Happy Yom Kippur!

Not sure what that horn thing is on the right, but I think it has something to do with Yom Kippur. The Jews for Jesus website wouldn't sue me for using their picture, would they?

I hope that you are enjoying Yom Kippur, which translated from Hebrew to English reads (from right to left) as the period during which every year Owen goes camping. While you are reading this, I am either on my way to or in the Catskills with some friends, hiking up and down mountains, and probably being rained on, since it always rains when I’m camping. If you are an academic advisor and you are reading this, please don’t think I’m lazy, Friday will be my 7th day taken off from work all year.

One thing that anyone who cares about the environment should appreciate about New York is the amazing amount of land that is in preserves and parkland in our great state. The Catskills and the Adirondack Park are massive reserves of land (the Adirondack Park is comparable in size to the entire State of Vermont and Catskill Park is about ½ the size of the State of Delaware for comparison), much of which is open to hiking and camping.

On this trip, some friends and I are hoping to climb two more firetowers in the Catskills. The Catskill’s are old mountains, and as such the summits have been rounded by erosion over the years. As such many mountains lack scenic vistas, taking away somewhat of the splendor of the mountains. Luckily on five mountains in the Catskills there are firetowers that extend high above the treeline, which have recently been restored and are open for climbers to use.

So far my friends and I have conquered Basalm Lake and Red Hill. This trip I am hoping to climb both Hunter (the highest) and Mt. Tremper. We’ll see if there is enough time for both.

For those who can dedicate more time to hiking and climbing there is a climbers challenge put on by the Adirondack Club to climb 18 fire towers in the Adirondacks and all 5 in the Catskills. So far, I’ve done 2 of 5 in the Catskills and only Bald Moutain (aka Roundaxe) in the Adirondacks.

I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, enjoy pictures from last years trip where we climbed Red Hill.


The "ranger station" on Red Hill


The Red Hill fire tower


View from atop the tower!



It was a real humid day so visibility was limited. Otherwise you could see for 50 miles or further.

Day Hike: Shadmoor State Park

Living inside of the densely populated New York Metro region it can be hard to remember that beautiful pristine environments to be enjoyed are only a short trip away.
One such location is Shadmoor State Park in Montauk, NY. Shadmoor was recently acquired by a joint effort of the Nature Conservancy, New York State Department of Parks and Recreation and East Hampton Town, the details of which are summed up well in this New York Times article. Despite offering amazing views and great natural scenery, there isn’t much out on the internet about Shadmoor, so I wanted to take a moment and offer a bit of commentary.

How to Get There
Shadmoor is less than half a mile east of Montauk Village on the east end of the south fork of Long Island. Montauk is serviced infrequently by the LIRR, and it is possible to walk from the Montauk train station to Shadmoor. Bicyclers are very common out on the east end and the terrain relatively flat. The easiest way to get there however is by car. Take Rt. 27 east from Montauk Village, there is a parking lot a little less than half a mile out of Montauk, that serves as a trail head to Shadmoor’s trails.

Little Bit of History

The grounds of Shadmoor State Park have served two major purposes. The first is as Camp Wikoff, the landing place and quarantine for Theodore Roosevelt and his soldiers as they returned from the Spanish American War. The second major use of the land is as an observation point and coastal defense bunker during World War II. These bunkers still exist on the premises and trails lead directly to the bunkers for up close inspection.

Recommendations

• Bring sunscreen. The landscape is covered with barrier island type vegetation, as such there is a dearth of trees, and virtually no shade during the middle of the day.


• Go to the bathroom before you enter the park. The park has no infrastructure other than trails, trail markers and a few signs. Hit the head in Montauk before venturing to the park.


• Bring a blanket for a picnic. The park offers truly amazing vistas of the ocean and surrounding lands. Bring a blanket, pack a lunch and make an afternoon of it.

Park Features
Day Hikers Delight
The park, although small in size, offers over 3 miles of hikes. We covered most of the park and sat down for a lovely picnic lunch in just over 2 hours. It’s a great stop on your way east to the lighthouse, but not enough to fill up your day.


The hikes are very easy, although there is are quite a number of small hills and ridges to cover. There is no shade from the sun, so you do tend to get warm quickly. As you get nearer to the ocean refreshing ocean breezes act to cool you off.

Hypothetically you can get down to the beach via a series of staircases. We did not find said staircases, and they are not located on the map at the trailhead. We did see folks hiking down with surfboards and later saw them on the beach, so it is indeed possible to do so!

Flora

The vegetation you view is very different than that one might observe in a deciduous or coniferous forest. The New York State Parks website says there are black cherry trees and the endangered species gerardia in the park. Being not a botanist, I can’t tell you what was there – but it was enjoyable to inspect such unique plants.






Bunkers

The World War II bunker relics are a neat look at history. World War II is fading in prominence in American memory, partly due to the fact that the war took place mainly on foreign ground. The bunkers right here in the backyard bring the war home to a certain extent. This article from Newsday reports that the bunkers were built to look like cottages from the water, and I have to say it’s true, it doesn’t feel like you are in the midst of the military-industrial complex while you are in the park.




Vistas

The parks most attractive feature by far is the amazing bluffs that the trails end at. The park is home to Long Islands highest bluffs, and it’s possible to walk right up to the edge and take a peek! The views are stunning, the pictures presented here don’t to the park justice.








In Conclusion
The park is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. However it’s small size prevents it from being a destination in and of itself. As part of a tour of the east end, perhaps on bicycle, it is however highly recommended.

And, don't forget the picnic!