After
my recent trip around the U.S. I decided I should spend some time exploring
closer to home. After all, New York State apparently has 215 state parks and
historic sites, many of which are within a couple of hours drive from where I
live, so there is no shortage of places to visit.
As fall arrived with slightly
cooler temperatures and lower humidity it seemed the perfect time to go for a
hike. Given that most of my walking tends to be on the flat and often in the
city, I was looking for a trail which would provide an element of challenge
without being too scary and, ideally, some nice views. A little online research
offered the Major Welch Trail at Bear Mountain State Park as an option. Rated
as ‘difficult’ but only just over four miles round trip it sounded just what I
was looking for. It also had the advantage that the drive from home to the park
along Route 9 was scenic in itself.
