Harriman Hikers Holiday Season Hike Sunday, December 20th, 2009 in Harriman State Park, NY. Harriman Hikers hikes EVERY Sunday, year-round. For complete info please see our homepage.
Harriman Hikers Holiday Season Hike Sunday, 12-20-2009
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
Category Archives: Header Photos
Happy New Year! Video: Harriman Hikers at Pine Swamp Mine, HSPNY
Happy 2010 from Harriman Hikers! Wishing all a healthful, safe and prosperous new year! 
Harriman Hikers at Pine Swamp Mine, Harriman State Park, NY 1/3/2010 on YouTube
It was too icy and slippery (thin ice with water underneath! 
) to go up inside the Pine Swamp Mine on Sunday, but some history and some great photos of the mine can be found here:
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
Season’s Greetings From Harriman Hikers
Harriman Hikers wishing everyone all the best for a happy, healthful and safe holiday season and new year!
A snowy day on the Appalachian Trail, Harriman Hikers Snow Hike to Fingerboard Shelter, Harriman State Park, NY – Sunday, December 6, 2009
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
Service For Gene Doleschal Sunday, November 1st, 2009 2:30pm
Update 11/2/2009: A wonderful memorial service was held on a gorgeous Fall afternoon for Harriman Hikers Hike Leader Emeritus, Gene Doleschal on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at St. John’s Church in the Wilderness, in Harriman State Park, Stony Point, NY. In attendance were Gene’s family, who planned the event, as well as many of Gene’s friends, including a number of Harriman Hikers.
From Gene Doleschal‘s family:
Dear Friends and Family,
Although many of you are already aware, for those of you who are not, we wanted to share the very tragic news that our father, Gene Doleschal, passed away this past Friday, October 23rd, 2009. His death was very sudden and unexpected.
A service in Gene’s memory has been arranged as follows:Sunday, November 1st 2:30pm
St. John’s Church in the Wilderness (not to be confused with St. John’s Church in the Woods)
16 Johnsontown Road, Stony Point, NY 10980-3624 (lat 41.22315724579835, long -74.09317016601562)
(GPS or MapQuest may recognize the town as Pomona instead of Stony Point)
Anyone wishing to share a few words about Gene will be welcome to during the service.
An informal reception will follow at:The Mason Jar, 221 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ (MAP) (WEBSITE)
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to:New York – New Jersey Trail Conference
156 Ramapo Valley Road
Mahwah, NJ 07430
or donate online at nynjtc.org in Gene’s name
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and for being a friend to us all.
Eve, Claire, and Adriana
View Larger Map
if you cannot view the map above please use the link or the map below
,
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
Eugene Doleschal 1931-2009, Harriman Hikers Hike Leader Emeritus
Harriman Hikers Hike Leader Emeritus Gene Doleschal (right) pictured with Ed Burdzy and Adriana Marton in May, 2005
Harriman Hikers is very saddened to announce the passing of Eugene Doleschal, Harriman Hikers Hike Leader Emeritus. Gene passed away Friday morning October 23, 2009 in Portland, ME following a brief illness.
Gene was the Hike Leader for Harriman Hikers from 1984 until mid 2005, when he fulfilled a life-long dream of living and hiking regularly in the White Mountains area of New Hampshire by moving there permanently to a home he had purchased in Silver Lake, NH in 2004. Harriman Hikers gave Gene the title of Hike Leader Emeritus at that time.
Following his departure from the northern New Jersey / lower Hudson Valley area, Gene continued to stay in touch with us via email, phone and personal visits.
While Hike Leader for Harriman Hikers, Gene was responsible of initiating and maintaining our continuing policy and schedule of hiking “every Sunday, rain or shine”. Gene’s devotion to hiking, fitness, Harriman Hikers and the outdoors singles community at-large has been responsible for countless friendships and romances (including marriages!) as well as the overall better health and fitness of many who have participated in Harriman Hikers over the years.
Gene’s obituary via his family:
Gene Doleschal was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and grew up in Austria. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas and completed his Masters in Library Science at Columbia University. Gene was employed at the New York Public Library, The National Council on Crime and Delinquency in Hackensack, NJ, and O’Sullivan Menu in Carlstadt, NJ until he retired in 1997. He lived in New Milford, New Jersey for many years until relocating to his dream home (his “Elysium”) in Silver Lake, New Hampshire in 2004. He was an avid reader, linguist, ancient and modern historian and hiker, leading hikes with his beloved “Harriman Hikers” for twenty years. He leaves behind his beloved fiance, Adriana Marton; two daughters, Eve Purcell and Claire Keller; sons-in-law Kevin Purcell and Robert Keller; four grandchildren, Ryan and Sean Purcell and Amanda and Natalie Keller; and many friends.
Photo Slide Show: Remembering Gene
Remembering Gene – A Harriman Hikers Photo Set
We miss ya, Gene.
