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This is the last in a four-part series on one woman's journey to find The Hudson River Greenway, and what she learned during her solo paddle on the river. Part one described the launch from Kingston. In part two, she searches for a campsite. In part three, she confronts fatigue.
Day four: Beacon to Bear Mountain Bridge (13.1 miles)
I slumber nine hours, the untroubled sleep of the (possibly) non-criminal. (When my guidebook was published in 2003, at least, Denning Point was a designated Greenway campsite.) I feel reinvigorated, which is fortunate, because I now have only 45 minutes to cross the river and make progress on my 13 mile day before the tide turns.
West of Bannerman Island, the river develops an attitude, kicking up nasty one two waves; the first sends my bow into the middle of the second. Its so rough that seagulls attempting to fish keep getting their wings drenched.
Its time to kick it into monster gear. I lean forward and feel new muscles engage under my armpits, where pectoral fins would be on a fish. I feel like I could go forever.
Hell, why not? The tide has turned, but I keep paddling in search of the perfect resting spot. I peek under a railroad bridge, expecting to see an outflow where dirty water enters the river after it rains. Au contraire. Its like the closet into Narnia.
This is Storm King Cove. Sheltered to the north by a massive cliff face, accessible only by kayak or canoe, it may be the rivers best kept secret. I havent had a beer in four days and I dont particularly want one. I just want to live right here, on a shelf halfway up the cliff, where hawks take off without flapping a wing, watching a tugboat tug by.
But I have promises to keep; specifically, a photographer to meet at 5pm. Blissed out after six hours in Shangri-la, I book it past West Point, getting a wave from a well-built cadet in a blue polo shirt. Bear Mountain Bridge appears before I expect it.
I pull off at a beach and finish my book. I talk to fishermen. Im dawdling. I dont want to the trip to end ever. The wind and tide have carried off my ego. I have never felt so peaceful.
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Becca Tucker, a Bedford native and graduate of Fox Lane High School and Yale University, edits a new green living magazine called dirt, covering the fertile Hudson Valley region. She is the daughter of Main Street Connect CEO Carll Tucker.
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