www.nynjtc.org Connecting People with Nature since 1920 January/February 2007

New York-New Jersey Trail Conference — Maintaining 1,675 Miles Of Foot Trails

In this issue: New North Jersey Maps...pg 3 • Election Results and the Environment...pg 4 • Know Your Bedrock...pg 7 • Hike List...pg 8

ith 1,675 miles of trail to main- • Along the Appalachian Trail (AT), tain and numerous shelters to in both New Jersey and New York’s Can You Still Wwatch over, the NY-NJ Trail Dutchess and Putnam counties, there Conference offers many opportunities for are 20 opportunities for both shelter public service in the great outdoors. As we caretakers, corridor monitors and Get There add new trails to our network and as volun- AT maintainers. teers cycle in and out of service, new • New maintainers are needed along the maintainer positions are created and others Long Path and Shawangunk Ridge From Here? open up. And there are always opportuni- Trail as new sections are opened and ties to join our regional trail crews. We now others become vacant. track more than 900 volunteer maintain- • The Highlands Trail needs the help of ers, who clip brush, clear blow-downs, pick two in New York and two in New Jersey up litter, and generally keep our region’s to keep the trail clear and blazed. footpaths and shelters open for public use. • In the Catskills, 17 vacant positions are As the new year begins, we seek to fill listed in our files, including several lean- some 75 maintainer openings and add vol- to caretakers as well as trail maintainers. unteers to our crews. Training is provided • In the eastern New Jersey area from the at our spring and fall maintainer work- Farny Highlands to Pyramid Moun- shops; our workshop this spring is set for tain to Ringwood State Park there are April 21 and 22. another 15 maintainer positions open. Our current vacancies are summarized • In western New Jersey about seven

GEORGETTE WEIR GEORGETTE here. Contact Heidi Adami or Larry maintainers are needed. Maintained footpaths connect people with nature, such as to this viewpoint in the Catskills Wheelock at the NY-NJ Trail Conference • In the area including Black Rock known as Huckleberry Point. The Trail Conference seeks to fill 75 maintainer positions office (201-512-9348; [email protected], Forest, Storm King Mountain, throughout our region, including 17 in the Catskills. Enjoy a public service experience in [email protected]) to find the best Schunemunk Mountain and the great outdoors with your family, friends, colleagues, organization, or on your own by match for your location and interests. becoming a trail or shelter maintainer. continued on page 5

partners, particularly the Palisades Inter- MAJOR WILLIAM A. WELCH pices) in which Jack serves as an instructor, 2006 NY-NJ Trail state Park Commission, has shown us a TRAIL PARTNER AWARD have admired and greatly benefited from talent that can only inspire. He under- To a non-TC member partner who has given his dedication and thoroughness. Conference Awards stands the delicate balance between the long/significant assistance Dedicated service to the hiking community needs of the hikers in our parks and the WILLIAM HOEFERLIN AWARD and to the Trail Conference was recognized bureaucratic structures set up to manage Jack Shuart For exemplary service to trail maintenance/ and honored at the Annual Meeting with them. His civil and even-handed approach For the past decade Jack Shuart, Assistant management/protection the presentation of Trail Conference awards to getting a job done brings prompt Regional Forester in the Division of Parks for 2006. Those honored were nominated response from all those who work with and Forestry of the New Jersey Dept. of Jakob Franke by Trail Conference members and approved him. His clear understanding of agencies’ Environmental Protection, has volunteered The 75th anniversary by the Board of Directors. management needs and requirements has hundreds of hours to train and certify of the conception of resulted in doors being kept open to him scores of TC blow-down crew personnel in the Long Path is a fit- RAYMOND H. TORREY AWARD that could easily have been slammed shut chainsaw safety. Trained to United States ting time to honor TC’s highest award, for significant/lasting with a less diplomatic approach. Volunteers Forest Service guidelines, Jack has willingly Jakob Franke, Long contributions and hikers owe an immense thanks to Pete and enthusiastically given his time to Path South Trails Heckler. His work and influence have ensure that our chain sawyers meet essen- Chair, who has Pete Heckler resulted in significant improvements of our tial safety standards in the performance of demonstrated Pete Heckler this year became only the sev- trail systems throughout the region. their demanding work. All who have unremitting dedica- enth person to be honored with the Trail attended the Chainsaw Safety Training tion to the growth Conference’s highest award. Pete’s influ- KEN LLOYD CLUB AWARD Workshops (sponsored through the TC HERB CHONG ence and dedication over the past few years TC club member individual who has given under Appalachian Trail Conservancy aus- continued on page 7 has resulted in a much-changed organiza- exemplary service to club tion. His ability to take on difficult tasks without hesitation has brought the Trail Patty Lee Parmalee Trail Conference Purchases Two Properties Conference from a NYC-centered organi- Patty Lee Parmalee zation to a regionally centered one, with a coordinated a five- Along Highlands Trail in New Jersey larger vision and greater influence. His year-long grassroots chairmanship of the West Hudson Trails campaign on behalf of The Trail Conference recently purchased more than two years of work. The protect- Committee and later the West Hudson TC member club Save two properties in Washington Township in ed land is heavily forested and contains South Trails Committee has been exempla- The Ridge (STR) that western Morris County, NJ, that will con- habitat for nine New Jersey threatened and ry. His ability to work constructively with culminated with spec- nect Stephens State Park in Mount Olive to endangered species, including barred owl, volunteers at all levels and with our agency tacular success in Schooley’s Mountain County Park via the cooper’s hawk, eastern box turtle, great March with New York Highlands Trail and Patriots’ Path. These blue heron, marbled salamander, red- State’s purchase of the two ridge-top tracts are part of a complex shouldered hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, 2,500-acre Awosting three-owner, six-parcel project that totals timber rattlesnake, and veery (a thrush that

HERB CHONG Reserve for inclusion 74 acres and a $1.1 million purchase price. prefers damp deciduous forests). into Minnewaska State Park Preserve. This is the second New Jersey project for When a mega-development proposal in the Trail Conference, and is the result of continued on page 3 2002 threatened the Reserve’s natural beau- ty and the ecological integrity of the VOLUME XXXIV, NUMBER 1 ISSN 0749-1352 PERMIT #970-100 northern Shawangunks, local residents coa- lesced under STR to wage a spirited advocacy effort to preserve the property in league with a burgeoning band of like- minded organizations and individuals.

HERB CHONG STR’s achievement is a paradigm for effec- Pete Heckler, at right, is congratulated by tive citizen action. Larry Wheelock and Jane Daniels. Page 2 January/February 2007 From the Chair Cold Weather Hiking VOLUME XXXIV, NO.1 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007 GEORGETTE WEIR EDITOR LOUIS LEONARDIS GRAPHIC DESIGNER Just because the weather has turned cold, more than a bit biased towards wool. Wool you should not consider putting your warms and will keep you warm even if wet. The TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #970- hiking boots away for the season. Cold What people like to bring along on a 100) (ISSN 0749-1352) is published bi-monthly weather hiking offers its own rewards. winter hike varies a great deal. Consider me by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference as Views open up when trees lose their a wimp, but I don’t mind carrying the extra a benefit of membership. Subscriptions are available to libraries only at $15.00 a year. leaves. Icicles on a rock face invite you to weight of a thermos, knowing that I will Periodical postage paid at Mahwah, N.J., and stop and touch them. Streams with ice for- have something hot to drink at lunch. I additional offices. Postmaster: Send address mations along the edges or around rocks also take along a computer mouse pad to sit changes to the address below. Opinions expressed are places to pause. Snow crunching under on at lunch. Having gotten wet feet, I fre- by authors do not necessarily represent the policy or position of the Conference. Contributions of foot is a different experience than scuffing quently carry an extra pair of socks, which typed manuscripts, photos, and drawings are though leaves. Footprints in the snow have served as mittens on several occasions. welcome. Manuscripts may be edited for style show animal activity that you would miss I enjoy winter hiking, but not all day and length. Send SASE for writers’ guidelines. in another season. Evergreens with a light because even a 15-minute lunch break Submission deadlines for the TRAIL WALKER dusting of snow remind you that the world makes me cool off too much. Therefore I are January 15 (Mar./Apr. issue), March 15 (May/June issue), May 15 (July/Aug. issue), still has some color. The crisp air is a go to parks within a half hour of my home, GEORGETTE WEIR GEORGETTE July 15 (Sept./Oct. issue), September 15 refreshing break from indoors. You see and even if the park has only a few miles of (Nov./Dec. issue), November 15 (Jan./Feb. feel the world in a different light when you a rest. Wearing a hat cuts heat loss to your trails. I can enjoy my fun outside and then issue). Unsolicited contributions cannot be are outside in winter. extremities, and taking it off can help cool return home to a mug of hot chocolate or acknowledged unless accompanied by SASE. When I first started hiking, someone you off. A friend of mine uses the phrase mulled cider—other pleasures of the cold- For information on advertising rates, please write or call. told me to think like an onion – dress in “cotton kills,” a grim reminder that cotton weather season. Copyright 2006 by: layers, which allows you to shed clothing as fabric draws heat away from the body. New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, Inc. you warm up. This advice is even more Whenever I see someone hiking in cold – Jane Daniels, Chair, Board of Directors 156 Ramapo Valley Road (Rt. 202) valuable in winter. You don’t want to be weather wearing a cotton sweatshirt or a Mahwah, NJ 07430 soaked with perspiration when you stop for pair of jeans, I grimace. As a knitter I am 201-512-9348 e-mail: [email protected] editorial e-mail: [email protected] World Wide Web: www.nynjtc.org Universities, and served as senior director Who Does What On the Job of academic affairs at New York Law The Trail Conference announces School. Brenda has advanced degrees in Committee Chairs & Vacancies, 2006-07 new jobs for two familiar faces government and public policy, and a law The following appointments have been and welcomes two new colleagues degree from Rutgers-Camden. approved by the Board of Directors. For to the office and field. Brenda is currently the conservation information about getting involved in a chair of the Adirondack Mountain Club Trail Conference committee, contact Heidi Josh Howard, nee North Jersey Chap- Adami, [email protected], 201-512-9348. Erdsneker, has a new ter and a volunteer Mission Statement Administration Herb Hochberg The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is a name following his photographer for federation of member clubs and individuals marriage to Melissa, the Mohonk Pre- Communications Vacant dedicated to providing recreational hiking nee Andrews, and a serve. She is a native Conservation & Seth McKee opportunities in the region, and representing the new job at the Trail of New Jersey, Advocacy interests and concerns of the hiking community. Conference: director although she has Membership & John Gunzler, Mary Smart The Conference is a volunteer-directed public Development service organization committed to: of membership and also spent time in • Developing, building, and maintaining development. Josh California and the Legal Volunteer Chris Connolly hiking trails. previously served as Finger Lakes area of Nominations George Becker, • Protecting hiking trail lands through operations director, upstate New York. Denise Vitale support and advocacy. and before that, as volunteer director. Brenda loves to be outdoors and is an avid Publications Daniel Chazin • Educating the public in the responsible use of trails and the natural environment. hiker, showshoer and cross-country skier Science Anne Osborn Elizabeth Bleiweiss has assumed the job who hits the trails throughout northern Strategic Planning Bob Boysen Board of Directors and title of operations director. Liz has New Jersey and southern New York when- Technology Walt Daniels Jane Daniels Chair been with the Trail Conference for more ever she can. Trails Council Pete Heckler Peter Kennard Treasurer than a year as accounting and operations Daniel Chazin Secretary AT Conference 2007 Jane Daniels manager. Matt Townsend joined the Trail Confer- Directors ence’s Bear Mountain Project team in Robert Boysen Anne Osborn Trail Committees Chris Connolly Mary Smart Brenda Holzinger joined the Trail Confer- mid-October as a Student Conservation Ellen Cronan Malcolm Spector ence in late 2006 as our new conservation Association Hudson Valley Corps intern. AT – Dutchess/Putnam Jim Haggett John Gunzler Daniel Van Engel and advocacy associate. She will work with Matt comes from Olean, NY, where he AT – Orange/Rockland Gail Neffinger Seth McKee Bill O’Hearn, conservation and advocacy completed an Eagle Scout project in 1999 AT – New Jersey Gene Giordano Staff director, to expand the conference’s conser- and has been working as a professional North Jersey John Moran Edward Goodell Executive Director vation and advocacy programs in New landscaper for five West Jersey Bob Boysen Joshua Howard Director of Membership & Jersey and New York. years. Matt also Central Jersey Ellen Cronan Development Brenda has a diverse background that completed a B.A. Catskills Peter Senterman Elizabeth Bleiweiss Operations Director includes environmental policy, advocacy, degree in environ- East Hudson Vacant Larry Wheelock Trails Director and higher education. She was a legal and mental studies at Highland Trail Gary Haugland Bill O’Hearn Conservation & policy analyst for the U.S. Environmental the University of Advocacy Director Long Path North Vacant Protection Agency and worked with citi- Buffalo. Matt will Brenda Holzinger Conservation & Long Path South Jakob Franke Advocacy Associate zens groups in upstate New York. On the be working on the Heidi Adami Volunteer academic side, she has taught a variety of Bear Mountain Metro Trails Liz Gonzalez, Joe Gindoff Coordinator courses in politics and environmental and Trails Project until West Hudson - South John Mack Allison Werberg Cartographer/ public policy at Princeton, Cornell, Fair- July 2007. West Hudson - North Jim Gebhard GIS Technician Gary Willick Fulfillment leigh Dickinson and William Paterson State Trails Council Gary Haugland – NY Coordinator Catherine Gemmell Information Manager Re “Interpreting Trail Blazes” Errata Eddie Walsh, Jr. Trail Projects In the November/December edition of Regarding the front page photo taken on Coordinator the Trail Walker Letters you stated, Schunemunk Mountain, in the Novem- Katy Dieters Membership & “Triple blaze: Marks a trailhead. When ber/December issue of the Trail Walker, Volunteer Associate the point of the pyramid is on top, this and the implied vandalism shown by the Part-time Staff indicates the start of a trail; when the More on the Triple Blaze displayed street sign which may have John Myers Land Acquisition Director point is at the bottom, this marks the end Occasionally, a trailhead does not have a been stolen; this should not in any way of a trail.” Perhaps it’s just semantics, but convenient broad tree at hand; and trying indicate any support or encouragement The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference is a volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It is a trail’s start or end will depend on the to paint the usual triple configuration on for this type of activity by the Trail a federation of 103 hiking and outdoor groups, direction traveled. Would it not have a slender or thin tree often results in a Conference and our volunteers. The and 10,000 individuals. been more accurate to say that the former crowded blob. When the trailhead only Trail Conference has always been in the marks the outside terminus (defined as has a narrow tree for blazing, the practice forefront of efforts to combat such “either end of a transportation line or is to paint the three blazes in a vertical vandalism, whether graffiti, trash, shelter Visit Us Today! travel route”) of a trail and the latter line—yes, on both sides of the tree! destruction, or theft. marks the inside terminus? —John Blenninger www.NYNJTC.org —Donald Hecht Trails Supervisor for Black Rock Forest via email January/February 2007 Page 3 From the Executive Director New North Jersey • We were pleasantly surprised that the better understood today if replaced by Trails Map Edition What’s in a Look? vast majority of respondents were very “alliance,” “coalition,” or “federation.” But well versed in the various facts and the current name has served for 86 years Available in January I hope you are enjoying activities of the Trail Conference. Only and we wanted to protect the accumulated the new look of the Trail two items received less than 90% goodwill that history provides. Walker. In addition to full recognition: “runs workshops to train In the case of the logo, we decided that color pictures, it includes volunteers” (83%) and “is a federation we could make more subtle tweaks, retain- some tweaking of the of more than 100 hiking and outdoor ing the basic shape, color, and idea while Trail Conference logo for clubs” (71%). improving the clarity and consistent usage the first time in more with supporting graphics on our stationery than 15 years. This is the result of an online • Our three most consulted publications and other communications. The biggest survey about the Trail Conference that we are hiking maps (81%), Trail Walker change was to remove the date of our conducted last spring in which our primary (77%), and hiking books (45%). Only founding, 1920, from the logo itself and goal was to gauge how well we are commu- 32% reported that they regularly visit make it a part of our tag line, Connecting nicating our mission and programs to our our website. The mix of opinions People with Nature since 1920, to both members. Exactly 1,193 members partici- about the website were represented well improve the readability of the logo and pated in the online survey. Here are some by the following consecutive entries: emphasize the permanence of the mission. of the things they said: “Website is difficult to use. I have alot These various changes make their debut of trouble finding info” and “I think with this issue of Trail Walker. Four-color • Among a variety of reasons for being the web site is very user-friendly and photos also help us look up-to-date, and the associated with the Trail Conference, full of helpful information!” fact that in recent years the costs of color 80% listed “to support hiking, trails, printing have dramatically decreased make The totally revised and now digitally- and/or open spaces in New York and What’s in a Name? this choice affordable. Since a picture is produced eighth edition of the North New Jersey.” 30 % were volunteers and We also asked people about the New York- worth a thousand words and digital cameras Jersey Trails map set will be available in 36% were donors. New Jersey Trail Conference name and are ubiquitous, we should be able to better January. In addition to providing a com- circular logo. Two-thirds of the respon- illustrate through color photos favorite plete update, improvements to the previous, • Most of our members are also members dents felt the name and logo are strongly hikes, the work of volunteers, and the analog editions include a 16% expansion of of other outdoor organizations. People identified with the organization. But when results of advocacy and land acquisition. We the scale for increased clarity, inclusion of who responded that they were also asked if the Trail Conference should change invite you to be part of these changes by additional public lands, and the addition to members of the Appalachian Mountain its name, 58% said “Maybe,” with the word submitting your (high-resolution) photos of the appropriate map back of an expanded, Club amounted to just over 50%, to “Conference” identified as the most prob- trail work, beautiful vistas, or your member more useful map of Campgaw Mountain the Sierra Club just under 50%, and lematic part of the name. Reasons people club activities to [email protected]. County Reservation. those responding that they were a gave for revising the logo included “looks The map datum is updated to NAD83. member of either the Adirondack dated,” “doesn’t say enough about the – Ed Goodell, [email protected] UTM grid lines are retained, with lines Mountain Club, the Appalachian Trail organization,” and “hard to read.” every 1,000 meters (0.62 mile), for conven- Conservancy, the Audubon Society, or In the final analysis, we decided to keep ient use with GPS units and for estimating some Other Hiking Club amounted to the name the same and tweak the logo. distances. Contour lines have been about 30% each. Everyone recognized that the word “Con- improved from 100-foot to 20-foot inter- ference” is an anachronism and might be vals. To greatly improve convenience, Campgaw, Ramapo Valley Reservation, Ringwood State Park, Ramapo Mountain SF, Norvin Green, and the Wanaque and What Your Campaign $$ Have Accomplished Monksville Reservoirs now all appear Exactly one year ago, we reported the suc- • We have protected an additional 200 The Campaign results continue to support together on the single sheet of the expand- cessful conclusion of the Trail Conference’s acres along the Long Path in Greene the work of the Trail Conference as we ed eastern map. Connecting People With Nature campaign. County, just north of the Catskill Forest move into 2007. With exceptional help from many Trail That fundraising effort—the biggest in Preserve. Conference members and excellent cooper- Trail Conference history—raised more • We have proposed an extension of the • We anticipate additional land purchases ation of the parks, trail routes have been than $3.1 million (our target was $2.5 mil- Highlands Trail east of the Hudson in this year along the Shawangunk Ridge updated and corrected. Further, and very lion) to support three goals: to better New York to the Connecticut state line Trail (NY), the Iron Belt Trail (NJ), the importantly, new sections of trail that close protect and connect our region’s trail sys- and identified 10 targets and 1,138 acres Long Path (NY), and the Green two gaps in the Highlands Trail are shown tems through land protection; to increase for protection through purchase. Pond/Rockaway Trail (NJ). We also antic- on these maps. Of course the maps contin- our recruitment and training of volunteers • We inaugurated the Trails University ipate property transfers to park agencies in ue to be printed on waterproof, tear for trail crews through rebuilding the his- at Bear Mountain, sponsoring 32 work- New York and New Jersey that will bring resistant Tyvek. toric trails at Bear Mountain; and to shops, 76 field trips, and matriculating funds back into our revolving Land Get up to date with this new edition! To convert all our map-making capabilities to 140 trails students between March 25 Acquisition and Stewardship Fund. obtain your new North Jersey Trails map set, digital (GIS) tools. and December 1. By season's end, 450 • Our Trail University class schedule at Bear see Hikers’ Marketplace on Page 9, call 201- linear feet of new trail, 1,200 square feet Mountain is being prepared for another 512-9348, ext. 11, visit www.nynjtc.org, or What have we achieved in the year of crib wall, and 53 stone steps had been busy season (watch for the initial schedule drop into the Trail Conference Office. since toward meeting these goals? installed on the mountain. in the next issue of Trail Walker). • We have protected another 587 acres on • By year’s end, six of our ten map sets had • Our use of GIS technology has become the Shawangunk Ridge, including a par- been converted into our Geographic Infor- standard operating procedure throughout Delegates Meeting cel that will connect the Shawangunk mation System. In addition, our use of our publications, trail support, and con- Thursday, February 8 Ridge Trail to the Delaware River Her- GIS data has become integral in identify- servation and advocacy programs. itage Trail and one that secures 3.5 miles ing land for protection, analyzing All members are invited to attend this of rail trail. viewsheds and potential impacts on them Once again, the Trail Conference thanks meeting of hiking club delegates. • We have protected another 63 acres in by proposed developments, designing new all those who so generously supported the New Jersey, to connect Shephens and and relocated trails, tracking trail mainte- campaign. These gifts live on in the trails Where: Seafarers and International Schooley’s Mountain State Parks via the nance issues, and surveying invasive as well and trail lands they make possible. House in NYC; 123 E. 15th St. Highlands Trail (see story on page 1), with as threatened and endangered species. New York, between Third Avenue a closing expected on 11 more acres soon. and Irving Place near Union Square.

