On the way up, I chatted with my seatmate, who is just one assignment away from earning a marketing degree from Phoenix University. I was very curious to hear about the nuts and bolts of it, since I'm thinking about taking a class at the new (and not yet accredited) Mythgard Institute. I think MI is intended to provide a very different experience than PU (i.e., to simulate a more traditional grad school experience even though everyone's accessing it remotely - as opposed to a feeling of semi-isolated self-study). My seatmate noted that PU required a great deal of organization and self-discipline; it's also a bit of a financial investment, so I really hope that it pays off for her. Of course, regardless of what doors the degree itself opens for her, I think the determination and ambition that led her to seek and attain the degree will probably open doors, whether in her current job or elsewhere. In any event, she and her dog seemed very nice, and I wish them the best.
It was a beautiful day.
I liked taking the yellow blazed trail instead of the Breakneck Bypass. It seemed more scenic, and the steeps were more moderated.
Look carefully here, and you may see the yellow blazes on not one, but two downed trees to the left of the path:
There were bits of scramble, of course, which I thoroughly enjoyed:
The first viewpoint featured a bit of fall foliage:
The leaves are still in early stages of turning, and the colors are not as vibrant as they could be - it's mostly green mottled with yellow:
I remember this tree stump from an outing with the NEXT Ministries small group:
View of Bannerman's Castle:
Cloud shadows cast patterns on the Hudson:
In the woods, the yellow leaves bring you into the heart of Faerie:
I liked the fungi on this tree:
Although the individual leaves do not create that feeling. You can't see the forest from the leaves, as they say.
The mushrooms here were not as bountiful and exotic as in New Hampshire, but I loved the way they dotted this tree trunk:
Darkish clouds with a white border:
An island of moss on a sea of rock? Or clouds of rock floating in a sky of moss?
At 1:30, I reached last week's turn-around point on the Wilkinson Memorial trail - the fourth scenic overlook in a row, with a big yellow X marking the spot for a nice view. I relaxed and ate an apple.
Then I continued down the slope, following the yellow blazes up, down and around until I hit the blue Crossover Trail.
An amazing fungus ecosystem on a downed tree trunk:
This 0.8 mile blue-blazed trail is also known as "Dozer Junction" due to the rusting bulldozer carcass at the intersection with Fishkill Ridge (white trail). I did not take a picture of the bulldozer, however.
Once I made it to Fishkill Ridge, the white blazes led me out to some rocky ledges.
The air grew noticeably cooler, but it was not dark (despite the appearance of this photo!).
I watched a raptor circling overhead for a while:
The urban landscape visible from Fishkill Ridge is not as attractive as the views further south Breakneck Ridge, but the walk was very enjoyable.
Fortunately, if you're selective about where you look (i.e., if you don't look at Beacon or the fire tower), you can still enjoy unspoiled landscape from the Fishkill Ridge trail:
Lovely tree silhouette looking back up the trail:
Taking the white-blazed trail down toward Beacon was a lot of fun, with waterfalls and multiple crossings of little brooks.
Eventually, I cut over onto the Yellow Trail -- 0.8 miles with a moderate climb through the woods to merge with the last bit of the Casino Trail (red blazes). You miss all the zigzagging switchbacks of Casino, but you catch the three flights of metal stairs to the end of the trail. Not particularly efficient, but it spits you out on Wolcott Avenue for the easy 1.6 miles to the Beacon train station.
This time, I didn't find the stairs to be a strain. In fact, I didn't start feeling the aches in my muscles until after I stopped walking. Oooh. Now, I feel it when I stand up!
I noticed this "Rec Cling Center" at one of the stations on the way back to the city:
All in all, I think this was about 12 miles with plenty of climbing, and it took me 7 hours including photo and other breaks. My first few ascents were fairly slow, and I took a long photo break at the first scenic overlook to delete 108 pictures on my camera, but I didn't really stop for much (including lunch) once I really got going. I really loved this route - it seemed just the right mix of challenge and beauty, very motivating, and not at all crowded (unlike certain other trails I could mention).
The trains come once an hour and I had just missed one, unfortunately, so I had to go to Tamra's gig with the Park Ave Chamber Symphony straight from the station when I arrived. Lovely music though. Stayed through the whole thing, though it got increasingly difficult - I was very tired.
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