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20 Miles on the Greenbelt - 12/99
Troop 75's annual long-distance event, the 20-mile hike, took place this year on Saturday, December 11. Four adults joined ten Scouts in the Key Food parking lot at 6 AM on a chilly, cloudy and incredibly windy morning, and, thanks to several parent volunteers, were quickly shuttled up to Sunken Meadow State Park, the northern end of the Long Island Greenbelt Trail.
The winds were strong enough to raise whitecaps on the sound and they hit us full force as we stood in the Sunken Meadow parking lot, so we wasted no time hitting the trail. The woods provided shelter from the winds, but we were reminded of them each time we emerged from the trees and approached the beach.
The hike had been planned to run from North to South so the crew would tackle the hilly North Shore while they were fresh. And the hills around Sunken Meadow, the Bluffs, and the old Psych Center grounds provided some surprisingly steep terrain in spots. But they also proved rewarding as the hikers stood at the top of a hill and watched an orange sun rise through the morning clouds, nearly an hour into the hike.
The trail took us along the Nissequogue River to the Smithtown Landing Country Club, then onto the street for a couple of miles before leading back into the woods at the Sweetbriar Nature Center. From there the trail continued along the river corridor to emerge in Smithtown only a hundred yards from the Bull. At that point, having covered about 9 miles, several Scouts opted to sit out a leg in the chase car provided by Mr. Pagonis. The rest of the crew continued into and through the North side, and then the South side, of Caleb Smith State Park and on into Blydenburg County park. We paused for lunch in front of the Miller's House on the shore of Stump Pond. (The whole group had reunited by this time.)
After lunch it was on through the rest of Blydenburg, then down a short stretch of road that led back into the woods at Miller's Pond. Then into the unnamed greenbelt section east of Route 111, emerging to cross Route 347, busy with Christmas shoppers heading to Smithaven Mall. The trail continued through the Bow Drive Marsh (site of Pete Butcher's Eagle-project footbridge), past McKinley Pond and through Hidden Pond Park.
When the group emerged from the woods at Motor Parkway, the sun was once again low in the sky, but veteran hikers recognized the power-line towers that marked the last short stretch of our trek. And finally, after another mile, they reached the planned end point at Terry Road, tired, to be sure, but proud of having covered more than 20 miles in a single, nearly-non-stop hike on one of the shortest days of the year. Eleven of the 14 hikers had covered the full distance on foot.
This year's hikers were Mike B., Chris C., Rob, Keith, John, Andrew, Chris R., Danny Sc., Saeed, and Collin. They were joined by Mr. Buono, Mr. Carlson, Mr. Johnston and Mr. McDermott. A special thanks goes to Mr. Pagonis, who gave up his Saturday to provide a chase car, meeting the hikers several times through the day to provide refills for empty water bottles and a respite for tired hikers who needed to sit out a section.
One special note: With the miles that he covered that day, ASPL Mike Buono earned his 20th hiking bead, becoming the first Scout to reach the 200-mile mark. Nice going, Mike!
- Mr. Carlson
