It's been a few years since I've followed the hiking trails from Cold Spring to Beacon – probably not since 2018, when I was preparing for the West Highland Way – so I double-checked the route options before I set out. The initial part would be Cornish-Brook-Notch-Breakneck Ridge, a fairly standard easy ascent. From there, I wanted to switch to the Wilkinson Memorial trail because it would be less crowded. But the truly critical choice would be when I hit the Casino trail: should I take the ever-popular and most direct route down to Beacon, or add another big chunk to my hike by continuing on Wilkinson, past some scenic overlooks to Dozer Junction and Fishkill Ridge? I was inclined to use crowd-avoidance as my lodestar, but wasn't entirely sure if I'd be up for it.
Merging Onto the White-Blazed Breakneck Ridge Trail
I like the woodsy climbs and descents along the long stretch of trail blazed blue and white (i.e., where Notch and Breakneck Ridge merge or overlap). It is almost entirely wooded (no scenic overlooks that I can recall) but very pretty in the early autumn, and pleasantly solitary on this spectacular day. At a few points, I lost the trail briefly but quickly rejoined.
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| A standard approach |
I was thrilled to see another example of polypore, which I learned about last month in New Hampshire. At first, I thought it was growing on a living tree and was a little surprised by that.
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| first glimpse of a birch polypore |
But a step back suggests it is essentially a very tall tree stump! I'm not sure why it hasn't fallen, but it's quite striking in situ.
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Not a vein in the rock; it's a glistening trail left by some creature. I don't recall having seen these delicate slime-trails before, but today there were several. |
Veering Off to the Yellow-Blazed Wilkinson Memorial Trail
Soon after Notch (blue) and Breakneck Ridge (white) diverge, Wilkinson Memorial (yellow) merges with the blue. They continue together for a while, then right after you cross Squirrel Hollow Creek, the yellow trail splits off; it goes around a bit and then crosses the white trail, heading up eventually to a nice series of overlooks.
After that, to be perfectly honest, the cost/benefit ratio deteriorated somewhat for the subsequent views. I'd told myself that it'd be easier from that point, since I'd be staying at the top of the ridge, but there was a lot more undulation than I remembered, and I started to sigh with every new climb.
I worried a bit that I'd already eaten all my food (though I had plenty of water) and I slowed my pace considerably because I noticed my feet were occasionally starting to slip or turn. So that left me a little nervous about finding my way if I were still out there as daylight faded, since I wasn't sure from my map how many miles I was really adding to my journey.
I continued on, with the positive reinforcement of passing the turn-off for the Overlook Trail only to encounter a nice little overlook from Fishkill Ridge.
I was also encouraged by the fact that I was now encountering quite a few hikers who were apparently starting their hiking day with a climb up to Fishkill Ridge. Clearly they didn't think darkness was about to fall and cut them off from finding their way back! There was one very large group of perhaps college-aged kids climbing up; I stepped aside and let them all pass. Some of them thanked me for it, in courtesy, but of course I was more than happy to rest a bit by now.
The gravel road ended in an intersection with the hairpin turn of a paved road which was most emphatically not as shown on my map. But it seemed to me perfectly clear that turning left to follow the paved road down was my best bet for descending to the town of Beacon proper. And so it was.
All in all, it took me less than 7 hours to get from the Cold Spring depot to the chocolate shop.
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| The first dubious choice... taking a detour to descend from the ridge |
What I had not remembered (although I suppose it is clear enough on the contour map) was that the blue and yellow trails steadily descend at this point. It makes perfect sense when you think about it; the blue trail had been following the ridge and thus had nowhere to go but down! But it was a little disheartening to be descending and descending in order to re-ascend later on. After all, I could have stayed up on the ridge. There are good reasons why this route is less crowded!
Relatedly, I also soon realized that the trail maintainers do not expect people to go the way I did on this section. The double blue and yellow blazes are bright and clear and new looking if you're south-bound (I looked back often to check), but the yellow blazes have faded to the point of invisibility if you're heading north – leaving me to wonder if I'd missed the turn-off for yellow. (I had not yet realized I'd be crossing a creek first!)
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Notch and Wilkinson Memorial blazes, a rare instance where they are bold plastic disks, instead of a bright square of blue paint and a barely discernible trace of where a square of yellow paint may once have been |
The Decision Point
I pushed myself hard on all these initial sections and reached the turnoff for the red-blazed Casino trail about 3 hours after I'd set out from Cold Spring. I followed Wilkinson Memorial a bit past the intersection, then sat down on a rock to decide what to do. While I munched on my bread and cheese, one couple surged past me energetically. They then reappeared about five minutes later with a cheery "Red trail it is!" Ultimately I decided to challenge myself; it was not yet 1 p.m.
The first scenic overlook north of the Casino trail is perhaps a 10-minute walk and quite rewarding.
The first scenic overlook north of the Casino trail is perhaps a 10-minute walk and quite rewarding.
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| the first scenic overlook on the Wilkinson Memorial trail north of the Casino trail is spectacular |
After that, to be perfectly honest, the cost/benefit ratio deteriorated somewhat for the subsequent views. I'd told myself that it'd be easier from that point, since I'd be staying at the top of the ridge, but there was a lot more undulation than I remembered, and I started to sigh with every new climb.
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| sadly, each subsequent viewpoint shows more man-made structures |
I worried a bit that I'd already eaten all my food (though I had plenty of water) and I slowed my pace considerably because I noticed my feet were occasionally starting to slip or turn. So that left me a little nervous about finding my way if I were still out there as daylight faded, since I wasn't sure from my map how many miles I was really adding to my journey.
