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Campers' Group Bulletin - Spring 2015 |
No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. - Hal Borland
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Saturday, April 4, Meeting, then Hike!, REI, East Hanover NJ REI is allowing us to use their 2nd floor community room for our meeting. We’ll start at 10am to continue to plan our upcoming spring and summer events. Ken will also explain using meetup.com, including important notification settings. After the meeting, follow us over to nearby South Mountain Reservation for a moderate 4-6 mile hike. Please wear hiking boots or shoes, bring lunch, and/or energy snacks, and about 2 liters of water. If you have joined us on one or more of our outings in the past, we would greatly appreciate you volunteering to help lead a weekend or day event. If it is your first time, don’t worry, we will partner you with a more experienced member. We are a volunteer-run club that needs more of their members to participate. There is no fee to attend, and you’re welcome to shop in the store just after the meeting.
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Saturday, April 18, Intermediate day hike, Breakneck or Beacon, Beacon NY This is a shorter scouting hike for the May 9th Breakneck to Beacon Hike. Depending on how dry or wet the Breakneck Ridge rocks are Saturday morning, we will decide when we meet if we are to climb Breakneck Ridge, or drive to Beacon for a Fire Tower loop hike, or another similar hike. Be prepared for a hike that is strenuous, about 8 miles, and will take at least 4-5 hours. This is not a beginner hike. A steady pace will be maintained with planned breaks. Dress in layers, wear hiking boots or a hiking shoe - NO sneakers, please! Bring lunch or energy snacks with at least 2 liters of water. Meet us at the Breakneck Ridge parking lot at 9:15 am sharp. We will not wait for late arrivals.
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Sunday, April 26, Day Hike, Sterling Forest, Tuxedo NY Join us for an intermediate level hike through Sterling Forest State Park. Miles of undisturbed woodland make this a great area to explore. It’s never too crowded, and easy to get to. We will hike the Sterling Ridge Trail, approximately 7.3 miles and 4 hours on moderately difficult trails. Dress in layers, wear hiking boots or a hiking shoe - NO sneakers! Bring lunch or energy snacks with about 2 liters of water. Meet us inside the visitors center at 9:30 am. Park across the road in the main lot.
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Saturday, May 2, Easy day hike, Harriman St. Park, Harriman State Park NY We’ll enjoy a short hike around Silvermine Lake and up to the William Brien Memorial Shelter on the Appalachian Trail where we will stop for lunch. The hike will be at a relaxed pace with plenty of stops for pictures/water breaks. Bring at least 1.5 liters of water and a snack/lunch. Please wear sturdy waterproof hiking shoes or boots since parts of the trail may be wet. +60% chance of rain cancels the hike. We will meet at the bridge directly in front of the Silvermine parking area. Please arrive early so that we can start the hike on time. Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 41.295607,-74.05961 Driving Directions: Take N.J. Route 17 north to the New York State Thruway and take the first exit, Exit 15A (Sloatsburg). Turn left at the bottom of the ramp onto N.Y. Route 17 north, and continue through the Village of Sloatsburg. Just past the village, turn right at the traffic light, following the sign for Harriman State Park. Cross an overpass over railroad tracks and continue along Seven Lakes Drive, passing under the Thruway overpass, and soon entering Harriman State Park. Follow Seven Lakes Drive for about 12.5 miles to the Silvermine Picnic Area, on the right side of the road (the Silvermine Picnic Area is 2.1 miles beyond Tiorati Circle). Park in the large parking area near the entrance. Carpool/Public Transportation: If anyone would like a ride from the Sloatsburg Train Station to Silvermine please email or call Manny to make arrangements.
