This past weekend, my mom and I went on two hikes over the course of two days.
First we went on a sunset hike up Mount Beacon, and then we went on a hike up Overlook Mountain.
We already knew what we were getting when we went up Mount Beacon, but Overlook Mountain was a big surprise.
We started the hike with a 100 foot walk up a steep road next to a Buddhist Monastery. When we got to the trailhead we didn’t waste any time and started walking straight away up the steep hill. This hike was definitely challenging in it’s own way; the steepness didn’t really end until we reached the Overlook Hotel which was in ruins, and that was after 35 minutes of walking. The nice thing about this hike though is that it looks like a road, it’s fairly smooth, there are no protruding rocks or anything to climb over, which was a bonus after hiking Mount Beacon the day before. When we finally got to the top we were absolutely in awe.
As we sat there overlooking the beautiful Hudson Valley, we couldn’t believe that this is where we live. It was really something unexpected.
To be honest I was a bit reluctant to leave our spot on the ledge; the view was so breathtaking and I wanted to hold on to the calmness that I felt up there. We saw hawks suspended in mid-air, sunbeams shining down in the valleys, and wind made the leaves rustle in the gentlest way. I will never forget sitting up there and seeing the rolling landscape of the Hudson Valley as it was laid below us.
After doing something strenuous and hard we were rewarded with one of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. I need to remember that even though what I’m doing may be hard during the process, the reward will outweigh the pain of getting there. You have to keep going in order to get to your destination; if you turn around too quickly, you’ll miss something great.
Adventures in a Red Blazer 