Friday at Ward Pound Ridge - 3.7 or 7.5 Miles (Moderate)

From Rolande Hodel (Westchester Hiking Meetup) and Hank Zupnick:

Join us on Friday to work off a little, or a lot, of your Thanksgiving extra portions. This two-loop trail brings us back to our starting point after an easy to low-moderate 3.7 miles, with the option to continue (as both of us plan to) for a moderate, sometimes moderate plus, additional 3.8 miles.

Overview:

• 9 am, Friday, November 29
• Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Pound Ridge, NY
• 3.7 miles (easy to low-moderate) or 7.5 miles (moderate)
• No bushwacking or stream crossings; the Blue Trail (moderate) includes an uphill climb as well as a downhill rock scramble

Details:

Our Friday hike takes us to the eastern and northern parts of Westchester's largest park.

We'll start with the Brown Trail, whose 3.7 miles are among the easiest of the 35 miles of trails in the park, and where we'll hike clockwise. We'll follow the Cross River for the first mile before turning north, and then east and south. The Brown Trail is mostly flat, although there is a long-but-gentle ascent between park junctions 5 and 6 and a shorter ascent near the end. While sneaker-clad families often populate the Brown Trail on weekends, parts of it are rocky; boots and poles are strongly recommended, even for those planning to end after the Brown Trail.

After finishing the Brown Trail, we'll pass through our parking area, the end point for those doing the 3.7 mile outing; continuing hikers will pick up the 3.8 mile Blue Trail. On the Blue Trail, we'll hike counter-clockwise towards Gilmore Pond, about an hour away. The route starts with a steady 15 minute ascent, then levels off and includes a rocky descent, of a type familiar to anyone who has hiked in Harriman. Soon thereafter, we'll briefly skirt Gilmore Pond, which unfortunately is private property and guarded with "No Trespassing" signs and allegedly by giant snapping turtles, and then follow the trail back north, returning us to our cars.

Lunch: Participants hiking the Brown Trail only can expect to be done around 11:15, so will not need to bring lunch. For participants continuing on the Blue Trail, we'll figure out lunch as we go. And for everyone, water is a must.

In Re dogs: Ward Pound Ridge is considered a dog-friendly park, and as we've done on previous Ward Pound Ridge hikes, we'll open this one to well behaved dogs. Panda, the Australian Sheep Dog who sometimes joins us, will likely be there on Friday. If you would like to bring a dog, you must notify us when you RSVP.

Public Transportation: the nearest MetroNorth station is Katonah on the Harlem line, about 7 miles/15 minutes away. Please private message me in advance if you're considering this option.

AMC Health Advisory: Covid-19 has persisted in our region from its onset in 2020. In the interest of public health, do not join this hike if symptomatic of Covid-19 or infected with it, or if recently in close contact with someone who has subsequently become symptomatic of Covid-19 or infected with it.

RSVP only for "Yes" on Meetup or at https://activities.outdoors.org/search/index.cfm/action/details/id/155433 by Thursday 6 pm. A pre-hike update, including exact directions to our starting point, will be sent to all signed-up participants shortly after 6 o'clock.