Storm King Mountain Climb - Sat June 15

Well, after 15 years and one aborted attempt to climb to the top of Storm King, we FINALLY made it to the top. Kind of silly that it has taken us this long. I used to love to go hiking and climbing in the White Mountains of NH with my next door neighbors the Crowleys growing up. Somehow, I allowed life (read - work, raising kids, caring for a house, music and other pursuits, etc.) to tear me away from my love for getting out in the woods, mountains and streams.  Something I really regret.  Well, I am not dead yet . . . so time to start getting back out there.  I really want to try to take at least one decent hike each month during the prime seasons. We'll have to see about winter when that comes around. There is just SO much to explore right here in our own neck of the woods.  Black Rock Forest, Harriman State Park, Minnewaska & the Schwangunks, the Catskills, the Adirondaks - all right here in NY.  Then there's the old stomping grounds of MA, NH, VT, ME.  Not to mention heading down to MD, West VA, VA, TN, NC.  Man - I've wasted WAY too many years.  Ah well. Time to correct that.

So - we had tried to climb Storm King once many years ago shortly after we moved to Cornwall on Hudson. It was with my dad when then were down for a visit in the late fall. Only we hadn't realized the trails were all closed due to UXO - "unexploded ordinance" having been found on the mountain during some wildfires the summer before.  Apparently, there was a cannon foundry in Cold Spring (just south of us on the other side of the river and opposite West Point) and they used to test fire the cannon at the Southern flank of Storm King (the back side from us). Well, many of those shells never detonated, until years later when firefighters were fighting wildfires. Then - they had to close the mountain for several years while the military cleared the area.  We didn't realize and while we were on the trail, and ranger came along and told us we had to go back down and stay off the mountain.

The trails have been reopened for several years now, but we just never got back to trying to climb it. Now, we have. It was a beautiful day - clear, cool, dry.  Here are some pics from the day.