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Sunday, May 3, Intermediate day hike, Bellvale Farms Creamery, Warwick NY Let’s scout this trail and do some of the AT hike scheduled for May 17. The hike should be approximately 6-8 miles and about 4-5 hours. Some climbing will be involved - elevation gain over 800 ft. Distance, elevation and time may depend on the group ability. This is a fairly challenging one-way hike, partly along a ridge, all on the Appalachian Trail. Meet us at the Bellvale Farms Creamery on 17A at 10 am sharp. We’ll leave a car or two, and then drive to the trailhead. We will visit Mombasha High Point, Fitzgerald Falls, Wildcat Shelter and Cat Rocks. We will end the hike at Bellvale Farms Creamery with their delicious ice cream! (That will also be the end point for the May 17 hike.) A steady pace will be maintained with planned breaks. Synthetic or light wool layers are recommended over cotton. Please wear hiking boots or a hiking shoe - NO sneakers! Bring lunch or energy snacks with at least 2 liters of water.
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Saturday, May 9, Strenuous day hike, Breakneck Ridge to Beacon, Beacon NY Breakneck Ridge is one of the most popular and challenging hikes in the area. It involves steep climbs over rock ledges. You’ll need to use both your hands and your feet in many places along the way. This is not a beginner hike; the first 1/2 mile we will climb over 1100 feet! We will take a one-way route; scramble up Breakneck Ridge, visit the Beacon Fire Tower, enjoy some great views along the way, and eventually make our way to the town of Beacon. Be prepared for a hike that is strenuous, about 7-8 miles, and will take approximately 8 hours to complete. A steady (but not rushed) pace will be maintained with planned breaks. Dress in layers, wear hiking boots or a hiking shoe. Absolutely NO sneakers allowed; we will not let you hike with us if you do not have appropriate hiking footwear for rock scrambling! You also must sign a waiver of liability form, and provide an emergency contact. Bring lunch or energy snacks with at least 2 liters of water. Meet us at the Mount Beacon Park parking lot in Beacon at 8:30 am sharp (corner of Rt. 9D and Howland Ave). We will leave cars, and then some of us will drive the group to the main Breakneck Ridge parking lot to start the hike. Please be on time; we will not wait for late arrivals. Heavy rain cancels or postpones the hike.
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Sunday, May 17, Day Hike, Bellvale Farms Creamery, Warwick NY This is a great one-way hike, partly along a ridge, all on the Appalachian Trail. Meet us at the Bellvale Farms Creamery (1390 Rt 17A Warwick NY) at 9:30 am sharp. We’ll leave some cars, and then transport the group over to another AT trail crossing to start the hike. (I will need volunteers to help with the transport.) We will visit Little Dam Lake, Mombasha High Point, Fitzgerald Falls, Wildcat Shelter and Cat Rocks. At the end, we will be rewarded with a stop at Bellvale Farms Creamery for their delicious ice cream! The hike will be approximately 7 miles for 5 hours on moderately difficult trails. Climbing will be involved - elevation gain over 1000 ft. A steady (but not rushed) pace will be maintained with planned breaks. Synthetic or light wool layers are recommended over cotton. Please wear hiking boots or a hiking shoe - NO sneakers! Bring lunch or energy snacks with at least 2 liters of water.
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May 22-25, Camping Trip, Worthington State Forest, Columbia NJ We’ll be camping at a group site, right on the Delaware River. Put on your swimsuit, and boat or fish from the boat launch near the campsite. Hikers can climb up the Appalachian Trail to Sunfish Pond, an unspoiled glacial lake, or visit the Mohican Outdoor Center for nearby swimming or boating. On Saturday or Sunday morning we may hike up to Sunfish Pond. Chemical toilets by the site, flush toilets and showers in another part of the park. Quiet hours are 10 P.M. to 6 A.M. To reserve a spot, send a check for $12.63 made out to Campers‘ Group, to: Campers’ Group, 48 S. High Street Mt. Vernon, NY 10550. Once the organizer or a trip leader is notified of receipt of your check, you will be added to the RSVP list. For immediate inclusion, pay $13.21 via PayPal on the meetup.com page for this trip.