When: Social hour 6-7; TC PURCHASES PROPERTIES held up by technical issues but should Green Acres, and the owners themselves,” Business meeting 7-9 continued from page 1 close in early 2007. says Conservation & Advocacy Director Bill O’Hearn. “Russ Felter of MCPC in The meeting will include presentation “Though these parcels are full of mature The protected land is heavily particular has worked extremely hard to of three Trail Conference initiatives: trees and include a beautiful stream, they help this deal come together.” • Trail Operations are almost completely surrounded by new forested and contains habitat for Funds for the purchase were raised as part Review Committee development,” says Executive Director Ed of the Trail Conference’s Connecting People • ATC Biennial Conference at Goodell. “We got them just in time, and nine New Jersey threatened and With Nature campaign, which successfully Ramapo College in July 2007 this land is a key passageway for these endangered species,... concluded in December 2005. The Morris • Trail Conference two trails as they make their way through County Open Space Preservation Trust Website Redesign Morris County.” contributed $500,000 to the campaign for The Wozniak property, which includes “We could not have made this key acqui- this purchase; matching funds came from Public transportation: One block east 32 acres, closed on October 23, and the sition without the support of the Morris the New Jersey Green Acres Program. This of the Union Square/14th Street Rosewood piece (31 acres) closed on County Park Commission, County Free- land will be added to the Morris County subway station, which is served by October 31. Still to come is the West- holders, Morris County Preservation Trust Park system when the third transaction the Q, W, N, R, and L subway lines. hampton tract (11 acres), which has been (MCPC); Washington Township; NJ DEP is completed. Bus lines: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 14, 101, 102, 103 stop nearby. Page 4 January/February 2007 Trail Agreements with Private Owners: Conservation& Advocacy C & A Embarks on Trail Support Project From the Conservation are confident that newly-elected John The Trail Conference’s Conservation and Advocacy team, Bill O’Hearn and Brenda & Advocacy Director: Hall will be an ally in the New York 19th Holzinger, will now oversee all Conference trail support records, including trail agreements William P. O’Hearn district as well. with private owners. It is probably not a surprise that our records have some gaps. Please contact Brenda at 201-512-9348, ext. 25, or [email protected] if you have or know of Election 2006 Results: New York State some documents that should be added to our files. How Good Is Statewide, all four of the New York League C & A will work closely with Larry Wheelock, trails director, to insure that the Trail the Good News? of Conservation Voters endorsed candi- Conference secures the appropriate agreements and other documents necessary to support dates—Hillary Clinton, Eliot Spitzer, the trails on the ground. For example, the Trail Conference maintains liability insurance In the aftermath of November’s historic Andrew Cuomo, and Alan Hevesi—won, coverage for private landowners who formally allow hiking trails on their land. In fact, national election results, the conservation and almost 90 percent of NYLCV candi- many of these trail agreements require the Trail Conference to secure liability insurance as community in our area is asking, How dates won, including big victories for a condition for hiker access. Consequently, managing these and other trail support docu- well did we actually do? and What does it Kristen Gillibrand in the U.S. 20th district ments is of central importance to the Conference’s trail building and maintenance mission. mean for us? This column is our attempt and Michael Arcuri in the 24th. Bill and Brenda will also work closely with John Meyers, land acquisition director, to to examine the numbers based on our Locally, a number of open space meas- negotiate access agreements with new private landowners in support of the Trail Confer- conservation and advocacy efforts for ures passed, including in Warwick, New ence’s expanding trails network. This means that if any of our trail maintainers or 2007 and beyond. Paltz, Beacon, Gardiner, Marbletown, supervisors have any questions about the Trail Conference’s access to and permission to Southeast, and Nassau County. cross private lands, they can contact C & A or visit us in the office. National Somewhat lost in the national coverage of New Jersey Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are the The biggest issues in New Jersey were the which the Trail Conference is a member, is departures of Rep. Richard Pombo, the Senate election, where Bob Menendez New Tax Incentives spearheading an accreditation program former chairman of the House Resources won fairly easily, and Public Question also aimed at protecting against abuse of Committee, and Rep. Charles Taylor, No. 2 on dedicated funding for repairs for Land Conservation the conservation easement donation provi- former chair of the House Interior and restoration of state parks, which By Brenda Holzinger, sions. The Trail Conference joined the Appropriations Subcommittee, two key passed by a margin of 60 percent to Conservation and Advocacy Associate LTA’s pilot accreditation program begin- committees for federal policy and funding. 40 percent. Conservation easements provide a power- ning in December 2006. They are being replaced by Nick Rahal This big win on Question 2 gives us ful tool for land protection. In August There is even more good news for (D-WV) and Norm Dicks (D-WA), who momentum for bringing the Garden 2006, as part of the Pension Protection Act, landowners in New York State. This past are both environmental champions. State Preservation Trust (GSPT) referen- Congress and President Bush significantly summer, New York State officially adopted Taylor, in particular, was vehemently dum before the voters in November. expanded the federal tax incentives for a Conservation Easement Tax Credit start- anti-open space and took a personal This campaign, already begun, aims to owners to donate conservation easements. ing with the 2006 tax year. This credit is interest in slashing federal Forest Legacy replenish the funding for the NJ DEP A conservation easement is an agree- available to all owners of easement-restrict- Program and Highlands Conservation Green Acres and the State Agricultural ment by a private landowner to limit ed land, regardless of when the easement Act funding that could have been used Development Committee (SADC) development on his or for key acquisitions in the New York Farmland Preservation Program. her land permanently and New Jersey Highlands region. On Regarding local conservation issues, and, in some cases, the whole, many key environmental 21 out of 30 (70 percent) won, including even provide public committee chairs are moving from pro- in Andover, Cedar Grove, River Edge, access to part of the development to pro-conservation leaders Wantage, and Wyckoff, but we lost open land. In exchange for as the Democrats take over. space votes in some areas where we have this agreement and But there were some losses, too. Senate trails, including Vernon and Newton. the land’s resulting moderate Republican Lincoln Chafee of decline in market val- Rhode Island was defeated, and on the Conclusions ue, a landowner may House side we will miss Reps. Jim Leach So, what does it mean going forward? qualify for a tax- (IA), Sherwood Boehlert (retired-NY), Nationally, we can now stop bad propos- deductible charitable and Sue Kelly (NY-19th), although we donation, which is continued on page 7 usually equal to the difference between Conservation & Advocacy News Notes the land’s value with HAUGLAND GARY and without the An easement held by Scenic Hudson will soon carry the Highlands Another Obstacle for Belleayre Developer encumbrance. Preser- Trail across this farm land in Cornwall-on-Hudson. Efforts to block development of the eastern portion of the proposed Belleayre Resort in vation through Storm King Mountain is in background. the heart of the Catskills got a boost in October. According to an October 2006 letter conservation easements protects resources was created, as long as the easement was from the Watershed Inspector General, the project poses an unacceptable risk to the for future public use while at the same wholly or partially donated to a land trust quality of the Ashokan Reservoir and would undercut federal, state, and city efforts to time providing a method for landowners or a governmental agency. The tax credit avoid the need to construct a multi-billion dollar filtration plant to treat water from the to pass land intact to their heirs. will give New York State property owners Catskill and Delaware portions of New York City’s watershed. EPA’s Region 2 office has The Trail Conference uses conservation with land restricted by a permanent conser- previously stated its opposition to any development on the eastern portion of the proj- easements to gain hiking access for our vation easement an annual rebate of 25% ect site. This is encouraging news in the fight to persuade the developer of the Belleayre members to lands otherwise prohibited to of the property taxes paid on that land up Resort to abandon plans for the eastern portion of the proposed resort. The Trail Con- the public. to $5,000 per year. Eligible landowners will ference-ADK Partnership strongly oppose any development on the eastern portion of Under the new law, a landowner who receive the rebate regardless of the amount the site because of the environmental and aesthetic impacts of a hotel and townhouses donates a conservation easement may now of income taxes they owe. on the steep and prominent Belleayre Ridge. We have also raised concerns about the deduct up to 50% of his or her income in Please contact Brenda at 201-512-9348, impact of the project on the Catskill Forest Preserve. any year. This is an increase from the previ- ext. 25, or [email protected] if you are ous deduction limit of 30%; qualifying a landowner with any questions about con- NJ Trails Plan Draft Due farmers and ranchers are now able to servation easement donations. The Trail Conference participated in a NJ Trails Plan Advisory Committee meeting deduct up to 100% of their income. Also, where all of the fall feedback meetings data was distributed. 3,000 surveys were landowners now have up to 15 years to take submitted, and summaries will be available on the NJTrailsPlan.org web site. Next the voluntary conservation tax deduction, steps include a draft plan out in January 2007, which will reviewed by the advisory which is an increase from 5 years under the committee and then made available on the web site. previous tax regulations. These changes to the federal tax law are significant because NJ Regional Master Plan Released they make it possible for landowners with On November 30, the New Jersey Highlands Council released the draft copy of the modest incomes to receive greater credit for Regional Master Plan, a comprehensive document that will control land use planning their conservation easement donations. It is in the 860,000-acre NJ Highlands area. The plan calls for 65% of the region to be in important to note, however, that these new the Protection Zone, 18% in the Conservation Zone (agriculture), and 17% in the incentives apply only to easements donated Planned Community Zone. The RMP and supporting maps are available on the in 2006 and 2007. Highlands Council website (www.highlands.state.nj.us). In order to protect against potential abuses under the broadened conservation NY Open Space Plan Out easement donation provisions, the new leg- The 2006 NYS Open Space Conservation Plan has been released, and is available on the islation also includes reforms that affect the NYS DEC web site (www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dlf/opensp/index.html). This is a huge appraisal process for donated property and document (the executive summary is 77 pages), and the Trail Conference will be analyz- tighten the rules for easements on historic ing it in December. buildings. The Land Trust Alliance (LTA), the national professional association for American land trust organizations, of January/February 2007 Page 5 West Jersey Crew Report for 2006 Sterling Forest By Monica & David Day, Crew Chiefs Made Whole! TrailCrew The West Jersey Crew worked in four differ- Joan Woolery. ent parks in 2006, engaging in projects that We also extend a huge Thank You to the The “hole in the donut” of Sterling Schedules ranged from rock steps to side-hilling to NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection: Forest State Park has been protected! boardwalk installation to clearing new trail. Northern Region Supts. Steve Ellis and 575 acres in the center of the park that The crew continued construction of the Bob Parichuk, Supt. Jessica Kruegel of had been eyed for residential development January – February 2007 new Warren Trail in Jenny Jump State Park, Wawayanda State Park, Supt. Ernie Kabert have been purchased by New York State for 1 For the latest schedules and additional clearing 1 /2 miles of new trail and improv- of Worthington/Jenny Jump State Parks, $13.5 million with the assistance of the details, go to nynjtc.org and click on ing a steep ascent Trust for Public Land (TPL). The closing “Trail crews/Work trips.” there with rock steps, occurred November 27. TBD = To Be Determined side-hilling, and The land had remained in the hands of For all trips bring work gloves, water, retaining walls. The the Sterling Forest Corporation (SFC) after lunch, insect repellent. In some cases, crew completed an New York State’s 1998 purchase of the sur- tools are provided. Contact leaders in approximately 50- rounding 14,500 acres from the developer. advance for meeting times and places. step rock staircase In 2005, SFC had proposed to develop 107 Volunteers must become members of (begun in 2005) on mini-estates on the property, a plan that the Conference to participate in these the Dunnfield Creek many, including the Trail Conference, projects. A one-time “guest” participa- Trail in Worthington opposed citing negative impacts on water tion is allowed, so bring your friends. State Park. In June, resources, wildlife, and the wilderness and continuing into qualities of the surrounding state park. the summer, the The Trail Conference congratulates the NORTH JERSEY WEEKEND CREW crew replaced 1,200 many volunteers, including JoAnn Dolan, Leader: Sandy Parr, 732-469-5109 feet of boardwalk on former Trail Conference Executive Direc- Second Sunday of each month the Appalachian Trail tor, who led this nearly two-decade long Trips start at 9:30 am; call for location and details near Vernon (NJ). fight to preserve this extraordinary open

