[Silas]

Moving to Manhattan has taught me a lot about the ways other people live and what they value. Some people live for money.

Some people live for culture.

Some people live for food.

Me, I live to change the color of the little circles on www.peakbagger.com from pink to green. The winter in NYC (New York City) has had its ups and downs. Long nights in the emergency room. Cockroaches. Bagels. Newark International Airport. Rats. Inflation. Polarizing acronyms in Washington State (WTA, EMP) had been quickly replaced by polarizing acronyms in Manhattan (MTA, NYPD). I live vicariously through those back home. My dad sends me a photo of him gulping down the newest hazy IPA at a Beacon Hill Brewery after a bike ride around Lake Washington. Route Loser texts me his summer plans: Chiliwacks, Pickets, Tiger Mountain; names I knew in a past life.

We went up to the Adirondacks in October to try and get a feel for the fall foliage in this foreign land. It was beautiful, just not the same…

Renee and I had been looking for a big day to help us get back into shape before a weeklong trip to Mazama in June. I searched www.peakbagger.com in the search bar. In little gray text under the purple link on Google “you have visited this site many times.” Yikes. Nine “peaks” on the island of Manhattan piqued our interest. The highest elevation: 264 feet. The lowest: 5 ft. We packed a daypack and planned for a classic alpine start. Sunday morning came and went. Our pace was slowed by coffees, books, Wordle, and Danny Westneat articles. We left our apartment at 12pm and headed east on 79th street. Once we got to 2nd avenue, we turned south. On 72nd street we walked by a Spike Lee mosaic that welcomed us to the subway station. We slowly descended into the subway; musty smells and half-eaten ricotta pizza. The Q Train was coming in 1 minute! We slid our subway cards at the turnstile. “Please swipe again.” Another swipe. “Please swipe again.” One-hundred-thousand tons tons of stainless steel roared into the station at 60 miles per hour. Were we going to miss the train? We jumped the turnstile, promising to pay back the Karma Gods by giving a cash donation to the next mariachi band we saw on the subway. We barely caught the train and rode it to Times Square where we transferred to the A train. Advertisements for Bumble, New Jersey lawyers, and manscaping products covered the walls. We exited the train on the last stop at 207th.

The trailhead for the first peak was quite different from the trailheads we were used to back in Washington. There was not a box with paperwork to sign your name. No bathroom! And no Subarus with “Mountains Please” and/or Cascadia flag bumper stickers. Honestly, it was just a small park entrance. We took the paved trail up to the first summit, Inwood Hill. Surprisingly, there was no Fay register. Actually there was no register; just an old “Happy Birthday” balloon deflated up in a tree (not dissimilar from a balloon we found at Azure Lake in 2018). I guess NYC is not that much different than home. Our route took us south on an undulating ridge to Manhattan High Point 2 miles to the south at Bennett Park. Kids swung in swings and slid down slides as Renee emphatically claimed the summit for the Everett Mountaineers! A cool breeze came off the Atlantic. An orange haze hung over the city. We could barely make out the Empire State Building 150 blocks south of us.

Next up was Mt. Morris at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem on 124th and Madison Ave. We ran past bodegas and fruit stalls. I had summitted this peak twice before. All I could remember were steep slabs of granite on all sides. Renee had made a heroic solo attempt at this peak in a January Nor'easterly. Unfortunately for her, she had to ride the 6 Train in shame on her way back to our Upper East Side apartment (6 floor walk-up, 300 square feet, $2400/month). Today would be much different. We had the elusive Beckey Blue: Moses Lake and Beyond (only known print, 1974). We took the “Beckey Direct” up some stairs and were graced with beautiful views of surrounding Harlem. The tip of the Apollo Theater even made an appearance above the clouds. We headed south on Madison Ave and entered Central Park around 110th St. Wild pigeons floated gracefully above the Harlem Meer. The day was shaping up to be pretty good. With 3 peaks done and 6 to go, we were feeling confident. Renee set up a quick boot-axe belay and we were on the summit of the Grand Hill. A few more miles had us on top of two more peaks in the park. On this sunny Sunday, Central Park was only moderately less crowded than Colchuck Lake in July. I was about to have a hunger attack, so we headed to the Upper West Side for coffee and a croissant (almond). A break was much needed. We took off our packs and reminisced about how far we had come. Five miles? Seven miles? Could it be 20 miles?