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club, Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
West Mountain, Harriman State Park, NY
The photo below was made at the West Mountain Shelter in Harriman State Park, NY on a recent hike by Harriman Hikers for one of our regular Sunday Hikes.
West Mountain has an elevation of about 1200 ft and from the shelter, looking southeast, spectacular views of the Timp (the mountain to the left), the Hudson River and several small towns in the area may be seen.
Elsewhere on West Mountain, looking east-northeast, one can see Bear Mountain and the Perkins Memorial Tower; if you are in the right position and you look closely, you can see the Bear Mountain Bridge *just* peeking around the south end of Bear Mountain.
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club, Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
Harriman Hikers at Elk Pens – Harriman State Park, NY
The Elk Pens in Harriman State Park is an occasional start / end destination for Harriman Hikers Sunday Hikes. The Elk Pens in Harriman State Park is rich in local history and is conveniently near the Appalachian Trail and other trails used on our hikes.
From Harriman Trails, a Guide and History (First Edition), by William J. Myles:
The first section of the Appalachian Trail was blazed in 1922 from Route 17 over Green Pond Mountain, across the north end of Island Pond to the Crooked Road and through the Lemon Squeezer. There it joined the A-SB (Arden – Sure Bridge Trail) up to the old fire tower. The entire trail through the Park, from Arden to Bear Mountain, was officially opened on October 7, 1923.
In those days, there were about 60 elk in a great enclosure between Southfields and Arden, known as Elk Range. They had been brought from Yellowstone Park in December 1919. They did not thrive and their number gradually decreased until 1942, when the remainder of the herd was sold to a dealer from Hoosick Falls (Commission Minutes, 12/10/42).
Harriman Hikers at Elk Pens, Harriman State Park, NY. Photo by Mary Jockel
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club, Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
Storm King State Park, NY
From Wikipedia | Storm King State Park:
Storm King State Park is a state park in Orange County, New York in the USA. The park is in the southeast part of the Town of Cornwall, next to the Hudson River.
The park is undeveloped, with limited parking; offers hiking and seasonal deer hunting.
Storm King State Park, NY
As mentioned elsewhere on our website, Harriman Hikers makes frequent forays into other parks and preserves beyond our namesake, Harriman (State Park, NY) and on this particular Sunday in May, our Hike Leader, Greg led us on a wonderful hike up and down the steep hills of Storm King State Park, NY to enjoy some of the many gorgeous vistas of the Hudson River and the adjacent valleys and lowlands.
From the Harriman Hikers Home Page (in case you are new to our hiking group):
What is Harriman Hikers?
Harriman Hikers is a hiking club for single adults of all ages. We meet up for hiking EVERY SUNDAY at 11:30 am in the South Parking Lots, Field B-1, of the Ramapo College of New Jersey on Route 202 in Mahwah, NJ. MAPS ANOTHER MAPAbout Our Hikes
Harriman Hikers hikes are what many would consider “intermediate level”, which is to say, “hikers should be in good physical condition and under prevailing weather conditions, capable of hiking 7-8 miles over hilly and rocky wilderness terrain where some hills can be steep”.Hiking boots and a light duty backpack or fannypack are recommended. Please dress appropriately for the season and weather, with brisk activity in mind; bring plenty of drinking water and your own lunch. Otherwise, no special equipment is needed.
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club, Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
Spring Time Harriman State Park, NY – Spruce Pond
Spruce Pond is in Harriman State Park, NY quite near Sterling State Forest, NY; so close, in fact, Yahoo Maps says Spruce Pond is in Harriman State Park, while Google Maps doesn’t indicate Spruce Pond being in either Harriman State Park or Sterling Forest!
Spruce Pond has a natural shoreline about 3/4 around its perimeter, but the SE end is built up with a quite lovely, small natural-stone dam.
Spring is currently well under way in the lower Hudson Valley! Surely you have taken note that the Forsythia has bloomed in all its golden glory; many of the other tree species in the area are showing leaf blooms which will soon turn the hills and mountainsides the lush greens of Summer we all love.
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club, Established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org
Spring is on the Way
WikiAnswers: Q: When is the first day of spring 2009?
A: March 20th – is the 1st day of spring for 2009
…Spring comes in between the 19th to the 23rd of March and at different times. It changes on a yearly basis because the first official day of spring is the (Spring) Vernal EQUINOX. This is when the sun is directly above the equator. It rises due East and sets due West and does not do so on the exact same day every year since the calendar is not exactly 365 precise days every single year. In 2009, spring will arrive on March 20th, as stated above and the sun will be above the equator, crossing to the northern hemisphere at 11:47pm (ish) [link]
Spring is on the way! Hibernation is “so” 2008!
With Daylight Saving Time now in effect, our Hike Leaders have considerably more daylight resources at their disposal with which to plan yet new invigorating, healthful and interesting hike routes. Join the hiking revolution! Make new friends! Take a hike!
Beech trees budding, early Spring – Harriman State Park, NY
Harriman Hikers
A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club, established 1974
www.harrimanhikers.org