Uniquely New York: Hiking at Bear Mountain State Park

After months and months of a long cold winter, 99.9% of which I spent solely on the island of Manhattan, I was more than ready to escape the city and get back to some nature! On a crisp Saturday in March, Lara and I took a bus from Port Authority to Bear Mountain State Park, which was absolutely wondferul! We went on one of the steepest hikes of my life, part of it on the Appalachian Trail. (Bear Mountain is actually where the very first piece of the A.T. originated.)
From the top of the mountain, we could actually see a tiny New York City skyline about 50-something miles off in the distance! The view was incredible. What a wonderful day!!