I checked the weather and all looked good, they predicted rain but I figured I could get through the scramble before then if I hit the trail early enough. It starts out with a beautiful steep descent that zig zags its way down the cliff side until you are basically on the shore of the hudson river (note in the pictures how different it looks than the hudson river photographed in my last hike 1hr away from where I live)
one of the coolest spots ever for a blaze
Once you get to the river you're in for a great 1 mile scramble that is more horizontal than vertical but takes you at points both up and down. It's a difficult scramble for different reasons than the one at Breakneck Ridge, mainly because you are walking sideways while trying to keep yourself from falling sideways if that makes any sense. Also you need to watch out for stuff like this
A nice place to put you leg if you'd like to spend the night
So remember earlier how I figured I would beat the rain. Well about 5 min into the scramble it started to snow...Snow? They didn't say anything about snow. So I picked up the pace in hopes of getting through before the rocks were slick. This did not happen I ended up going very slowly for most of a one mile scramble using my hands most of the way and testing my footing with every step. Still it was a fantastic scramble.
The first step
You see why they call it the Giant Stairs?
Some smaller steps
The long and windy bumpy road
This big boy probably had a nice view of Manhattan from the top of the cliff 1000 yrs ago.
After a good hr on the rocks you come out on a path that takes you up the shore of the river for a good 20 minutes. Its not often that you get to literally walk along the Hudson river that close to NYC. It was mostly beautiful but I did imagine at some point I could see a body wash ashore...I didn't however see this. After this you come to a little clearing with oddly enough a tree swing hanging out over the water. It kind of looked like a Edward Gorey illustration.
I imagine the twins from the shining on this swing
Fancy a dip?
I have to get back up there somehow
As you head back up the cliff you hike up alongside the Peanut Leap cascade which seem to come right at you because well its coming right at you. Even on the trail you get a few drops of water from the falls on your head....which normally would be refreshing after the strenuous Giant Stairs of course it was now raining and I was already drenched.
Cool
Shortly after getting above the falls I started day dreaming about eating my lunch and bears for no particular reason. I wondered of trail and found what I believe is the only house in the Palisades that Rockefeller didn't have destroyed as it posed no threat to the view from the Cloisters in Manhattan.
I feel sorry for your Mailman
Eventually you join the Long Path (see earlier posts) and make your way back up the cliff and loop back to where you began. A great hike I intend on doing many more times but preferably in drier conditions.
