[March 22, 2017, Ramapo Torne, Harriman State Park, NY] In the late afternoon, Dallas and I hiked to the summit of Ramapo Torne. We parked at the Reeve’s Meadow Visitors Center, off of Seven Lakes Drive, north of Sloatsburg NY. The day is strikingly clear, with the late afternoon sun lighting up the trees and snow, as well as the face of the cliff called Nearly Perpendicular, on Pound Mountain, visible in the distance across the road. We had to search carefully for the start of the Seven Hills Trail (blazed in blue), for although our map showed it branching off the Pine Meadow Trail (blazed in red), the intersection was further south and deeper in the woods than we imagined it to be.

We wore micro-spikes, for the day was well below freezing and the snow was crusty, and on the trail, icy from having been pounded flat by the feet of numerous hikers. The spikes gave us the ability to walk on it with impunity. Indeed, our progress was easier than had the rocky surface of the trail been exposed. The trail ascends gently up into the hills, passing many interesting features: a stream; a swamp; a still pool that reflected the trees and sky; a U-shaped valley with a little slow-moving stream; large rock formations, some showing signs of having been torn up by Ice Age glaciers; a Phragmites marsh; a narrow valley with a fast running stream with a little waterfall; a huge glacial boulder. A Pileated Woodpecker flashed across the trail and disappeared behind a tree. Except for that beautiful bird we saw no significant wildlife. The woods were extraordinarily beautiful, for the tree trunks were all lit up by the setting sun and the snow glowed with yellow-orange where struck by the sun and with purple blue where shaded. We finally reached the steep upgrade that marked out arrival on the flank of Ramapo Torne and began our ascent to the ridge. Surprisingly, the trail passes a little wetland, nestled in a flat area between the upgrades. The trail flattens out one it reaches the ridge and crosses several thinly vegetated meadows with views of neighboring hills. Finally, it opens up into the summit region, which has broad ledges and rocky knobs.

As its name suggests, Ramapo Torne is a ‘tower’ of a hill (‘toren’ is the Dutch word for tower), with steep rock cliffs on three sides. The view from the summit is very commanding and very good, except that the southern vista is somewhat marred by the old landfill in Torne Valley, below, although the high rises of Manhattan, thirty miles away in that direction, were sparkling in the sunlight and rather pretty. The view to the northeast is over the lower, rolling hills of the Hudson Highlands. We drank hot tea that I had brought in a thermos, sharing the tiny cup that serves as its cap, as we stood on the summit and admired the view. However, the wind was blowing icily, and the sun was setting, so we didn’t stay long.

About half of our return trip was in sunlight. The shadows were longer, the orange color of the sun deeper, and the woods even more beautiful than on our way up. The rest was is shadow, for the sun was now very low in the sky, barely high enough to light up the hill tops above us. Our views of the shadowed streams were more subdued than on the leg out, but beautiful in their own way. We picked our way carefully, for it was a poor time to make a wrong turn. Finally, before the light had completely failed, we could see the profile of Pound Mountain through the trees, and knew that we were almost back. A few minutes later we emerged from the woods at the Visitor’s Center.

About 3:15, with the outward and return legs taking comparable times.