During our stay at Mohonk Mountain House in New York’s Hudson Valley, we hiked the famous Sky Top Trail during heavy fog, which is just a low-lying stratus cloud. So, as we hiked higher into the mountains, the visible distance drastically decreased. At one point, we could hardly see our hands in front of our faces. I tried to take photos of this, but as you can imagine, it didn’t turn out super well because everything was so white and milky, haha. Still, here are some of my favorite shots from our gorgeous hike, which eventually cleared up enough to take some beautiful photos.
Normally, hikers have to pay a fee to access this hike as it’s on private property, but as guests of Mohonk Mountain House, we didn’t have to pay. We set out on this easy hike with some water, my camera, and comfortable shoes, and I had a blast taking photos along the way. Usually, the hike takes around 45 minutes, but it took us a little longer because I kept stopping to admire (read: photograph) the scenery. At this point, my husband’s used to this and plans our hikes to take longer than anticipated.
We were two of only four people we saw on the mountain in the fog. The path was well marked, easy to follow, and though it was quite steep in a few places, it was easy. The mist and light rain were enough to deter most other hikers. As such, we had the path almost entirely to ourselves.
It was so quiet and serene, and we heard a few bird calls while hiking in a cloud but never saw anything other than a raven in a tree. Something massive rustled in the trees near us, but the fog was too thick to see, so we spoke loudly for a time and continued in case it was a bear. While hiking, we’ve encountered a few black bears along the East Coast, but they keep to themselves. After all, the forest is their home, and we’re just visitors, so we try to always be respectful.
Above: The top of Sky Top Path, Mohonk’s Sky Top Tower
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