A couple of weeks ago I felt like going for a walk in the woods. I almost talked myself out of it. The woods would be bare, the light was wrong etc. It would have been so easy to stay home and read. But I forced myself to go to some nearby woodland. It’s called the Hardscrabble Wilderness Area.

This 235-acre green space features an undisturbed pond, and a leisurely hiking trail, suitable for moderate hikers, children, and canine companions (providing that you stick to the rather draconian dog walking rules).

Westchester County, NY is known for its beautiful trees, especially dazzling in Autumn. Blooming tulip trees, hemlocks, sassafras, red maple, and flowering dogwood make the Hardscrabble Wilderness Area a glorious day trip, hike, or picnic spot. This area also features wildflowers and is a popular destination for birdwatching.

I decided to explore an area that I hadn’t been to before. I’d noticed it before, but the problem was that I usually walked the white trail, which is quite long and the area I wanted to explore was right at the end. By the time I got there I was usually quite tired and didn’t feel like exploring further.

This time I had a brainwave. I would still walk the white trail, but in the opposite direction. That way the part I wanted to explore would be near the beginning of my walk. Don’t know why I didn’t think of that before

Previous visits had been in Summer and I couldn’t see the area I was interested in too well because of the leaves. In that sense the bare trees were an advantage.

I came across a number of interesting rock outcroppings, which I thought would work well in black and white. Had a great time.