Hike Date: February 18, 2012
Hike Location: Blue Mountain Reservation, Peekskill, NY
Hike Difficulty: Easy
Hike Rating: B-
Hike Description: I took the 10:52 Metro North Hudson Line train from GCT and by around 11:50 or so was at the Peekskill station. From the station, one must take Requa Street all the way up to the intersection with Washington Street, turn right on that and head on till Welcher where one must turn left to arrive at the entrance to the Blue Mountain Reservation, which is a county park. The approach is rather well-maintained and at the entrance one can find a wooden box with a plentiful supply of park maps in glossy color. Though it had been somewhat sunny in the morning, the afternoon was a dull gray. The park was reasonably quiet. There were a fair number of cars in the parking lots, but mostly folks were staying close to the Trail Lodge and the pond/lake near it. The trailhead for both the blue-blazed Blue Mountain Summit Trail and the yellow-blazed Dickey Brook Trail is near one of the parking lots. I followed the blue-blazed Summit trail. The grade is very mild and makes for a comfortable stroll for the most part. On the way, I encountered a few mountain bikers and recalled that the park was supposed to be popular for mountain biking. After a while, the Summit trail skirts the boundary of the park and just after that is a shooting range (as per the map). Though it was hard to make out from the trail where the park ended, the nearby presence of the range was made obvious by the sound of shots being fired, making me extra-cautious about not leaving the trail (though that was hardly a danger, given how prominent the trail was). In a short while, the Briarskill-Peekskill Trailway was visible and ran along the Summit trail for a while, and I came across a group of returning hikers here. Finally, the final ascent segment to the summit comes up. Here the trail becomes indistinct and is covered over by fallen leaves, branches, etc. There are several rocky ledges and perches here, from where a glimpse of the Hudson, the surrounding hills, and even of the dome-shaped structures of nearby Indian Point could be seen in light of the lack of foliage. But only the summit (it is not very high...just 680 ft) provides a vantage point of sufficient visibility to get some sweeping vistas of the surrounding hills (including a great view of Anthony's Nose). The Hudson seemed like just a slender silver ribbon from here though, given the distance. I retraced my steps after a short while, and a little over 3 hours after I got off the train at Peekskill, I was back at the station, waiting for the train back to GCT.
Hike Location: Blue Mountain Reservation, Peekskill, NY
Hike Difficulty: Easy
Hike Rating: B-
Hike Description: I took the 10:52 Metro North Hudson Line train from GCT and by around 11:50 or so was at the Peekskill station. From the station, one must take Requa Street all the way up to the intersection with Washington Street, turn right on that and head on till Welcher where one must turn left to arrive at the entrance to the Blue Mountain Reservation, which is a county park. The approach is rather well-maintained and at the entrance one can find a wooden box with a plentiful supply of park maps in glossy color. Though it had been somewhat sunny in the morning, the afternoon was a dull gray. The park was reasonably quiet. There were a fair number of cars in the parking lots, but mostly folks were staying close to the Trail Lodge and the pond/lake near it. The trailhead for both the blue-blazed Blue Mountain Summit Trail and the yellow-blazed Dickey Brook Trail is near one of the parking lots. I followed the blue-blazed Summit trail. The grade is very mild and makes for a comfortable stroll for the most part. On the way, I encountered a few mountain bikers and recalled that the park was supposed to be popular for mountain biking. After a while, the Summit trail skirts the boundary of the park and just after that is a shooting range (as per the map). Though it was hard to make out from the trail where the park ended, the nearby presence of the range was made obvious by the sound of shots being fired, making me extra-cautious about not leaving the trail (though that was hardly a danger, given how prominent the trail was). In a short while, the Briarskill-Peekskill Trailway was visible and ran along the Summit trail for a while, and I came across a group of returning hikers here. Finally, the final ascent segment to the summit comes up. Here the trail becomes indistinct and is covered over by fallen leaves, branches, etc. There are several rocky ledges and perches here, from where a glimpse of the Hudson, the surrounding hills, and even of the dome-shaped structures of nearby Indian Point could be seen in light of the lack of foliage. But only the summit (it is not very high...just 680 ft) provides a vantage point of sufficient visibility to get some sweeping vistas of the surrounding hills (including a great view of Anthony's Nose). The Hudson seemed like just a slender silver ribbon from here though, given the distance. I retraced my steps after a short while, and a little over 3 hours after I got off the train at Peekskill, I was back at the station, waiting for the train back to GCT.
 |
| Some brief moments of sun and blue sky as I reached the summit |
 |
| Vista from Blue Mountain: The profiles of Dunderberg and Anthony's Nose can be seen, The Hudson is just a silver line. |
 |
| Anthony's Nose (with a telephoto lens) |
 |
| A somewhat bleak view from the Peekskill Metro North Station: The dull gray of the water matches the dull gray of the sky |
 |
| Bare trees stand tall under a gloomy sky: from Peekskill Metro North station |
No comments:
Post a Comment