new york section?

[Sticks41]

my crew and i are sectioning new york on saturday. i cannot wait. so, i was wondering if any of you expirienced white-blazers could inform me of this part of the trail. you kow, share any expiriences etc. thanks.

[BigToe]

Sticks,

Can you let us know how you make out? I'll be heading out for the NY section NOBO in a couple of weeks.

[Sticks41]

yes, yes i can. ha. and i should add that we are heading SOBO. and going saturday to saturday.

[orangebug]

Are you planning on finishing NY in 7 days? Where are you starting, how are you getting there, etc?

NY is a lot of fun, but I really most enjoyed the Lemon Squeezer NOBO. I suspect it will lose some of it's challenge SOBO.

I've only walked NOBO to Bear Mtn Bridge.

[Sticks41]

yeah, we are planning on it. we have sectioned all of New Jersey, and all of Connecticut, so we sort of know what we are doing. there will be some 20+ mile days which i cannot wait to tackle, aha. we are starting at the CT/NY border and heading south to the NY/NJ border.

[Cookerhiker]

Hope it's not too hot/humid for you because the low elevations don't give you much relief, even at night. And I hope you have tents to escape the mosquitos.

Not to be negative, though. There's much you'll like. Since you're starting on a Saturday, you'll miss the weekend crowds at Bear Mountain. Perhaps some of the blueberries will be out. The mountain laurel is probably past bloom. Most of your good views are after you cross the Hudson (Bear Mountain, West Mountain, Blackrock, several views west of Rt. 17. Blackrock is where I saw the NYC skyline. East of the Hudson, good views from Shenandoah Mountain.

You've probably heard of the Dover Oak where the Trail crosses County Rt. 20 but there's an equally impressive oak very shortly after you cross I-84.

By definition, there're no climbs over 1,300' but still lots of up-and-down. West Mountain is particularly steep. Between 17 and 17A, the small but frequent up-and-downs amount to over 2,000'. You'll have some cool stretches of flat rocks in NY, particularly west of Rt. 17.

Happy Trails!

[LIhikers]

Many thru hikers say that NY is a hard state to hike because they didn't expect, and aren't mentally ready for all those little ups and downs. If I were you I'd plan on taking a break up on Bear Mountain. come to think of it, the AT is under renovation on Bear Mountain so I don't know what you'll find there. Also, just after you come across the bridge you'll have a choice of taking the AT through a very small zoo or by-passing around it. If yo have the time plan on swimming at the beach across from Tiorati circle. A great way to cool off and wash off some of the hiker funk at the same time. If you spend a night at or near the West Mountain shelter don't be surprised to hear heavy gun fire. It's not unusual for there to be military excersizes from West Point or Camp Smith. Expect there to be a lot of other people at the shelters as you've got thru hikeres going north and a lot of people use Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks all year, every day of the week.

[gsingjane]

When we sectioned the first 50 miles (SOBO from CT) in April, we especially liked the RPH Shelter and staying at Greymoor.

Jane in CT