Lighting Up @ The Palisades

All Pic Credits: Jasjit Arneja

Diwali eve hike?? Why not, I thought. So, I took the day off. But as the day approached, it increasingly became clear that the rain would continue into Friday. But the hike was not canceled and I was raring to go.

I had never done this hike before and was rather looking forward to an afternoon doing rock scrambling. Our hike lead, Vivek, had asked everyone to bring with us some sweets and diyas (earthenware pots) to light up for Diwali. Arriving at the Palisades Interstate Overlook point in Alpine, NJ, from where normally on a clear day you can see across the Hudson, there was nothing visible except for dense fog and the light rain continued. We all peered down from the high cliffs to look down at the rocky river shore where we were headed. As soon as the group was formed and everyone had arrived, we started off in the northwest direction. 

The trailhead sits on a rocky cliff point high up over the Hudson river and the trail itself winds down steeply crossing the NJ/NY State Line and past a running brook finally culminating in a mini waterfall down at the riverfront. The trail was extremely slippery because of the rain and the carpet of golden leaves, though enchanting, made for a precarious downward descent. It must have been beautiful here two weeks back I thought. We were soon all the way down right next to the waterfall and lo and behold the Sun had finally peeked through burning out the remnants of any lingering fog. You could see clearly across the river and oh what a view it was! You could clearly see the Tappan Zee bridge on your left.

This is where we decided to take a break, have tea and mithai and light up the diyas we had all brought with us.  It was windy too and we all had fun trying to light up the diyas and take pics.  The Diwali spirit was within us all as we looked at the now sunny and bright day to realize that this is what Diwali means - there will always be light after the darkest hour.

Now that the diyas were all lit, we all looked forward to trying out each other's sweets and savories. Vivek always brings tea for everyone on the hike. The next fifteen minutes were bliss and now it was time to take on the most challenging part of the hike, the  'Giant Stairs'.  The sun was also on its westward descent and we had to make haste lest we were left on the rocky field in the dark.

The entire portion of Giant Stairs - maneuvering past a rocky field of slippery rocks but right next to the Hudson river, was challenging but fun. This was my first time doing this hike and I decided to forego taking pics as I knew the Sun was about to set. So without taking any breaks,  we all kept going on.  As sunset was around 4.30 pm, we knew we had to keep going to get through this portion otherwise it would be difficult to manage this with headlights. Ritika and I pushed on. 

Suddenly an older Asian gentleman overtook us, stopped, turned around and asked us if we had done this hike before? He had come up from behind and had seen some people from our group struggling.  We said that it was our first time, but we were sure we would finish quickly. He stopped at a couple of places ahead of us to give us directions.  The leaves on the ground were extremely slippery and the rocks were also challenging to wade through. We again saw him waiting for us to give us final instructions. He was getting worried that we might not make it past the rocky field.  I could see why. You need to finish this portion of the hike when there is enough light. Otherwise if you fall, you can be incapacitated and the hike to the tp of the cliffs where we had parked the car would have been just too much to do.

We finally came to the 'big rock' where we had to make a right instead of a left as this older gentleman had told us. The path was a little bit better now and started flattening out. After calling Vivek a couple of times, we managed to start ascending the cliffs. By now it was dark and I had to use my headlights. I gave Ritika my mini torch and we both started climbing - the path zig zagging and muddy all the way up. We passed the small wooden bridge and were soon looking at the twinkling lights across the Hudson. THIS is Diwali, I thought. First the fog lifted away to give us a clear view and now all the lights across the Hudson looked like a million lit lamps. 

Soon, we were reached the road and took a right to walk another quarter of a mile till the Parking Lot.  What a hike, I thought.  The rocky Hudson shore point was challenging but the beautiful views and the high cliffs on the right had made everything so beautiful. In the car going back, I reflected back on the day and the Diwali spirit embodied by all of us on the hike and the sudden change in weather from fog to light. There will be dark days, but persistence and being on the right path can lead you to the light. 

Happy Diwali everyone.

Pic Credits: Jasjit Arneja

Hike Date: Nov 13, 2020 (Firday)

# of people on hike: 11 (Ritika, Anagha, Vivek, Jasjit, Ganga, Swati, Rama, Vivek, Sarika, Dimple, Ravi)

DOERES Hiking Group

I was apprehensive of joining the Desi Outdoors group when Niranjan and Vinita Deo first recommended it to me in back in March 2018. I had got the hiking bug in October 2017 when the Marathi Vishwa Yoga group planned a October Fall Hike to Bear Mountain . I had never ever gone on a hike before, walks in parks - yes, but not a steady climb.

After the Bear Mountain hike I tried getting my friends to be interested and go out on hikes but people would drop out at the last moment. On Niranjan and Vinita's recommendation, I finally joined the Desi Meetup group. It still took me another two months to go out on my first 'Meetup Hike' with them.

I went by myself on my first hike and was nervous about meeting a bunch of people I did not know and go off into remote trails and woods with them. To top it all, the first hike I had signed up for was a night hike and overnight stay on top of a ridge!  But soon after starting at the Trailhead, every group member made sure to introduce themselves and talk to me. Back home the next morning, I let my mind wander over the interactions I had with the group.

Hiking will bring you in contact with Nature, that is a given. You can enjoy nature from a window in your house, working in your yard, while fishing, commuting to work, or walking your dog. We are surrounded by Nature from the moment we step out of our house. Hiking only enhances your closeness to nature and takes you off the beaten path. But what was special about this Meetup group was the amazing camaraderie shown by each and every member I met on hikes.

Every hike became special not only for the nature trails and mountains explored, but also for looking forward to meeting new people. I soon realized that the joy of hiking with this group was due to the fact that on each hike, I met someone new, talked to them, got a window into their lives and walked away at the end of the day being friends with them. The common bond of being outdoors was doubly enhanced by the interactions within each group.

Every outing filled my senses and mind (not to mention my camera) with beautiful pictures. Posting them on Facebook or IG, somehow completely misses out on moments when someone gave you a hand to help you up a mountainside, shared their snacks with you, gave you a band-aid for a cut on your finger or gave you advice on what gear to buy and where to buy. Those moments reside only in memory. So all those pictures that you see me post on FB are just that - pictures. They just do not reflect the interactions and the group effort that made it all possible. And sadly, some pictures do not do justice to the group effort and interactions.

Every time I am on a summit, I thank each and every person who helped me climb/hike/walk, encouraged me when I thought I could not go on or just walked with me when I lagged behind everyone. I owe this group not only for the unforgettable hikes done with them but also for the unforgettable friendships and knowledge I garnered from each one of them.

What I have found over the past two years was the painstaking effort by all Group Hike Leads - from posting hike information, gear needed, answering multiple questions, doing the homework on the trail, keeping everyone informed on weather changes and then fielding so many phone calls on the morning of the hike and planning post hike celebrations - they did it all! And after doing all this they still make sure to bring hot tea for everyone on the hike! This planning ensures that we are safe on the trail, enjoy ourselves and come back home in one piece.

And we don't just hike, we get out for night hikes to watch the full moon or starry dark nights, kayaking, swimming in ice cold lagoons, beach hikes, out of state hikes, hikes to see frozen waterfalls, Fall colors hike - you get the picture, right? 

So, today when they are doing their Anniversary Hike and celebrating, I want to take a moment and thank Vivek Jain and Desi Meetup for bringing me on this journey of friendship and memories. Without the support of the Organizers and Group members, all my hiking achievements, would just not have been possible. Thank you for the memories of a lifetime.