[October 21, 2012; Haverstraw Trail]. In the early afternoon, I parked at Rockland Lake and walked north along the Haverstraw Bicycle Path, returning along the Long Path. Estel, my daughter Hannah’s Australian Cattle dog, accompanied me. We walked down Landing Road, past the park warden’s old stone house. Three Guinea Fowl – pets, I presume – sat on the windowsill and a fourth pecked on the ground beneath. The road crosses the ridge of Hook Mountain through a notch, and connects with the bicycle path on the east side. We took the path north for several miles. It follows the west bank of the Hudson River, below the Hudson Palisades Cliffs, passing old quarries cut into their stone, and enjoying the fall foliage and the views of the river. Most of the way was in shadow, as the cliffs above shade the path from the afternoon sun. We walked down to the beach, which is mostly rocks but with occasional patches of tan sand. Estel waded in the water and I was able to see some nice, sunlit views of the fall foliage and the land on the east side of the river, including Croton Point. We then connected with a trail (blazed in white) that switched steeply up the flank of Hook Mountain. This trail passes sever old stone ruins. Estel knocked loose some stones and jumped as they clattered down the hillside. We joined the Long Path (blazed in blue) at the top of the ridge, and followed it north. The sun was lighting up the woods atop the cliffs very beautifully, with the leaves of the many beech trees glowing yellow. We followed the Long Path southward until we reached a point where we could cut westward on a side trail to the parking lot of the Rockland Lake tennis courts. We then walked the access road back to Rockland Lake. About two and a half hours.

[October 22, 2012; Haverstraw Trail]. In the morning, I again walked with Estel north on the Haverstraw Trail. The sun was lower in the sky and the fall foliage along the river was brightly lit up. We stopped to admire the sheer rock walls of the quarry that is just south of Landing Road. The view of the rock columns, and the colorful fall foliage growing at the cliff top, was very nice. We then walked north along the bicycle path. We walked down to the water and admired the view of the Hudson River, and Estel waded in the shallows. We investigated several old derelict park buildings. They were unusual in being constructed of sandstone blocks and with orange interior tiles and not the more common diabase used as building stone elsewhere in the Palisades Interstate Park system. We walked on side paths through the grassy floors of several old quarries and admired the columns of the wall. We turned around at the bench that was erected in memory of Colleen Murphy, a hiker who, together with her dog, Jemma, died when they fell from the cliff top in February 2011. The plaque on the bench reads, “In loving memory of our sweet Colleen and her dog, Jemma from the Murphy family”. We sighted two deer as we reached the car, parked on Landing Road. About two hours.