during the week before the scheduled trip day. And, in the fall, the DAY DAVID space for the benefit of millions of people. Tackle a variety of projects ranging from trail crew cleared and West Jersey crew members work a step into place on the Warren Trail. “It has been a long 15-month wait since repair to bridge building in northern New Jersey. opened the new 2.8- the last Environmental Impact Statement mile long Willow Crest Trail in Supt. Blanca Chevreftt of Swartswood hearing till this glorious news today,” Ms. NORTH JERSEY WEEKDAY CREW Leader: John Moran, [email protected] Swartswood State Park and rehabilitated a State Park—and their staffs—and to the Dolan wrote in a celebratory message to section of the Appalachian Trail in Wor- New Jersey Forest Fire Service, which members of the Public-Private Partnership This crew will cover the NJ Ramapos, Ringwood thington State Park. air-dropped our boardwalk materials into to Save Sterling Forest. The Trail Confer- S. P., Norvin Green S. F., and NJ Palisades area. We extend a hearty Thank You to all the remote fields on the Appalachian Trail. ence and NY-NJ Chapter of AMC Its purpose is to respond quickly to immediate who worked on these projects in 2006: co-founded the coalition in 1988; it even- needs, rather than to schedule definite events far Jack Baccaglini, Ian Blundell, Bob Boyle, tually counted 30 groups as members. in advance. If you’re interested in being on call Bob Boysen, Joy Boysen, Roland Breault, “Congratulations and thanks to Palisades for this work, contact John Moran by email. Susan Brudnak, Gordon Campbell, Dick Interstate Park Commission and Office of Gerien, Gene Giordano, Jim Gregoire, Ben CAN YOU STILL GET THERE Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preserva- BEAR MOUNTAIN TRAILS PROJECT continued from page 1 Contact: Heidi Adami, [email protected] or Hagen, Josephine Harkin, Bob Jonas, tion, and to TPL for grueling negotiations, 201-512-9348, ext. 26 Colin Landes, Danielle Longo, Jerry Minnewaska State Park Preserve, to all the political support, to the scientists Loughren, Gay Mayer, Keith McDermott, eight maintainers are needed. and expert witnesses, and to all the individ- Trail work opportunities on Bear Mountain Frank McNulty, Bruce Meyer, Brian • In Harriman and Sterling Forest uals and organizations who assisted and offered through the winter. Mulraney, Steve Reiss, Check Rood, Steve State Parks another seven maintainers supported the protection of this core parcel Shyne, Bob Warren, Larry Wheelock, and are needed. in the center of a sterling park preserve.” Crews have been preparing for a winter season • The Metro trails in New York City of work at Bear Mountain by stockpiling crushed parks are always in need of a more Note: On November 9, 2006, SUNY Press stone for fill and surfacing on Perkins Memorial Save the Dates For Drive. Winter work will involve moving material maintainers. released a new book chronicling the efforts down the transport chute, moving finely crushed These Spring Workshops to save Sterling Forest. Written by the late stone along the 400' high-lines, spreading There are always new positions coming Ann Botshon, former coordinator of the surfacing over the newly constructed trail, and Tabling Event Training/Workshop: along, so even if you don’t see a position Wallkill River Task Force and editor of the splitting stone for spring construction. No work March 3 (learn how to represent the TC that interests you in the above list, please let Sierra Atlantic, the quarterly newsletter dates are firmly scheduled since winter weather at special events) us know what you’re looking for and we published by the Atlantic (New York) is highly variable, but you can stay posted as will be sure to keep you posted when the Chapter of the Sierra Club, the book is Maintenance Workshops: work trips are scheduled by getting your name right spot opens up. titled Saving Sterling Forest: The Epic on a phone and email list for winter outings. April 21 and 22 Struggle to Preserve New York’s Highlands.

quarters in Alpine (PIP Exit 2), or at the Route 23A Reopens in Catskills 1777 Trailhead Relocated Alpine Boat Basin & Picnic Area (PIP Exit Route 23A in the Catskills, between A little “revolutionary” spirit accompanied 2). Pedestrians can cross the Parkway at Haines Falls and Palenville, is now com- Carol Ash, executive director of the Pal- Alpine Approach Road, at the Closter pletely reopened. (It was closed for much of isades Interstate Park Commission, when Dock Trail trailhead, and at the entrance to 2006 when it was washed out by spring she cut the ribbon opening the new trail- Trail News Greenbrook Sanctuary. All-day parking is floodwaters.) Platte Clove Road, a seasonal head for the 1777, 1779, and Timp-Torne permitted at State Line Lookout; parking is highway from April 1 to November 1, is Trails in Harriman-Bear Mountain State limited to 2 hours at Rockefeller and closed for the season. Hikers can park at Parks. The trailhead is on the east side of Alpine Lookouts. the top or bottom of the road to access Route 9W at the new Fort Montgomery trails off the road. Visitors Center. A scenic extension to the Pedestrian Bridge Over Palisades Shortline Schedule Change trail, built by NY-NJ TC Trail Project Parkway Closes at Forest View Trail Member Club AMC NY-NJ alerts bus- Coordinator Eddie Walsh, now passes in Alpine using hikers that Shortline has ended the under Route 9W and takes pedestrians to Due to a long-term construction project, 7:50 am weekend bus from Manhattan’s the west side of the highway to the trails. the pedestrian bridge over which the Forest Port Authority Bus Terminal to Suffern, View Trail passes from U.S. Route 9W over Sloatsburg, Sterling Forest, Southfields, the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Alpine Arden, and the Harriman Railroad Station, to the trails near the Women’s Federation access points for trails in Harriman State Monument will likely be closed over the Park. The company now runs an 8:15 bus next several months. (During specific phas- to Suffern and an 8:30 express bus (#401) es of the repair work on the bridge, it may to Sloatsburg and points north. AMC reopen for up to several weeks at a time. reports that the arrival times for the 8:15 PIPC will try to post this information on bus are: the Hiking page of its website, which also Suffern, 9:06 contains trail descriptions that should assist Sloatsburg, 9:12 hikers in planning alternative routes. See Tuxedo, 9:17 www.njpalisades.org/hiking.htm.) Rt. 17A park and ride/ Hikers wishing to use the trails in that Sterling Forest, 9:19 area can park at State Line Lookout (north- Southfields, 9:21 bound PIP opposite Exit 3 in Alpine, also Arden, 9:24 accessible to pedestrians and bicycles from Harriman RR Station, 9:28 “Old Route 9W” which begins at the state To contact Shortline: 212-736-4700; COURTESY PIPC COURTESY line on U.S. Route 9W), at Park Head- www.coachusa.com/shortline. PIPC Executive Director Carol Ash opens new trailhead with a Revolutionary flourish. Page 6 January/February 2007 Volunteer Classifieds: Get Involved! Ramapo 2007

