Congratulations to all the brave hikers who completed JOC’s third annual Start of Summer Hike to South Beacon Mountain and Scofield Ridge this past Sunday! We are sorry to those who did not end up joining us (missed the train, woke up sick, or chickened out); you really missed out on something special. Here’s a recap of our adventure.

Stats

For those of you keeping score at home: 9 adventurous Jews, 7.25 hours, 8 miles, over 2000 feet of elevation gain, 2 summits, 12 viewpoints, 1 fire tower, 1 stream, 1 rattlesnake, 1 bulldozer (?), 1 abandoned jeep, only 1 injury (feel better Donna), and 0 shoe fatalities.

Trail Route

We started by climbing the stairs to the Casino Trail (red) and proceeded to climb steadily (did anybody record those panting/gasping for air performances?) , gaining approximately 1000 feet of vertical gain in the first mile (did , which took us up to the terminus of what used to be the cog railroad. From here we enjoyed views to the west and northwest overlooking the town of Beacon and the Hudson River. Continuing along the red? orange? white? trail we continued to climb at a less lung-busting incline gaining another 500 feet until we reached the intersection with the Breakneck Ridge trail (white).

We made a detour along that trail to access the peak of South Beacon Mountain. (Nachi, with a tear in his eye: “almost two long years later I am finally standing on the top of South Beacon Mountain!”) There we encountered a young couple with their dog and many of us opted, at their own risk (“This is at your own risk; remember, you signed the waiver form.”), to climb the out-of-use fire tower with the chain-blocked entrance to enjoy the panoramic views from the top (um, what could you see from up there? I wasn’t brave/foolhardy/reckless enough to find out). The rest of us enjoyed views from the safety of the ground, likely the same views as the climbers from a lower vantage point.

Retracing our steps to and continuing along the Casino Trail we shortly came to its terminus and turned left onto the Wilkinson Memorial Trail (yellow) which we followed for several miles along Scofield Ridge. Scouting for a perfect lunch spot we rejected a few viewpoints facing southeast overlooking Lake Valhalla because the views were a bit obscured. The “Committee” eventually settled (literally) on a picturesque, northeast facing viewpoint overlooking the Beacon Reservoir for its mid-day feasting.

Over lunch we got to know each other a little better by having an icebreaker in which each participant shared which hike they used to convince Rachel of their hike-worthiness when registering for the event. This quickly evolved into a passionate competition over bucket list exotic hikes conquered with all the requisite oohs and ahs over mentions of places such as the French Alps, Alaska, New Zealand, and that mountain over there across the valley. Well satisfied from our brown bag lunches (sorry Yair wasn’t here to whip up fresh avocado salad on the spot this year) and all the socializing it was time for Nachi’s announcements about leave no trace ethics and upcoming JOC events including the upcoming trail maintenance event and a possible backpacking event. We concluded with grace after meals and a couple of group photos.

Up and moving again, we completed the rest of our ridge walk and descended to Dozer Junction where an abandoned bulldozer (?) sits on the spot where we switched for the blue connector trail, which connected us to the Fishkill Ridge Trail (white). We met a middle-aged couple here who warned us about a sunning rattlesnake perched on the peak of Lambs Hill. Emotions ranging from excited to unflinching to undeterred to mildly agitated to death petrified were evident as we nimbly scrambled up Lambs Hill. After almost stepping on the fellow, one unnamed hiker recoiled several hundred feet seeking shelter in the woods, rolled up in the fetal position (well not quite but almost). Our patient sweepers gently resuscitated her and bushwhacked a path for her to rejoin the group on the other side of the hill, while other eagerly took snapshots of the unconcerned beast. We took a short break to drink in the views from our perch at 1400 feet and to have a quick crash course in topography map reading led by Nachi (which mostly entailed Nachi whacking Diana H. on the head with the map to get her attention and also a bit about judging the terrain based on the shape and distance between the contour lines).

