 |
| The view north of Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge |
 |
| You don't see this often |
 |
| Whose tracks are these? I'm not a birder |
 |
| Tivoli Bays during our last snowfall of 2012 |
 |
| Not frozen enough to cross |
 |
| Tide is too high |
 |
| With just one day remaining, I can cross! |
 |
| For the most part I believe hunters make great environmentalists. But some are just gun nuts. Please clean up after yourselves. I spotted a bunch of these. |
 |
| Looking across to the mainland |
 |
| I made it just in time! |
 |
| An eagles' nest? |
 |
| It was quite enjoyable listening to the ice crack |
 |
| Looking across the Hudson. Overlook is on the left. |
 |
| Some flaky ice |
 |
| I often wonder how these trees survive winter |
 |
| The shore of Cruger is mostly frozen |
 |
| Another island just north |
 |
| Cruger |
 |
| The Amtrak leaving a cloud of snow |
 |
| An inlet that connects the Hudson with the Tivoli Bays |
 |
| Another view across the Bays. I'm so used to looking from the other side. |
 |
| The view towards the hamlet of Tivoli. The water tower rises over the trees. |
 |
| A Bullrush. These dominate the marshes around here. |
 |
| Tivoli Bays with the Catskills rising to the west |
Access to Cruger Island is limited to 3 months of the year (October, November, December) for protection of the wildlife and its habitat. After failing to cross the wet areas on Friday (not frozen enough) and Saturday (too close to high tide), I made it to Cruger with help from the cold blast of air that came in on Sunday.
When I set out at around 9:30 (low tide), the temperature was at a brisk 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It took almost an hour for my hands to warm up. During that time, despite the beauty around me and the crunchy snow under my feet, I wondered why I enjoy winter hiking. I wondered how I endured some of my previous winter excursions under far more colder conditions.
Fortunately, I did warm up. My fingers and feet felt toasty. I could pull out my camera without my fingers tingling from the cold. I made it across the wet, swampy section with ease. The tide was low and the ground frozen solid. My guess is that it could be crossed at high tide also.
After a bit of walking I made it to the railroad tracks. Upon crossing the tracks, Cruger had the feel of an island. The bay sat to the east and the Hudson River's presence could be felt to the east. The bay side was mostly frozen. Not even close to being able to walk across, but it did provide sounds of cracking ice and some cool ice formations. The Hudson showed some signs of ice forming, but it hasn't been close to cold enough to freeze over. It will take many nights like last night to freeze the Hudson. From Cruger one can spot ice flowing in different directions from the many currents of the Hudson.
Tivoli Bays is supposed to be a wintering ground for Bald Eagles. I did not spot any as it's probably too early to spot them, but I did see a very large nest. An eagles' nest? I don't know. But it was a wonderful day out walking in the snow checking out a place that's not easily accessible. I appreciated every moment. Well, except maybe the start when my hands were freezing.
I'm guessing that the tracks are from a Great Blue Heron. They were big prints, yes?
ReplyDeleteI've known a few hunters, and they were all Rush Limbaugh type conservatives. They despised environment groups, bemoaned environmental regulations, and supported resource extraction and private concessions in the parks. Their own anti-environmental stance was in direct contradiction with their love of hunting. Duck hunters have the Federal Duck Stamp Act to thank for helping protect remaining wetlands, the very places where they hunt. Deer hunters should thank environmentalists and environmental organizations for lobbying to create parks, allowing them to have vast areas of public land for hunting. Nearly all of the hunters I know deny global warming, want the entire arctic open for exploration, and support a free-for-all drilling program in the Gulf. But then again, many of the hunters I know are just fine heading to a private piece of land for a canned hunt. Two people I know have shot bear using bear baiting techniques. Perhaps the Tri-State area has an abundance of tools who call themselves hunters, but are really weekend yahoos who know little about wildlife, ecology, or the outdoors, and just want to bolster their manliness by killing things with high-powered weapons and eating them, then bragging about it.
Does anyone know where I can get a map showing public and private lands of Tivoli Bays and the surrounding area from Tivoli to Bard?
ReplyDelete