If you are interested in volunteering with Heidi Adami, [email protected], or July 13-20 the TC and do not see an opportunity 201-512-9348, ext. 26. that suits you, contact Heidi Adami, Save the Dates either by email, [email protected] or New Jersey & New York Advocacy phone, 201-512-9348, ext. 26, and she Committee Members to Participate will find a way to get you involved. Make a political impact! Volunteer activists are needed to serve on the NJ and NY Advo- and Volunteer Trail Maintainers cacy Committees. Members will work with We are looking for individuals, couples, and the Conservation and Advocacy Director to As winter sets in, it is hard to think of families who are willing to adopt a section of develop policy positions on ATVs, High- summer, when the New York-New Jersey trail. Maintainers are expected to visit their lands Council Regional Master Plan, Parks Trail Conference will host the Appalachi- assigned section a minimum of twice a year, Referendum, and other hot issues. Contact: an Trail Conservancy’s biennial meeting, keeping it passable by cutting back brush, Brenda Holzinger, [email protected] or July 13 through 20 at Ramapo College. ensuring it is well marked and free of trash, 201-512-9348, ext. 25. The location could not be better. (Close The Lap Quilt/Wall Hanging is called and submitting semi-annual reports of their as it is to many trails and public trans- “Meeting Place” after the meaning of the 1 work. We have openings on several of our Have You Ever Wanted to portation.) See www.ramapo2007.org Indian word Ramapo. The quilt is 53 /2" Trail Committees (see article, page 1). Con- Participate in a Scientific Study? Over the last two years, the steering wide by 64" long. It was created and tact: Heidi Adami, [email protected], The Trail Conference, in partnership with committee has been hard at work. Com- constructed by Carolyn M. Canfield and or 201-512-9348, ext. 26. Rutgers University, will be participating in mittees have decided what hikes, quilted by Cheryl Winslow. Raffle tickets the second year of a three-year study funded workshops, and excursions should be will be available at the Biennial Appalachian Trail Corridor Monitor by the USDA to study the spread of invasive offered. As we move closer to the open- Conference for $1 each or 6 for $5. Looking to get off the beaten path? Mon- plants. Teams of citizen scientists will be used ing for registration, other components Proceeds go to the NY-NJ TC and the itors are needed to patrol and watch the to collect data on invasive plants over an are falling into place: exhibits, entertain- Appalachian Trail Museum Society. Appalachian Trail Corridor to protect assigned two-mile section of hiking trail. ment, youth program, silent auction, against misuse and illegal activities. Interviews and volunteer selection will com- and, of course, food. Housing will be in but about half of the total. NY-NJ TC Responsibilities include: walking the cor- mence this winter, and training sessions will air-conditioned dorms. For the first has four such volunteers in the Dutchess- ridor boundaries two to four times per be starting in the spring of 2006. Contact: time, participants can register online for Putnam Management Committee. year, verifying boundary markers along Heidi Adami, [email protected], 201- the conference and can review the Plan to attend the event, whether for the corridor boundary, reporting evi- 512-9348, ext. 26. offered hikes, excursions, and work- one day, two days, or the whole week. dence of trespassing and misuse such as shops. The hand-made quilt pictured Attending can also mean helping out. dumping, logging, ATVs, etc.; assisting Attention all Doctors, Nurses, EMTs will be raffled. With about 90 hikes scheduled, we need Corridor Manager in handling problems We are seeking your help to provide The conference theme of Always a 180 leaders. If you are interested in hike discovered; and meeting trail neighbors round-the-clock staffing of an infirmary Step Ahead spotlights ATC and the Trail leading, contact Pete Kohlberger at and easement holders annually. Contact: at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Conference’s efforts, which are often in [email protected]. There are other Heidi Adami, [email protected], or Conference from July 13 – 20, 2007, at the forefront of volunteer-led trail man- opportunities to help, including chaper- 201-512-9348, ext. 26. Ramapo College. Volunteers will be agement. This became especially evident oning people to and from excursions, on-call to assist the conference guests for when the National Park Service request- ([email protected]), helping at Can You Spare a Few Hours minor medical needs or to direct them to ed the names of volunteers in its parks registration, or at entertainment venues. a Week? local facilities. Please help us by asking with over 4,000 hours of service; ATC Please join us. Join the fun at our Mahwah office and club or family members if they can put not only provided the most volunteers, —Ramapo2007 Steering Committee assist with the packing of map and book their skills to work for the Conference. orders, shipping membership cards, and Contact Rick Savino at 201-785-9950 or processing membership renewals. Keep the [email protected]. Trail Conference’s Orders and Fulfillment Join Hunt for Invasive Giant Grass Department on track by lending us a hand. Wanted: Student Interns While many herbaceous plants wither away as fall turns to winter, the depths of winter can With a boom in memberships and book Earn an internship with the Trail Confer- be a very good time to survey for what is left—plants that persist in the winter landscape. and map orders, we need your help. Inter- ence and gain skills in trail building, One of these is the highly conspicuous and widespread common reed (Phragmities australis), ested persons should be comfortable managing volunteers, and the administra- an invasive species that colonizes open wetlands, where it often replaces a once complex working on a computer. Contact Gary tion of projects both large and small. This plant community with a dense monoculture of this giant grass. Willick, either by email [email protected], is a great skills and resume builder! Some How widespread is common reed in the NY Highlands? or phone, 201-512-9348, ext. 11. internships come with stipends, some Has it reached the isolated interior wetlands of Harriman Park? may earn academic credit. To learn more Where should we direct our reed control and management efforts? Online Hike Indexer about intern opportunities, contact Heidi A volunteer project seeks to answer these questions through a winter survey (January- Hike of the Week (HOTW) Project at [email protected] or 201-512- March) of wetlands in Harriman State Park. This joint project between the Trail Conference Manager - Web based. Index the existing 9348, ext. 26. and the Highlands Environmental Research Institute (HEnRI) needs hardy volunteers to HOTW articles (approx. 180) to make trek through Harriman’s winter landscape and record the distribution of common reed information searchable on line; prefer- Other Opportunities: within assigned survey blocks. able but not essential to be computer • Tool Inventory Coordinator If you are interested in a winter adventure, please contact Heidi Adami, Volunteer savvy. (9-12 months project). Contact: Coordinator (201-512-9348, ext. 26 or [email protected]), for further details.

University Outing Club including a portion of the AT in New Jer- Mimi Wolin, president of the University sey. Today, it maintains trails closer to Member Club Profile Outing Club (UOC) centered in the New home, at the state-owned Six Mile Run The Trail Conference comprises 10,000 individual members and more than 100 Brunswick area of New Jersey, has her Reservoir Site in Franklin Township. member clubs with a combined membership of 150,000 hikers. We invite club hopes up. “We’ve had several members live UOC publishes a three-times-a-year to be over 100 years old,” she says with a newsletter called The Cairn (“We skip representatives to submit photos from hikes or maintenance outings or other events quiet laugh, concluding a list of benefits summer,” says Ms. Wolin, “because so (please set your digital camera for highest resolution). Email your photos, along with bestowed by the group’s activities. “So we many people go away.”) New members are complete caption information to: [email protected]; put “TW club photo” in the subject line. think that indicates a healthy lifestyle.” always welcome. Those activities include day hikes of var- George Strauss, a former club president, ious levels of difficulty, canoeing, visits to has been a UOC member since the late museums, gardens, and historic sites, and 1960s, when he and his family began par- occasional dinner meetings with speakers ticipating in the group’s activities. In on topics related to the outdoors. “Exer- October, he joined with some 20 other cise, fresh air, fun with a nice bunch of members for the club’s 75th anniversary people—it’s very healthy,” says Ms. Wolin. commemorative walk along the Raritan UOC was founded in 1931 by mem- Canal towpath. “We were re-enacting the bers of the faculty of Rutgers University. walk that was done on the occasion of the That academic connection lingers in its club’s 50th anniversary,” he said. “Twenty- name, but Ms. Wolin notes that today, the five years ago, though, the hike was about club no longer is affiliated with Rutgers. 20 miles. This time we did half that. Some- Its 130 members come from all walks of body said we’ve gotten older and wiser.” life, with most residing in Middlesex or For more information about UOC, Somerset Counties. including details on becoming a In the course of its 75 years, the club has member, visit the club’s website at maintained a number of different trails, www.universityoutingclub.org. January/February 2007 Page 7

Science & Ecology and destroyed by ocean waves, which built ment aprons were converted into gray-lay- ma locally intruded these rocks after they aprons of sediment around the islands. ered gneiss with rare or no black banding; turned into gneiss and now form plutons. After a long time, the ocean basin closed these are by far the most abundant. Typically, they are either granite, white Bedrock Geology and another continent, Amazonia (South The South American rocks are variable with sparse pink and black spots, or diorite, of the Hudson America), collided with the volcanic chain but typically have a lot of mica (shiny with a dark salt and pepper texture. to form the Grenville Mountains around speckles) and garnets (red spots), weather It is easy to distinguish the rocks affected Highlands 1.05 billion years ago. These were probably red, and smell of sulfur, or have pale green by the later strike-slip event, because in By A.E. Gates, Ph.D. the longest and highest mountains ever on and pink colors with a lot of white veins. sharp contrast to the early near horizontal Earth. It is the roots of these great moun- In places, rug-type folds are visible. Mag- layering, these rocks are almost vertically he Appalachian Trail was started in the tains that we see today in the Highlands. layered. The gneiss looks stretched out in Trugged terrain of Bear Mountain State Almost immediately after the collision, a these zones. Associated folds with this Park and spread north and south. Hiking huge fault system developed in the area. event are upright and arch-like (see photo). the AT in this area, or anywhere in the New This system transported land masses later- Where magnetite (iron) mines line up York and New Jersey Highlands, invariably ally (strike-slip), similar to the way the San across the area, they tend to be associated brings one into close contact with rocks— Andreas Fault is active; it was active until with these faults. Where they are isolated, clambering up steep sections of trail, about 980 million years ago. These events they are more likely to have formed early walking along bare outcrops along the tops helped to build the supercontinent Rodinia through volcanism or the main collision. of hills, squeezing between huge boulders in which all continents joined together to The last rocks to have formed in the area along the trail. These rocks have a fascinat- make one huge landmass. are pegmatites. These light colored rocks ing history that makes these encounters all The enormous collision buried the rocks contain huge minerals, many of which the more interesting. of the Highlands to about 35 km depth, Early rug-like fold. have a salmon color. These rocks intruded The reason that the terrain is rugged is folding them upon themselves like a rug as magma after all other activity ceased, so the crystalline bedrock of the Highlands. folded over on the floor (see photo). All they show no banding or layering. The sto- The rocks of the Highlands are among the rocks became the banded metamorphic rock ry thus told by the rocks along our trails oldest on the East Coast, forming a link called gneiss, and layering of this rock was makes hiking all the more interesting! between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the nearly flat. The rocks were cooked to such Green Mountains of Vermont. The history high temperatures (800°C) that they began A.E. Gates is Professor in the Department of of these rocks began 1.3 billion years ago to melt. Today we can see evidence of this Earth & Environmental Sciences, Rutgers when a chain of volcanoes formed islands melting in thin veins of white rock cutting University above a zone of down-going ocean crust, across or along the gneissic banding. The similar to Japan today. The islands were volcanic rock was converted into strongly built by regular explosive volcanic eruptions black-and-white banded gneiss. The sedi- Late arch-like fold.

CONSERVATION & ADVOCACY 2006 NY-NJ TC AWARDS Long Path Guide; and producer of vista- continued from page 4 continued from page 1 filled color note cards for sale in the Hikers’ Aaron Benjamin Marketplace. Ruth, as book manager and Although he graduated from New Rochelle als and legislation. It also means that we and improvement of our region’s premiere cartographer, has been at the forefront of High School just this past spring, Aaron have the potential for bringing real federal long distance trail system. For over a dozen maintaining the highest standards of edito- Benjamin is already a veteran trail-builder. dollars to our open space acquisition efforts, years, Jakob has continued to labor in every rial quality, and shepherded the 2005 Aaron first worked with the TC on the which we haven’t had for several years. This capacity—as maintainer, supervisor, crew revision of the New York Walk Book as proj- Wappinger Greenway Trail project and will take time, and the federal budget is still leader, and chain sawyer—for the upkeep ect manager. then moved onto the Bear Mountain Trails very tight, but we have a chance and can and extension of the LP and its Shawan- Restoration Project—on each project he start working on key parcels that are appro- gunk Ridge Trail connector. Al Poelzl logged more than 40 hours of service. priate for federal dollars. Because the Senate margin is so razor- Gay Mayer CORPORATE PARTNER AWARD thin, we can’t expect major changes in Beginning as a rock-solid member of the For outstanding service to the hiking community federal policy any time soon. Better com- weekend West Hudson Trail Crew over mittee and subcommittee chairs like a decade ago, Gay Mayer is now also a Campmor Hillary Clinton (Subcommittee on Super- mainstay on Bob Marshall’s Thursday Campmor’s implementation of a point-of- fund and Environmental Health), Barbara outings as well as West Jersey Trail Crew sale program enabling its customers to sign Boxer, and Jim Oberstar will move envi- work trips. Gay’s stalwart devotion to the up for TC memberships in-store has ronmental legislation, but getting it passed trails and the outdoors helps explain how achieved remarkable results—since 2004 and signed by the President will be tough. so relatively few crew workers have accom- more than 40% of new TC members have GEORGETTE WEIR GEORGETTE In New York, Cara Lee of NY Nature plished so much. In the words of West Al Poelzl signs his work in Fahnestock. joined as a result of the Campmor initia- Conservancy (a colleague of ours on the Jersey crew chief David Day, “No job is tive. The success of this innovative program Shawangunk Ridge Coalition) was either too big or too small for Gay to Officially the maintainer of most of the 4- testifies to the power of partnership on appointed as a Co-Chair to Governor-Elect undertake. He always brings a genuine mile Perkins Trail in Fahnestock State Park behalf of trails and hiking, and the Trail Spitzer’s Energy and Environment Policy enthusiasm and joy to working on whatev- for 11 years, Al Poelzl has contributed Conference thanks Campmor for its ongo- Advisory Committee, one of 13 transition er the project at hand is.” mightily to the care of all the park’s foot- ing strong support. committees to guide the new administra- paths. As he has in recent years, Al roams tion as it takes office. Preliminary signals the trails several times weekly to chain-saw HONORARY MEMBER from the new administration are that they blow-downs, leaving his trademark initials For long years of service to to the Trail Conference will continue to support active acquisition and date of removal. On a personal level, of open space, and will move ahead on key he has also nurtured good relations with a Bob Marshall pieces of environmental legislation. private owner through whose land an Bob Marshall’s In New Jersey, there is no new adminis- important Perkins Trail segment passes. Al’s accomplishments tration, so the focus is on the GSPT enthusiasm marks him as a model trail as the TC’s non- referendum and using the pro-open space maintainer who walks the extra mile, and pareil trail crew vote to lay the groundwork for ATV legis- beyond. leader are too lation that protects our investments in many to recount, public land. The environmental communi- NEXT GENERATION AWARD but there can be ty also needs to bring this “green mandate” To individuals age 21 or younger who are no doubt that all to our work on the NJ State Trails Plan and ZUBARIK STEPHEN making significant contributions to trail hikers are deeply Gay Mayer was “on the job” when he the NJ Highlands Regional Master Plan, building/protection indebted to him. got his award from Chris Connolly. both of which are being rolled out over the Over a dozen

next few months. Dan Hausner years as West DUNN TOM On the whole, these dramatic changes PAUL LEIKIN EXTRA MILE AWARD Dan Hausner got his first taste of trail- Hudson Trail Crew Chief, he oversaw the have brought the environment back to the For exceptional commitment to 3-5 year project building as a Suffern high schooler working preservation and upgrading of the foot- forefront of the public’s awareness, and our on the Twin Forts staircase with his parents. paths in most New York state parks south job is to keep it there. Herb Chong and Ruth Rosenthal Since then, he has pursued a solo career of the Catskills. Even after stepping down The behind-the-scenes efforts of Publica- with the West Hudson South Trail Crew as crew chief in 2003, he has continued his Sources: EarthJustice, NY League of Conser- tions Committee members Herb Chong on the Brooks Lake Trail and other work trail-blazing career, now 22 years strong, as vation Voters, Environmental Advocates of and Ruth Rosenthal have substantially con- trips, but he has truly come into his own leader of the popular Thursday work trips. NY, Land Trust Alliance, and Trust for tributed to the editorial excellence for on the Bear Mountain Trails Restoration Bob’s legacy is not merely measured in trail Public Land ‘LandVote’ database. which TC maps and books are noted. With Project. Dan logged in more than 80 hours miles built and restored; his ability to nur- a versatile background as cartographer, pro- on the Appalachian Trail by summer, and ture and inspire a whole new generation of grammer, and photographer, Herb was the continued his Trail University studies there crew leaders and workers by virtue of his computer wizard behind the TC’s pioneer- in the fall on an internship. Dan impresses unstinting dedication, legendary expertise, ing digitally-produced Sterling Forest map; everyone he works with, and is on his way and quiet air of command is incalculable. editor of the most recent edition of the to graduating as a master trail-builder. Page 8 January/February 2007 HIKERS’ ALMANAC A Sampling of Upcoming Hikes Sponsored by Member Clubs

