Yellow Trail. We adventured liked Rambo for 10 minutes and the compass led us connected to the Yellow Trail.

We climbed the Sugarloaf Mtn in 10 minutes and enjoyed the sunshine, the breeze, the river, the views and nature sculptures. There was a burned tree we named it “Dragon and Snake Tree” because different ends with different looks. Moon concentrated herself to count the number of segments of a Metro North train running on the side of Storm King. Esther had a lot of post with the postcard liked background of Hudson River. If there were more shades at this viewpoints, we would likely stay to see the sunset.

The last mile of descending portion was easy. Most people ran or moved quickly except Simon who usually preferred to keep in his regular pace. Esther and Moon were stopped by a slowly moving snake. I couldn’t see David, Leo and Nick until I reached the parking lot by 3 pm. Although it was a trip of only 4 miles, I brought the new members to cover the area of which every new member must go.