[Journal Entry for December 2, 2006] Philip Abbott and I
walked around Rockland Lake, taking the paved path that hugs the lake shore and
which is about three miles long. We arrive around 2 PM. Already the sun is low
on the horizon. The sky is mostly clear and the air temperature is 47 deg F.
This path is a favorite of joggers, bicyclist and rollerbladers,
but many more leisurely walkers like ourselves use it
too. The day is a bit blustery, and the lake surface is rather choppy. We pass
numerous swans feeding in the shallow water of the lake, alternating heads up
and heads down. We first circle around the west side of the lake, past grassy
fields and patches of tall Phragmites grass (whose
long tasseled stems are a favorite impromptu flag of kids who play here). A
flock of Canada geese are camping out on one of the fields. The kayak dock has
been pulled up onto the shore for the winter, and the aluminum rental rowboats
are line up along the lakeshore. The little nature preserve at the northwest
corner of the lake is quite flooded from the recent rains. The view across the
lake towards Hook Mountain is nice. Most of the trees on it are now bare, as
are those around the lake, excepting a few willows that still retain yellow
leaves. The view towards the north, as seen from the east side of the lake, is
rather spectacular. The sun is lighhting up High Tor
to the northwest, and the cliff face of the Haverstraw quarry to the northeast.
Along the east side of the lake we pass old stone foundations of the
long-defunct Nickerbocker Ice works, were lake ice
was once harvested for sale in New York City. We also pass several gnarled
trees with interestingly shaped trunks, some with burls. and
a rock face with a small overhand - almost a cave - that might be big enough
for a kid to play under. The public pools are closed up for the winter (though
whether they operated this summer I don't really know). We finish the loop in
about an hour, just as the moon rose over Hook Mountain.