January ADK-R. Johnsontown Circular, Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: AMC-NYNJ. Sociables Hikers 50+ Ramapo Reservation, NJ. Sunday, January 21 Call leader at 845-354-9165 for details and meeting place. Leaders: Carol O’Keefe, 973-328-7395/cell:973-714-5378, and GAHC. Blue Mountain Reservation, Peekskill, NY. Leader: Monday, January 1 UCHC. Loantaka Brook Reservation, Morris Twp., NJ. Leader: Margo Moss, [email protected]. Meet: 10 am, Ramapo Bernhard Kessler, 212-541-7964. Meet: 10 am at Peekskill RR RVW. Minnewaska State Park, NY. Leader: For information, call Al MacLennan, 973-451-1435. Meet: 10 am at South St. parking Darlington parking lot, Rt. 202. Call leader for carpool. We will hike station. Moderate and easy hikes, possible cross-country skiing. 845-246-4590. Meet: 8 am; call for location. Moderate 5 miles up the Ridge Trail to Bear Swamp Lake for lunch. Back on the area. Easy, 2-hour, level walk through woods, with duck pond and IHC. Hook Mtn. and Rockland Lake S.P., NY. Leader: Steve (4 hours); snowshoes and crampons required. Inclement weather Orange and Waterfall Trails. Heavy rain/bad road conditions one water crossing. Rikon, 973-962-4149. Meet: 9 am at Suffern, NY, lot on Rt. 202 & date is following Monday. cancel. Bring showshoes if snow on ground. Call leader if in doubt. WWW. Skylands 2 Skyline, NJ. Leader: Don Weise. Meet: 9:30 Rt. 59. Shuttle required. Moderate hike on Long Path, climbing UCHC. New Year’s Day in Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: Dave Intended primarily for ages 50+, but all are welcome. am; call Weis Ecology Center, Ringwood, NJ, at 973-835-2160 for ridge of Hook Mtn. with great views in all directions, then Sutter, [email protected]. Meet: 9:30 am at Elk Pen parking, Arden, details; must call to register. Hike Ringwood to Oakland on this Tuesday, January 16 descending to the Hudson. Conditions may require crampons Harriman State Park. Moderately strenuous hike along obscure strenuous, 8-to-9-mile hike over the Ramapos. Highlights include UCHC. Tour de Doodletown, NY. Leader: Dave Sutter, or snowshoes. footpaths dimly recalled by leader; much up and down, so no Skylands Botanical Gardens, Mt. Defiance, Bear Swamp Lake, [email protected]. Meet: 10 am at Iona Island parking, half-mile beginners. Bad weather cancels. ADK-R. Pine Meadow, Harriman State Park, NY. Leader: Call some ruins, and Ramapo Lake. south of Bear Mtn. Inn on Rt. 9W. Moderate pace to forgotten 845-354-9165 for details and meeting place. We’ll hike from the UCHC. Delaware Water Gap, NJ. Leader: Tanya McCabe, places in our favorite park (Harriman). Bad weather cancels. Monday, January 8 Equestrian Center. 908-362-5499; must call to confirm hike is still on, no calls after Wednesday, January 17 9:30 pm. Meet: 10:30 am at Millbrook Village, Blairstown. Easy RVW. Big Indian (3700') and Eagle (3600'), NY. Leader: For WWW. Young Adult Hikes, NJ. Leader: Charlie Sontag. Meet: 11 am; UCHC. Ramapo Lake, Oakland, NJ. Leader: Micky Siegel, 5 miles on trail and fire road, with one up and down. information, call 845-658-8606. Meet: 7 am; call for location. call Call Weis Ecology Center, Ringwood, NJ, at 973-835-2160 for Very strenuous hike and bushwhack; 7 miles (7 hours); snow- 201-797-7054. Meet: 10 am at first lot on left at bottom of hill, details; must call to register. These moderately paced, social hikes AMC-NYNJ. Sociables 50+ Diamond Mountain Circular, NY. shoes and crampons required. Inclement weather date is Skyline Dr. Casual hike in a beautiful area, well worth the trip. are meant for adults ages 18 to 30. A great opportunity to spend Leaders: Chris Connolly, 201-816-9465, [email protected], following Monday. some time outside, unwind from papers and projects, and make and Margo Moss, [email protected]. Celebrate the New some new friends. Each hike will meet at Weis and carpool to the Year with true cheer—on the trail. Old Man Winter will dictate PMNHA. Moderate Morning Hike, NJ. Leader: Call 973-334-3130 to register; adults only. Meet: 10 am at Pyramid Mtn. Natural His- trailhead if needed. Please wear appropriate shoes, bring plenty of route. Steady precipitation cancels. Intended primarily for ages water, and dress in layers for the weather. Hazardous driving 50+, but all are welcome. toric Area, visitors center, 472A Boonton Ave., Montville Township, NJ. Moderate morning hike up to one of our inspiring conditions will cancel the hike. Cost for College Students: $5. Tuesday, January 2 overlooks. Monday, January 22 GS. Baby and Me Hikes, NJ. Leader: Call 973-635-6629 to regis- Tuesday, January 9 RVW. Doubletop Mountain (3860'), NY. Leader: For informa- ter; $1 fee. Meet: 9:30 am at Great Swamp Outdoor Education tion, call 845-338-8772. Meet: 8 am; call for location. Very 1 UCHC. Bearfort Ridge, Waywayanda S.P., NJ. Leader: Kathie Center, 247 Southern Blvd., Chatham, NJ. Moderate 1 /2 hours. Put Grifone, 201-891-5161. Meet: 9:30 am at ranger station. Moderate strenuous bushwhack of 5.5 miles (5 hours); snowshoes and your infant in a pack and join our naturalist on various Morris crampons required. Inclement weather date is following Monday. County trails; every Tuesday through February. 7 miles, with gradual climb to Bearfort Ridge view and back on the AT. Tuesday, January 23 UCHC. Watchung Reservation, NJ. Leader: Eck Khoon Goh, UCHC. Rattlesnake Swamp Loop, Delaware Water Gap, NJ. 908-790-0939. Meet: 10 am at Trailside Nature & Science Center, Wednesday, January 10 Leader: Carol O’Keefe, 973-328-7395. Meet: 10 am at AMC Camp Coles Ave. Moderate 5-6 miles. Rain or icy conditions cancel. RVW. Olana, NY. Leader: For information, call 845-246-7174. Meet: 10 am; call for location. Easy walk of 5 miles (5 hours). Mohican, Blairstown, NJ. 6 miles on Rattlesnake Swamp Trail and Wednesday, January 3 the AT. Heavy rain, snow or ice cancels. UCHC. Mahlon Dickerson, Jefferson Twp., NJ. Leader: Joe UCHC. Hank’s Pond, Pequannock Watershed, NJ. Leader: Pete Thursday, January 25 Beck, 201-274-4471; must call to register. Meet: 9:45 am at lot P1 McLaughlin, 973-263-2799. Meet: 10 am at picnic area. Moderate. UCHC. Lake Kanawauke, Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: Jim Conlon, on Clinton Rd. (1.6 mi. north of Rt. 23). Moderate 5 miles; bring Always a favorite; hike to the highest point in Morris County. 914-591-6079. Meet: 10 am at Kanawauke parking, on Rt. 106 off snowshoes if sufficient snow. Thursday, January 11 of Seven Lakes Dr. Moderately strenuous hike. GS. New Year’s Stroll, NJ. Leader: Call 973-635-6629 to regis- UCHC. Ramapo State Forest, NJ. Leader: Carol O’Keefe, 973- Saturday, January 27 ter. Meet: 10 am at Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 328-7395. Meet: 10 am at upper lot, Skyline Dr. Moderately Southern Blvd., Chatham, NJ. Easy hike. Start your new year by strenuous 9 miles; snow or ice may cancel. ADK-MH. Mid-Hudson Area Trek, NY. Leaders: Georgette Weir and Jean-Claude Fouere, [email protected] or 845-462- walking along our trails, clearing your mind to make room for new Saturday, January 13 things ahead. 0142 (before 9:30 pm). A moderately strenuous hike or AMC-NYNJ. Beginner Hike in North Woods, Central Park. snowshoe—to be determined by weather conditions at the time. Thursday, January 4 Leader: Nancy Tollefson, 212-727-8961; no calls after 9:30 pm. We’ll hope for sufficient snow within an hour or so of ADK-MH. Mid-Week, Mid-Hudson Hike, NY. Leaders: Jane Meet: 10 am at park entrance, 103rd St. & CPW. Moderate 4 miles Poughkeepsie and plan accordingly. Geisler, 845-677-9909 or Lalita Malik 845-592-0204, on easy terrain. Everything you always wanted to know about hik- RVW. Hudson Valley Rail Trail, Highland, NY. Leader: For informa- [email protected]. On first and third Thursdays of the month, ing, without leaving the city. Optional lunch at Boathouse Café tion, call 845-246-6459. Meet: 10 am; call for location. Easy walk of we meet for moderate 3-4 hour hikes to different areas in the (less expensive section) after hike. Forecast of bad weather may 5 miles (4 hours). Inclement weather date is following Saturday. Mid-Hudson Valley. The hikes will be followed by late lunch or cancel. early dinner at a restaurant in the area. Please contact one leader UCHC. Watchung Reservation, Mountainside, NJ. Leader: Joan UCHC. Jockey Hollow National Park, Morristown, NJ. Leader: by Wednesday for meeting time and place. Lepselter, 908-273-4188. Meet: 10 am at Trailside Nature and Sci- Betty Mills, 973-538-4922. Meet: 10 am at Jockey Hollow visitors center. Casual 3 miles (2 hours) in this historic park; suitable for UCHC. Sterling Forest, NY. Leader: Katya Hanson, 732-530-5213. ence Center, Coles Ave. at N. Providence Rd. Brisk 4-5 miles; beginners. Steady rain, snow or ice cancels. Meet: 10 am at commuter lot, Rts. 17 & 17A, Tuxedo, NY, for steady rain, falling snow or ice cancels. Sunday, January 28 shuttle. Moderately strenuous 8 miles to Indian Hill and Sunday, January 14

