Tag Archives: News

Post-Irene Park Statuses

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As many of us know all too well, we were recently visited by Hurricane Irene, who not only damaged much private property but much public parkland along the eastern seaboard, causing many closings.

Harriman Hikers Hike Leaders have been exploring locally as has been possible and in spite of damage from the hurricane there are still plenty of park areas open and usable roads to get there, so Harriman Hikers will resume its normal Sunday Hiking Schedule on September 4, 2011, meeting at Ramapo College as we have done for over 30 years.

If you hike on your own, for the time being, you would do well to monitor the following websites and perhaps call ahead before planning a park outing in the North New Jersey or Hudson Valley, NY areas to determine if your chosen destination is in fact open and to be aware of any storm damage that may have occcured.

Harriman Hikers has also been posting updates as we find them on our Facebook Profile

Harriman Hikers
A NY – NJ Singles Hiking Club
Established 1974

New York State Parks on Facebook and Twitter

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New York State Parks can now be followed for updates and news on Facebook and Twitter!



While you are on Facebook and Twitter, be sure and make friends with Harriman Hikers on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Service For Gene Doleschal Sunday, November 1st, 2009 2:30pm

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L1080880-memorial-svc-Doleschal

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.

  • Gene Doleschal Obituary in Star-Ledger Newspaper and online
  • Photo Slide Show: Remembering Gene
  • Remembering Gene – A Harriman Hikers Photo Set

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    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)

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    (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.

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    An informal reception will follow at:

  • The Mason Jar, 221 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, NJ (MAP) (WEBSITE)

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    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
     

    ,


  • Please note that while we strongly encourage anyone who knew Gene personally (all friends of Harriman Hikers are welcome) to attend his service, this event does not affect or replace Harriman Hikers regularly scheduled Sunday Hike. Harriman Hikers will have a hike Sunday, November 1st just as Gene did for some 20 years.
  • Please note that at 2:00am on November 1st, 2009, we will return to Eastern Standard Time. Please set your clocks BACK one hour Saturday night before you go to bed.

    •  
    Harriman Hikers
    A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
    Established 1974
    www.harrimanhikers.org

    Season’s Greetings and Best New Year’s Wishes From Harriman Hikers

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    As the sun sets on 2008, Harriman Hikers would like to take the opportunity to wish each and everyone the very best for a happy, safe holiday season and fulfilling, prosperous 2009.

    SSL20317-Lk-Skannatati-sunset-HSPNY
    Season’s Greetings and Best New Year’s Wishes From Harriman Hikers
    Lake Skannatati sunset – December, Harriman State Park, NY. Special thanks to Harriman Hiker Mary Jockel for this photo from Harriman Hikers Sunday, December 7, 2008 hike

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    Please be sure and join us for our annual Holiday Hike on Sunday, December 27th, 2008. The Holiday Hike is a regular Harriman Hikers hike with special emphasis for the day on the holiday season. Harriman Hikers will hike as usual Sunday, December 27th, 2008, whatever the weather, just as we have every Sunday for over 30 years. Additionally…

    Feel free to wear your silly Santa hat, fake reindeer antlers, elf ears or whatever else you can think of to add to the merriment! At the same time, please be reminded, the hike will be a regular Harriman Hikers hike and, “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” – creativity is encouraged, however, please use proper judgment deciding how you would like to “decorate” yourself for the hike. (i.e. if you decide to be a Christmas Tree complete with ornaments, those ornaments may well get shaken loose and / or you may have a hard time keeping pace with the group, if, for instance, the hike leaders decide to take the group up Cardiac Hill or along one of the many other challenging trail routes that define Harriman Hikers hikes. Pointy elf shoes with bells on the toes? …probably not a good idea. Human dreidel? …nawww… Haven’t hiked with us before? Please read our home page carefully. Harriman Hikers Guide to Winter Hiking might be helpful as well.
    ···

