For a lot of New York hikers, it may seem hard to find trails that aren’t overcrowded. It all started by an interest of thru hiking the Appalachian Trail. But for someone my age whom is exceeding in their career, it didn’t seem practical to quit and live off the trail for 4-6 months. So I stuck with escaping the city every weekend hiking upstate, what I noticed on my hikes were these 2” x 4” aqua blazes that I would find throughout Harriman and the Catskills. So I did some research, come to find out that these aqua blazes were a long trail called the Long Path. The Long Path is a 358 mile trail that extends from the 175th Street Subway Station in New York City to John Boyd Thacher State Park near Albany, NY.

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On January 27th 2019, I set out to trek all 358 miles of the urban, rugged and wild beauty not knowing exactly when or how I would complete the trail. I made it a priority or so a NEED to wake up early on weekends, commit to the early morning commutes from the city to find transportation up to reach it. But little did I know I would be blessed with new friendships who wanted to help along my journey.

The Long Path taught me to live in the moment, to fight through the mental pain I’ve been battling, that I am capable of completing anything I set out to reach. The trail made me frustrated at times with the viewless climbs and the rather long road walks but never once did I want to quit, I wanted to see what the trail had in store for me next. What mostly came next was the endless beauty, the views, terrain, wildlife and plants, the smiles and memories it gave me to cherish.

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I faced my biggest fear running into a black bear while solo and now I always hope to see another beautiful creature. I saw a wide variety of birds, wild turkey, squirrels, tons of chipmunks, snapping turtles, snakes and my first red fox on trail. I stumbled over rocks and roots, miles of road, ancient forests and farmlands. Most significantly, however, I saw myself. I saw myself not only as a stronger hiker but a stronger woman. I pushed big miles, my biggest day being my last. I had crushed 30 miles under 11 hours to cross the finish line after section hiking on the stunning and wild Long Path over 10 months.

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My journey on the Long Path doesn't end there, I have now dedicated my free time to become a trail maintainer through the New York New Jersey Trail Conference. Where I manage a short section near Schunnemunk Mountain and I help with relocating and building the trail off roads.

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Read featured article here: https://www.nynjtc.org/news/love-letter-long-path

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Long Path End to Ender #177 - Completed on 10/26/19

Catskill 3500 Club #3321 - Completed on 03/07/20