November/December 2001
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TRAIL ALKER NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY TRAIL CONFERENCE...MAINTAININGW OVER 1500 MILES OF FOOT TRAILS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2001 The Twin Towers were gone. On the far horizon, half an outstretched fist south The View No More of the Empire State Building, the blue sky was wounded by billowing smoke. Stand- By Glenn Scherer ing on that ridge that morning, I knew the rescue workers hadn’t even begun to count September 12th: I woke up feeling the the dead. I found a spot next to a pitch need for a walk. I drove out to Longhouse pine and sat. Road, strapped on a water bottle, and I had hiked to this vista with my wife started through the woods on the Appala- Marty only the week before and seen the chian Trail toward Bearfort Ridge. Towers. How could we have imagined I’ve walked the Trail in this part of then that we would never see them again? northern New Jersey often, but it was as Memories rose with the smoke. I recalled quiet as I’ve ever heard it, with only crickets taking my brother’s family to the Trade and crows, the squeaking of my boots, and Center Observation Deck on a crisp De- the silence overhead utterly without planes. cember morning 15 years ago. We had The witch hazel, the only tree to flower looked off toward the Highlands and I had in autumn, hadn’t blossomed yet, but its pointed to this ridge. leaves were trimmed in yellow. I crossed On another Twin Towers visit, I had a dry creek bed where there should have watched the Dalai Lama’s saffron-robed been water. We were 12 weeks into a monks make a circular sand painting, a drought, with some leaves already turned fragile peace mandala in the Trade Cen- and fallen. ter lobby. Now the unspeakable violence In a mile, I reached a valley that has that drove the Tibetans to sanctuary in changed from hickory forest to beaver CHARLES PORTER America had come around the world to pond in the past two years. This dry sum- gave way to puddingstone—a gorgeous before I stepped beyond the trees at the us. mer, the pond had changed yet again, be- purple conglomerate imbedded with white summit, I wanted to stop, turn back, not In the past, spotting most human- coming a sedgy meadow. The beavers had quartz. Now I was on Bearfort Ridge, see. Then I pushed through the last bear made structures—housing developments or moved on. Without their pond—their probably named as a last stronghold of oak and staghorn sumac. I knew right transmission towers—from the Appala- moat—there was no safety here. black bears in pioneer days. where to look at the far edge of the folded chian Trail had detracted from my hiking I climbed steeply and reached a spot This ridge isn’t tall by Appalachian green hills. But there was only smoke and experiences. But not the Twin Towers. where drab gray billion-year-old bedrock Trail standards, but is high enough. Just a goldfinch. continued on page 7 In Time for the Holidays New York Walk Heave, Ho! A New Bridge Goes Up Book: 2001 in the Catskills; LP Is Rerouted Update Your Library with the Seventh Edition of the The new route and stream “Hiker’s Bible” crossing are already recorded on the recently published 2001 Didn’t one just come out? you ask. In edition of the Catskill trail map the past it was at least ten years between for the area (see Trail News de- Walk Book editions. Why so soon for the scription of seventh edition? (The sixth edition was the reloca- published in 1998.) Well, first of all, the tion). But the wonders of desktop publishing make it fea- author and illustrator of Scenes and Walks bridge itself sible to produce a new edition in a short in the Northern Shawangunks. Of course, was erected period of time. In light of the extensive we have also retained many of the sketches by a crew of trail changes that have taken place within by Robert L. Dickinson, a member of the six during the past three years, we decided that our triumvirate that produced the first edition BRIAN SULLIVAN one intense members should have the opportunity to of the Walk Book in 1923. Fagan’s sketches Catskills Trails Chair Pete Senterman Saturday in September. obtain a current, up-to-date version of this give the book a refreshing, updated ap- and his crew are taking a break. Over the Senterman notes that he decided early classic book. pearance, while those by Dickinson pre- past year Senterman estimates they have on to build the bridge “historically,” us- A special feature of this new edition serve the historical ambience that is very put in more