[Journal Entry for February 17, 2007] Like yesterday, the morning is clear
and cold, about 12 degrees Fahrenheit.
Also like yesterday, I park by the Reeves Meadow
Visitor Center
in Harriman Park, NY for a morning hike, wearing
crampons. It’s a little later in the day
than yesterday, 8:30 AM,
and the sun is higher in the sky. I head
up the valley of the Reeves and Pine
Meadow Brooks,
but hike more quickly than yesterday, reaching the last bridge in 45
minutes. I then take the Pine Meadow
Trail to Pine Meadow Lake.
The trail passes Ga-Nus-Quah Rocks, house-sized
boulders set near a cascade on the brook.
It’s a good swimming hole in summer, but I stop only briefly today. The trail then passes through a wetland, and
is quite icy in spots. I crunch right
through on my crampons, and head up to the earth-fill dam that impounds Pine Meadow
Lake. The surface of the lake is snow-covered and
very bright. I greet a group of Korean
hikers who pass by; I can see them a few minutes later on the rocks across the Lake. I stand awhile on its shore, admiring the rock
cliffs and pine trees on its far shore.
The park is full of such cliffs; vertical walls plucked clean by
glaciers during the ice age. I then
backtrack a bit and head up the side of Diamond Mountain,
which is to the west of the Lake. A coyote’s tracks indicate that it had taken
the same trail the day before. I see the
tracks of chipmunks and squirrels as well. I guess that the coyote knew its
business. The flank of the mountain,
framed by the deep blue sky, is very beautiful.
I meet a fellow hiker at the summit. He’s wearing crampons too, but
laments his not having toe-spikes (whereas mine do), so useful in climbing
steep slopes. We chat for a few minutes
and then set off in opposite directions.
I spend a few minutes exploring the summit region. There are spots that afford a good view east
towards Pine Meadow Lake,
and others that look southwest towards other parts of the Hudson
Highlands. Very few signs of
civilization can be seen from this spot. There are many beautiful areas near
the summit, full of boulders, bushes and short trees, all highlighted by deep
blue sky and bright white snow. I stop
at the wetland. I am always surprised to find wetlands and ponds at the top of
hills here in Harriman
Park, but they are really
quite common. I then take the HTS Trail
over to neighboring Halfway
Mountain. It descends into the saddle through a series
of short, steep climbs down rock crevices, with more gently sloping laurel
groves between. Just before the trail makes its final descent down to the Pine
Meadow Brook, it passes by several open areas that command a nice view of the
valley. The trail crosses the Brook via
a footbridge. Shortly beyond it I rejoin
this morning’s trail, which takes me back along Pine Meadow and Reeves Brooks
to the parking lot. The sun is pretty
high in the sky now and the ice formations along the brooks are well lighted
and sparkling. The air has warmed, and it is now just a little below freezing.
About three hours.