TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #970-100) Brated with a Groundbreaking Ceremony at Tions Director
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Grandson, Grandfather Get Updated Map Pair Up to Volunteer for Harriman-Bear Field-checking trails brings Mountain Trails generations together. Features 100+ changes READ MORE ON PAGE 10 READ MORE ON PAGE 11 Spring 2012 New York-New Jersey Trail Conference — Connecting People with Nature since 1920 www.nynjtc.org A Record Year 71 Miles of Long Path to Move This Year for Maps ajor changes are in store for the this time, as well as overseeing trail progress. In what could be a historic “Year of Long Path this year, the happy The complete rerouting in this area Maps’’ for the Trail Conference— Mand long-awaited result of sever - involves 7.0 miles of current LP. planned publication of a record al big trail proposals long in the pipeline. From Schunemunk to the Shawangunks seven revised map sets in 2012— Taken together, some 71 miles of the trail—about 20% of the existing end-to- In Orange County, the original LP route staff cartographer Jeremy Apgar end length—is to be relocated in three went west from Schunemunk to the will certainly keep busy. But these separate projects in three counties: Ulster, Wurtsboro Ridge northeast of Wurtsboro won’t be the only maps on Apgar’s Sullivan, and Orange. Several long road and included about 30 miles of roadwalk - plate. He also has the satisfaction walks will be eliminated or much reduced, ing with no real prospect of improvement. of creating maps for many other and a long desired trail connection between Until now. the Shawangunks and Catskills will be LP South Co-chairs Andy Garrison and purposes that directly or indirectly established (almost). Jakob Franke have identified a new route serve the organization and hikers that cuts the road walk almost in half and throughout the region. Shawangunks to Catskills: offers the prospect of getting additional New Trail Link to Open June 2 miles off of roads in the future. On Just this past January, the Bergen Coun - On National Trails Day, the Trail Confer - Schunemunk Mountain, the new route ty (NJ) Police Department requested ence will join with Minnewaska State Park will turn south at its intersection with the potentially life-saving trails data to aid in Preserve to celebrate the opening of the new Jessup Trail instead of north. It will be co- their emergency operations. In addition Mine Hole Trail in the northernmost part Work will begin on one long-sought aligned with the Jessup and Highlands to helping countless thousands of hikers of the park. This 3.5-mile trail links the relocation of the LP in the Catskills. Trails, and then follow the Heritage Trail safely traverse over 1,800 miles of trails Berrypicker Trail to Berme Road and pro - (rail trail) to just east of Middletown. From in the region, Apgar said it’s always vides most of the long-sought green link to agency has approved a specific route that there it will be mostly road walking to the “great to hear’’ that his maps may have connect the Shawangunks to the Catskills. complies with its guidelines of a slope of Shawangunk Ridge in Mount Hope. The helped a lost hiker get home. The LP will follow its current course not more than 10% (very tough to meet in LP will then follow the current Shawan - through Sam’s Point Preserve to, heading the Catskills!) and we plan to begin trail gunk Ridge Trail north, along the Bashakill A Map Year for the Books northbound, the Verkeerder Kill Falls area construction late this spring. and to the Wurtsboro Ridge. 2012 is shaping up to be the most pro - (private land). There, instead of continuing The general route, from south to north, This reroute has all approvals in place. It lific calendar year for map publication on along the Scenic Trail past Mud Pond, has the LP leaving the Wittenberg-Cornell- requires only new blazing (and removal of since the Trail Conference began print - Lake Awosting and along the Rainbow Falls Slide Trail at the junction with the Terrace LP blazes on the old route), which will ing them in 1974. North Jersey and Trail, Jenny Lane, and Old Minnewaska Mountain Trail, follow the Terrace Moun - begin when Orange County has completed Harriman-Bear Mountain Trails are Trail to Rt. 44/55, the LP will turn north to tain Trail to the Terrace Mountain Shelter, construction of a new ball park in Gonzaga available now. Hudson Palisades, East co-align with the High Point Trail, contin - and continue over Cross Mountain, Park at the southern end of Schunemunk, Hudson, Kittatinny, West Hudson, and ue on the Berrypicker Trail in Minnewaska, Mount Pleasant and Romer Mountain through which the trail will pass. The possibly