Intermittent drizzle and the lateness of the hour urged us to carry on so we descended, passed another viewpoint, descended steeply some more, until we reached the brook the flows from the Beacon Reservoir. Following the brook along a woods road we encountered a serene, calming spot under shade alongside the brook which was very inviting. Unfortunately, Donna encountered the rocks along the brook a little bit too enthusiasticall y so instead of taking a break to soak in the scenery we plodded on to seek civilization and its healing ice packs. Finally, reaching the turn off for the yellow trail (yes I am man enough to admit that I was wrong for thinking that we had followed the stream too far and missed the turn off), we reentered the woods and followed wide woods roads (“Nachi, are you sure we are supposed to be climbing uphill on the way back?”) to retake the Casino Trail (yet still no sign of Mohegan Sun) and descend to our waiting cars and tearful goodbyes.

With a sense of accomplishment of having conquered the strenuous 8-mile loop most drove south to seek a hot shower, a soft pillow, and a mirror to insect themselves for ticks in (I had to slip that in somewhere!). Nachi, the unrelenting adventurer, however, drove a few miles north to scout out the trailhead and parking area for a future hike in the Fishkill Ridge Conservation Area near Beacon Hills. So if your dreams include adventures along Fishkill Ridge don’t change that channel.

Selected Highlights & Quotable Quotes

- the man carrying barbells on the trail, easily outdoing Nachi’s carrying 25 pounds in his backpack
- listening to the fire tower creaking under the weight of one too many maniac JOCer
- the doggy drinking from the rusty water on the summit of South Beacon Mountain
- “Look a second turkey!” (Diana V.)
- (clap) “Get yourself up by your boot straps!!!” (Yael)
- “Wow check out those pretty baseball fields!” (Neshama)
- group therapy in the woods
- Which is more important- physical health or mental health? (What about emotional health?)
- Ovadia entertaining some and challenging others with his existential conversation pieces
- Which one doesn’t belong? snake, toad, turkey vultures, bulldozer
- Donna finishing the hike despite her physical health set back

If there was only one thing in the world I could have it would be…

Ariel- the mapping app on his smartphone
Neshama- a snake detection app
Diana H.- footwear that guaranteed blister-free hiking
Yitzy- a guided tour of Breakneck Ridge
Yael- Xtreme boot straps
Donna- JOC Rookie of the Year award
Ovadia- job at a Utah-based counseling center
Diana V.- season tickets to the Hudson line on Metro-North
Nachi- his own personal tick farm
Rachel- an Eventbrite tutorial
everybody else- another opportunity to do this awesome hike!

Weather Report

Despite a scorching start, the weather was very cooperative. Never getting more than warm and actually providing a cool breeze much of the day (causing somebody to keep their hood on all day) the weather held up nicely; mostly cloudy with a few refreshing sprays of drizzle the overcast weather kept us from overheating and made for interesting views of the surrounding hills and mountains.

Health Report

9 in and 9 out, 100% survival rate, & thank G-d despite the first aid kit missing the train in from Manhattan we all came home to tell our tale of survival. We pray that Donna’s bruises heel rapidly and that she join us again soon on JOC adventures.

If you haven’t already, inspect yourself for ticks. A red or pinkish circle with a black dot in the center resembling a bulls’ eye should be shown to a medical profession. Type in ‘deer tick’ in a Google image search to see what they look like if you are not sure what you are looking for.

Thank You Section

Thank you to:

- Rachel Wolf, my loyal co-leader, who volunteered to and coordinated registration and ride share information. This hike would not have even gotten off the ground if she did not accept this challenge so graciously. Another job well done; we are sorry you couldn’t actually join us for the hike and look forward to seeing you back on the trails in full health very soon.
- The generous drivers who agreed to bring passengers.
- Metro-North for delivering Ariel and Diana V. to Beacon station and returning them safely to Manhattan.
- Our orienteering staff, Diana H. and Donna, who faithfully followed the trail markers wherever they went, even when that meant ascending again.
- Our sweep staff, Ariel and Diana V., for making sure nobody was left behind to be eaten by the rattlesnake.
- Neshama, our resident nurse, for volunteering to make believe she was carrying a first aid kit and to tend to any health failure to the best of her ability and to G-d for not giving us any serious reason to have needed medical attention or first aid supplies.
- Donna for being our only first-time JOCer; welcome aboard, we hope you join us again on future adventures.

Thank you all for joining me on another exciting adventure. I hope to see you again soon at other JOC events. Check the website for upcoming trips, including hikes every Sunday of the summer, and have a great summer.

See you on the trails!
Nachi & Rachel