Along an Old Railroad

I was in New York, up in the Catskills, this weekend to visit my sister. It rained like crazy, with some snow, on Saturday. But Sunday had periods of sun mixed with periods of rain and sleet, and I took advantage of one of the former to get in a five mile walk. I walked along an old railroad bed for most of it, as it went along the raging Esopus Creek and through the woods. Spring is barely underway. In Virginia, our forsythia is long gone, but in the Catskills it is just now in bloom.

Here are some photos.

Here is the route of my hike, 2.5 miles out and 2.5 miles back:

I am sure that this harmless and beautiful spotted salamander - about seven inches long - was minding its business when someone senselessly killed it. I am not sure I will ever figure people out:

I wondered whether or not trains still used the tracks or not. I had been on the tracks less than a half mile when this question was clearly answered. This is where I was glad I was alone. If I had been with another couple of men, one of them - with too much testosterone - would have talked everyone into trying to walk across one of the rails. Instead, I climbed down into the washout and crossed the stream on rocks, barely getting just one foot wet when a rock shifted:

There were rivlets and water falls at many spots along the way:

A view looking back along the tracks, with the flank of Tremper Mountain in the distance:

The Esopus was raging along after Saturday's rains:

Views of Tremper Mountain beyond Esopus Creek: