to the top of that skinny effing mountain!

sunday, a few of my friends and i hopped on the metro north and hightailed it on out of the city. our destination? cold spring, about an hour north of here. cold spring is a cute little village, not unlike the many other villages scattered throughout westchester. the hike—according to this website—is about 7.5 miles. the route we opted for was a moderately slow incline to the top, with a much steeper descent. i’d like to do the hike again, but in reverse—the trek was not all that strenuous, and i really like to give myself a challenge.

and hey, this isn’t that bad a reward for a job well done, eh?

as gorgeous as the view from the top was, i have to admit: it wasn’t the highlight of the hike for me. what really got me was the modest collection of stone frames of long-abandoned houses. i’m not sure what it is about them, but i’m absolutely fascinated by old, abandoned buildings. (growing up, in my backyard there was this stone grill/fireplace that was grown over with plants—it clearly hadn’t been used in decades—and i was absolutely enamored with it.)