Whistle-stopping the Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail platform on the Metro-North Rail Line is merely a whistle-stop in Pawling, NY but it is from here that hikers from the metropolitan New York region are able to directly step onto the Appalachian Trail.

And while New York has the only whistle-stop on the entire Appalachian Trail, it is testimony to Metro-North’s commitment to hikers that it offers several whistle-stops in the Hudson River valley region – Manitou and Breakneck on the Hudson Line, and Mount Pleasant and the Appalachian Trail on the Harlem Line.

The Appalachian Trail northward from the train stop is immediately interesting: to cross an extensive pasture requires climbing over three stiles. As the path gently ascends, the grassy trail provides a tranquil start to this trek. A glance back provides the most intimate pastoral panorama of the Dutchess section of the Appalachian Trail.

As the white elongated blazes of the AT enter the thick woods, the terrain continues its incline and then levels off for an easy but exciting walk of several miles to the Wiley Shelter.

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