Scenic Appalachian Trail Day Hike, Pawling to Cat Rocks

Despite forecasted thunderstorms, Gregory, Rich and John took to the Appalachian Trail at Pawling for a brisk walk to Cat Rocks. Gregory and John took the Metro north train to the Appalachian Trail stop and Rich met them there. The group started their day perusing native plants at the Native plant center before heading to the trail. They passed a few through-hikers in good spirits, and enjoyed the varied terrain the trail offers - swamp boardwalk, Corbin Hill forest, a meadow and then West Mountain Cat Rocks. Rich's background as a backpacking leader for Sundance and AMC, and John's background as a Linguist made for great conversation and steady going during a humid day. The overcast sky made it far more pleasant a day to hike than it would have been on a sunny one, and recent rains resulted in a variety of mushrooms, spring ephemerals and fruits along the way. Some native plants of interest included raspberries, blackberries, striped wintergreen, partridgeberry, chikapin oak, hickory, ghost pipe, virginia creeper and poison ivy. A painted turtle greeted the group as they made their way back to the trailhead, marking a perfect end to the day.