nature-you.org Blog

An All Wins Trip
April 17, 2010

Canada Hill was a brand new hiking area for Nature You Club. I joked we could have a day hike in Canada today because we carried a special stamp on a special passport. The leave on the stamp that Moon had designed was so green which totally captured the color of nature. I had Simon, Jennifer, Anthony, Magdalene, Chung Kwong, Rose, Esther, Philip, Chen, Stanley and Moon in the team. As most of them had signed up for next week’s 20 miles trip, it was a good chance to experience fast walk today.

Jennifer could predict I would add a few bonus miles. I didn’t know what would be the final mileage because it all depended on the weather and time. I would definitely add a mile of hiking to Manitoga because I had to see if any resource could be used for the kids’ hike which was scheduled in May. We left the parking lot at South Mountain Pass Road and climbed Canada Hill along AT. The slope was not as steep as I expected. Moon and Jennifer led us in a fast pace while Chen and Simon chased to the front. Philip had to move faster in order to supervise Chen. Rose, Chung Kwong and Esther were mostly at the back because of photo taking. Magdalene, Stanley and Anthony were a happy group with funny jokes. We passed the Blue and Yellow Trail all the way to the intersection of second Blue Trail after taking a break at a viewpoint. As the trail was kind of flat, I announced the first bonus mile by going down hill to hit Yellow Trail instead of going Blue Trail. Moon, Magdalene shared us their snacks at the junction of AT and Yellow Trail. As we hiked along Yellow Trail, we found gigantic vegetables along streams. The leaves were as big as a letter sized paper. We were attracted by the fungus grown on fallen branches. We knew now their colors changed according to the ages. Moon found 2 chairs by the pond which were made from tree trunk. This special furniture created a fight among the hikers on posing.

When we were waiting at the junction of 2 Blue Trails, Anthony and Magdalene had a bet of which route would be taken. Since he mistakenly thought we had been in another junction, he lost $5 to her. We kept on the Blue Trail of right side and found a pagoda built at a viewpoint. That was a perfect spot for lunch as it had been noon already. The valley was full of green vegetations. I treated half of my lunch to Chen and tangerines to the group. It was quite cold at this spot even not windy because it was a cloudy day. In order to get rid of the coldness, I announced another bonus mile of climbing up and down Sugarloaf Mountain. It was extremely tough not only because the steepness but also climbed with full stomach. We saw pretty scenery of Hudson River with Bear Mountain Bridge at the end. Moon found small tooth-liked white flowers and Chen found a baby cactus hiding among grasses.

We continued on Blue Trail for 2 miles. Magdalene and Stanley kept searching for chances of short cuts to save their foot works. Sugarloaf Mountain had defeated Chen so he was very tired. I declared we would still go Manitoga as planned because I needed to get some information from the rangers. I knew it might be too cruel for them to go down and then up again back to this attitude but I had a backup plan in my mind. We reached the Lost Pond which was the pond where Rose and Esther figure skated in winter. We found a huge amount of frog eggs in the water. I then led the group hiked down to the Visitors Center along White Trail.

The Visitors Center was locked so I could only get a few maps. Most hikers thought too tired to go up again. I showed them an option of walking along 9D to get back to the car in 2 miles. After taking the group picture and shared the food by Esther, I led Moon, Rose, Jennifer and Chung Kwong climbed back to the Lost Pond while the others took the shorter route. We hiked in full speed to test our endurance as all five of us would take the 20 miles challenge next week. We went back to Blue Trail and then last mile on AT. We reached the parking lot at 4:30 pm which was half hour later than the other group. It was an all win trip. 7 of us experienced fast hike so would have more confidence on facing the 20 miles hike and the other 5 had the biggest bonus miles ever. We finished 11 to 13 miles which was the longest mileage of this year for all of us.

Add a Stone on the Cairn
April 10, 2010

We had 21 people in this trip with 5 first time hikers. They were Vily, Jennifer Ng, Luna, Sue Yu and Nancy. Sue Huang, Pinphia, Jennifer Chen and Su resumed their first trip in 2010. Other experienced hikers included Simon, Max, Dawn, Chung Kwong, Susie, Rose, Esther, Philip, Chen, Clara and Moon. We met early at Fort Montgomery Visitors Center at 9:15 am. I was surprised to find we were the first group there. The wind in the morning was cold and strong which made me so rush that I had forgot to introduce myself in front of the new members. After giving 2 gifts for 2 special friends of the group, I led the group walked back on 9W to find the trailhead of Red Trail after crossing the Bridge.

