Recently, Mathew and I took Mike on a hike to Awosting Falls, in Minnewaska State Park.  Mike claims he had never been there before, which frankly is so hard for me to believe since it has been a constant in my life ever since I arrived in New Paltz 31 years ago. It was the first hike I took after arriving at SUNY New Paltz, when a bunch of my newfound friends decided to explore the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge, better known as the “Gunks,” and we ended up at Awosting Falls. It was a perfect place to take a dip on that magical late summer afternoon.

When Mathew was maybe 6 months old, we started to volunteer for Minnewaska State Park. At first, we lead “Babes in the Woods” hikes and then, as he got older, “Hikes for Tykes” throughout the park. They are wonderful programs that help parents become comfortable bringing their little ones into the woods. The “Babes in the Woods” program is for babes in arms, using a backpack, or all-terrain stroller. The “Hikes for Tykes” program is for toddlers who need to explore more on foot. Mathew and I would show them easy and accessible trails to hike with little ones, which were simply magical to boot. We also helped develop a toddler program at the Mohonk Preserve (also on the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge) called “Toddlers on the Trail.”

Awosting Falls was always one of my favorite hikes for both age groups. We would access it from the Peterskill Parking lot, making it a relatively short and easy hike (less than 3 miles round trip) and accessible to strollers. I have many fond memories of Mathew exploring the trail and the Peterskill, as it ran along the carriage road we used. When the weather was warm enough, it was just a matter time until he discarded his clothes and wondered into the stream. It was interesting to see other children follow suit and observe their parents’ reactions. A perfect example of helping parents and children feel more comfortable in their natural surroundings. There are many large shallow rock outcroppings that lead into the Peterskill. This makes it an ideal place to picnic with our feet in the shallow pools, so we can cool off after a nice hike. The climax to the hike was the falls itself, the splendid 60 ft. Awosting Falls.

When we visited recently, the trail was so different. It felt like I had never been on the trail before, because I hadn’t. It was magical nonetheless even though it was totally new.  You see, there was a hurricane a few years back that erased all remnants of the trail, so they reconstructed an entirely new path. The storm revealed so many new colors in the quartz conglomerate of the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge. I think it may have been even more magical on that April afternoon when we explored it with Mike for the first time than it was 31 years ago, if that is possible.