Trail Mixing It Up

Sunday morning, I met Rick and my new friend Caitlin at Grand Central Terminal to hop Metro-North's Hudson Line up to Tarrytown, New York.

Our goal, roughly the midpoint of the Old Croton Aqueduct. Recently featured in the New York Times, the aqueduct is a beautiful example of unused infrastructure and urban archeology. For the next six-plus hours, the three of us walked south for about 13 miles, taking occasional side trips to see locations of note.

Walking along the trail is a fascinating experience, one blending turn-of-the-century history with modern-day suburban life and, as you enter Yonkers, increasing urban density. We didn't really have a copy of the detailed map that points out all the sites to see, but we did go armed with my copies of Day Walker and the Hudson River Valley Moon handbook to keep us -- mostly -- on track.

The hike was amazing, but I'm sore today. Not sore in the legs, which I expected, but sore in the back, shoulder, and neck because of my shoulder bag. Silly hiker.

You can see my Flickr pictures from the day online. As the weather improves, look for more reports on urban adventures!

Additional resources: Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, The Old Croton Aqueduct Project, The Croton Aqueduct, Westchester Trails: Old Croton Aqueduct, and There's No Stoppin' the Croton from Hoppin'.

Looks like I should make a Squidoo lens!