Pine Swamp Loop (Harriman State Park)

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 Pine Swamp Loop (Harriman State Park)


Pretty solid day today. I’m a finalist for a position at a school near Harriman, so I might get my dream of leaving city life, but even if I don’t, it gave me hope that something will work out eventually.


After celebrating with a Voodoo Ranger, I decided to do the Pine Swamp loop. I went counterclockwise taking the Arden Surebridge trail, crossed over to catch the viewpoint, and then continued on. 


The trail was in dry condition and I felt amazing. I was running the entire thing with ease, and I’m not really into running. I transitioned onto the Dunning Trail and found the path to the mine. Last time I was there it was dark. While it was interesting to see the mine with headlamps, it was more intriguing to see the spectrum of colors in the rock illuminated with the sun. Somehow I think the daylight made it look a little bit spookier. It reminded me of Pennywise’s home in the old TV miniseries It. 


The swamp does overrun part of the Dunning trail. You have to walk around it and hopscotch onto rocks and fallen branches. 



After that section, I caught the Long Path for the rest of the way. The water crossings were easy—hopping stones or walking across fallen logs. Every time I walk across a log over wet ground, I remember when Johnny Castle was trying to teach Baby balance in order to dance. As you can tell from my 80s movie references, I’m old.


The bummer part came as I was running and my backpack unzipped. I thought I grabbed all my stuff and put it back in, but when I got to the car, I realized my $200 Smith Sunglasses had fallen out. So I went back and did the entire loop again—this time clockwise. I asked everyone I passed if they saw my glasses in a cloth case, but no luck. I also couldn’t find them, so if anyone out there does, please DM me. 



However, I’ll take the loss because overall it was a productive and promising day. I even had a wild Turkey run with me part of the way. It reminded me of my sweet life when I was working remotely from the Catskills. Maybe I won’t have to wait until retirement to live that way again.













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