Wildcat Mountain. WEIR GEORGETTE IHC. Osborn Loop, Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: Jane Egan, 973- IHC. Freedom Park, Randolph, NJ. Leader: Jennifer and Guy Mineral Spring Falls in Black Rock Forest. Saturday, January 6 Percival, 973-984-1005. Meet: 9 am at Freedom Park, 640 Mill- 636-0809; no calls after 9 pm. Meet: 9 am at Anthony Wayne parking area, Harriman State Park. Moderate 6 miles in lovely GS. Hike Off the Holidays, NJ. Leader: Call 973-635-6629 to brook Ave., Randolph. Easy hike, or continue with us after lunch Thursday, January 18 Hudson Valley. Largely on carriage roads, with one steep ascent register. Meet: 2 pm at Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, for an additional moderate loop by Clyde Potts Reservoir. ADK-MH. Mid-Week, Mid-Hudson Hike, NY. Leaders: Jane at the start. Conditions may require crampons or snowshoes. 247 Southern Blvd., Chatham, NJ. Brisk stroll through the winter UCHC. South Mtn. Reservation, Millburn, NJ. Leader: Ed Lei- Geisler, 845-677-9909 or Lalita Malik 845-592-0204, PMNHA. Singles Hike, NJ. Leader: Call 973-334-3130 for infor- forest to work off any holiday stress. bowitz, 201-332-1709. Meet: 10 am at Locust Grove parking, Glen [email protected]. On first and third Thursdays of the month, mation. Meet: 1 pm at Pyramid Mtn. Natural Historic Area, visitors Sunday, January 7 Ave., across from Millburn RR station. Moderate. Crampons may we meet for moderate 3-4 hour hikes to different areas in the center, 472A Boonton Ave., Montville Township, NJ. Moderate be needed; rain or falling snow cancels. Mid-Hudson Valley. The hikes will be followed by late lunch or IHC. Garret Mountain, Paterson, NJ. Leader: Charlie and Anite hike; let us help you find someone to hike with. Kientzler, 973-835-1060. Meet: 9 am at Home Depot (south side), PMNHA. Tripod Rock, NJ. Leader: Call 973-334-3130 for informa- early dinner at a restaurant in the area. Please contact one leader Riverview Dr. & Rt. 46 (westbound), Totowa, NJ. Moderate. See tion. Meet: 1 pm at Pyramid Mtn. Natural Historic Area, visitors by Wednesday for meeting time and place. Monday, January 29 splendid views of Paterson, Turkey Mtn., High Mtn. and as far center, 472A Boonton Ave., Montville Township, NJ. Moderate UCHC. Johnsontown Rd., Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: Jim UCHC. Loantaka Brook Reservation, Morris Twp., NJ. Leader: north as Schunemunk Mtn. from the top of the First Watchung hike to one of our famous glacial erratics. McKay, 973-538-0756. Meet: 10 am at Johnsontown Circle. Len Shnitzer, 732-499-9176. Meet: 10 am at Kitchell Rd. parking Range. Rain cancels. near pond. Easy stroll where you can talk and not have to watch Monday, January 15 Moderately strenuous 9 miles on several trails, including new trails in Dater Mtn. Nature Park. your feet. GAHC. Inwood Hill and Fort Tryon Parks (Cloisters), NYC. RVW. Acra Point (3100'), NY. Leader: For information, call 845- Leader: Evelyn Hoyer, 718-457-8319. Meet: 10 am at Cloisters 246-7616. Meet: 8 am; call for location. Moderate 5 miles (4 Saturday, January 20 Tuesday, January 30 parking lot. Easy hike; admission fee to Cloisters museum. hours); snowshoes and crampons required. ADK-R. Stahahe Sojourn, Harriman-Bear Mtn. S.P., NY. Leader: UCHC. Echo Lake, Pequannock Watershed, NJ. Leader: Jim and Call 201-816-9465 for details and meeting place. Theresa McKay, 973-538-0756. Meet: 10 am at Newark Watershed Office parking on Echo Lake Rd., off of Rt. 23. Moderate 7 miles, ADK-R. Doodletown, Harriman-Bear Mtn. S.P., NY. Leader: trails and a short road walk. Call 845-354-9165 for details and meeting place. PMNHA. Tree Identification Hike, NY. Leader: Call 973-334-3130 February The activities listed are sponsored by member clubs of the NY-NJ Trail Conference. All hikers are welcome subject to club regula- for information. Meet: 1 pm at Pyramid Mtn. Natural Historic Area, tions and rules of the trail. You are responsible for your own safety. Wear hiking boots or strong, low-heeled shoes. Bring food, water, Thursday, February 1 visitors center, 472A Boonton Ave., Montville Township, NJ. rain gear, first aid kit, and a flashlight in a backpack. Leaders have the right and responsibility to refuse anyone whom they believe ADK-MH. Mid-Week, Mid-Hudson Hike, NY. Leaders: Jane Easy hike; we’ll get to the root of winter tree identification. cannot complete the hike or is not adequately equipped. Easy, moderate, or strenuous hikes are relative terms; call leader if in doubt. Geisler, 845-677-9909 or Lalita Malik 845-592-0204, UCHC. Watchung Reservation, Mountainside, NJ. Leader: Mae [email protected]. On first and third Thursdays of the month, More than 90 clubs belong to the Trail Conference, and many of our affiliate groups sponsor hikes not listed in the Hikers’ Almanac. Deas, 908-233-6641. Meet: 10 am at Trailside Nature and Science we meet for moderate 3-4 hour hikes to different areas in the For a descriptive list of Conference clubs, consult our website or send a SASE with your request to NY-NJ Trail Conference. Center, Coles Ave. at N. Providence Rd. Moderate 4-5 miles, some Mid-Hudson Valley. The hikes will be followed by late lunch or Club Codes level and some hills. Steady rain/heavy snow cancels, but if deep early dinner at a restaurant in the area. Please contact one leader Only those clubs with hikes offered in this issue are listed below. Please call numbers listed to confirm. snow on ground we’ll cross-country ski. by Wednesday for meeting time and place. ADK-MH ADK Mid-Hudson Chapter PMNHA Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area WWW. Weis Women's Hikes, NJ. Meet: 8 am; call Weis Ecology UCHC. Pine Meadow Extension, New Trail in Harriman S.P., NY. ADK-R ADK Ramapo Chapter RVW Rip Van Winkle Hiking Club Center, Ringwood, NJ, at 973-835-2160 for details; must call to reg- Leader: Hank Perrine, 212-666-0694. Meet: 10 am at Equestrian AMC-NYNJ Appalachian Mountain Club, UCHC Union County Hiking Club ister. Moderately paced, 2-to-3-mile hikes. Join Wendy Rhoads, Center, Rt. 202, Ramapo. Moderately strenuous lollipop hike on Penny Nichols Galvany, and Sanctuary Director, Karla Risdon for the new Pine Meadow Extension trail. New York-North Jersey Chapter WWW Weis Wyanokie Wanderers these early morning hikes to some of their favorite scenic spots. A Saturday, February 3 GAHC German-American Hiking Club great way to enjoy some time outdoors, get some exercise, and get Clubs wishing to have hikes listed in Hikers’ Almanac UCHC. Watchung Reservation, Mountainside, NJ. Leader: Joan GS Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center home early enough to spend time with family and friends. Please should send their schedules to [email protected] or to the Lepselter, 908-273-4188. Meet: 10 am at Trailside Nature & wear appropriate shoes and bring plenty of water. Cost: $5. IHC Interstate Hiking Club Trail Conference Office. The deadline for the March/April Science Center, Coles Ave. at N. Providence Rd. Brisk 4-5 miles. NYR New York Ramblers 2007 issue is January 15, 2007. Steady rain, falling snow, or ice cancels. January/February 2007 Page 9

