4.2 miles | 352 ft gain | Difficulty: Easy | Rating ★★
The kinda hike. Last week I was super excited to hike Storm King. It feels like a major fixture of the Hudson Valley, yet not having a car, we rarely venture to the west side of the river. We arrived around 10am to a mostly empty parking lot. The weather was bright and sunny, with just the right amount of winter nip. As I prepared to put my spikes on, Sean shared the horrifying news – his boots were still in Brooklyn.
I love my Keen boots. But being in a car for 70+ minutes with them on isn’t the best. So we often wear sneakers (or my favorite, hiking socks with my Birkenstocks) and change into boots when we arrive at the trail head. It’s never been a problem, until now. There was no way Sean’s causal sneakers could bear spikes. And not being waterproof nor having any traction, any trail hike was now off the table.
Cornwall on Hudson isn’t a quick trip from Brooklyn, so we didn’t want to consider the entire day a loss. We looked quickly for our *ugh* paved hiking options. We’ve walked the Walkway over the Hudson, Mid-Hudson Bridge, but surprisingly never the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. To be honest, I’m not actually sure we’ve ever driven over it. The Bear Mountain Bridge is definitely our most common river crossing up north.
We made our way to Newburgh to park at it’s start, a circular gentle slope that we saw some people call out as a “steep incline” on AllTrails. Not wanting to turn immediately back, we made sure we had a destination on the other side. Two Way Brewing Company, another mile or so walk past the end of the the bridge in Beacon was our destination.
I don’t like bridges. I mean I do, but there’s something about being completely suspended, high above a body of water with no land in sight that feels unsettling. I have this illogical fear that I’ll drop something over the edge, or trip and fall. I trust myself and the earth, but I don’t like an unnatural barrier in between. I feel the same way about rock climbing. I love scrambling up cliffs with my own strength, but the idea of having to rely on ropes and spikes…I don’t know.
I was fine for the early portions, and the end even, but the middle… At one point we separated from the main vehicle bridge and it felt like this ad hoc extension. I logically know the structure was sound, but it just felt like an ofter thought. But oh the views. Looking down at the ice islands floating in Hudson, down river toward the city, and on each side, snow speckled mountains rising up.
Once safely on the other side, our journey to the brewery was fairly uneventful. Suburban roads, with views of historic homes common to the area. Two Way Brewing has a great outdoor patio with a couple of fire pits. We didn’t really need the warmth with the day being in the 40s, but the ambiance was still nice. Plus, they had dark beers! I can respond the rising obsession with IPAs, but they’re not the only kind of “good” beer out there. And personally, in the winter, there’s nothing I crave more than a roasty porter or stout.
My favorite part of the brewery was the company. For the first time on nearly a year, we had spontaneous conversation with strangers, about Brooklyn, mountains, car rentals and Wegmans. There are so many things I miss about pre-pandemic life, but until then, I didn’t really realize how much I missed strangers. One of the things I love about living in a city is that you’re never alone. Yet this past year, with a car, without the subway, with sparse family interactions, it’s been the most suburban life I’ve known. And I hate it.
Fifty-Two Hikes 