Apshawaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Yaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!! I got my wish again last weekend :))).. We had a change in weekend plans and I got to leave the smoke and tension of the city for the tranquil of a tiny state preserve in NJ - Apshawa State Reserve - near the town of Bloomingdale, just an hour drive West from the city (if you have the luck to be in a car with my cousin driving, buffer another half hour for losing your way, retracing, food and restroom pit stops, so on and so forth ! :)).. travelling with her is a lot of fun, nevertheless :-) )

Anyway.. We were initially supposed to leave at our usual hiking time of 8:30 am on Saturday morning. But, after a very late Friday night (for all of us) and more importantly, a minor crash involving my cousin's car the same night (I did say, travelling with her is eventful!!), we eventually left the city after repairing the car and a peaceful lunch in the sleepy mid-afternoon hour of 3 pm.

Getting to Bloomingdale was straightforward enough but getting to the trail head itself from the town can be a bit tricky but the locals are happy to point you in the right direction. Parking is right at the head of the trail head. There is a kiosk with the trail map - I would suggest carefully reading it before starting the hike.

We reached the kiosk, all set with our gear (camera and water) at 5 pm. Given the late hour (sunset in 2.5 hrs), we were looking for a short hike. We choose to do the Green trail, a two hour loop which took us through the woods, along a nice stream, pond, dam, small waterfall and some rusty ruins.

The fun part of the hike was crossing the stream! The stream was a little more than ankle deep and was running off the dam which fed into it from a good size pond. Ofcourse, I got my shoes and socks completely wet trying to hop across using the rocks on the stream bed. But what the hell! that's the fun! :)

We climbed up the bouldery escarpment to reach the top of the dam (all of 20 feet) and came at water level with the pond. Looking at the pond and its serene waters in the slant rays of the evening sun was a peaceful and reflective experience - which, ofcourse, was shattered in a couple of minutes by squeals of the others in the party trying to communicate with us atop!

Anyway, along the way we passed a cute and tiny waterfall that was trying to muster up as much power and force of water as it could. I feel it is always refreshing to hear the sound of fast running water. It, somehow, enthuses you and sends an adrenalin rush through your body! Well, atleast it does for me. :-).


A mile or so from the falls, we summitted at the grand height of 600 feet. Despite the rather short stature of the peak, the view was breath-taking. We overlooked a sea of green of the adjoining hills. There was not a single building we could see for miles across. It definitely felt like we had completely escaped the city and had managed to invite ourselves to a private orgy of an untouched Earth!

And the setting sun peeking at us through the leaves of the nearby trees added a lovely tone to the leaves and the evening...I am rather glad, we did this hike in the evening as the descending sun mellows the experience into softer strokes - the green of leaves reflecting the sun just rightly so, the breeze carrying the cool of the late-day and the heat just enough to walk through the woods without the need for a jacket.........

After that, it was a rather steep descent and a short walk back to the car. In a way, even though it was a short hike and not so much in the way of exercise (we ended up doing the reverse loop and so descended most of the steep parts!), I enjoyed it a bit more than the previous hike. I think it was because of the varying scenery (water and woods) and also because the woods looked sooo green and fresh especially since the previous day had provided a good dose of rain in the region. :)