    … Many hikers enjoy meeting up at the Mahwah Bar and Grill (MBG) after the hike each week; the Sunday December 21st hike may be a special opportunity to hook up with outdoors friends to celebrate the season. Meeting up after the hike is an optional, additional activity announced as a courtesy and does not affect or replace Harriman Hikers regular Sunday Hike or necessarily involve or include our Hike Leaders or other administrators. The best way to participate in this informal gathering is to join Harriman Hikers for the regular Sunday hike and to keep your ears open – meeting up at MBG is a popular option open to everyone and there is always chatter about meeting up afterward among the ranks during the hike. Generally accepted etiquette is for each person to bring cash to pay their own tab, treat the waitstaff with dignity and respect and tip generously as well as respect the personal spaces of others who may be present. Please do not drink and drive.
    ···

    For hikers that might enjoy a signficantly more challenging hiking experience in addition to Harriman Hikers regular Sunday Hike, Ed Burdzy will be leading (2) additional hikes during the 2008 holiday season – on Friday December 26th and on New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1st, 2009. It is very important that you read the announcements about these hikes carefully; please do not plan participate in either of these hikes without having spoken to Ed first. Follow the links below for complete information:

     

  • Friday Dec 26, 2008 Additional Hike
  • Thursday Jan 1st, 2009 Additional Hike (AKA “Ed’s Step into New Year Hike”)

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    Please be reminded that Ed’s hikes are additional hikes, coordinated by Ed and never affect or replace Harriman Hikers regular Sunday Hikes.

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    Harriman Hikers
    A New York – New Jersey singles hiking club, established 1974
    www.harrimanhikers.org
    ···

    Sunday, Nov 2, 2008 Standard Daylight Time is in Effect

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    Please set your clocks BACK one hour before you go to bed this Saturday night, November 1st. Standard Daylight time will be in effect this Sunday, November 2nd.

    The following from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) FAQS Page:

    When does Daylight Saving Time/Standard Time begin?

    Daylight Saving Time begins each year at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March. Move clocks ahead one hour at the start of Daylight Saving Time.

    Standard Time begins each year at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. Move your clocks back one hour at the resumption of Standard Time. Daylight Saving time and Time zones are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, not by NIST.

    In 2008, Daylight Saving Time begins on March 9 and ends on Nov. 2.


    …read more…

  • Official U.S. Time

    • …

    As always, Harriman Hikers meets 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.



    Harriman Hikers
    A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
    Established 1974
    www.harrimanhikers.org

    …

    Early Fall Color – Ramapo Reservation, NJ

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    It’s late September and the leaves are just starting to change here in north New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley in New York State. Fall officially began on Monday, September 22, 2008, at 11:44:16 EDT (15:44:16 UCT) and in a matter of weeks going forward, the foliage in our part of the country will peak to its show of brilliant Autumn colors everywhere, before the Winter fallow period begins shortly afterward. A little like people on Saturday night! ;)

    Notice how the bright Fall colors are still mixed with the remaining lush Summer greenery. Interesting time of year, no?

    This post also serves to highlight the fact that while Harriman Hikers most frequently hikes its namesake, Harriman State Park, NY, we also hike in other wilderness parks and reserves / preserves in the area, such as Ramapo Reservation, a Bergen County Park, located a short distance from our weekly meetup at Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah, NJ.

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    L1030825b-early-fall-color-RRMNJ
    Early Fall color at Ramapo Reservation, Mahwah, NJ

    The photo above (and the cropped version, used for our website header) were made at Ramapo Reservation.

    ···




    Harriman Hikers
    A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club, Established 1974
    www.harrimanhikers.org
    ···

    Harriman Hikers Group Photos Gallery

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    Look on the Harriman Hikers Home Page, near the bottom (under “About Our Members“) there is a photo thumbnail gallery of many group photos from Harriman Hikers Hikes. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge it.

    Be sure and visit Harriman Hikers Photo Gallery as well!

