Escape to Bear Mountain
While we may be introverts, we do love to explore. Getting out in nature is paramount to staying sane, especially when living and working in the city. That’s why it’s our goal this year to get out of the city more and discover what’s around us, both near and far. Over the course of the past year, we’ve mostly only left town for weddings, as most couples do during this period in their lives. Over the last few months we decided to make a change, taking small “escapes” from the city.
To ring in the new year, we went for a hike at Bear Mountain. It took roughly an hour and a half to get there from Brooklyn. We love the drive upstate, passing through the boroughs, watching the city skyline fade into the distance. After paying the tolls to get over the bridges ( we suggest bringing about $30 in cash just in case for tolls and parking), the buildings are replaced with trees as far as the eyes can see.
Whenever we go on these road trips, we go through a variety of podcasts. Our favorites for longer trips are:
Once we got there, we walked around the super cozy Bear Mountain Inn, checking out their adorable store and “North Pole” cafe, picking up some hot chocolate to warm us up. As we walked along the lake and up the trail, we got the best view of the bridge across the hill as the sun began to set. The trail we took was quite steep, and definitely required laced up boots with grips on the bottom. I was wearing my Patagonia hiking boots, while James was wearing his Sebago boots, which did slip a bit. Meanwhile, our dog, Whiskey, was loving it! He was running circles around us on his extended leash. After walking up the trail to about the midway point, we realized that we needed to head back before it got dark and we wouldn’t be able to walk down the icy rocks. Walking back along the lakeside we ran into what seemed like more official, and probably easier technically, trails. When you go, do make sure to check out all of the trails. We’re sure any of them would have equally stunning views.
Where are some of your favorite places to explore? Where is your next trip to? We love hearing from you and can’t wait to hear your suggestions on where to explore next!
Love,
The Nortons