The trail was flat at the beginning and led us in front of a huge artificial waterfall in 5 minutes. Most hikers climbed down a slope to get clearer shots of the waterfall except Max, Pinphia, Moon, Su and Jennifer Ng. Pinphia said she had to save energy for later so she was fine to wait. This waterfall was created actually because of overflow of water from a dam. The water volume today was the greatest that I had ever seen. Jennifer Chen and Sue Huang were the first 2 finished the Red Trail but didn’t stop even they saw the Blue Trail. I called them back and waited for group to come. Su took a picture with 1/3 face exposed from the hood. The prettiest part of that picture was the pattern projected on her pink jacket by the shadows of the branches and leaves. We switched to the Blue Trail and stayed a while at the river. After we crossed a new metal footbridge, Rose realized the turn on the Blue Trail but Vily and Chen had ignored. Luckily, they were not too far to be called back. Based on these 2 scenarios, I would either be at the front or I had to inform the leaders where to stop.

The uphill challenge started at this point. The trail was stopped by a fence so we had a choice of crossed over or crawled under. Sue Yu tried her four points hiking technique. This portion was a test of our cardio-vascular system and power of our leg muscles. Vily said she could make it because of daily training of up and downstairs at home. There was a section of rock climbing before the Popolopen Torne. Chung Kwong helped at the back to be a trainer of new hikers of how to walk up liked a spider man. All new hikers enjoyed their biggest achievements when enjoying the terrific view over the area. A lot of photo shoots and celebration time took place before they reached the summit. There was a huge cairn at the summit. Max and Chen tried their best to find 2 stones so they could add them on the cairn. Max was tall enough to put his stone on the top of the cairn. Chen put one under but the one with his name printed. The colorful cairn was the landmark of Popolopen Torne so Moon had also prepared today’s stamp based on it.

Even it was only 11:30 am, I chose to take lunch at the summit so we could stay longer for the sceneries. The sunshine was rich which made Esther, Rose, Simon and Max busy taking pictures. Chen was a very aggressive model who walked into others frames without being asked. Needless to say, it was the best spot to take group and small group’s group pictures. I collected 3 cameras for a group of 5 girls. Sue Yu needed to take a picture at the 800 feet summit to be proud of her. We had climbed 700 feet if we counted from the parking lot.

We descended along Blue Trail on some steep downhill slopes. It was the biggest challenge of Jennifer Ng because she brought only the uphill gear. Her legs were shaking which made us afraid that she might give up. Luckily, the slope was gentle after we hit the road. As the flies were fierce while we were taking a break, Jennifer Chen took out her self-made orange colored mosquito head net. This could be a compulsory tool for night journey. I placed an order of 2 dozen from her immediately. We followed Blue Trail even we had to enter the prohibited area. The Blue Trail was wide enough for vehicle and it brought us to a small village. We got back to the trail after a few yards on the road. Here we saw the pretty Brooks Lake underneath when switched to Red Trail. We ran fast to the lake because we realized 2 white swans in the water. Philip found the female swan was breeding 3 eggs so she couldn’t leave the nest for taking food from us. The male swan showed us his power when our photographers approaching his wife. We should not invade their privacy if we were not invited. Simon had a compliment gift from the nature because he collected some animal bones for his painting practice.

We took a long break at the covered rest area by the lake. If we were not rush to go back to avoid traffic, it was desirable to stay here for an hour or more. Green lawn, blue sky and shiny Brooks Lake water under sunshine were prefect colors for photographers. I treated the group members the Clementine which I had carried for whole day. We walked along Red Trail to finish the entire circle around the lake. We then connected to Blue Trail again and saw the 9W Bridge not too far. We disturbed a small snake on the trail. Su screamed and showed us her irregular dancing steps while the snake was also running away from human. I brought the group to spend extra 15 minutes by going down to see a metal hanging footbridge. Moon realized the wreckage of a huge boat at the shore. We finished 6 miles and completed the whole trip by 3:15 pm. I concluded it was a good trip for the new hikers because they could experience both challenging and enjoyable moments under perfect outing weather.

5, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 17
April 4 2010

What was the relationship between these 6 numbers? They were not the last or next lottery numbers but all related to this special Easter hike. We had 5 vehicles, 7 male hikers, 10 female hikers, 9 was the age of the youngest hiker, 11 hiking poles in used and totally 17 hikers joined this trip. These were also the winning numbers for the Easter Eggs searching game in the mountain.

It was Kaichiao, Josephine, Rebecca and Frances first trip with Nature You. Kelly resumed her first trip this year. Others hikers included Simon, Chung Kwong, Rose, Esther, Calin, Philip, Chen, Sam, Raymond, Clara and Moon. We arrived at the parking lot at Route 106 around 9:15 am. When Chung Kwong and Simon were helping drivers to arrange for the shuttle scheme, I started right away by myself so I could have time to find the most appropriate venue for the Easter Eggs searching game. I ran up Yellow Trail approaching the Jackie Jones Mountain. I decided to use the open area closed to the Signal Tower because it was kind of flat and more trees and stones for hiding 36 eggs. There was a lucky number inside each egg shells so participants would have another chance to win a bigger prize other than the enclosed chocolates. After I hid all the eggs, Moon led the group climbed to the spot in 5 minutes. They were exciting and rush to the bushes to play the game. Kelly, Sam, Rose and Philip were big winners because each found 5 eggs and so had 5 chances of winning the additional prizes. 3 prizes went to Philip when I announced the winning numbers. What a lucky guy he was.

We wrapped up and took a group picture with Easter Eggs on hand before approaching the fire tower. Most hikers never climbed up the tower so they were curious to experience the bird view from the trees top. Simon, Chen, Raymond, Kelly, Chung Kwong and Esther climbed to the top, Clara reached only the first level and all others rested at the tower legs. The new hikers might not be ready for being too wild. The strong wind didn’t stop the bravest to stay long on the tower. We had to call them to come down because we need to take lunch at the Big Hill Shelter which was still a mile away. There was another steep up slope before the Shelter and this was where I dropped my hiking map. The Shelter was empty but some hikers preferred to eat outside under sunshine or shade. Frances wore an eyes protection cap that was as big as half a mask. Rebecca and Frances had prepared healthy vegetables lunch with potato chips. Calin preserved her eating sequence. She also shared with us her hiking adventure in Wisconsin when she was lost in the mountain with 2 other friends for 2 hours. Rebecca realized her last trip which was 9 years ago was with other hiking club but not Nature You. Kelly exclaimed the benefit of hiking because she said she recently wouldn’t waste time on waiting for bus if just for a few blocks. Her urge of exercise and endurance had built up since last year. Moon and Chen posed themselves back to back sitting liked the logo of a famous brand.

After the lunch in the mountain, I went back down hill to look for my missing map while Moon helped led the group continued on Long Path. I was so lucky to find my reliable hiking partner lying on the ground not far away. I turned on my turbo to chase the group and met them by a small stream. Moon and Sam were at the front. The photographers enjoyed a nice view on a foot bridge with water and sunshine reflections. Moon successfully located the unmarked trail to the small village. That was another highlight of this trip which was the St. John’s Church in the Wilderness. We spent 20 minutes by the attractions of the church, lawn, trees, sky and clouds. Philip noticed a civilized restroom but the girls were disappointed to find it was locked.

As all the highlights had been delivered, we went on Long Path in a faster pace. We were 2 miles away from the end point. Calin fell at a spot where we had to cross the small stream. She explained the incident happened because she would like to practice skiing twist on the stones. As there was no repeating on both good and bad stuff, she swore we wouldn’t see her fall again today. Luckily, the wound was minor except the jeans had an extra opening on the knee. We crossed Route 106 and then Seven Lakes Drive in last mile. We disturbed a small snake at the last part and luckily no one was hurt or scared. The Lake Askoti under sunshine attracted people’s eyes. Many of our hiking friends didn’t mind to walk a few more yards to take photos over there. Josephine asked how difficult would be Level C to estimate if she would join later. Raymond got a little sunburn and joked it was better to have red face than green scary face. All of us packed into 3 vehicles which had been prepared this morning to go back to the start point parking lot. We finished 6 miles today before 3:30 pm.

