Thanks. I just ordered the book and I will let you guys know when i plan to attempt the hike. And Ill probably have more questions before i do.
i love the new format of this site.
Adam
You definitely should get the latest version of the
LP guide (5th edition) and look at the backpack section. It has a lot of useful information. There have been reroutes but they are all listed on the website at http://www.nynjtc.org/trails/longpath/index.html
For backpacking the recommended route is along the LP to Harriman SP, AT to High Point NJ, and the SRT back to the LP on the Wurtsboro Ridge.
The best time is any time after April (in April you may still find ice and snow in the Catskills), and before November. During that period it's the usual trade-off between black flies cool nights and hot weather and brambles, etc. If you need more info, contact the office and they can direct you to LP people who can assist you.
Jakob Franke (LP chair south).
The trails would be even cleaner if there was a deposit on dog deposits! Seriously, I agree with your "broken window" theory relating to trail trash(the stuff, not the people who leave it) however, I'll offer some other thoughts on the bill.
NY's redepmtion rate is only 70%, so the effectiveness of the current law is barely passing. The state is counting on that 30% coming from our pockets which is why I called it a hidden tax or fee if you like. The additional funding for the EPF from recyclables could free up previously EPF budgeted funds to be used in the general budget. People with private trash contractors will not see any savings in costs as the truck still needs to come and pick up other recyclables. Municipalities could lose revenue in the sales of recyclable materials, but still have to maintain their recyclable pick up and handling infrastructure. Customers would need to sort bottles by type and origin to return to the purchase place since the distributors no longer profit from the nonredemptions they will be less happy to handle other stores products. Environmentally speaking, it would be more efficient to handle all recyclables at a single point of pick up, say... the curb, where the dogs are supposed to be.
Hi,
Im interested in hiking the entire long path from George Washington Bridge up to Albany.
What is the best time of year to do this hike?
From reading the information on the ny-nj trail site - It seems like there are a lot of re-routes. Is it still possible to backpack the entire trail? Is the section on backpacking in the Long Path guide worth reading? Does it give you possible hiking schedule with water access and camping spots? I would like to do approx 15miles per day..
Any more info would be appreciated,
Thanks,
Adam
I agree with you Walt 100%.
I have worked on a highway crew for over 26 years.
We see far less beer and soda containers along our highways. While some people still toss them many others collect them from the areas roadways and return them to supplement their income.
If every beverage container had a deposit then the people who currently collect deposit containers along the roadways would pick up all of them to supplement their income.
In this particular trail system of 30+ miles of trail there are perhaps two or three spots that can pose a problem, especially when the rocks are wet or snow/ice covered. Buck mtn. has been this way for over fifty years or since it's inception. Ascending isn't too bad, but descending can be a bit tricky. We recently trimmed back this whole area last Fall, which tends to get overwhelmed by the sprawling Green Briar. We could possibly trim back more of this growth on the North side which might provide an optional approach, although the topography offers few other options. We will re-evaluate this when we return to improve the trail tread below this point. Norvin Green is known as a forest of rugged wilderness calibre trails that can be challenging to some.......it doesn't pretend to be a "Walk in the Park". A few years ago we rerouted the Carris Hill Trail to improve safety and we received a few comments condemming us for eliminating this former challenge......So you can't please eveyone, but We Try !
As the person who ran the Trail Conference Litter Day for 5 years before the current bottle bill, I can assure you that the litter reduction after the bottle bill was dramatic. We would take 50-100 bags of litter off the Pine Meadow Trail before and only 1-2 bags after. Once clean there is a strong incentive to not litter, but if it is already a mess, few think twice about adding to it.
You have some of the facts wrong about who "profits" from unclaimed deposits. Currently the bottlers keep the unclaimed deposits. The BBB changes that so that state gets the unclaimed deposits and the proposal is to use that to fund the EPF which benefits all hikers with more land and stewardship of our natural areas.
One of the principal reasons for supporting the BBB is that it modernizes the law to accommodate current drinking preferences to cover non-carbonated drink containers which now are a significant part of the litter.
It should also be pointed out that it is hard to claim that it is a tax if you can legally avoid paying it by returning all the bottles you pay a deposit on.
As the person who ran the Trail Conference Litter Day for 5 years before the current bottle bill, I can assure you that the litter reduction after the bottle bill was dramatic. We would take 50-100 bags of litter off the Pine Meadow Trail before and only 1-2 bags after. Once clean there is a strong incentive to not litter, but if it is already a mess, few think twice about adding to it.
You have some of the facts wrong about who "profits" from unclaimed deposits. Currently the bottlers keep the unclaimed deposits. The BBB changes that so that state gets the unclaimed deposits and the proposal is to use that to fund the EPF which benefits all hikers with more land and stewardship of our natural areas.
One of the principal reasons for supporting the BBB is that it modernizes the law to accommodate current drinking preferences to cover non-carbonated drink containers which now are a significant part of the litter.
It should also be pointed out that it is hard to claim that it is a tax if you can legally avoid paying it by returning all the bottles you pay a deposit on.