Sunday, February 4 UCHC. Allamuchy North, NJ. Leader: Pete Beck, 201-274-4471. Sunday, February 25 PMNHA. Snowshoe Hike, NJ. Leader: Call 973-334-3130 for infor- IHC. Ringwood Meander, NJ. Leader: Steve Rikon, 973-962-4149. Meet: 10 am at Waterloo Village; call for directions. Moderate GAHC. Ward’s Pound Ridge Reservation, Cross River, NY. mation. Meet: 1 pm at Pyramid Mtn. Natural Historic Area, visitors Meet: 9 am at Skylands Manor, Lot A, Ringwood, NJ. Moderate 6-7 miles, with some views and nice rock formations. Leader: Brian Kassenbrock, 718-748-0624; please call ahead to center, 472A Boonton Ave., Montville Township, NJ. Moderate trek hike on Cooper Union trail to Governor Mtn. overlook. Conditions Wednesday, February 14 register. Meet: 10 am at museum parking lot. Moderate and easy up to Pyramid Mtn.; we’ll hike instead if there’s no snow. may require crampons or snowshoes. GS. Valentine Walk, NJ. Leader: Call 973-635-6629 to register. hikes; possible cross-country skiing. Thursday, March 1 GAHC. Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay, NY. Leader: Joy Meet: 10 am at Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center, 247 IHC. Island Pond, Harriman State Park, NY. Leader: Ilse Dunham, UCHC. Elk Pen, Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: Arnie Seymour- Mollenhausen, 516-883-8595. Meet: 10 am in west parking lot. Southern Blvd., Chatham, NJ. Easy, peaceful stroll with your loved 973-838-8031. Meet: 9:30 am at Southfields, NY, commuter lot, Jones, 201-768-3864; must register with leader day before hike. Easy hike with visit to Camellia House. ones on the trails of the Great Swamp. Rt. 17 & Rt. 17A. Moderate but invigorating day to and around Island Meet: 10 am at Elk Pen; call for directions. 6 miles, with significant UCHC. Lake Welch, Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: Dave Sutter, Thursday, February 15 Pond. Conditions may require crampons or snowshoes. Heavy climb at start. falling snow or poor driving conditions cancels. [email protected]. Meet: 9:30 am at parking where SBM trail cross- ADK-MH. Mid-Week, Mid-Hudson Hike, NY. Leaders: Jane es Rt. 106 near Lake Welch. Moderately strenuous, full day hike; Geisler, 845-677-9909 or Lalita Malik 845-592-0204, not suitable for beginners. 7+ miles on variety of obscure paths. [email protected]. On first and third Thursdays of the month, Bad weather may cancel. we meet for moderate 3-4 hour hikes to different areas in the Hikers’ WWW. Young Adult Hikes, NJ. Leader: Charlie Sontag. Meet: 11 am; Mid-Hudson Valley. The hikes will be followed by late lunch or call Call Weis Ecology Center, Ringwood, NJ, at 973-835-2160 for early dinner at a restaurant in the area. Please contact one leader Marketplace details; must call to register. These moderately paced, social hikes by Wednesday for meeting time and place. are meant for adults ages 18 to 30. A great opportunity to spend UCHC. Stokes and Sunrise Mtn., NJ. Leader: Al MacLennan, NY-NJ TC member? YES NO JOINING NOW some time outside, unwind from papers and projects, and make 973-451-1435; must call leader to register. Meet: 10 am at Stokes Please order by circling price Retail Member P/H Total some new friends. Each hike will meet at Weis and carpool to the State Forest office parking lot; shuttle required. Fairly moderate trailhead if needed. Please wear appropriate shoes, bring plenty of 5 miles on Tinsley, Swenson, and Blue Mtn. Trails. Official Conference Maps water, and dress in layers for the weather. Hazardous driving Catskill Trails (2005) & see combo $14.95 $11.21 +$1.35 ______conditions will cancel the hike. Cost for College Students: $5. Saturday, February 17 UCHC. Jockey Hollow, Morristown, NJ. Leader: Betty Mills, East Hudson Trails (2006) $10.95 $ 8.21 +$1.20 ______Monday, February 5 973-538-4922. Meet: 10 am at visitors center parking lot. Casual Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails (2005) & see combo $ 9.95 $ 7.46 +$1.20 ______UCHC. Mills Reservation, Cedar Grove, NJ. Leader: Joe 3 miles (2 hours) in this national historical park; suitable for begin- Hudson Palisades Trails (2005) $ 8.95 $ 6.71 +$1.20 ______McLaughlin, 973-263-2799. Meet: 10 am; call for directions. Easy ners. Steady rain, snow, or ice cancels. hike on Lenape Trail and Blue Trail. Kittatinny Trails (2005) & see combo $12.95 $ 9.71 +$1.35 ______WWW. Weis Women's Hikes, NJ. Meet: 8 am; call Weis Ecology NEW!! North Jersey Trails (2007) $ 9.95 $ 7.46 +$1.20 ______Tuesday, February 6 Center, Ringwood, NJ, at 973-835-2160 for details; must call to reg- GS. Baby and Me Hikes, NJ. Leader: Call 973-635-6629 to regis- ister. Moderately paced, 2-to-3-mile hikes. Join Wendy Rhoads, Shawangunk Trails (2005) & see combo $10.95 $ 8.21 +$1.20 ______ter; $1 fee. Meet: 9:30 am at Great Swamp Outdoor Education Penny Nichols Galvany, and Sanctuary Director, Karla Risdon for South Taconic Trails (2006) $ 4.95 $ 3.71 +.80 ______1 Center, 247 Southern Blvd., Chatham, NJ. Moderate 1 /2 hours. these early morning hikes to some of their favorite scenic spots. A Sterling Forest Trails (2005) $ 7.95 $ 5.96 +$1.00 ______Put your infant in a pack and join our naturalist on various Morris great way to enjoy some time outdoors, get some exercise, and get West Hudson Trails (2006) $ 8.95 $ 6.71 +$1.20 ______County trails; every Tuesday through February. home early enough to spend time with family and friends. Please Books UCHC. Skyline Drive, NJ. Leader: Kathie Grifone, 201-891-5161. wear appropriate shoes and bring plenty of water. Cost: $5. Meet: 10 am at upper lot, Skyline Dr. (exit 57 on I-287). Moderate Sunday, February 18 New York Walk Book (2005) & see combo $22.95 $17.21 +$3.00 ______7 miles, with a 900’ climb to a nice view overlooking New York. IHC. Kanawauke Exploration, Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: Jim New Jersey Walk Book (2004) & see combo $19.95 $14.96 +$3.00 ______Wednesday, February 7 Conlon, 914-591-6079. Meet: 9:15 am at Kanawauke parking, Rt. Circuit Hikes in Northern New Jersey (2003) $11.95 $ 8.96 +$2.50 ______ADK-R. Ramapo Reservation, NJ. Leader: Call 845-359-2465 106, Harriman. Moderately strenuous pace for 8 miles on mostly Day Walker (2002) $16.95 $12.71 +$2.50 ______for details and meeting place. moderate terrain; hopefully we’ll find untracked snow. Conditions Harriman Trails Guide (1999) & see combo $16.95 $12.71 +$3.00 ______may require crampons or snowshoes. UCHC. Loantaka Brook Reservation, Morris Twp., NJ. Leader: Hiking Long Island (2005) $19.95 $14.96 +$3.00 ______Len Shnitzer, 732-499-9176. Meet: 10 am at Kitchell Rd. parking UCHC. Washington Rock, South Mtn. Reservation, Millburn, Iron Mine Trails: NY/NJ Highlands (1996, rev. 1999) $ 8.95 $ 6.71 +$2.50 ______near pond. Moderate hike. NJ. Leader: Dave Hogenauer, 973-762-1475. Meet: 1:30 pm at Deer Paddock, Crest Dr. off of S. Orange Ave. Easy afternoon hike, Kittatinny Trails (2004) & see combo $18.95 $14.21 +$2.50 ______Thursday, February 8 using unusual routes that are seldom taken. Snow on ground Long Path Guide to NY/NJ (2005) $16.95 $12.71 +$2.50 ______UCHC. Lake Skannatati, Harriman S.P., NY. Leader: George alters route. NEW!! Scenes & Walks in the Northern Shawangunks Pullman, 973-773-2678. Meet: 10 am at Lake Skannatati parking. WWW. Lemon Squeezer/Island Pond/Indian Hill, NY. Leader: (2006) & see combo $13.95 $10.46 +$2.50 ______Moderately strenuous hike. Don Weise. Meet: 9:30 am; call Weis Ecology Center, Ringwood, Health Hints for Hikers (1994) $ 5.95 $ 4.46 +$2.50 ______Saturday, February 10 NJ, at 973-835-2160 for details; must call to register. Experience Doodletown: Hiking Through History in a ADK-R. Long Path. Leader: Call 845-634-7635 for details and Harriman State Park's Lemon Squeezer rock formation, remote Vanishing Hamlet on the Hudson (1996) $12.95 $ 9.71 +$2.50 ______meeting place. Island Pond, Sterling Forest's largest iron forge, lush evergreen forests, and cliff-top forests on this diverse and interesting 9-mile Nature Walks in New Jersey (2003) $14.95 $11.21 +$2.50 ______UCHC. Watchung Reservation, Mountainside, NJ. Leader: Mae hike. Cost: $5 members, $8 non-members. AMC Catskill Mountain Guide (2002) $19.95 $14.96 +$2.50 ______Deas, 908-233-6641. Meet: 10 am at Trailside Nature & Science Center, Coles Ave. at N. Providence Rd. Easy 4-5 miles, with some Monday, February 19 ADK Catskill Trails (2005) & see combo $19.95 $14.96 +$2.50 ______level and some hills. Steady rain or heavy snow cancels; if enough AMC-NYNJ. Sociables 50+ Black Rock Circular, NY. Leaders: ADK Catskill Day Hikes for All Seasons (2002) $12.95 $ 9.71 +$2.50 ______snow, we’ll cross-country ski. Chris Connolly, 201-816-9465, [email protected], and Catskill Trails: A Ranger’s Guide to the High Peaks Sunday, February 11 Margo Moss, [email protected]. Tis a time to thaw out Book One: The Northern Catskills (2000) $14.95 $11.21 +$2.50 ______from those mid-winter blues. Bring appropriate footgear for icy NYR. Mountainview County Park, NY. Leader: Camille Cooper, Book Two: The Central Catskills (2000) $14.95 $11.21 +$2.50 ______conditions. Steady precipitation cancels. Intended primarily for 212-838-0714. Meet: 8:05 am at Port Authority Bus Terminal, for ages 50+, but all are welcome. Shawangunks Trail Companion (2003) $18.95 $14.21 +$3.00 ______8:22 Red & Tan bus to Piermont (one-way). From Piermont to Moon Take a Hike NYC (2006) $16.95 $12.71 +$2.50 ______Haverstraw on Long Path, Upper Nyack trail, Shore Path; view Tuesday, February 20 Walking Manhattan’s Rim (2003) $13.95 $10.46 +$2.50 ______Buttermilk Falls. UCHC. Ramapo Mtn. State Forest, NJ. Leader: Carol O’Keefe, 973-328-7395. Meet: 10 am at upper lot, exit 57 on I-287. Moder- 50 Hikes in the Lower Hudson Valley (2002) $16.95 $12.71 +$3.00 ______GAHC. Staten Island Greenbelt, NYC. Leader: Fred Volk, NEW!! 50 Hikes in New Jersey (2006) $16.95 $12.71 +$3.00 ______718-987-3094; please call ahead to register. Meet: 10 am at ate 6 miles, less if we snowshoe. Greenbelt Nature Center. Easy hike. Wednesday, February 21 Best Hikes w/ Children in New Jersey (2005) $15.95 $11.96 +$2.50 ______PMNHA. Snowshoe Extravaganza, NJ. Leader: Call 973-334- UCHC. Hudson River Palisades, Fort Lee, NJ. Leader: Micky Best Hikes w/ Children in the Catskills & 3130 to register. Meet: 10 am – 3 pm at Pyramid Mtn. Natural Siegel, 201-797-7054. Meet: 10 am at Alpine Boat Basin, Fort Lee. Hudson River Valley (2002) $14.95 $11.21 +$2.50 ______Historic Area, visitors center, 472A Boonton Ave., Montville Flat hike along the Hudson, under the George Washington Bridge Hudson to Delaware: The Great Valley (2004) $75.00 $56.25 +$5.00 ______Township, NJ. Snowshoes available to use, easy guided hikes, hot and north. refreshments and a good time for all. $2; snowshoe rental $3. Combo-Packs Thursday, February 22 Catskill (5-map set & ADK book) $30.35 $22.69 +$2.50 ______Monday, February 12 UCHC. Stokes State Forest, NJ. Leader: Carol O’Keefe, 973-328- Harriman (2-map set & book) $23.40 $17.55 +$3.00 ______UCHC. Grover Cleveland Park, Essex Fells, NJ. Leader: Cherryll 7395. Meet: 9:30 am at Stony Lake parking. Moderately Short, 973-299-0212. Meet: 10 am; call for directions. Enjoy best strenuous 10 miles on the AT and other trails; shuttle required. NY & NJ Walk Books $38.60 $30.95 +$4.25 ______of two parks on this easy hike. Snow or ice on ground may alter or cancel hike. Shawangunk (3-map set & Scenes & Walks book) $21.65 $16.23 +$2.50 ______Tuesday, February 13 Saturday, February 24 Kittatinny (4-map set & book) $27.80 $20.85 +$2.50 ______PMNHA. Winter Waterfowl Walk, NJ. Leader: Call 973-334-3130 UCHC. South Mtn. Reservation, Millburn, NJ. Leader: Ellie King, The Personal Touch to register; adults only. Meet: 10 am: call for meeting place. Break 908-233-8411. Meet: 10 am at Tulip Springs parking, Brookside Note Cards: TC Collection $12.00 $ 9.00 +$2.50 ______Ave. Moderate 4-5 miles on trails and woods roads. out the binoculars and enjoy the avian life at Silas Condict Park. Long-sleeve Denim Shirt Circle: S M L XL $29.90 $22.43 +$5.00 ______Polo Shirt (Forest Green) Circle: S M L XL $19.90 $14.93 +$5.00 ______Harriman Map Bandanna $ 6.95 $ 5.21 +$1.85 ______Visit Morgan Outdoors for... Conference Logo Patch $ 2.50 $ 2.50 postpaid ______ï snowshoe rentals Long Path Logo Patch $ 2.75 $ 2.75 postpaid ______ï gear, clothing & footwear Conference Logo Decal $ .85 $ .85 postpaid ______ï maps, books, supplies & games Subtotal ______ï special events & programs Postage/handling from above ______New Jersey residents add 7% tax* ______TOTAL ENCLOSED $ ______Try Something New: ï snowshoeing ï bird watching Method of Payment: ï camping ï star gazing NAME Check or money order enclosed Visa Mastercard Amex ADDRESS Card #______CITY STATE ZIP Exp. Date: ___ /___ Signature: ______EMAIL TELEPHONE Make check or money order payable to NY-NJ Trail Conference, and mail to: 156 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ 07430. For a full descriptive catalog, please write or call 201-512-9348. *Tax must be paid on books, maps, misc., but not on clothing or shipping, by customers with NJ ship-to (not billing) addresses. Prices are subject to change. (1/07) YOU CAN ALSO ORDER AT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.NYNJTC.ORG Page 10 January/February 2007 Use Your IRA to Make a Tax-Free Trail Work Leads to Award for John Moran Gift to the Trail Conference Congratulations to John Moran, chair of Millstone Trails. John participated in the the North Jersey Trails Committee and creation of the Schuber Trail, which The new Pension Protection Act lets you make an annual gift to the Trail Conference member of the board of directors of the connects contiguous Scout camps and from you IRA entirely tax-free. This great opportunity allows your charitable Trail Conference, who in October received Ramapo Valley County Reservation. distribution to satisfy all or part of your required minimum IRA distribution for the the Friends of Glen Gray Conservation John recognized the need for footbridges year. You can use your IRA to make your charitable gifts this year and avoid tax on Award. to link trails or to create four-season use in your required IRA distribution. John, a Glen Rock resident, became trail wet areas, and led teams, including Scouts supervisor for the entire Ramapo Valley and Scout troops, to build four bridges. Some restrictions apply: • Only outright charitable gifts can be County Reservation at the time Camp He has also supervised Scout reblazing of made (not to a donor advised fund or Glen Gray was the local Millstone, Schuber, Yellow, and • You must be 70 1/2 years old income gifts such as charitable gift transferred to Yellow-Silver Trails. In addition, John has • Tax benefits apply for gifts up to annuities) Bergen County provided very helpful descriptive and $100,000 per person You should consult with your financial in 2002. He led historical hike information to Camp Glen • This tax free distribution is only available adviser or accountant to see how the a group effort to Gray and its guests. for 2006 and 2007. According to the law, Pension Protection Act can help you. rehabilitate and Although John oversees safe and aesthet- after that, this window of opportunity will To inform the Trail Conference that you integrate Glen ic access for thousands of people to all of be closed. are making an IRA distribution, please Gray trails into northern New Jersey’s backcountry, his • Your gift distribution must be directly to contact Joshua Howard, the TC’s Mem- the surrounding favorite place to hike is the Old Guard the Trail Conference bership and Development Director, at trail network, Trail, at Camp Glen Gray. [email protected] or 201-512-9348, ext. 13. particularly the Old Guard and —Maureen Edelson Byram Township’s the four beneficiaries. Hikers who finished their walks were given Monopoly money IN MEMORIAM Second Annual to distribute among the four local groups, who in turn exchanged the play money for Fall Charity Hike real dollars. The Trail Conference thanks its volun- a Big Success teers for maintaining the trail and leading the hikes, its members for attending the trails and the roads, lakes and mines in the On October 21, more than 700 individu- event, hike organizers Marie Raffay and park. I was glad to report that we had final- als traveled to Hudson Farm in Byram Bob Moss, Byram Township elected offi- ly found a Harriman guide worthy of Township, Sussex County, NJ, to hike a cials for actively supporting the hike, and publication by the Trail Conference! 3.1-mile section of the Highlands Trail and Peter Kellogg for his generosity in hosting Soon afterwards, the process of editing raise money for Byram’s schools, fire this innovative charity event. began. I hiked most of the trails, following department, emergency squad, and initial “This is a unique hike that encouraged Bill’s descriptions, and made recommenda- response team. The event was sponsored by the public to get out on a beautiful section tions for changes. Over a period of about the Hudson Farm in conjunction with of the Highlands Trail while it generated two years, Bill and I exchanged a constant Byram Township, with the help of the Trail $27,000 for local charities,” said Trail Con- flow of correspondence. This was before Conference, which provided hike leaders— ference Conservation and Advocacy the days of e-mail, of course, so everything and the Highlands Trail itself. Director Bill O’Hearn, who manned an was done via U.S. Mail. My letters were As he did last year, Hudson Farm owner information table at the hike. “It has grown typed on a computer and printed out, but and Trail Conference life member Peter from 500 hikers last year to 700, and I Berthe and Bill Myles Bill never learned how to use a computer— Kellogg pledged to give $1 per year of age hope it introduces even more people to the The hiking community lost two esteemed or even a typewriter, for that matter! His of each participant to their choice of any of Highlands Trail next year.” friends in recent months: Berthe and Bill letters were all handwritten, as was the Myles. Berthe passed away August 1; Bill, manuscript for the book that he submitted October 15. The two met on a hike and to the Trail Conference. (Of course, the DONORS TO THE ANNUAL FUND married in 1977. Berthe, a widow when manuscript was inputted into the comput- September 28, 2006 to November 16, 2006 she met Bill, was the mother of three er by a group of volunteers.) Finally, in GIFTS daughters, eight grandchildren, and 18 1992, the book was completed and sent to Robert P. & Joan T. Augello, Walter J. & Elizabeth Barrett, William B. Bates Jr., Dr. George L. Becker Jr.*, Steven Becker, John great-grandchildren. Bill, author of the the printer. B. Blenninger*, Douglas O. Bowers, John V. Bracco, Raymond A. Bragar & Robin Hertz, Christopher & Suzanne Bujara, Jeffrey J. & Susan Burek, Dennis Carbonero, Melissa & Jay Curwin*, Mark J. Dallara, Jane & Walt Daniels*, Robert S. much loved Harriman Trails, is survived by Since then, the book has appeared in Denzau, Sandra Diana, Robert E. Dinse, Joseph DiSaverio, Majken Elgaard, Leonard & Nancy Esposito, David Ettenberg, two daughters, three grand-children, and three editions, and more than 16,500 Danielle Ficker & James Moore, Heidi Adami & Christopher Fordice, Susan C. Gambardella, R. Dan & Ann Gladding, six great-grandchildren. copies have been sold. It remains one of the Jeffrey Glans & Louise Perkins, Fabian D. Gonell, Coralyn & Abraham Gorlicki, Deeny Haertlein, John M. Hanrahan & The two made a striking couple, Berthe Trail Conference’s best-selling books, and a Maria Butrico, Abraham Haspel, Edward Z. Hawkes, Kim Hendrickson, Henry E. Heyzer, Randy C. Hilyard, Daniel M. Hunt, Pat T. & Don G. Johnson, Thomas J. Joyce, Nitin Kapadia, Howard Kaplowitz & Robert Gaudreau, Lilo R. Kassel*, Michael standing at 4'9" and weighing less than revised edition is scheduled for publication A. Kaye, Peter L. Kennard*, Janet C. Kohler, William Layfield, Dennis J. Lenz, Rosanne Levitt, Len & Liz Lyon, Lawrence E. 100 pounds, Bill at 6' and 200 pounds, yet in 2008. Mals*, Donald F. Mantell, Paul N. & Annette S. Marcus, John McAuliffe, Alan Melniker*, Joseph D. & Aurelia Minuti, they seemed equal in energy and love for We will always treasure Bill’s encyclope- Elizabeth Moran, John Moran & Claudia Moran, John Morrison, Steven R. & Suzanne L. Moses, Hugh H. D. Murray, Doug the outdoors and other people. They leave dic knowledge of the trails in Harriman A. & Jeanne M. O’Connor, Lynn Paton, Joel Pinsker, Earl J. Pursell, Carol A. Quinn & David W. Mayo, Jeff S. Raskin*, Gretchen & Jerry Redden, David & Judith B. Roth, Michael Sasse, Edward R. Schreiber, Peter Senterman & Doug behind many friends, including their hik- and his willingness to share his knowledge Senterman, Brian Snaitkowski, Richard E. Sparrow*, Dennis Spriet, David Stebbins, Susan Sterngold, ing companions in AMC, the Union with others. His book remains an enduring Malcolm G. Stevenson, Phyllis A. Stewart, Marek Stycos, Rachel Theilheimer, Renee P. Victor, Nicholas J. Viggiano, County Hiking Club, and the Trail Con- tribute to his long and productive life. Weitzenhoffer/Seminole Foundation, Philip Winograd, The Estate of Jerome Wyckoff ference. Long-time Trail Conference —Daniel Chazin MEMORIAL GIFTS NEW LIFE MEMBERS MATCHING GIFTS guidebook editor and current Publications In memory of Meyer Kukle Deborah Magocsi & Jason Boyd, Earth Share, ExxonMobil Foundation, Committee Chair Daniel Chazin worked JoAnn & Paul Dolan Barbara Anne Becker & HP Employee Charitable Giving Program, David A. Bolotsky, The New York Times Company Matching often with Bill and writes the following In memory of Frank Bouton remembrance. John & Wanda Giuffrida Dr. George L. Becker III & Gifts Program, Prudential Foundation Dr. Alissa Gelmann Becker, Matching Gifts Program, Tyco Employee In memory of Martin Last David L. & Suzzane P. Becker, Matching Gift Program, Unilever Remembering a Trail Conference Author John & Wanda Giuffrida, Ellen M. Cronan United States Foundation Inc. Manuel J. Silberberg, William J. (Bill) Myles, author of the pop- Peter Tilgner & Suzan Gordon* SHAWANGUNK ular guidebook, Harriman Trails: A Guide In memory of Paul Leikin RIDGE COALITION and History, died on October 15, 2006, at John & Wanda Giuffrida MEMBERSHIP the age of 93. Bill was active for many years In memory of Berthe Myles The Nature Conservancy in the Union County Hiking Club, leading Robert J. Jonas hikes for the group, and serving as its pres- In memory of Betty Lesem Keith & Nicole Oringer* *Members of the Raymond H. Torrey Society ident and treasurer. But his most enduring contribution to the world of hiking is his Looking to expand your portfolio and help the TC? comprehensive guidebook to Harriman State Park – the most popular hiking desti- Have you considered purchasing a charita- fluctuations. And, a charitable gift annuity is nation in the New York metropolitan area. ble gift annuity from the Trail Conference? simple to establish. For many years, the Trail Conference had You can make an investment that benefits With a charitable gift annuity you would been looking to publish a guidebook to the you and the TC. A charitable gift annuity get an immediate income tax deduction for trails and points of interest in Harriman. pays you a steady fixed income for the rest a significant portion of the value of your About 17 years ago, when Bill submitted of your life and is a generous donation to gift and favorable taxation of the annuity the manuscript of his book to the Confer- the TC. payments will increase the spending power ence, I was asked to review it. I Charitable gift annuities are very popular of your annuity. immediately recognized that it reflected gifts because the rate of return never changes For more information, please contact many years of careful field-checking and after a gift is made, regardless of market rate Joshua Howard at [email protected] or 201- research, relating not only to the trail routes 512-9348, ext. 13. themselves, but also to the history of the January/February 2007 Page 11

