Before anyone gets the wrong impression I’m not trying to hike the full (2,200 mile) length of the Appalachian Trail – from Georgia to Maine.  However, the trail passes by quite close (an eight minute car ride) to where we live . Since I’m always on the lookout for new places to walk the dog I thought I’d give it a try.

Although I didn’t know it at the time the very first section of the trail started in New York: from the Bear Mountain Bridge through Harriman State Park  – also quite close (maybe 15 minutes away). Bill Bryson’s book: A Walk in the Woods is a good read about the Appalachian Trail.  It was a really pleasant day – partly cloudy and quite cool and we walked for about two hours.

The trail crosses Route 301 near the west end of Canopus Lake. Look for the trail markers



Canopus Lake is a small lake within Clarence Fahnestock State Park in northern Putnam County, New York

Shortly after I started I came across a steep uphill stretch leading to this flight of rock steps. It looked like it was going up forever. My aging legs don’t do well with hilly stretches and I almost turned back at this point – intending to look for something flatter. I’m glad I didn’t. It did go up rather steeply, but not for very long before flattening out again.


Hiker. He’d started somewhere near the NY border in New Jersey and was walking to Connecticut. So far he’d been walking for five days. Can you imagine what walking from Georgia to Maine would be like? I was exhausted after two hours.


Fungus on a tree.


Rock Cairn.


Dead Tree Roots