My Suburban Escapes
Day Trippin' in Lower NY. Get Out In It.
Category: Hiking
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There is a ribbon of road which runs between Highway 84 and the Hudson River – from Carmel to Cold Spring – which I first “discovered” when finding an alternate route than the Taconic on which boat trailers are allowed. Various adventures brought me back time and again until I finally connected the dots. Route…
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For many a moon I have shared my adventures here, but only the successes. As in social media, the losses are usually left out. There have indeed been many failed excursions. When things go wrong (and they do), you should laugh it off, learn what you can and spin a good tale about it. I…
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An image was emblazoned in my mind’s eye when I was a child, that of a Native American man with a single tear running down his cheek as he canoes through a trash-strewn land. The resonant voice in the background read, “Some people have a deep abiding respectfor the natural beauty that was once this…
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The thing about Spring is she can be cruel, like a gorgeous woman who eludes you at first embrace. Spring Break in the Northeast can go two ways: you can tackle the last of the cold or welcome the first of the heat. I was recently lucky enough to experience both when I headed to…
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It’s that time of year again. To shop. I hate doing it but I love giving, so I’m usually in a pickle about now. I don’t even shop for me year-round, so end up getting myself practical things like socks and underwear. But there’s really no way around it. Gifts must be given to honor…
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For our nascent nation the Catskills were the first frontier, a vast wilderness across the mighty Hudson just waiting to be explored with high peaks, deep valleys and old growth forests. For me the Catskills are a huge chunk of green seen as a blur from the car window which can be accessed off I-87…
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In 2015, I had the privilege of helping kick off a summer program for teens with the Friends of Rye Nature Center which we named Paddle Adventure Camp (PAC). It has shaped my adult summers in the manner that sleepaway camp shapes kids. I never imagined I would be doing it this long, never thought…
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I was recently asked to be a new friend’s “plus one” at a fancy soiree and by accepting discovered a whole new world. It was a dinner celebrating the work of the Palisades Parks Conservancy (PPC) and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) held at Ross Dock on the Hudson River, nestled beneath that sheer…
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“When light is in your heart,You will find your way home.” Rumi It’s hard to admit, but I got lost hiking the Appalachian Trail one recent dreary day. It finally happened. I broke every cardinal rule, didn’t follow my own advice, and brought my hiking partner down to the lowest common denominator of friendship by…
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I’ve been hearing about the mysterious Gunks forever, but always thought they were outta my league, that only the hippest of the hip could tackle them: the rock climbers. “Let’s hit the Gunks this weekend” is not a sentence that would naturally fall from my lips. I just didn’t know what they were until I…
My Suburban Escapes 