WhimsySeasons: On November 16

From Palisades Interstate Parkway to New York State Thruway
Miles 11.6

First of all, I want to give a great big shout-out Thank You to my Uncle Sherwood who has been letting me and Chip stay at his apartment with him all of this week. I couldn't hike New York during the cold late fall without you, so thank you! It has been great to spend the week here. And also, thank you for being so flexible in getting up even before the break of dawn, which no one should be asked to do. And each time you had an even more inspired song!

Chip and I drove back to where we stopped yesterday-The Palisades Interstate Parkway. The Palisades Interstate Parkway is decidedly terrifying. It is a four lane, divided highway. The trail crosses it. As in, you walk out of the woods and are expected to casually stroll across it to the other side, as if it were a neighborhood alley. In Massachusetts there is a highway of similar size and that has a specially built pedestrian bridge just for hikers. Here there is a notebook in a box on a tree in the grassy part between the lanes. And we stood there yesterday and signed our names amid jokes about car flattened hikers. Please, if you are the person behind the wheel of a car-pay attention. Put down your phone. Get enough sleep. I beg you on behalf of all two-legged and four-legged fellow highway users on your street. When we crossed the lanes of traffic yesterday Chip held up a red jacket, as if he were bull-fighting, when we ran across the traffic, to try to help drivers see us. But I digress. We are both safely on the other side.

The highlight of today was the Lemon Squeezer. This is a section of trail that passes amid boulders-over, under and through them. Chip enjoyed it so much that he climbed it twice. But then, perhaps he was just restless because he hasn't smoked a cigarette yet today. (!!) Throughout much of trail today there was evidence of the recent storm. In one place I literally counted more than 30 trees that all fell together in one bunch, onto the trail. There was also a beautiful section of trail that was at once forest and meadow and boulders. I guess there was a lot of variety and beauty today.

Sunrise

Evidence of storm damage. You can't tell, but that is the trail.

Beautiful meadow/boulder/woods. Trail and two white blazes.

When you arrive at the Lemon Squeezer you find this sign "Easy Way", for a short-cut option of sorts. Just follow the blue blazes.

Here is the easy way.

Here is the hard way.

Me in the Lemon Squeezer.

The trail goes under these boulders. I may have already metnioned this, but hiking at this time of year is incredibly slippery business because the coating of leaves underfoot is slippery.