Rejuvenated, we headed west past Juilliard and Lincoln Center before taking a seldom used path on the Hudson River toward Chelsea and Greenwich Village. We passed Hudson Yards, which looked oddly similar to the Pickets. The McMillan Spires of the East Coast. After a few miles we headed into Greenwich Village for our next objective. Millennials dressed to the nines sat on chairs on the sidewalk drinking chardonnay and eating quail eggs off of rustic wood platters; a day of rest before Monday’s “work” from home. Herzog once said, “There are other Annapurnas in the lives of men.”

After bagging a few more peaks, we only had one left, Battery Park on the southern end of the island. Passing through the Financial District (FiDi) I was reminded that Christine Gregoir, the old Washington State governor, was actively trying to make the entire town of Concrete into an NFT! We grabbed a slice of pizza before navigating the canyons of buildings around the New York Stock Exchange. A hop, jump, and a skip later we arrived at Battery Park, as the sun was setting behind the Statue of Liberty. Nine peaks in one day. Wow what an achievement. If you are interested in the GPS track, you can DM me and I can send it to you. 19.25 miles 4 hours 200’ elevation gain In all honesty, thank you all for continuing to upload trip reports. It brings much joy to two PNWers living in New York.

[reststep]

What!! No first ascents?

[GaliWalker]

[Double_E]

As someone who's from DC originally, but also grew up visiting NYC and the Adirondacks a lot and is very fond of NYC and NYS .... but also as someone who very much loves the Pac NW and is glad he's here and not there ... I thoroughly enjoyed this. Well played, sir. I'm guessing the brewery your dad was having the beer at was Perihelion? (Only one on Beacon Hill I think?) We go there almost once a week. Yum.

[Route Loser]

Some good laughs here. Speaking for those who live for food, there is no food in that photo.

[Chief Joseph]

Actually beer IS food, especially an ale with live yeast which provides vitamin B complex.

[Silas]

Thanks for the love, y'all. reststep, definitely no first ascents. Maybe some first ascents of the day...? GaliWalker and Double_E, the adirondacks are quite nice, just hard to get there. When we went there in October, we took the 6 train to the end of the line in the Bronx, walked a mile to Hertz rental car, rented a car, and then drove 4 hours. It was like going to Mazama before 20 opens. Route Loser and Chief Joseph, beer is food. Manhattan is expensive. Once Renee packed a few PB&Js into Studio 54 so we could eat something; drinks were so pricey!!!

[Brushbuffalo]

[JimK]

Sounds like you are having a good time. I'm pretty sure I have never seen The Pickets and Tiger Mountain in the same sentence.

[Get Out and Go]

I've made 4 summer trips to NYC in the last 8 years to study at Columbia Teachers College and loved it there, calm in the knowledge that I would be back home soon enough in the PNW. I amassed many hiking miles while visiting beautiful lakes and canyons and biked on Governor's Island. All the while I never experienced any hydration issues. (The Other Half Brewery was one of my favorites.) No freeze-dried food was ever necessary. (I never missed a Saturday at Smorgasburg. ) Enjoy your time there!

[cascadetraverser]

Such an interesting perspective. Thanks for posting. Sounds like this will be short term? Plenty of needs for health care providers back here in the NW and just about everywhere so hang in there! My daughter, a true NW outdoor girl is going to be in Brooklyn for 2 months this summer for a college internship. It will be interesting to see how she likes it....