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Sunday, May 31, Day Hike, Claudius Smith Rock, Harriman St Pk, Tuxedo NY Moderate-Strenuous hike offers a little bit of everything. We will take in the views from Claudius Smith Rock, tackle the Elbow Brush rock scramble (which can be bypassed for less experienced hikers) and descend Pound Mountain via Almost Perpendicular. Several small stream crossings will require everyone to wear waterproof hiking boots. Bring a snack/lunch and at least 2 liters of water. Pace will be relaxed and will take approx 4 hours to complete. The group will meet at the Tuxedo train station commuter parking lot located on East Village Rd at 10:30AM. Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 41.194208,-74.184460 For more transportation information , and immediate inclusion, RSVP on meetup.com.
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June 5-7, Camping Trip, Taconic State Park, Copake Falls NY What a great time to visit this vista filled park! Easy to advanced hiking is available. The campground is near Alander Peak and Brace Mountain. After a vigorous hike you can jump into the cool water at majestic Bash Bish Falls! Bicycle the Harlem Valley Rail Trail; it is great for mountain bikes and hybrids, or map out a route on the quiet roads in this bucolic area. Hot showers and flush toilets available. To reserve a spot, send a check for $21.58 made out to Campers‘ Group, to: Campers’ Group, 48 S. High Street Mt. Vernon, NY 10550. Once the organizer or a trip leader is notified of receipt of your check, you will be added to the RSVP list. For immediate inclusion, pay $22.45 via PayPal on the meetup.com page for this trip.
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June 13-14, Camping Trip, Harriman Backpacking Trip, Ramapo NY We invite you to try something a little different with Campers‘ Group -- an overnight backpacking trip designed for experienced hikers and campers, but not necessarily experienced backpackers. Some of the things that you will need for this trip include: a backpack, hiking boots, lightweight sleeping bag, a small backpacking tent (or someone that will share space in theirs), either a desire to sleep on the rocky ground or a sleeping pad, appropriate clothing, enough food for the entire trip, camping stove for cooking or prepared food, cooking/eating utensils, either enough water for the entire trip or a purification method, typically pills, filters or ultra violet, flashlight or headlamp, and first aid kit. All of this has to fit into a backpack and be light enough for you to carry a few miles. Some of the above items, such as a cooking stove, pot, and water purification, can be shared, so not everyone needs them. There may be some people with items that can be borrowed. Glen and Maryann, for example have one extra backpack. A backpacking checklist is available here. We plan to meet at the Tuxedo train station at 10:15 Saturday morning, pick up anyone arriving by train and then drive to the parking area at the Ramapo-Dundenberg trail head (Red blaze trail) on the North side of Route 106. If there are no campers arriving by train, we can meet at the trail head, possibly a bit earlier. We will then hike about 2 miles to the Bald Rocks lean-to shelter. While we are hiking to a lean-to there is no way to know if there is available space until we get there. The trail is moderate with about a 400‘ elevation gain. After we set up camp there are several options for afternoon hikes. We will return Sunday morning to afternoon in enough time for anyone to catch the train home. A very poor weather forecast will cause this trip to be cancelled or rescheduled. For immediate inclusion RSVP on meetup.com.
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June 19-21, Camping Trip, Mongaup Pond State Park, De Bruce NY If you are looking for some solitude, join us at this remote campground in the western Catskills. Mongaup Pond is actually a large lake in which you can swim, fish and paddle (rentals available). Enjoy beautiful scenery, especially when hiking or bicycling. Hot showers and flush toilets are available near the office. Quiet hours are 10 P.M. to 7 A.M. To reserve a spot, send a check for $23.12 made out to Campers‘ Group, to: Campers’ Group, 48 S. High Street Mt. Vernon, NY 10550. Once the organizer or a trip leader is notified of receipt of your check, you will be added to the RSVP list. For immediate inclusion, pay $24.12 via PayPal on the meetup.com page for this trip.
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| Outdoors Consultant | Ken Q. | |
| Treasurer | Lillian W. | |
| Webmaster | David L. | |
| World-Wide Web home page: http://www.campersgroup.org | ||