[Journal Entry for February 13-24; William Brien Memorial Shelter]. The weather this winter has been unusually warm, so I have put off my annual Harriman Park winter hike until now. A winter hike just does not feel right when it’s fifty Fahrenheit! The weather today is not predicted to be especially cold – just a little below freezing – but at least it is predicted to be dry and crisp.

I parked at the big lot at Silvermine Lake at about 3PM. The lake is only partially iced over. Canada Geese are swimming in the open water. I head east on the Menomine Trail (blazed in yellow). It follows the southern shore of the lake for a while, and is a combination of mud and rocks, though some recent trail work has installed stepping stones in some of the worst wet spots. I pass a paper sign tied to a tree that reads “QT – Master the Art of Public Speaking”. I wonder what that’s about? After passing the lake, the trail connects with a woods road and heads uphill through woods with laurel undergrowth. It soon comes to a flat area with the William Brien Memorial Shelter. It’s made of fitted stone, open on one side, with a wooden floor and two bunk beds. Nearby is an enormous pile of boulders perhaps fifty feet high, the terminus of a ridge that I suppose was torn up by glaciers during the Ice Age. Although I am planning to stay at the shelter tonight, I continue onward, for the evening is still young and I hope to catch the sunset on Black Mountain.

I take the Appalachian Trail (AT, blazed in white) “north” (actually east), though wooded rolling hills. I pass several precariously-perched boulders – more relics of the Ice Age. Finally, I come to a one-lane raised roadbed. I walked it once, many years ago. It heads east from near the Silvermine dam, but ends abruptly; a lot of effort that was seemingly wasted. The AT crosses the road and heads steeply uphill onto the flank of Black Mountain. In a few minutes I reach an overlook, with several wide rock ledges, that affords a great view of Silvermine Lake. The sun is well above the horizon, so I continue onward, until I reach the summit. The view is extraordinary. Looking southeast, I can see Haverstraw Bay (a wide spot in the Hudson River) in the distance as well as Hook Mountain on its western shore. West Mountain is due east, and Bear Mountain, with its observation tower, and Popolopen Torne with its bare rock summit, are to the northeast. The rolling hills of the Hudson Highlands are to the south. I wander around the summit, admiring the views, all of which are fantastically illuminated by the setting sun. I come across a flooded vertical shaft associated with the Spanish Mine. It’s hidden among bushes and would likely to be deadly to anyone who fell in during winter, as the water level is about five feet below the rim.

I head back to the western overlook and waited until the sun had set behind the southern hills. I then hurry back to the Brien Shelter, reaching it as the light of evening was being rather dim. I spotted several White Tail Deer as I hike. I am hoping to hear owls or coyotes, but the evening was silent, except for rustling of leaves caused by the breeze. I carried two large dead-fallen branches with me for a bonfire, as I expected the grounds near the shelter to be pretty picked over (which proved to be the case).

I set up my MSR stove near the fire ring by the shelter and prepared my dinner: steak and onion over couscous, washed down with hot chocolate. After I was done eating, I built my bonfire in the fire ring, using a gasoline-soaked rag stuffed in an old tin can for my tinder. I’m not a purest when it comes to comes to starting a fire! I sat around the fire, watching the orange flames dance, and sang a few songs. The night was clear and I could see the stars and several planets trough the bare trees, and especially the constellation of Orion. I then set up my bedding in the shelter, using the lower shelf of one of the bunk-beds.

The night passed uneventfully. On account of it being fairly warm, I used my North Face Snowshoe sleeping bag, which is rated to zero Fahrenheit, and not my really heavy winter bag. It worked fine, at least with me in a down jacket. I awoke at 7 AM to grey skies and a temperature a few degrees below freezing. I restarted the MSR stove, and cooked eggs. I reheated some of the couscous that I had saved from last night, and made more hot chocolate. I then packed up and retraced my steps back to the car. I sighted another deer by the lake.

About seventeen hours, overall, of which about four were hiking.