HIKING BULL HILL, COLD SPRING, NY

My favorite part about living in NYC is that there is always a backyard adventure you can do every weekend. Whether it is a kayaking at Pier 26 in Manhattan, bouldering in Brooklyn Bridge Park or eating authentic Chinese food in Flushing, Queens, there is something for everyone. Last weekend, my friends and I went hiking at Cold Springs, NY. We went with the intention to hike the Cornish Estate Trail Loop, key word, intention. I will get back to this later on. To get to Cold Spring from NYC, you can take the Metro North Hudson Line from Grand Central and get off at the Cold Springs stop. The walk to the start of the Cornish Trail was about 15 minutes. The start of the trail is both a starting point for the Cornish Trail and Washburn Trail. Remember when I said we intended to hike the Cornish Trail? It turns out that we were following the markers for Washburn Trail. The trail starts with a pretty steep hike up Mount Taurus (also known as Bull Hill. Although let me assure you that it is a mountain, not a HILL). After begging my friends many many times to take a break so I can eat my teriyaki flavored beef jerky from Field Trip (totally not sponsored, it was THAT good), we finally reached a good resting stop with some view as seen below.

Taking Instagram shots was similar to a power nap to me. I was REVIVED shortly after and was ready to continue hiking. As we continue to hike, we finally reached the ultimate peak and saw a lot of people enjoying lunch there. My friend Crystel and I continued to take MORE Instagram pictures until the rest of the group signaled us to begin descending Mount Taurus. I have nothing to complain about our hike down. It was a very pleasant casual walk down. We were able to maintain a good pace and despite the 82-degrees temperature, the trees shielded us from unwanted humidness. On our way back we finally passed by the Ruins of the Cornish Estate, which was the main highlight had we taken the right trail (The Cornish Estate Trail Loop). The Cornish Estate was a mansion owned by a couple who died two weeks apart in 1938. Twenty years later in 1958, fire destroyed the mansion and the ruins became a part of the Hudson Highlands State Park.  ​

1. Invest in a pair of hiking boots if you know that you are going to hike more. I don’t own a hiking boots because I just started hiking but hiking in my sneakers means there is zero ankle support. I hurt my ankle several times descending the mountain. Also, if you love your running sneakers as much as I do, it is not worth it to destroy them by taking them hiking. I accidentally ripped my running sneakers and soon enough I would need to shell out a part of my income for a new pair of running sneakers too.
2. Print out a trail map. We went assuming that there would be trail maps available at the start of the trail however we were very unlucky that day and the trail map box was empty. Thus we went hiking without a map. It was good that we had 5 phones with good cellular connection. Without them we would probably be even more lost than we already are.
3. Bring hand sanitizers and a first aid kit. The first 15 minutes of the hike, one of us got bitten by bugs which led to stinging pain and we only had 3 band aids and no disinfectant to treat the wound. We quickly noted that we need at least basic first aid kit for our next hiking trip. The hand sanitizer would be helpful when you need to do some bouldering hiking up. To be honest, I wished I had my hand sanitizers so that I can make sure I enjoy my beef jerky with somewhat clean hands.
4. Ration your water. Hiking up with a large container of water is terrible, but you know what is more terrible is if you don’t have any water for your hike down. That’s what I end up with because I drank most of my water hiking up. Make sure you have enough water for your trip back.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I will now simulate a hiking experience in the gym by staying on the step machine for hours or increasing the incline to the maximum level on my treadmill.