Historic Environments

Taking advantage of a cool, drizzly day, our group hiked (strolled?) some of the trails surrounding Nuclear Lake in Pawling, NY. With the trail head at our backs, we were almost immediately greeted by some friendly hiking companions: Eastern Newts (the little orange fellow in the middle of the image being one of them).

While there were are different trails that crisscross the Nuclear Lake area, the one on which we spent the most time was the Appalachian Trail. Extending for roughly 2200 miles from Maine to Georgia, the AT is a popular destination for a variety of outdoor enthusiasts. The trail, which was completed in 1937, is marked from end-to-end with 2-inch by 6-inch white blazes. These blazes are usually painted within sight of each other on trees alongside the trail. However, there are places, due to a lack of vegetation, in which they are painted on the ground. Below is a snapshot of the AT alongside Nuclear lake:

Impressively, the entire trail is usually well maintained. This is thanks, mostly, to untold numbers of volunteers working through the network of Appalachian Trail Conservancy branches and maintenance clubs. The trail segments in the Hudson Valley fall under the protection of the New York- New Jersey Trail Conference. Maintenance of the trail is an incredibly intensive process, and includes, but is not limited to, collecting litter, breaking new or existing trail, clearing debris (such as fallen trees), ensuring visible blazes, and maintaining infrastructure such as bridges and signage. There are several bridges, for instance, located just on the few miles of trail around Nuclear Lake, such as the one below:

Perhaps the most enchanting aspect of hiking along the AT (or any trail for that matter), is that you never know what is going to be around the next bend or over the next hill. The variety of landscapes, vegetation and wildlife is both captivating and humbling. For instance, the majority of our afternoon was spent walking along wooded sections of the trail, like in the images above. Suddenly, after a slight climb and railroad crossing, we were looking out over an isolated swamp. Stumbling upon hidden gems like these lends hiking, or any utilization of public lands, an air of mystery and the exciting possibility of discovery. I left, as I usually do, hungry for more.