Photos in this report were taken by Hans and Alvaro.
The plant at the right was my favorite for the trip, cactus at the top of Sugarloaf Mountain!
Hans is working on a big photo page for this hike, so forgive us for being a little thin on the pictures, more will come!
We started off early on Saturday morning around 8:30 and drove up to a spot near Bear Mountain. Pulling our packs out of the back of Jim's Jeep, we started up the Appalachian Trail. It was cold and misty at first but as we hiked on, it began to feel hotter. After a few hours, we reached the summit of Anthony’s Nose. The view was panoramic and spectacular. We could see the Hudson River and the bridge going across it. Someone had erected an American flag in a pile of rocks. It was a good time and spot for lunch and a nap in the sun. Afterwards we explored the area and then hiked back in the direction of the Jeep.
This day was a longer and a slightly more difficult hike. It was amazing. I learned about a lot of new plants like the Japanese barberry, the mountain laurel, and the garlic mustard. I also was surprised to find prickly pear cactus growing on Sugarloaf Mountain. I had thought it would only grow in a warmer climate.
I also met a lot of interesting people who I hope I'll get to hike with again. My brother and I both had a great time.
Max
We were very lucky on the November Youthcan Hike. Not only was it a beautiful day, sunny and up to the mid-50 degrees Fahrenheit by noon, but we found some great specimens for the Discovery Room at the Museum of Natural History. It was also a great group to hike with. The hike was about 8 miles long, with one peak on Sugarloaf Hill. We probably could have seen pretty far to the south and west, but a forest fire somewhere to the southwest made it hard to see.
We had barely started when someone spotted an immature sharp-shinned hawk on the side of the road. It may have been roadkill, but it was in excellent condition. The bird was about 12'' long, brown with brown streaks on its white underside.
Soon after that, we found a paper wasps nest, also in good condition, but pecked a little by birds. The wasps actually scratch the bark on branches and broken wood and mix it with fluids in their mouths, then add layers to the nest, which is an incredibly complex structure considering the size of the wasps. ( note from Jay: it was a baldfaced hornet (Vespula maculata) nest. It is in the Discovery Room now for visitors to examine.)
We saw several tufted titmice- small gray birds, a red-bellied woodpecker and lots of crows. At the top of Sugarloaf, there were turkey vultures soaring.
One thing that really interested me was learning how many non-native plant species are now slowly taking over native species, such as the Japanese Barberry, which was brought as a hedge plant, and the Garlic Mustard plant. I also learned that Hemlocks are being killed by woolly adelgids, tiny insects that suck the sap of trees.
Please write about wildlife and plants in your areas. I'd like to incorporate hikes into Planetary Notions somehow, and people involved in YouthCaN are more than welcome to submit pictures or articles about their hikes.
Ariela
Hello My name is Hans I am an active YouthCaNer from
NYC.
I went on the hike on BreakNeck.
Where:
I slept over the house of Mr. Jay Holmes, one of the hardest working adult youthcaners in NYC. We woke up around 5:30AM. I was so excited about going on the hike meeting other YouthCaNers in hope of making new friends.
When we arrived at Grand Central where I met Ariela. Ariela is a junior who attends Stuyvesent High School, she is the current editor of Planetary Notions.
I also met Alvaro, who is a freshman in Baruch College, he has worked hard in YC for around 3 years.
I also met Bill, who works at the American Museum of Natural History. He is one the people in this world who knows almost everything about the environment.
I also met Max and his brother Zack who were very eager and enthusiastic Hikers.
I also met Imran who attends Hunter College and was an active YouthCaNer in High School.
I also met my sister Charlotte, and her friend Carlos, who attend F.I.T. (Fashiopn Institute of Technology). Charlotte was another YouthCaNer from the past.
I also met Tiffany from Hillcrest High School, and Jessica who attends Brooklyn Tech High School.
I also met Jim one of the Founders of YOUTHCAN!!! and Charlie his friend.
And Matt and his wife, Eva. I believe, Matt works in the planetarium in the museum and his wife is a producer.
1) When we arrived at our starting line Manitou, I felt the warm weather of about 48F = 9C= 281K.
2)&3) One of the most memorable things for me from the hike was when We saw a dead sharp-shinned hawk, . . and when Jay and Bill saw a living white-tail Deer.
4)5)6) Whenever we would stop to take a break we would . . notice some of the trees around us such as . . Hickory, Japanese Maple tree and Hemlock . . . trees. Fortunately there was no human pollution. Many of the Foliage we saw were yellow, brown, green, and some beautiful RED trees.
7)8)9) Once we reached the highest elevation of 830 FT
=
10) 253M. We knew that we reached the top of Sugar Loaf!!! Unfortunately we couldn't see too far because of a forest fire near Dunderberg mountain which was probably . . caused "unnaturally".
We then calculated our Hike to be around 6 to 7 miles = 10 kilometers.
This was a great hike I met great people and made new friends. I can't wait for the next one.
Thank you.
Hans :)
