This past weekend, the VPo Man and I had the pleasure of meeting up with Johnny Rocket, whom we met hiking in NH. Unbeknownst to us there is a train from NYC that stops at Breakneck Ridge. In a jungle of hardy hikers the VPo man found the standout amongst them, Johnny Rocket. No wonder this is considered America's most popular trail. We met up at the parking lot and decided to drive to another lot and hike up Mt. Beacon.
The Vpo Man and I were curious to find out what JR was made of. JR recently took up the great sport of hiking. Would he be a freak of nature? Would he be constantly asking, "Are we there yet?" Or would he be somewhere in between?
We started up a poorly marked blue trail. A few times we had difficulty finding the trail as there were many woods roads. Early on there were a couple nice waterfalls and some nice stream crossings. Always much greater in the spring and a chance to view JR's stream crossing skills. So far so good. The man is a hiking machine!
We soon met the major challenge of the day, the white trail leading to the summit of Mt Beacon. There were some nice view points on the way up. Thankfully, JR didn't ask, "That's the Long Island Sound, right?", as a couple hikers asked me a few weeks back on breakneck while looking at the Hudson. Despite the steepness Johnny Rocket handled the climb like a man.
Soon we summitted Mt Beacon. There are great views in every direction. You can see the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and in the distance the Mid Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie. Looking west you could see Stewart Airport and the highest point in Orange County, Schunnemunk (skun-a-munk). Looking south you can see the lower Hudson Valley and Bear Mountain. Looking north you can see the Devil's Path Range of the Catskills and the Shawangunks near New Paltz. Close by, you can see the Beacon Resevoir.
Next we worked our way over to Scofield Ridge which happens to be the highest point in Putnam County if that means anything. It's a nice little ridge walk with great views toward Mt. Beacon and the valley to the east and surrounding hills. We met quite a few hikers on this section. At some point I went off trail for a bit and eventually bushwacked back to the trail where I eventually met up with the Vpo man. Where was Johnny Rocket? Apparently he was getting a bit tired, but he made the same mistake as me. He made it back to us and we continued on. We met a group of Koreans with a dog. The Vpo man doesn't like dogs. This is why the Vpo man likes Koreans. He has noticed they don't hike with dogs. Yes. This is because the eat them! They were probably getting ready for a barbecue before we showed up.
We continued on for the slow walk down. We took it easy heading out as it was a long day. Although the Vpo man blazed out ahead of him. JR and I decided to fuck around with him telling him that JR went back up to Mt Beacon and hurt himself. Vpo man believed this farce and offered to call a Ranger.
Another good outing and hopefully we'll meet up with Johnny Rocket again someday soon in the mountains (not Brokeback) or whereever.
I enjoy hiking with Johnny Rocket. He always shares his well thought out opinions, and can defend them expertly. I appreciate the stimulating conversation. On the trail, he's a diamond whose shine needs some restoration. Shine on, Johnny Rocket, you crazy diamond. We'll help restore you. Chris and I want to visit you in Brooklyn, to look at your art, so we can have a broader understanding of Johnny Rocket. Our psychological interpretations will help us to decide the best ways to work you back into being a contender. Don't worry; I would never let Chris abandon you in the woods. But the road ahead requires persistence and belief. Quite frankly, I've slipped over the passed couple of years, and haven't been able to do my own restoration. The real battle is the one waged with yourself. Word.
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