I’m someone who enjoys working out, especially running, but a couple of weeks ago, my fitness level was significantly tested.
About two weekends ago, two of my friends and I went hiking at Breakneck Ridge, a 3.7 mile loop near Beacon, N.Y., which is rated online as “difficult.” It’s definitely rated appropriately.
When I agreed to go, before doing any research on the place, I figured it would be a nice way to enjoy nature, a typical trail hike with some inclines. But, my first hint that things may not be as peaceful as I envisioned was when my friend texted me inquiring if I had hiking boots and asked what shoes I was planning on wearing, along with a link to Breakneck’s website.
I said, well running shoes of course, the ones I wear on the treadmill all the time. She then informed me that wearing flat shoes for what we would be doing in a few days was not the best idea. At this point, I hadn’t clicked on the link, and insisted during a back and forth conversation that running shoes would be fine.
I still didn’t realize that what the hike entailed would be continuous climbing of boulders and rock ledges, because we’d actually be basically climbing a mountain, with a total ascent of 1,442 feet. So, I perused the website, stumbled across a photo of someone climbing boulders in the description, and decided that I was going to try to bail.
So, I sent one of those texts, hey I’m feeling a little nervous about this weekend, and received a phone call back where I was told that I should challenge myself and backing out was not an option. So, then I thought OK, so I’ll climb a couple of boulders, it won’t be that bad and the whole rest of the time would probably be just typical trail hiking.
Long story short, I was wrong. We got to Breakneck Ridge and immediately encountered a sign warning that only experienced hikers and those in excellent physical condition should attempt what’s ahead. I thought, well I wouldn’t really classify myself in either of those categories, maybe putting myself in good physical condition, but excellent might be pushing it. But at this point, there was nothing to do but trudge forward and wing it.
The website also warned that the hardest part of the hike was the beginning. So, that leads to us immediately encountering a ton of boulders to climb, definitely more than the couple I expected from the whole experience. So, here I am, not really a climber, trying to figure out how to maneuver my arms and legs into the crevices to climb up. There wasn’t really much time to think as one of my friends was basically acting like a spider and climbing with ease. She was the one with hiking boots.
Once we got over the first set of boulders, there was another set, and another, continuing on that way for continuous climbing of rock ledges for probably an hour and a half, with a couple of short stops to enjoy the views of the Hudson River from vantage points along the way. Each set got narrower as we continued on, leading us to figure out ways to place our feet while pulling ourselves up with our arms.
Thankfully, the climbing eventually stopped. Once we got going, there was no option to stop, because that would have meant climbing down backwards. So, as the website indicated, the hardest part was in the beginning. Going back down the opposite side was a little tricky as well, with all the smaller rocks that were on the trail down that threatened potential sliding.
But we survived, and after a four-hour hike, the trail unceremoniously dumps you back onto a busy road near the parking lot. All in all, I would say the difficulty rating for me was more figuring out how to climb each rock ledge, knowing that any wrong step could lead to a tumble down all of the boulders, moreso than the physical exertion.
I would attempt it again, but certainly not the following weekend like one of my friends casually suggested when we didn’t have anything else to do that day. That was a hard pass on my part.