SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2010
KLMNO
EZ EE
F5 A N.Y. campsite equipped with everything but a map n.y. camping from F1
with the adventure of an alfresco vacation. You don’t have to lift much of a finger except to flick away the spider crawling up your tentpole.
Hikers start from the same
point—theBeacontraindepot,on the Metro-North Hudson line in New York—before heading off on several trails that end at the same place: the campground. (Those withwheelscanparkat thestation for free on weekends or in a mu- nicipal lot.) The 80-minute ride fromGrandCentral Station paral- lelsthesailboat-fleckedriveranda verdant landscape as healthy as a salad. It gets youinthemoodtobe free ofwalls. Malouf picks up guests outside
the station, in a green van that looks as if it had bummed around Woodstock. I admired his beard, a coonskin cap for the chin, as he tossed my bags in the back. After depositing me at a trail head, he wouldtransportmybelongingsby ATV to my assigned campsite. That’s better service than a Holi- day Inn. In the van, we discussed the
hiking options. In ascending de- mands of time and stamina, the three are Access Point 1, a half- hour trek on the Red Overlook trail; Access Point 2, a 21/2
athome. Of the 18 sites, 15 featurewood-
en platforms covered in a green tarp that shelters a two-person tent, apicnic table, apair of camp- ing chairs and kitchen amenities. (The other three are primitive.) Malouf’s staff raises the tent be- fore guests arrive, sowith a toss of the sleeping bag, I was moved in. For cooking, againMalouf antici- pates every need: A cabinet holds a chowbox stockedwith essential kitchen utensils and pans, spices (beyond salt and pepper), alumi- num foil, potholders, matches, playing cards and fire starter, be- loved friend to those inept as kin- dling collectors. The gas range on top of the kitchen station left enough space to chop, stir and plate. When Malouf, a plumber and
builder by trade, opened the campground, it was oneman and a lot of wilderness. “When this thing started, there was nothing here. Just the trees,”he said.When I asked how he had come up with the idea of the campground, he answered, “I drank a lot of beer
thinkingabout this.”Andhismoti- vation:Hewanted to create some- thing he could hand down to his 9-year-old daughter, Andrea, a spritelike fixture ontheproperty. The first year in operation, he
said, six people showed up. Then 40, 140, 250 and, by the end of this season on Oct. 31, he expects to have had 400. “We get ’emall,” he said, referring to the variety of guests. As evidenced in the bathhouse,
an inadvertent meeting place, he wasright. I tradedgreetingswitha woman camping with her hus- band and two young children, a girlfriend-boyfriend couple and a boyfriend-boyfriend pair. Along the trail, I gabbed with fourMan- hattanites in theirmid-20s, one of whomcalled herself a “girlie-girl” andwashikinginafrillyfrockand sandals. “It’s not super roughing it,” said
LaurenMatthews,oneof thequar- tet,whotrekkedinblackConverse high-tops. “It’s nature without all the badparts.” As a solo camper, I felt the soli- tude and calm of being in the
woods but never the stark loneli- ness of isolation. First, I was as- signed the site closest to the bath- room, a flame that always drew people. Also, every so often, I would hear the soft drone of Malouf’s cart as he tended the grounds, headlights off but his presence still noted. And later in the evening, theplace rockedwith booms, the fireworksdisplay from a nearby baseball stadium. The trees obscured the show, but you couldstill feel the thrill. When I’dmademy reservation
online, I had the option of order- ing food items to prepare at my site. (Guests are also free to bring their own grub, or order pizza from a joint in town that Malouf willpickupforyou.) Icheckedoffa veggie burger with cheese and a bun ($4), a sweet potato ($1), pan- cakemixwithsyrup($3),andcans ofpeasandcorn($1.25each). Ifmy fire-starting skills failedme, at the veryleast Icouldsustainmyselfon coldveggies anda slab of cheese. In rah-rah camper mode, I
grabbed some chopped wood fromapile assignedtomy site and
started building a pyramid in the pit. I flickedmy lighter beneath a fudgy chunk of fire starter, but it wouldn’t catch. I threwinawadof paper towels, a rookie technique, but itwas comfortingtoseeaflash of flame,evenif itvaporizedequal- ly fast. I gave up andmoved on to the gas stove top, but struggled to get it going. For strike three, I attempted to illuminate the lan- tern,but Idon’tneedtoembarrass myself further,do I? Iwent lookingforMaloufonhis
little tractor.With patience and a wry smile, he provided a quick lesson on all three. By the time he left, I had a mini-inferno blazing around me. I sizzled my burger, heated my veggies and threw my potato into the fire. I laid out my feast,proudofeventhesmallestof accomplishments. After dinner, I tucked myself
into my sleeping bag. As I was drifting off, I heard the scuffle of an animal outside the tent flap. It was invigorating to be in thewild, evenif itwas somewhat tamed.
sachsa@washpost.com VT. 0 MILES NEW YORK Catskill Park Beacon 84 PA. 80 N.J.