Book Review The book divides the Adirondacks into Into the Woods with Novartis nine regions and the Catskills into three, with Snowshoe Routes: a total of 65 well described trail routes pretty evenly divided across those areas. The routes Adirondacks and range from a two-mile, one-hour scoot around Alder Lake in the Catskills to a Catskills 21-mile, two- or three-day winter camping ascent of the state’s highest peak, Mount Marcy, from the Upper Works. A very handy Quick Reference Guide lists all the hikes by difficulty rating (Easy, Moderate, Difficult, and Most Difficult), distance, hiking time, whether they are suit- able for families, feature panoramic views, or afford camping possibilities. Each route is numbered and cross referenced to a locator map and the route description. Ingersoll provides complete driving direc- tions right up to the limits of the road Novartis employees were Trail Conference volunteers for a day in October. crews’ snow plowing, good schematic maps Thirty-five employees of Novartis pharma- of his routes plus the relevant USGS map ceutical company in East Hanover, NJ, By Bill Ingersoll reference, starting elevation and high point, volunteered for the Trail Conference as The Mountaineers Books, 2006 land management agency/emergency part of the company’s Community Partner- Reviewed by John Kolp contact information, and his own photos ship Day on Thursday, October 5, 2006. illustrating most of the routes. Eleven of the employees cleared the way for His introductory chapter is crammed a new connector for a section of New Jer- If you are a hiker who hasn’t gotten around with useful information: how to choose a sey’s Millennium Trail—the Highlands to trying snowshoeing yet, put it on your snowshoe, what to watch out for with ice Trail between Windbeam Mountain and agenda for this winter. If you are an experi- crossings, winter clothing and footwear, Norvin Green State Forest in Ringwood, enced snowshoer, you already know how other gear, tips on winter camping (should NJ. Trail Conference members Robert great it is to spend a real winter’s day in the you be tempted), and his “Ten Essentials” Jonas, Estelle Anderson, and John Moran woods. Wherever you are on this spectrum, on navigation, sun protection (yup, you’ll led the team. The other 24 Novartis volun- you will really appreciate Bill Ingersoll’s excel- need it), insulation, illumination (gets dark teers made the trek to Bear Mountain, NY, and spent the day working with Trail lent and thoroughly informative guide book. early), fire, first aid, repairs, emergency Conference staffers Eddie Walsh, Carol Petricevic, Dan Hausner, and Heidi Adami to Ingersoll, an Adirondack Mountain shelter, nutrition, and hydration. clear a quarter-mile segment for the new Appalachian Trail route on the south side of the Club member from Utica, worked with the This is the indispensable book for the best mountain. Both groups were enthusiastic, energetic, and ready to “dig in” for the day; they late Barbara McMartin on the Discover the snowshoeing experience in New York State! are also excited to work with the Trail Conference on future projects. This was the first Adirondacks series and is now the publish- coordinated effort between the Trail Conference and Novartis, which holds a Communi- er of that pioneering guidebook series. ty Partnership Day annually. He knows the Adirondacks and Catskills

intimately, and his trail descriptions encourage you to take full advantage of the freedom of movement snowshoes allow to explore the backcountry.

waterfalls, and the like. The convenience of this program is that you can print out a map of the area you want to hike and GEAR use that instead of buying the collection of full-size printed maps. The maps are much better than any of the free maps that are available on the internet. CHECK The benefits of a computerized map- An occasional series that will review gear ping program should be more than just appropriate for hiking. printing out maps, however. You should be able to plot a projected hike and meas- ure it. You should also be able to see an elevation profile and accumulated eleva- tion gained. This program does all that and more. The relatively easy-to-use menus allow the user to not only create routes (hikes) but to view them in 3D as well. This way you can easily visualize your path. Various points of interest are also indicated on the map and the includ- ed park documentation explains all about Hiking Puts them. You can even add your own anno- National Parks Explorer 3D tations to the map for your reference. Demands on National Geographic, 2006 Realistically, the most important Yo u r F e et. Reviewed by John Jurasek aspect of a computerized mapping pro- gram is the ability to interface with a We Help Your From first glance, National Geographic’s Global Positioning System (GPS) unit. Feet Hike Those National Parks Explorer 3D computer This is certainly possible with this pro- mapping program (list price $49.95) gram, and most GPS units are Extra Miles. seems like a dream come true for map supported. You don’t need to be a lovers and hikers alike. There are four technophile to enjoy this program as the Prevention, Diagnosis & levels of map detail in the program. They GPS Unit interface is very easy to use. Treatment of Foot Disorders range from an overview map of the entire The only drawback that I found was Board Certified Podiatrist & Foot Surgeon United States to an in-depth level for the that being a longtime user of this type of 25 National Parks that are represented program, I am used to a much greater Dr. Howard E. Friedman on the disk. scale than this program provides. How- ever, anyone who wants to enhance their 29 North Airmont Road • Suffern, NY At the most detailed level, the maps are virtually identical to the hard-copy hiking experience with or without a GPS (845) 357-2806 Trails Illustrated maps for their respective unit will surely benefit from this very www.yourfootdoc.net areas. There are 50-foot elevation con- dynamic program. 10% Discount on Custom tours along with hill shading. All major Molded Orthotics and SUPERfeet® trails and points of interest are marked and well labeled. There are icons that to NY/NJ Trail Conference members Rating: 5 boots out of 5 with proof of membership! delineate campgrounds, picnic grounds, Page 12 January/February 2007

New Membership Dues Starting June 1, 2007 Favorite Hike At the Trail Conference Annual Meeting in October 2006, the Delegates voted to increase Trail Conference dues. As we all know, the cost of living has increased since our last mem- By Susan Puretz bership dues increase in April of 2002. Consequently, so has the cost of doing business. Therefore, at the recommendation of the board of directors, the Trail Conference delegates, A Snowshoe Hike in the Catskills consisting of representatives from each of our member organizations, active member dele- gates, and delegates at large, approved a modest, yet necessary increase in membership dues. About 1.2 miles from your car, you will The new dues will go into effect on June 1, 2007. Regardless of when your Trail reach a lean-to, probably a bit too early in Conference membership is set to expire, NOW is the best time to renew it. You’ll be able the outing to stop for hot chocolate. Near to take advantage of special member-only discounted prices, and you’ll be helping the Trail 2,800 feet elevation you duck (or crawl if Conference at an important time, when open space and trail protection most need our the snow is real high) under a diagonal tree attention and energy. trunk that carries on it a DEC blue trail Act now. You’ll be helping yourself and strengthening the Trail Conference in its efforts marker. At about 2,900 feet, you might get to protect and extend access to unspoiled nature. to see the dolmans (rock cairns built by anonymous hikers) on a stone wall on both Join the volunteers who bring you the great outdoors! sides of the trail. 1,675 miles of trails and counting; your membership helps us expand our horizons. Between the lean-to and the log is the place that is most special for me—the pri- Included with membership, Trail Walker, 10% discount on purchases at most mordial spruce forest. For every season this outdoor stores, and 25% discount on all Trail Conference maps and books. particular copse of trees has its own myste- Save time and a tree by joining or renewing online at rious personality. www.nynjtc.org. Just click on the Join/Renew button. A ways past this eerie/enchanting grove you continue through some rock scram- MEMBERSHIP LEVEL 2006 DUES 2007 DUES* bles—a challenge on snowshoes, but not Senior Individual (65+) $18 $25 daunting. Senior Joint (65+) $24 $30 Higher and higher you go until you Individual $25 $30 COURTESY SUSAN PURETZ SUSAN COURTESY reach the 3,500-foot sign and then, before Individual Joint $31 $40 The author in the Catskills with you know it, you’ve climbed 24 feet more Sponsor Individual $50 $60 her winter gear on her back. and are at the summit. Continue onward Sponsor Joint $60 $75 One of my favorite snowshoe routes is on and downward and you quickly arrive at Benefactor Individual $100 $120 Windham High Peak. The trail, a segment one of the great Catskill view points; with Benefactor Joint $120 $150 of the Long Path, affords a moderate climb any luck it will be a clear enough day for Life Individual $500 $1,000 and allows for a great snowshoe outing you to see Albany. Life Joint $750 $1,500 while enabling me to have the experience On a trip to Windham this past Novem- Name ______of ascending one of the 35 Catskill peaks ber (no snow shoes necessary, but lots of Address______over 3,500 feet (it just makes it at 3,524'). mud), a group of Rip Van Winkle Hikers Windham High Peak under a mantle of had a back-to-our-roots experience. On the City ______State______Zip ______snow gives you the advantage of traversing drive there we had to wait for a herd of cat- Day Phone ______Evening Phone______a Catskill trail without contending with the tle to cross the state highway! It caught us E-MAIL ______numerous rocks and roots that ordinarily up short and increased our awareness of Check or money order enclosed Visa Mastercard Amex keep your eyes riveted to the ground. being “in the country” and in touch with The trail up the mountain from the nature. Imagine, modern machinery Card #______Exp. Date: ____/ ____ parking area on Route 23 has lots of vari- delayed by the gentle sway of nature. Make check or money order payable to the NY-NJ Trail Conference, ety. Beginning with a walk over a wooden and mail to: 156 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ 07430. bridge and proceeding through a meadow, Length: 6.6 miles round trip *Effective June 1, 2007 Tax-deductible. you reach the sign-in register—a must for all hiker/snowshoers. And then, suddenly How to Get There: Use NY-NJ TC Map Paragon Sports and Campmor Sponsor Trail Conference Fundraiser the vista changes and you enter a forest of 41, Northeast Catskills. Windham High deciduous trees. Peak is the northernmost 3,500-foot peak in This fairly level stretch of terrain is just the Catskills. Trailhead parking is on the what your body needs for a gentle warm-up north side of Route 23, at the junction with in preparation for the steeper ascents that Cross Road. you will be encountering. The total eleva- tion gain for the trek is approximately 1,750 Susan Puretz is a co-author of The Woman’s feet, but since that is spread over 3.3 miles, Guide to Hysterectomy and The Woman’s the major exertion is limited to two steep, Guide to Peak Performance and is the but relatively short, uphills. The rest of the secretary of the Rip Van Winkle Hikers. time you will have lots of opportunity to catch your breath and enjoy the scenery. Member-Get-A-Member Drive From March 1, 2007, through to the in the heart of the majestic Gunks, just end of May 2007, the Trail Conference near New Paltz, NY. challenges its members to encourage their Check online at www.nynjtc.org/mgm friends, colleagues, and others interested for an updated prize list. The three indi- in high-quality hiking to become mem- viduals with the most new memberships bers. Each current member who sponsors will be awarded individual prizes in corre- a new member will become eligible for sponding order: a Grand Prize, Second Gear raffles sponsored special recognition and prizes! Place prize, and Third Place prize. All by Campmor and Many of our commercial partners have other participants will be eligible for prizes Paragon Sports at generously donated prizes. Top prizes awarded in a raffle. For each new member these events benefit include a mid-week, one-night stay with you recruit, you will be given one chance the Trail Conference. dinner for two in the Catskills at the in the raffle to win a prize. The more new PHOTO: PONDELLA CHRISTIAN Emerson Resort and Spa in Mt. Tremper, members you recruit, the better your NY, and a two-night mid- chance of winning a prize. This traveling exhibition from the 31st New York City Event week stay at the So ask your friends, family, and fellow annual Banff Mountain Film Festival brings Tuesday, March 6, 7:30 pm Minnewaska Lodge, hikers to join the Trail Conference. As you the world’s best mountain films. & Wednesday, March 7, 7:30 pm Win a (different films each night) Grand members, they’ll receive all the great Experience the adventure of climbing, benefits that you enjoy as a member: a free mountain expeditions, remote cultures, Peter Norton Symphony Space Prize! subscription to the Trail Walker, members- and the world’s last great wild places — all 2537 Broadway at 95th Street only discounts at leading outdoor retailers brought to life on the big screen. Tickets available after Jan. 15, Paragon and other establishments, and support for Sports (867 Broadway at 18th Street) the organization that keeps the trails open Suffern Event or www.paragonsports.com. Tickets are for you year after year. Wednesday, February 28, 7:30 pm also available now at Symphony Space Lafayette Theater or by phone 212-864- 5400 or Tickets at Campmor, Paramus, NJ www.symphonyspace.org (or the theater on the day of) (handling charge by phone and online). For additional info, film list, and directions visit www.chestnutmtnproductions.com.

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