Harriman State Park is another natural treasure just a short distance from New York City. By taking New Jersey Transit from Penn Station, in roughly one hour you find yourself at the train station in the town of Tuxedo, where the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail begins.

As with hiking in the Hudson Highlands, the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference maps of this area are indispensable. In fact, I think they're the only ones available. Definitely get them beforehand if you plan on hiking here. I think they're also available at the visitor center on 7 Lakes Drive near the town of Sloatsburg.

Since it was Memorial Day weekend, Lisa had Monday off, so we planned on hiking here for three days, camping two nights. Unfortunately Lisa was fighting a cold, which I then got our first morning, so we cut the trip short a day. We still had a great time, and plan on returning soon.

Oh yes!

Oh my!

New Jersey Transit!

Like I said, it was very easy getting to Harriman from Penn Station. We did have to change trains in Secaucus, but we only waited for 15 minutes, or so. In all, travel time to Tuxedo was just over 1 hour.

Crossing the bridge over the Ramapo River.

After ascending the first bit of the trail, we came to Claudius Smith's den.

"Claudius Smith led a band of British Loyalists who conducted guerrilla war on Revolutionaries and their sympathizers in northern NJ and southern NYS. A cave reputed to have been used by him and his gang is a hiking trail attraction in Harriman State Park."
This is from an exciting bunch called the New York Corrections History Society.

An attractive rock formation, none the less.

It looks as though the teenagers in the area have been using it for their partying purposes lately. Graffiti and broken bottles adorn the historic site now.

From on top of Claudius' den you get a great view of the surrounding area.

Sweaty!

It was pretty hot that day, but being up on that ridge was nice, as there was a cool breeze.

Lisa was such a trooper, and hefted her pack without complaint. I wouldn't know how ill she was feeling until the next day, when I started feeling like crap.

Beautiful, lush, and green.

I can't get enough of these rocks. I love them.

We were getting into some dense brush, and knowing that New York State has one of the highest incidents of lyme disease in the country, I thought it best to put some protection on my legs.

It was hot. You can see the sweat. It felt good, though, to be out huffing and puffing.

Oh, you sexy devil! These gaiters give a fellow a suave look.

It's funny, though, once you're on the trail, you really don't care about what you look like.

We chose the White Cross trail, and soon found that it looks like a rarely-use path. The vegetation was growing quite close to the trail, and in some places obscured it completely. It was nice, though, since it meant that there would be few people on it. Then we met Igor, a Ukrainian who lives in Brooklyn. He gave us some good tips on where to camp.

On this trail we came across a frog.

We also saw this red-spotted newt, or notophthalmus viridescens.

More great rocks that rock.

Our plan was to get to Lake Skemonto, where Igor had suggested we'd find some good camping spots. We also needed to fill up our water reservoirs.

In looking for a way to treat water while on the trail, I came across the First Need Deluxe Portable Water Purifier, which got great independent reviews on the BackpackGearTest website. I was looking for a way to treat water without adding chemicals or by boiling. Chemicals taste bad, and boiling takes time and uses fuel. The First Need Purifier is just that: a purifier. Most pump-style water treatment is only filtration, not purification. It is "independently certified to meet EPA Microbiological Purification Standards against cysts, bacteria & virus!" Pretty cool!

We drank lake and stream water pumped through the First Need all weekend and haven't had any problems. The water didn't taste funky at all, either. Hooray!

I am totally going bald. Shit!

Here's a nice sight. After wearing the packs for 5 hours, it was nice to get them off. These Osprey backpacks (Aether 60 for me, Ariel 65 for Lisa) worked amazingly well. They're very adjustable and have a nubbed back panel which allows for some ventilation. Not having much experience backpacking, I don't have much to compare it to, but after carrying it all day, with quite a bit of weight, I still felt pretty good.

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