[Journal entry for June 8, 2014; the Elbow Brush, Harriman State Park] Today is warm, in the mid 70’s Fahrenheit, and sunny. In the late afternoon, Dallas and I drive to the end of Johnstown Road in Sloatsburg NY. Two trailheads converge at this parking lot, the White Bar Trail, blazed in white and the Blue Disk Trail, blazed in blue. We take the latter, which heads west. After about a half mile, we come to the steep southern flank of Pound Mountain. The trail ascends through a steep cleft, crossing a small stream several times. This southern flank of Pound is one of the glacially-plucked scarps that date back to the Ice Age and is called Almost Perpendicular. The trail leads to a broad overlook that commands a superb view to the west and southeast. The view to the southwest is best, for it looks out onto the other wooded hills of Harriman State Park, including Halfway Mountain and Ramapo Torne.

We then continue along the Blue Disk trail, which stays high on Pound Mountain and crosses many beautiful meadows with bright green foliage, and especially blueberry bushes. Some of the trees surrounding the meadows are large and well-shaped – natural ornamentals. The trail passes through an odd rocky half-bowl, shaped somewhat like a cirque, with cliffs on the north side. Dallas and I discuss its origin. The cliffs are probably glacially plucked but the overall shape may be controlled by the fabric of the metamorphic bedrock. We soon come to another cliff, lower in height, but longer and more linear than the one by the bowl. This is the area of the Elbow Brush. The trail follows the base of the cliff, winding past huge angular blocks of stone that have been torn off of it, either by Ice Age glaciers of subsequent slumping. The trail squeezes through a narrow passage between cliff and block and then passes beneath a section of overhanging cliff. Finally, it winds through a narrow boulder cave – I guess that this is the Elbow Brush, proper – which, though high enough for us stand in, is so narrow that we can barely squeeze through.

We then continue on until we reach the intersection with the Tuxedo – Mt Ivy Trail (TMI, blazed in red). We make a brief detour, taking TMI westward for a hundred yards to a rocky overlook that commands a nice view of the hills to the west. We are standing on the top of a high cliff. At the bottom, out of our sight, is Claudius Smith Den, a small cave that was once the hide-out of a notorious outlaw. We then take TMI east towards Lake Sebago. We cross a deep valley, pass the intersection of the White Bar trail, climbed the Dutch Doctor (a small hill) and intersect the access road of the American Canoe Association (ACA) Camp at Lake Sebago.

At that point Dallas and I parted ways. She went to the Camp to use their Swim Dock, while I took the White Bar Trail back to Johstown Road and the car. I found this return route to be much easier and faster than our outward journey, for the trail, which mostly follows an old woods road, if flatter and broader. After retrieving the car, I drove to the ACA Camp and picked up Dallas.

About three and a half hours.