A Long Mountain along a long brown path
Long Path Sections 6 + 7: 30 feet before the White Bar Trailhead to Smith Clove Road
This is the fourth installment of a series on section hiking the Long Path. The adventure begins here, and you can read the previous installment here.
This spring E and I went back to wrap up the Harriman section of the Long Path.
We hopped off the bus at “Arden,” which you have to request the driver to stop at. In the past, I’ve had mixed experiences with this—sometimes the drivers are familiar with the stop and sometimes they’re not. Only once, years ago, did a driver refuse to stop there, claiming it wasn’t a real stop, and I had to call the Short Line dispatch number to get clarification/backup. But this time, there were other hikers on the bus and the driver was familiar with the stop, so there were no such complications.
We hiked the familiar path up to Island Pond, following the Appalachian Trail. There was a big group of picnickers posted up on the hill by Island Pond, in spite of the posted signs prohibiting such activities. But they were busy milling about, and the big rock overlooking the water was clear so we circled around them to eat our raisin-bran muffins.
In a little over two-and-a-half miles, we met back up with the Long Path. This was completely new trail to me, unlike other parts of Harriman, which are getting to be quite familiar. It was pleasant going, winding past a marsh and through a woodsy swamp. It was still early spring, and the trees were only just starting to bud, so when we climbed a modest rise, we were treated to a lovely view of the Shawagunks.
Our campsite for the night was near Stockbridge Shelter. We passed a couple guys spread out in the trees below the hill, but the shelter itself and all the tent sites around it were clear and we had our pick. We posted up on a ledge with a nice view and open skies above, and ate our dinner while watching the sunset. Then I crawled into the tent because I was cold and tired and E packed up and stashed our bear bag for the night.
I crawled back out again for a pee later that evening and while looking up through a gap in the trees saw a fat, bright shooting star cross the sky, the kind that lingers so you really know you saw it, and didn’t just imagine it. I think it was an early arrival of the Lyrids, and was tempted to suggest we come back and do the whole hike again the following week, when the meteor shower would be at its peak.
The next day we climbed Long Mountain. At the summit there is a memorial to Raymond Torrey, who wrote a hiking column called “The Long Brown Path” for the New York Post from 1919 until his death in 1938, and promoted and popularized the idea of the Long Path in its infancy.
Our biggest mistake was to not take the seasonal Long Path route through West Point, which I think would have been much more pleasant, if a hair longer and more challenging. Instead we followed the trail down alongside a highway for a bit and then through a boring residential area.
We wrapped up our trek at the Woodbury Diner, and then caught a bus back to the city at Woodbury Commons. Even after a mere overnight in the woods, it was jarring to re-enter society in that mecca of discount consumerism.
I chose to experiment with video instead of taking my nice camera and ended up making a TikTok about this section, which you can watch here if you’re interested. It was fun to play around with but I don’t know how other backpacking/hiking content creators do it! It really took me out of the experience of being in the woods/nature to a much greater degree than just taking notes or photos..
Hike it yourself (from NYC)
DAY ONE Take the Short Line bus to the Arden stop, where Route 17 intersects with the Appalachian Trail (ask bus driver to stop at the Harriman sign). Depart 9:10am; arrive 10:23. 1.20 miles to Island Pond 2.52 to intersection with Arden-Surebridge, leave AT 2.72 (approximate) to Long Path, Section 6; turn left (IF YOU HIT WHITE BAR TRAIL, YOU’VE GONE TOO FAR. Retrace steps 30 feet.) 3.42 to intersection with AT 4.27 to unmaintained shelter (Cohasset Shelter) - no water 7.82 to Stockbridge Shelter - camp here (no water) DAY TWO 2.15 miles to end of Section 6, beginning of Section 7 10.35 to Smith Clove Road 11.55 to Woodbury Commons + bus (pass Woodbury Diner & A Better Place Bar & Grill) Buses depart for NYC at 5:21pm, 6:58, 7:15, 7:30, 8:30, last bus 9:15.