For weeks, I had been itching to get out of the city, to be surrounded by trees again. So after coordinating busy schedules and researching hikes that can be accessed via public transportation, three of us took the Metro-North train up to Cold Spring, New York, to trek up Bull Hill.
The start of the Washburn Trail was a one-mile walk from the train station—not bad. I was, for some reason, skeptical about how “strenuous” the hike would be, but after plenty of steep uphill action for over an hour, I needed all the extra food and water we had brought. We reached the top with an abundance of rewarding views under our belts.
We followed the hike description and looped back down on a few other trails. Fun features of the descent included trying to hop across Breakneck Brook where the bridges had washed away, exploring mysterious abandoned buildings, and counting frogs in an old cistern and well.
We found out later that the buildings (and old road, farming equipment, cistern, etc.) were part of the Edward J. Cornish estate. Several special details in the mansion have been preserved, like elegant diamond-shaped tiles and brick fireplaces in every room.
After the hike, we had time to explore Cold Spring’s Main Street, where we treated ourselves to “the last ice cream of the summer,” browsed antique shops, visited a newly opened Chinese grocery store and scoped out real estate listings—because of course, we were all dreaming about moving here after such a picturesque fall day in the Hudson Valley.
I’m already planning for the next Metro-North adventure: maybe Breakneck Ridge, Garrison, or Peekskill.