How Many we had Climbed… I Lost Count
March 27, 2010

It was a brand new route for us. We started from Anthony Wayne Recreation Area and climbed West Mountain along Blue Trail. As I had promised to do a compensation for the easy trip of last week, I decided to make it tougher to upgrade it in both more miles and more slopes. All 12 hikers had experienced 6 hours of exercise under great weather.

I had Max, Dawn, Chung Kwong, Rose, Esther, Yvonne, Fang, Philip, Chen, Sam and Moon joined this trip. We were the first group of hikers entered the Recreation Area. We were shocked to find out it was very windy and cold in the mountain in the morning. I briefly described about the hiking plan and couldn’t delay for even a minute. We cut through the picnic area and entered the Red Fawn Trail. It was the first uphill slope so ideally would warm us up quickly. Fang told me in the evening she had twisted her ankle at this uphill slope but she insisted to carry on without notified me. That explained why she was so slow in going down slopes. We connected to Blue Trail targeted to West Mountain. The sceneries on both sides were terrific. We saw our cars in the parking lot and the Perkins Tower was standing firmly on Bear Mountain. The scenery would be perfect if there were more green vegetation on the trees. Philip wore a stone colored sweater and an army colored pants which made him disappeared when standing on the rock. The weather was getting better. We finished 2 miles when standing at the junction of Blue Trail and AT. Even the shelter was only half mile from us; I commanded the group to take the long 3.5 miles route. We would go downhill along AT and then climbed back from R-D before getting back to the Blue Trail. The slope was steep and difficult even on AT because of the loose rocks. We cut through some bike trails before turning back on R-D. There were lots of ups and downs on R-D. Moon and Sam were hiking at the front with turbo speed. When the rest of us were at the Cats Elbow, little Chen asked if I could change the plan to go by the shortest route to the Shelter because he was very tired. I denied because that would disappoint 10 other serious hikers. I estimated we could still make it to the Shelter before 1 pm. We kept going along R-D.

The R-D brought us to the eagles’ nest where Moon said she could see clearly how an eagle stood on the branch. Moon and Sam waited for us and we waited for Esther, Dawn and Fang at the junction of Red Cross and R-D. The Shelter was now just a mile from us but I saw most people were starving. Moon and Chung Kwong ate some lunch while they were waiting and I gave a cup cake to Chen and Max to share. I led the group went along an unmarked trail and climbed a steep slope on Blue Trail before reached the West Mountain Shelter by 1 pm. It was good timing as the big Korean hiking group had finished their lunch so we could fully occupy the Shelter. The sunshine was so bright and warm that Yvonne, Fang and Sam preferred to stay outside. Sam and Chen played one-on-one reflection game after lunch. Max found a good stone chair outside the Shelter that he could lean on but was disturbed because we had to take the group picture. As this Shelter was located facing the Hudson River, Moon awarded this the Best View Shelter of Harriman Park. We spent more time in photo taking. I posed liked a political leader when taking a photo on a small stone. We had to carry on around 2 pm because we still had 4 more miles to go even it was mainly down or flat slopes.

We descended West Mountain along Yellow Trail. The trail was not too easy because of rolling rocks and fallen leaves. Esther and Dawn accelerated to chase Moon and Max in order to get rid of Chen. Yvonne, Sam, Chung Kwong, Rose and I were in the middle. Philip, Chen and Fang were in the last group. When we were around the end of Yellow Trail, we supposed to turn into 1777 from Yellow Trail but the last group took the short cut to go in front of us. I led my subgroup to chase them and finally caught them at the junction of 1777 and AT. We turned into AT for a short distance and linked back to Fawn Trail. As there were still ups and downs on AT and Fawn, that added up more hills on Esther’s mind. She asked me for how many hills we had climbed at the endpoint because she had lost count. She said there ought to be more than 10 which was even more difficult than the 7 Hills Trail. We got back to Anthony Wayne by 4 pm and finished 9 miles. It was quite a difficult trip for most of us. This was a very good route for purpose of endurance training.