than 900 hours on a bridge- ing the King Post design of the original is a collection of new, world-class illustra- much a part of the Walk Book. building, trail relocation project on the Overlook Road bridge pictured in 19th- tions by Jack Fagan, professor of geology All chapters have been updated, and Long Path’s route through the Platte Clove century books about the region. He adds, (retired) and outstanding illustrator, who three chapters have been substantially re- area—a project that culminated on Sep- “Of course, I didn’t realize how much work is already known to many of you as the continued on page 6 tember 22. continued on page 2 TRAIL WALKER from the president’s notepad... Volume XXVIII, No. 6 Nov./Dec. 2001 Georgette Weir Editor Nora Porter Managing Editor Paul Leikin Advertising Manager Tom Prentzel Coordinator The TRAIL WALKER (ISSN 0749-1352) is published bi-monthly by the New York-New Too Many Hikers Are Outside Our Ranks Jersey Trail Conference as a benefit of mem- bership. Of membership dues, $4 is allocated to a one-year subscription. Subscriptions are As I looked over Trail Walker col- grounds by reaching out to urban families not members of—and may not even be available to libraries only at $15.00 a year. umns by previous Trail Conference presi- on their day visits to the park. I would like familiar with the work of—the Trail Con- Periodical postage paid at New York, NY. dents to ready myself for this writing task, to think that we will see some of them on ference. You can help. This year for the Postmaster: Send address changes to the ad- dress below. Opinions expressed by authors I was amazed at how one could relate a the trail as a result of their hike with Trail holidays why not give these friends a gift do not necessarily represent the policy or po- variety of topics to hiking. I was also re- Conference volunteers and that they will membership? I did this one year as a sition of the Conference. Contributions of minded of the variety of people who hike eventually join as members. thank-you to people who had helped with typed manuscripts, photos, and drawings are welcome. Manuscripts may be edited for style and the changes that have occurred dur- But what percentage of hikers are the New York Walk Book; the next year and length. Send SASE for writers’ guidelines. ing the 33 years that I have been hiking. members of hiking organizations and one of the recipients renewed as a life mem- Submission deadlines for the TRAIL WALKER Consider the demographics of hikers, hence support our activities? Probably quite ber. are January 28 (Mar./Apr. Issue), March 27 (May/June issue), May 25 (July/Aug. Issue), for example. In 1968, there were far more small. On Sunday, September 23, my hus- With the growing interest in hiking, July 26 (Sept./Oct. Issue), September 25 (Nov./ men who hiked than women—I would we need to have more members to sup- Dec. Issue), November 27 (Jan./Feb. Issue). guess about 80 percent of hikers then were Can you recruit one port our activities and protect trails and Unsolicited contributions cannot be acknowl- edged unless accompanied by SASE. For in- male. In 2001, the day-hike groups that I new TC member? trail lands. A form for gift memberships formation on advertising rates, please write pass on trails seem to be closer to 60 per- is on page 10. Your gift will recognize or call. Copyright 2001 by: cent male and 40 percent women; some band, Walt, and I led a Hudson Valley your friends’ interests and support the Trail New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Inc. hiking clubs are predominantly women. I Ramble along the Camp Smith Trail in Conference in its work. If one in five of 156 Ramapo Valley Road have also noticed more young people hik- the eastern Hudson Highlands. All of the our members recruits one new member, Mahwah, NJ 07430 201-512-9348 ing lately. Typically, they are not mem- 18 people on the hike were experienced we would increase our membership by 20 e-mail: [email protected] bers of hiking clubs, but go out on the hikers; only two were Trail Conference percent in one year. For other ideas on editorial e-mail: [email protected] trails solo or with friends. members. Most of the group came on the how you can help, visit our website at World Wide Web: http://www.nynjtc.org/ And, slowly, the ethnicity of hikers is hike because the Camp Smith Trail was www.nynjtc.org/membership. changing. One sees more Asians on the new to them and they felt more comfort- —Jane Daniels, President NEW YORK - NEW JERSEY trails now, for example, than in the past, able exploring it with a leader.