Photo © Kristina Feliciano.Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Kerhonkson, New York, February 1, 2025
The plan was to do a loop at Minnewaska: a hike comprising Lower Awosting, Rainbow Falls, Upper Awosting, and Mossy Glen Trail. 5.8 miles and maybe a couple of hours.
What actually transpired: 7 miles, almost 4 and a half hours, and fearing that I wouldn't finish the hike before dark. A hike whose last couple of miles wound through the woods, over large sections of dangerously smooth ice, gnarled roots, and frighteningly smooth uneven rock formations. My pace was quick, but with a long way to go and the clock rounding 5 pm, yikes. And though I was warmly dressed, it was 19 degrees and dropping…
It wasn't always this way. About an hour into the hike, when the sun was still high in the sky, I met a pit bull in a pink fleece. Her name is Lucy. I reached out to pet her, and as she lunged for my hand her owners exclaimed, "Watch out! She likes to steal gloves." (Not what you were expecting, huh?) And then halfway through the hike, I arrived at Rainbow Falls, epically frozen and legitimately jaw-dropping to witness up close. About that time, Endorphina, Queen of Elation, joined me, and I was feeling pretty triumphant for having navigated through relative peril to get here.
But all that was nearly forgotten now as panic crept in. And then, as I was considering how to traverse a wide swath of ice, I saw a light across the way. I turned on my phone flashlight and waved it. It was a couple. One of them made his way toward me. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I was afraid I would be hiking in the dark," I said, and that's when I realized just how frightened I was. "I'm so happy to see you." His name was Dan, and her name was Christina, and they were two of the kindest people ever ever ever. They invited me to join them for the end of the hike. They, unlike me, were properly equipped with hiking poles and, um, water. (I know, I know.) I followed them feeling like a lost child with a new appreciation for being obedient.
The plan was to do a loop at Minnewaska: a hike comprising Lower Awosting, Rainbow Falls, Upper Awosting, and Mossy Glen Trail. 5.8 miles and maybe a couple of hours.
What actually transpired: 7 miles, almost 4 and a half hours, and fearing that I wouldn't finish the hike before dark. A hike whose last couple of miles wound through the woods, over large sections of dangerously smooth ice, gnarled roots, and frighteningly smooth uneven rock formations. My pace was quick, but with a long way to go and the clock rounding 5 pm, yikes. And though I was warmly dressed, it was 19 degrees and dropping…
It wasn't always this way. About an hour into the hike, when the sun was still high in the sky, I met a pit bull in a pink fleece. Her name is Lucy. I reached out to pet her, and as she lunged for my hand her owners exclaimed, "Watch out! She likes to steal gloves." (Not what you were expecting, huh?) And then halfway through the hike, I arrived at Rainbow Falls, epically frozen and legitimately jaw-dropping to witness up close. About that time, Endorphina, Queen of Elation, joined me, and I was feeling pretty triumphant for having navigated through relative peril to get here.
But all that was nearly forgotten now as panic crept in. And then, as I was considering how to traverse a wide swath of ice, I saw a light across the way. I turned on my phone flashlight and waved it. It was a couple. One of them made his way toward me. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I was afraid I would be hiking in the dark," I said, and that's when I realized just how frightened I was. "I'm so happy to see you." His name was Dan, and her name was Christina, and they were two of the kindest people ever ever ever. They invited me to join them for the end of the hike. They, unlike me, were properly equipped with hiking poles and, um, water. (I know, I know.) I followed them feeling like a lost child with a new appreciation for being obedient.