Alumni Trip on the Appalachian Trail

On Sunday, April 7, 2019 the Alumni Activities Club ventured far beyond the Capital Region to take advantage of an unseasonably warm day that reached 65-degrees with no chance of rain. At long last, the circumstances were perfect for our first outdoor activity since the fall with more to follow in the near future.

The Alumni Activities Club, that is entirely directed by the alumni with staff leadership, decided to venture onto the Appalachian Trail located in Poughquag, NY within the Dutchess County area. We completed a section less than five miles to a sprawling body of water called, Nuclear Lake that used to be the site of a research facility. Do not be scared by the name, however, there is no radiation actually present in the area!

This particular section of the Appalachian Trail is actually a tiny sliver of a treasure trove of a continuous hiking trail that stretches over 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine! The trip was led by Media and Activities Liaison, Jesse Saperstein who completed the trail over a period of seven months back in 2005. Rob, Mia, and Bill came on the trip along with Mia’s father, Brendan who is an avid hiker himself.

For most of the afternoon, we enjoyed being immersed in this beautiful, new world away from the chaos and lights of civilization where we could see far beyond to different parts of the woods through the bare trees. The circumstances were ideal for such an adventure. It was a warm, springlike day without having to compete with the presence of poison ivy, ticks, and mosquitoes. We all trudged forward and were rewarded with gorgeous scenery by the time we reached our destination! Afterwards, we all satisfied our appetites with a trip to the Alexis Diner in Newburgh, NY

We are looking forward to many more trips in the future with the alumni and appreciating the glory of nature within a few more weeks when we officially say goodbye to any remnants of winter!