[Journal entry for November 25, 2012; Dunderberg Mountain, Harriman State Park]. The land was covered with fog when I reached the Cornell Mine Trail Head, off of Route 9W near Iona Marsh. I am hiking today with Estel, my daughter Hannah’s Australian Cattle Dog. The trail, blazed in blue, takes us uphill, following Doodletown Brook. The brook is flowing briskly, with many cataracts and several small waterfalls. We detour down to one of the waterfalls, and explore the pool beneath it. Rocks have been piled to dam the stream and create a swimming hole. We then continue uphill, past many boulder fields, which have a spooky in the thick fog. The trail ascends up the steep flank of Bald Mountain, following a wide gulley. We come out of the fog when we near the top. The last vestiges of fog are glowing gold, brightly lit by the sun.

We connect with the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail (R-D, blazed in red) and take it eastward along the ridge of Dunderberg Mountain. We stop at an overlook that commands a great view to the north. Turkey vultures are soaring above. The valley beneath us is filled with a sea of fog. Only the summit of Bear Mountain, far to the north, juts above it. We relax for a few minutes on a wide rock ledge, and then continue eastward on R-D. The trail passes two small ponds, set in hollows that are each quite high on the mountainside. We reach the summit area, which is rather bald. Unfortunately, views are for the most part obscured by stands of saplings. We find one spot, however, that commands a nice view of the Bear Mountain Bridge and the hill called Anthony’s Nose to its east. Most of the fog seems to have dissipated; just a little remains in the Hudson River Valley.

We then begin our descent of the eastern flank of the mountain, passing clearings which offer views of the Hudson River. We have a good view across the Hudson River to Annsville Creek, one of its tributaries, and the Indian Point Nuclear Power Station. This part of the trail follows the unfinished 1890-vintage Spiral Railway, which was to have been an amusement serving a never-built mountaintop hotel. Parts of the rail bed remain, crisscrossing the mountain. Some have a nearly level grade, others are steep ramps. We soon reach the foot of the mountain.

We cross Route 9W and take River Road, a country road that leads to the small residential community at Jones Point. The Hudson River takes a sharp turn to the west here. We pass the Turning Point Church and then join the Hudson River Greenway Trail, which parallels Route 9W a little lower on the hillside than the highway. We scramble past several fallen trees, victims of Hurricane Sandy, and sight a couple of hawks. The view from the trail is mostly obscured by trees, but we pass a few clear spots that offer a nice view of Anthony’s Nose. We follow a stream down to the edge of the Iona Marsh, and find a beautiful view unobstructed by trees. The marsh grass is all tan now, with occasional reds from trees that have not quite yet lost all their fall foliage. Estel walks down to the edge of the marsh, getting her feet rather filthy in the mud flats. I let her sniff around for a while, but then have her stand for a few minutes in the stream to wash off. We then rejoin the Greenway Trail, which eventually connects with Route 9W. We walk a few yards down Iona Marsh Road, so that we can look back at Dunderberg Mountain. Estel wants to swim in the water, but I veto another mud bath. We have a great view of Iona Island, a high rocky island that protrudes from the marsh. We continue along the highway, reaching the car, which is parked just a few minutes away.

About three and a half hours.