The entrance to this trail (marked only with a horseshoe symbol) is a less than a 5 minute drive from our house in Putnam Valley. I’d been there before but for some reason (which I can’t recall) I hadn’t explored the trail very thoroughly. Today I was looking for a quick walk close to the house so I thought I’d try it again.

I wasn’t expecting much: just the usual bare trees, stone walls, rocks, fallen trees etc. And, indeed, they were all there (see pictures of stone walls below). There were a few pleasant surprises though including:

Yet another stone chamber (one of many to be found in Putnam Country)
Remains of a log cabin (log shed/shack???)

All told I walked for about an hour until the trail petered out at a stream, which I could probably have crossed if I’d been wearing decent hiking boots but unfortunately wasn’t. In any case it was time to return home – it would be two hours round trip and that was enough for one day.

I have two goals for the future: 1) To continue along the trail past the stream; 2) To find a way to trail that doesn’t require driving. It’s not all that far away so I should be able to walk to it if I can find a way into the woods from Lake Shore Road. In fact I already know a way. In March 2013 I was looking for the Baxter Plot: a cemetery abandoned in the woods near Lake Shore Road. Someone had told me that you could get to it from the end of Oakridge Drive. Although I found it eventually (off the south end of Oakridge) I initially tried to find it at the other (north) end of Oakridge. This eventually let me to the Horseshoe trail, but I fear that I inadvertently went though private property to get there. So I’d prefer to find another way.

Some of the walls are quite massive. The wall in the first picture below was up to my shoulders i.e. about 5 feet.

I’ve been posting a lot of black and white pictures of late. This is largely because, with the warmer weather, I’ve been out walking a lot and this is when I most often take pictures. Unfortunately where I walk is, at this time of year, not very colorful so I tend to prefer the pictures in black and white.

Here are a few more.

According to the Teatown Lake Reservation website

The two-acre Wildflower Island is a refuge within the greater Teatown preserve. This unique sanctuary is home to over 230 native and endangered species of wildflowers. The Island’s flora is unusually diverse; the surrounding lake provides favorable light and moisture, as well as isolation from the disturbances of people and animals.

Visitors enter through wrought-iron gates and cross a small wooden bridge leading to an Island path. Experienced guides lead visitors along the path, describing the unique features of the Island’s wildflowers, most of which are native to our area.

Wildflower Island is “managed” only to the extent that invasive alien plants are removed and certain native competitive species are not encouraged. We invite you to take a guided tour of Wildflower Island and enjoy the beauty of our natural heritage.

…

WILDFLOWER ISLAND HISTORY

The creation of Wildflower Island occurred in 1928 when then property owner, Gerard Swope, Sr. dammed Bailey Brook to create Teatown Lake. Water soon separated this remnant of higher farmland from the mainland. Since then, the island has remained in undisturbed isolation as Teatown Lake Reservation, the magnificent gift of the Swope heirs in 1962, grew up around it. The island has experienced little invasion of alien species well-established on the mainland.

The Island garden was developed in 1982 by Warren Balgooyen (then Director of Education) and aided by Marjorie Swope. Wildflower Island was formally dedicated on May 15, 1983 to Louise Malsin, a longtime supporter of Teatown, who, until her death, was a member of the Board of Trustees. Jane Darby was the first curator and her work is continued today by Leah Kennell.

…

Wildflower Island will be open for tours starting Saturday, April 16th ending Sunday, September 18th!
Scheduled tours will be held at 10am and 1pm on Saturdays and 1pm on Sundays. Pre-registration is required for all tours, call 914-762-2912, ext. 110.

…

Admission is by guided tour only. The following fee schedule applies: $4.00pp for Teatown members. $7.00pp for nonmembers. Please note that children under 12 are not permitted on the Island. Pre-registration is required for all tours. Private tours, on weekdays, for groups of 6-24 people can be arranged. Please call 914-762-2912 ext. 110 to make a reservation.

I’ve often thought that this boathouse would make an interesting picture (at least to me) and in the past I’ve taken a number of pictures of it. None of them came out quite like I wanted them too. Still I kept trying. I’m much happier with this one.