Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs

beanbag

beanbag

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When hiking in the Hudson Highlands, you sometimes get reminded that NY was once a "battle ground state," not in the political sense, but literally. There is a rich military history here, and some active bases remain, including West Point and Camp Smith. On a regular basis one hears the sound of artillery echoing through the valley. Often times you will run into soldiers or reservists training in the hills. Here are some pics from a couple of hikes my wife and I took last week during our staycation. Quick history fact: Our Colonial forces strung several chains across the Hudson as obstacles to stop British ships from advancing up river--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River_Chain

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Looking south towards Cold Spring (Opposite West Point)

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Looking north towards Beacon with Bannerman's Island in the foreground and Breakneck Ridge (an insane rock scramble of a hike) to the right.

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Better keep the kids on a leash!!!:eek:

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Freedom Road

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Looking down on a heli. passing Breakneck Ridge. If you look closely at the rocks across the way, there is white paint showing the alternate routes up the climb for those who don't want to risk breaking their neck.

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nice pics.. NY does have a lot of old battle history. wonder how many ships are at the bottom of that river? ever find indian artifacts? we find tons of them down here in NC.
 
Great pics! Interesting signage, I wonder how many read those and say "oh man I gotta check this out" ?

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mistwalker said:
Great pics! Interesting signage, I wonder how many read those and say "oh man I gotta check this out" ?

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my great uncle tried that on his boat near Fort Bragg or Camp Lejuene (cant remember which) with his buddy back in the 80's. they were fishing and wanted to go up stream further. they were not paying attention and ended up on base property. well they had a boat with a M60 loaded on the bow come charging at them.. according to him when he got home he had to change his pants lol.. they escorted them off of the base and not so politely showed them the huge sign that said to keep out.. :rolleyes: gotta know my uncle. he is crazy
 
Beanbag, next time your up there, take the wife into Cold Spring. There used to be a lot of antique shops and the Hudson House and Half Moon Bar right on the river is a great restaurant. It is also a bed and breakfast.
 
The pic of the heli is pretty sweet. Thanks for sharing :thumbup:

Everytime I see a sign that says keep-out, I know there are many people who want to go look just because they aren't supposed to.
 
Interesting story about the chains across the Hudson. You can view one of those chains at Ringwood Manor, NJ. The iron used to make those chains was taken from the many iron mines that surround the area.
 

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We used to run a week-long biology camp at Croton Point for our high school's sophomores. Along with the nature hikes, we got history lessons about the area, along with a look at the spot where one of those chains was anchored.

Croton Point sticks out into the Hudson right by Sing Sing prison. We could see their lights at night.
 
I am a West Point grad so I spent a bit of time touring local historical sites for some of my military classes.

The military defenses in the area was not a single large fort that most people think of but rather a network of mutually supporting smaller redoubts and forts on both sides of the river.

There are all sorts of these types of things in the woods which are pretty cool to see.

Fort Putnam is pretty cool to tour if you ever get to visit West Point. It is a restored fort from the revolutionary period that sits on one of the higher points above the river.

Across the river from West Point, there are a number of other old fortifications on Constitution Island. The great chain stretched from West Point to these fortifications.
 
Ebbtide said:
Bannerman Island... Is that open to the public yet?
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I believe so. You can paddle out to it. However the castle is condemned and your not supposed to poke around the ruins. But like Mistwalker observed, some will read those condemned signs and say "oh man I gotta check this out."
 
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