A Crucial Shortcut
There are two ways to get from the yellow-blazed Wilkinson Memorial trail to the white-blazed Fishkill Ridge trail, which I counted on taking down to Pocket Road in Beacon.
In the northward/eastward direction, you first encounter a little blue-blazed trail (0.3 miles, with the unimaginative trail name of "Blue"), which provides a shortcut to Fishkill Ridge via Dozer Junction. Just a little further on, however, you will reach a direct intersection of the Wilkinson and Fishkill trails.
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| Two ways to get from yellow to white |
How important is this shortcut? Well, it looks like it spares you 2 or 3 miles and the summits (such as they are) of Bald Hill and Lambs Hill!
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| What happens if you miss the crucial shortcut |
I would like to walk the entire Fishkill Ridge trail someday, but today was not that day. I resolved that if I somehow missed the turnoff for the Blue trail to Dozer Junction and came to the direct intersection of Wilkinson Memorial and Fishkill Ridge, I'd retrace my steps and do whatever it took to find that crucial shortcut!
Fortunately, it was well-marked and I did not have go back! At certain points, there were some nice delicate white flowers against the ferns, reminiscent of an English garden; elsewhere, a few purplish maple leaves fallen among the grasses reminded me of a William Morris design. From time to time, there were fungi of interesting colors.
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| fungi with a delicate blue-gray color, bordering on the palest purple |
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| a little hard to capture the effect, but it reminded me of an English garden |
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| a few fallen maple leaves among the grasses; almost an accidental echo of William Morris |
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| Patriotic litterbugs: a contradiction in terms? Discuss. |
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| I liked the mossy crannies (left) and pale pink-peach fungus (center-right) on this stump |
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| Dozer Junction at last! |
I continued on, with the positive reinforcement of passing the turn-off for the Overlook Trail only to encounter a nice little overlook from Fishkill Ridge.
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| A glimpse of the Hudson from Fishkill Ridge, a little west of the Overlook trail |
I was also encouraged by the fact that I was now encountering quite a few hikers who were apparently starting their hiking day with a climb up to Fishkill Ridge. Clearly they didn't think darkness was about to fall and cut them off from finding their way back! There was one very large group of perhaps college-aged kids climbing up; I stepped aside and let them all pass. Some of them thanked me for it, in courtesy, but of course I was more than happy to rest a bit by now.
An Unexpected Journey
So I continued my descent along the Fishkill Ridge trail until I got to a rough gravel road. I knew the trail should cross the road, but it wasn't immediately obvious where the trail was. (I dimly remembered having encountered this issue when I'd been here before.) On my map, it looked like I could descend to the town by turning right on the gravel road. It seemed to me that that might be a good idea anyway; I was getting tired, and had to be deliberately mindful of my footing to avoid injuring myself with a turned ankle. I didn't relish all the stream crossings and slippery rocks I'd encounter on the official trail from this point on.
So I continued my descent along the Fishkill Ridge trail until I got to a rough gravel road. I knew the trail should cross the road, but it wasn't immediately obvious where the trail was. (I dimly remembered having encountered this issue when I'd been here before.) On my map, it looked like I could descend to the town by turning right on the gravel road. It seemed to me that that might be a good idea anyway; I was getting tired, and had to be deliberately mindful of my footing to avoid injuring myself with a turned ankle. I didn't relish all the stream crossings and slippery rocks I'd encounter on the official trail from this point on.
I turned right on the gravel road and half-heartedly looked for a continuation of the Fishkill Ridge trail (though I was increasingly sure you have to turn left on the road to find it).
As I steadily and carefully descended the gravel road, I kept mulling over possible justifications, excuses, and attitudes if challenged by some park ranger. (Should I focus on my fatigue and justify it as responsible decision-making for my personal safety? On the fact there were no signs saying not to walk on the road? Am I too old to pull off the look of innocent, wide-eyed surprise?)
Soon enough, my fear materialized; I heard an internal combustion engine coming up the hill toward me. I got off the road and stood as motionless as possible in hopes that I wouldn't be spotted. It didn't work, but it also became clear that the car crawling up the road was driven by a civilian! The guy was mindlessly following his GPS, trying to somehow get down to the town (although he was obviously ascending). He had questions. Did the deeply rutted gravel road get any better? I couldn't speak for the entire road, but I had seen nothing but gravel. Is it a dead end, or does it come out the other side? I had no idea; I'd joined from the hiking trail. Did it get any broader, so he could turn around? Not really, from what I'd seen, but there was a point where the road split a little so vehicles could pass; perhaps he could turn there. I wished him luck.
He did manage to turn around, and as he passed me the other direction, he asked me to wish him (more) luck. So I did.
But all along, I'd been quietly skeptical that this was a road on which civilian drivers were welcomed. And sure enough, as I reached the end, I turned around and saw a red sign saying "NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES BEYOND THIS POINT."
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| This "NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES" sign is easily missed by a civilian driver enslaved to his GPS. |
The gravel road ended in an intersection with the hairpin turn of a paved road which was most emphatically not as shown on my map. But it seemed to me perfectly clear that turning left to follow the paved road down was my best bet for descending to the town of Beacon proper. And so it was.
Once I reached the regular residential streets, it was just about a 20-minute walk to downtown Beacon.
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| Sculpture of two birds on a tree, in front of an arched gate. |
All in all, it took me less than 7 hours to get from the Cold Spring depot to the chocolate shop.
On my way to the train, I ate some cookies and cream ice cream, with gingersnaps! It was very good.
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