<HR style="COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Looking to see if any others hikers that are interested doing the New York Section of the AT as a seiries of Day Hikes.

A Bad day in the woods is better than a good day at work.

Wish I could. Harriman is gorgeous

Here's how I completed the New York section in a series of day hikes from 2000-2002:

NY-17 to NY-17A (11.3 miles SOBO, 12/27/00): Taxi from Greenwood Lake to Agony Grind. Sunny cold day with 4-6" of snow on the trail. Beautiful walking along the frozen lakes and frozen Fitzgerald Falls!

Depot Hill Road to CT-55 (17.0 miles NOBO, 3/31/01): $50 taxi to Depot Hill, postholing through 18" of snow on the ridgelines.

Taconic Parkway to Depot Hill (9.8 miles NOBO, 4/1/01): $40 taxi, walking in a cold drizzle and fog which hid the highway below. Encounter 7 big wild turkeys crossing the trail in a line, plus 5 deer and 2 ruffed grouse. Snow up to mid-thigh just north of the Morgan Stewart Shelter.

Dennytown Road to Taconic Parkway (11.0 miles NOBO, 6/3/02): Did remaining sections with my brother and mother and two cars. Beautiful day and a lovely walk along an old railway bed. Great views over Canopus Lake.

Dennytown Road to Bear Mountain Bridge (14.5 miles SOBO, 6/4/02): Positioned a car at Chapman Road to drop off my mom, who picked us up at the end of the day. Comfortable day to walk, passing numerous thru-hikers. Nice lunch with pretty view of New York skyline atop rock on Denning Hill.

Bear Mountain Bridge to Arden Valley Road (13.2 miles, SOBO, 6/5/02): Muggy foggy morning with tough climbs of Bear and West Mountains, but fortunately fairly cool. Lunch atop Black Mountain, with the sun coming out mid-day.

Arden Valley Road to NY-17 (5.5 miles, SOBO, 6/6/02): First serious bugs of the trip down by Surebridge Brook on a damp, grey day. Fun through the Lemon Squeezer, after which my mom pooped out, so I loped the remaining 2.1 miles to the car in 25 minutes to complete all of New York (I had covered the short stretch from the NY/NJ state line to NY-17A back in July 1978).

[Now you can see why my "signature" below uses up/down/left/right arrows, as I'm completing the entire AT in whatever direction and segment I can!]

Post when you have some dates in mind and I'll join you if I can.
I've already done NJ and NY as day hikes but it's been a while, and I wouldn't mind doing it again.

Right, throw out some dates. I'd love to join you as well if I can.

Depending on dates I might join you or be able to help with drop off etc. I live over in Pawling.

Gentlemen: PM sent.

I'd also be interested , schedule depending.

I might be interested if dates work with my schedule. I just did 5 day section hikes for the northern part of PA with 2 others and it worked out very well. We camped at a commercial campground and went out each morning swapping cars to park. I hiked nobo on the section and they hiked sobo. I drove their car to my starting point, their ending point and headed north and they took my car, parked at their starting point and hiked south. We'd meet mid way on the trail and check in where the cars were parked exactly then hike on for the rest of the day.

It was really nice not having to carry a full pack. I'm hoping to slack pack as much of the trail as I can, saves my tired sore knees. I have also day sectioned when we dropped one car at the end point and drove around to the start and hiked together for the day.

Drop me an email with details.

Kizzy

I'd love to... I was going to post the same thing. If you have dates in mind, let me know.

PM me!

If a big group of WB's assembled, I would probably come out.

I am interested, throw out some times and dates and sections..

LI Hikers and I have agreed on a 12 mile day hike from Route 17A to Route 17 on July 20th. We're going to meet at the Elks Pen trailhead on Arden Valley Road (at an hour yet to be determined) and leave a car there, then drive to the other end and hike east. I'd certainly be pleased to have others along. I'm also happy to consider other legs in the North Jersey - NY-Conn stretch. Suggestions, anyone?

7/20 doesn't work for me but keep me in mind for future sections!

OK folks.
Old Grouse and I have decided to meet at the Elk Pen parking area at 8AM on July 20th.
From there we'll shuttle up to where the trail crosses route 17A and hike back.
Any, and all, are welcome to join us for this day hike.

I will check on this date. I am interested in this day hike.

I will be out of town at this time but keep posting others as well and I hope to be able to join up on some of them.

July 20 may work for me, provided I'm not on the schedule to work the Saturday night before or the Sunday night of the hike. After I check that out, I'll let you know. Thanks!

Happy Trails!

I think this work out for me. I might even come down on Satruday and do some hiking then.

Where is the Elk Pen parking area? At the trailhead?

Where is the Elk Pen parking area? At the trailhead?

Yes. The AT crosses RTE 17 and there is a short road walk up Arden Valley Road - in order to get across the NY State Thruway. Where the trail leaves the road and enters a field, that is the Elk Pen. This is about 10 minutes south of Monre, NY - and 10 minutes north of Tuxedo, NY.

Cool, hopefully I can make it.

As a reminder to folks in the NY area, there is a hiker weekend coming up (July 11-13th) at RPH Shelter, hosted by Tim Bascom Grillmaster. There will be a trail maintanence project and a hiker feed. All who come and work will be fed. I hope to be there.

Thanks, Mowgli. That makes sense. I just Google mapped it as well. The it occurred to me I actually have been there before on business. I attended a conference a few years back at the old Arden House on top of the hill.

Something I've wondered at in that area - why did the A.T. get rerouted away from the pedestrian bridge over the Thruway to a road bridge?

Probably to avoid a road walk on Orange Turnpike. The hiker could always hang a right at Orange Turnpike and road walk to Rte 17. There is a deli on the corner there. If you walk across the road, you could pick up the pedestrian bridge behind the Red Apple Rest, cross the pedestrian bridge, follow these directions (http://www.michaelbrochstein.com/hiking/southfld.htm) to reconnect with the AT.

If memory serves me correct, you'll pass an old iron furnace on Orange Turnpike on your way to the deli.

The pedestrian bridge over the Thruway was used by the Nurian Trail (a hiking trail in Harriman State Park). The AT always used Arden Valley Road over the Thruway. If you drove along the Thruway at one time the Thruway in their ignorance posted a sign at the pedestrian overpass indicating it was the AT. The NY/NJ Trail Conference a number of years informed the Thruway Authority that it is not the AT! So they changed the sign to now say something like Southfields Pedestrian Bridge or something like that. By the Way: They stopped letting you park at the Red Apple Rest on NY 17 so it is hard to approach that pedestrian bridge.

Interesting. Another example of what happens when hiking trails and bureaucracies mix. :) Thanks!

You all have a great hike at the end of the month wish that I could join you but out for family vacation. I'll have to catch up to all of you on the next round.

I was hoping to make this hike; however, I ended-up with a case of Bronchitis, and I'm too sick to go. I've already missed two days of work. :(

Some other time for sure... sorry.

Happy Trails!

It sounds like the weather is going to be clear, but hot. See you folks on Sunday morning. I am planning on being at the starting end (17A) at around 8:30. See you there.

OK, see you there!