New York
LARIS KARKLIS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Hudson River
287 87 25 90 Albany MASS. 90 9 CONN. Poughkeepsie 84 95
DETAILS -hour
journey alongside a stream; and Access Point 3, a three- to five- hour hike about which Malouf’s Web site warns, “Do not attempt thishikewithout a trailmap.” In hindsight, I should have
heeded this advice. And future hikers, ifpossible, addto thatmap (which Malouf sells for $11) a search-and-rescue dog. The Boy Scouts chose “Be Prepared” as theirmotto for a reason.Unfortu- nately, Iwasneveraboyorascout, and did not fully honor theirmax- im.
The trail follows the oldMount
Beacon Incline Railway, which in its day (1902) was the steepest railway in the world, rising 900 feet in less than a half-mile.At the peak,anaeriemorethan1,600feet high, the path turns south, then travels laterally, past an aban- doned car (don’t begrudge an ob- vious landmark, despite its blem- ish on the setting), radio towers andareservoir. Ifallgoeswell,you should land at the campground without incident and in time to builda fire thatwelcomesdusk. But for me, all did not go as
plotted. I saw the rusted remains of therailwayandthebrickshellof theformermountaintophotel, the Casino, a place for fancy folk that burned in 1927. I stood at the precipice with other hikers, re- garding the panorama from Poughkeepsie to Storm King Mountain. Red-tailed hawks coasted by onmildwind currents, ignoring the outsiders in their air space. On the descent, I noticed that
the red diskmarkers affixed to the trees had morphed into painted red splotches. I blamed budget cuts for the cheaper signage. I trompedformore thantwohours, stopping briefly to watch a frog play possum in a puddle and ad- mire a deer bounding through the woods with the grace of Barysh- nikov. I finally popped out into a clearing, brightening at the sight of small wooden structures that I assumed were the lean-tos of Malouf’s. As I walked deeper in, I saw an august stone house and considered the possibility that it was thebathhouse.Notverylikely. I was in someone’s very pleasant andveryprivate yard. “You’re on the other side of the
mountain,” exclaimed Malouf, when I called his cellphone for guidance. “Whatdidyoudo,bush- whack?” Malouf arranged for a cab to
pick me up, which I later learned was not too uncommon an occur- rence. Most campers push through their disorientation: Friends who had visited a few weeks earlier told me they had wandered around in the rain for sixhoursbefore finding the camp- ground. But some need to pay a fare toundo theirmistakes.Acou- ple recently lost their way for 13 hours and ended up on Interstate 84.
Even though I was now en-
sconced in a black Cadillac driven by a charmer named Jessie James Williams, the trek was not over. Remember: The onlyway in is via hiking trail, no exceptions, so pull up those boots, trouper.Williams dropped me off in a cul-de-sac witha gate leading to the path.He handedme a shiny red apple and his business cardfor luck.
On a traditional excursion, I
would have to tap into a backup reserve of energy to sustain me through the next phase of camp- ing: setting up the tent, lighting the fire and preparing dinner. But atMalouf’s, I couldachieveall this with the indolence of a teen living
GETTING THERE Take the Metro-North Hudson Line from Grand Central Station in Manhattan to Beacon, N.Y.; $13 one way. Info:
www.mta.info/mnr. Malouf’s picks up guests outside the station and drops them off at a trail head, and provides return service to the station; $5 each way. Guests are limited to one backpack or the like and one sleeping bag each, and one cooler per site. No open bags allowed. Extra luggage costs an additional $2 per item.
WHERE TO CAMP Malouf’s Mountain Sunset Campground 845-831-6767
www.maloufsmountain.com Eighteen sites come with all the fixings: pre-assembled tent, stack of firewood, fire pit, stove, chow box and more. Bathhouse has toilets, showers, sinks for grooming and dishes, and laundry machines. If you forget your toothpaste, check the vending machine. Season ends Oct. 31 and reopens April 15. Cost for up to two adults and two children: $78 for tent and chow box; $68, chow box and no tent; $48, primitive site.
WHERE TO EAT The campground sells an array of food items for campers to cook at their site, such as Angus burger, ribs, salmon, canned chili, mac and cheese, and egg breakfast. Cost: 35 cents-$12, plus $5 delivery. You can also bring your own food, which Malouf’s will transport, or order from one of the restaurants in town and have it delivered (by you guessed it).
WHAT TO DO Hiking is the main activity, with lots of trails to follow, including the trio that lead to the campground. For maps and other info on Fishkill Ridge and the area, see Scenic Hudson,
www.scenichudson.org, or Mountain Tops in Beacon, 845-831-1997,
www.mountaintopsonline.com.
—A.S.
Clockwise from top left:Hikers enjoy a viewof the mid-Hudson region from the top ofMount Beacon. DickMalouf, the campground’s owner, uses a green shuttle bus to haul campers and their gear. Fabienne Schaller, left, and her daughters Viviana,12, and Lizeth, 9, prepare a meal of chicken and baked potatoes For $3,Malouf’s guests can order a s’mores packet: marshmalllows, graham crackers and a chocolate bar.
PHOTOS BY HELAYNE SEIDMAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Heather Davenport and AndrewHawksby picnic at theMount Beacon Reservoir. Guests atMalouf’sMountain Sunset Camp can bring their own food or have items delivered.
Long Island
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