Sterling Forest Trails will follow then turn onto the new Mine Hole Trail to before descending to a new parking area at timing of this is uncertain as of press time, later this year. Berme Road in Wawarsing. (See map 104, the end of Lane Street in Phoenicia. (See but the park is expected to be completed Shawangunk Trails, 2011 edition.) maps 143 and 141, Catskill Trails.) before summer. From Berme Road, it is a 2-mile road As part of the layout and construction The complete rerouting in this area walk as the route follows Port Ben Road, process, the Trail Conference will be offering involves 39.5 miles of LP. crosses Rt. 209 and continues on Lundy Road to to Vernooy State Forest. One last regulatory hurdle remains to be crossed in order to blaze a route for the LP through that forest and the adjacent Sundown Wild Forest. Once the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) completes the Unit Management Plans for the these two state Publications Committee Chair Daniel forests, the trail will follow the west bank of Chazin (front) and Cartographer Jeremy the Vernooy Kill to Vernooy Falls, to rejoin Apgar check a press proof of the new the current route. (See map 146, Catskills Harriman map. E K Trails, 2010 edition.) N A R F The revised map sets, available at Until that time, the trail will follow B O more than 70 retail outlets in the Rogue Harbor Road to Upper Cherrytown K A J region and from the Trail Conference Road, part of the current route from the Andy Garrison flags a new trail route in the Catskills. website (nynjtc.org/catalog/maps), offer Shawangunks to the Catskills. improvements such as refined contour The complete rerouting in this area a number of Trail University workshops as Collateral Changes lines, added scenic views and points of involves 25.0 miles of LP. part of the project. Courses will include Trail Trail users can expect additional changes to interest, new parklands, and corrections Layout and Design and the Tread and blaze colors and names of several of the trails to previously published maps. As an Into the Woods in Southern Catskills Drainage Workshops. Students will be able that are due to become “former” Long Path example, more than 20 viewpoints were The LP route through the Slide Mountain to work on the trail during the workshop and routes. In particular, trails on Schunemunk added to the Harriman-Bear Mountain Wilderness area currently includes a 5-mile then join up with a trail crew that will be Mountain and in Minnewaska State Park Trails maps at the suggestion of volun - walk on Woodland Valley Road. Fourteen working on the construction of this trail for Preserve will get new colors in the months teers, including Bob Fuller and Daniel years ago, thanks to the hard work of vol - the entire season. ahead. Decided as of the deadline for this Chazin. unteers including Howie Dash, Dale Long Path Co-chairs Andy Garrison and issue: in Minnewaska: Scenic Trail-Violet; The Harriman maps, which took Hughes, and Pete Senterman, DEC gave Jakob Franke, in partnership with our Rainbow Falls-Orange; Jenny Lane-Light continued on page 6 conceptual approval for a plan to relocate Southern Catskills Trails Chair Joe Herrod, Blue; Old Minnewaska Trail-Pink. this stretch of LP into the forest. At last, the will be organizing the work. If you The Shawangunk Ridge Trail is to be are interested in helping take part in this extended from its current end point at VOLUME XXXIX, N UMBER 2 ISSN 0749-1352 trail construction project, please check Sam’s Point, along much of the former out the Catskill Trail Crew schedule at route of the Long Path through Minnewas - nynjtc.org/content/catskill-trail-crews. For ka. It will be co-aligned with the workshop information, check out the Trail abovementioned trails and continue into University schedule at nynjtc.org/trailu the Mohonk Preserve where it will end, at With enough volunteers, we hope to least for now, at Old Clove Road. Stay have the trail finished and open to hikers by tuned. Changes will be announced on our the fall of 2012. DEC is expected to be website as they happen. working on the Lane St. parking lot during Page 2 Spring 2012 Our Future HQ: New Faces on Staff Phase 1 Restoration Mark Hutchison VOLUME XXXIX, NO.2 SPRING 2012 Nears Completion Operations Director GEORGETTE WEIR EDITOR Mark Hutchison joined the LOUIS LEONARDIS GRAPHIC DESIGNER In March 2011, the Trail Conference cele - staff in January as opera - TRAIL WALKER (USPS Permit #970-100) brated with a groundbreaking ceremony at tions director. A Trail (ISSN 0749-1352) is published quarterly by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference as a its future headquarters, the Darlington Conference member and benefit of membership.