Week Two - Teatown Lake Reservation, Ossining

Sorry for the delay in my posting. We (Adam, Antonia, and myself) actually walked this route last Wednesday but have been away and so here are the details. It was another mild day for January, about 47 degrees when we hit the trail at about 1:00. The Teatown Lake Nature Center is a great starting point, offering a topographical model of the park, trail maps, gift shop and most importantly, nature - snakes, really cool stick insects, and much more.  We were recommended to hike the Hidden Valley (HV) Trail, based on our preferences. Overall the Reservation has nearly 15 miles of marked trails. We headed toward the HV trail, passing a bunch of rescued Eagles, Hawks, Owls that were all well cared for. The hike itself is 1.8 miles, but it didn't feel it, there was such diversity along the way. We passed through a large "vernal" pool - a body of water that dries out in the summer allowing salamanders and wood frogs to prosper, and red maple wetlands.  There was some uphill/downhill walking but more than anything the hike was varied and enjoyable due to the babbling brooks and rocky ledges.  We never did see the actual "Teatown Lake", we weren't even close. Now that I have studied the larger map I realize that we will be making more trips to this beautiful place, not only does it offer multiple hikes, it hooks up with many other local trails that will keep one going for hours.