    Harriman Hikers
    A New York / New Jersey singles hiking club, established 1974
    www.harrimanhikers.org

    Harriman Hikers in Bergen Record

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    Harriman Hikers was featured in a newspaper article in the Monday, August 25th, 2008 print edition of the Bergen Record. The Record sent Staff Reporter Carol Fletcher and Staff Photographer Amy Newman to visit and hike with us on our Sunday, August 24th, 2008 regular Sunday hike.

    The article also appears in the Record Online:

    Record Online | Northern New Jersey | You’ll never hike alone. That’s a guarantee! | Monday, August 25, 2008 | By Carol Fletcher, Staff Writer

    “So you’re an avid hiker who’s not scared of climbing 1,600 feet, crossing streams or breathing hard for several hours. But you’re single and tired of hiking alone.

    Meet the Harriman Hikers, a group for singles of any age that hikes every Sunday, rain or shine, in the freezing cold or steamy heat.

    “It’s delightfully not a pickup thing,” said leader Greg Paret, a Putnam County, N.Y., resident who was leading a hike along a rocky trail Sunday in Harriman State Park with co-leader Ed Burdzy of Passaic. “It’s for people who want to do something with single people and not their married friends.”

    …read more…

    Harriman Hikers is a New York – New Jersey singles hiking club, established 1974. Please visit us at www.harrimanhikers.org for complete information and details.

    Harriman Hikers
    A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
    Established 1974
    www.harrimanhikers.org

    Wild Blueberries in Harriman State Park, NY

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    It’s a sure sign that summer is here when the blueberries are ripe! Ask any Harriman Hiker and they will tell you the joys of many July / August summer hikes include wild blueberries! Right now, end of July 2008, seems to be peak season this year.

    wild blueberries in Harriman State Park, NY
    Click the image for a better view :-)

    Blueberries / Wikipedia

    “Blueberries are flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, section Cyanococcus. The species are native only to North America. They are shrubs varying in size from 10 cm tall to 4 m tall; the smaller species are known as “lowbush blueberries”, and the larger species as “highbush blueberries”. The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen, ovate to lanceolate, and from 1–8 cm long and 0.5–3.5 cm broad. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, pale pink or red, sometimes tinged greenish.”

    …read more…

    The image above has been featured on the Harriman Hikers Home Page Header. Go here for other Home Page Header posts.

    Harriman Hikers
    A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
    Established 1974
    www.harrimanhikers.org

    Turkey Hill Pond in Harriman State Park, NY

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    Turkey Hill Pond is a 58 acre, man-made “pond” in the far-northern section of Harriman State Park, NY.

    Many Harriman Hikers refer to this body of water simply as “Turkey Lake” and it has been both a destination and way point for many different hike routes Harriman Hikers have used over the years.

    The view of the lake used on our website header features late Spring foliage and a view from the northeastern end of the pond looking south – the peak in the far distance is Summer Hill. Out of sight above and to the right of the photo is Torrey Memorial, where we had just come from to arrive at the location where this photo was made.

    L1010772 - Turkey Lake / Harriman State Park NY
    Click the photo for a better view :-)

    Other photos in this set depict lake and trail views as we hiked our way south around Turkey Lake’s eastern shore and then much later in the day after we came back to the lake on its southern end and hiked our way up Turkey Lake’s western side. From the west, looking east one can observe the actual Turkey Hill, for which the pond is named (and we hiked over ;-)

    For many, many more adventures – adventures you can call your own – as well as opportunities to meet great single folks and make new friends – join us for hiking!

    Harriman Hikers meets each and every Sunday, come rain / shine / snow / sleet, year-round, 11:30am at the South Parking Lots, Field B-1, of the Ramapo College of New Jersey on Route 202 in Mahwah, NJ.

    See complete details on our home page.

    The photo above has been featured on our home page. Chk this page for other photos featured in the Harriman Hikers website home page header.

    Harriman Hikers
    A New York – New Jersey Singles Hiking Club
    Established 1974