Paumanok Path Part 1; Ken Kindler, Feb 2 on Facebook
The Paumanok Path is a regional initiative. It runs between Rocky Point in Brookhaven, and the Montauk Light House. The approximately 128-mile trail corridor is secured except for a few miles in eastern Southampton. Periodically I do a walk of the entire trail to inventory areas of issue and beauty. Members of the hiking community are always welcome to join me. The westernmost trailhead of the Paumanok Path is in Rocky Point on Route 25A, 0.4 mile west of Rocky Point Road. It is on the south side of 25A, diagonally opposite the Waldbaum’s Shopping Center. The trail begins at the northern- most entrance to the Rocky Point Resource Management Area. Go to:www.dec.ny.gov/docs/regions_pdf/newaccessprmt.pdf for a free permit to hike DEC properties. Should something happen to you while hiking on these lands both the card on your person and the card at your vehicle windshield could be instrumental in speeding help to you. Look for the kiosk upslope from the eastern side of the parking area. It was built in 2004 by Eagle Scout Eric Mokarry of troop 44. We need to work with the NYS DEC to post land manager, trails, and trail group information there. I am looking forward to contributing a brief history of the Paumanok Path and a map of the trail, when I finish this inventory.
Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference Monday Maintenance crew have been putting in many hours of work, clearing the Paumanok Path and refreshing the blazes. If you appreciate all the resources that the LIGTC has expended on the Paumanok Path initiative, visit their website:www.ligreenbelt.org Show your support by purchasing a Pathfinder membership, and receive trail maps and newsletters.
In 1919 the Radio Corporation of America, was formed as an amalgamation of half a dozen interested radio companies. As their first big venture, they set out to establish a new super sized international wireless station. A total of 12 longwave antenna systems were planned. In the early 1920s two longwave antenna arrays were built on the 6150 acre property. Each antenna would be 2½ miles long. Construction required 25 miles of wire strung between high towers, and each antenna also required 225 miles of buried copper wire. If the 12 systems were built, the RCA Corp would have needed the entire 10 square miles of land. Soon after finishing the second long wave antenna however, shortwave transmitters were developed. They required much smaller antennas. In the late 1920s the advance of technology was already beginning to obviate RCA’s need for this large piece of property. During the 1950s, some of the tall towers were brought down. During the mid 1960s, the station was finally closed. In 1972, a large slice of the property was given to the New York state authorities and it was developed as the Pine Barrens Wildlife Area. In 1978, the remainder of the Rocky Point transmitter property, as well as the Riverhead receiver property, were sold to the state for $1.
February 1, the first day after the shotgun season, I drove to the westernmost Paumanok Path trailhead. I travelled Route 83 (Patchogue Mt. Sinai Road) north to 25A heading east. It is about 2 miles east past North Country Road (on left). Pass through Miller Place, Mount Sinai, to Rocky Point. Pass a baseball field on the right side of the road. If you reach Rocky Point Road, you passed it. The DEC parking lot was unplowed, so I parked across the street in the Waldbaum’s Shopping Center’s parking lot.
This was the Sunday following the Tuesday blizzard. Through the parking lot, and to the first turn blaze, my footprints accompanied a single set of ski tracks. Here the trail corridor is blazed with the plastic disks of the blue DEC trail. The Paumanok Path white rectangular painted blazes are accompanied by the blue disks throughout this segment of the hike. The white blazes have been refreshed for the first mile, and they pull the hiker through the first few turns flawlessly. This is an improvement over the last time I walked this section. I painted the blazes on this section of trail after the first set of blazes began to fade, and then again about 13 years ago, when my friends Mindy and Ray assisted me in painting all the way to Rocky Point Road, where Ray and I moved the opening of the trail, replacing a confusing entry when crossing this dangerous road, with two entries facing each other across the road. All the subsequent “reblazings” just refreshed what I had done. At the time I would leave as much as 100 yards between blazes. Subsequently I learned to put them a bit closer wherever the trail meanders a bit, because I found that you can easily lose a trail, when the tread is covered with snow. This paired with very faded blazes after the first mile of trail, forced me to walk loops on the three occasions when I lost the trail. The fact that all my blazes face directly out to the trail tread and are all on the right side of the trail, made it easier to find the trail when I lost it.
After a short distance, I passed a yellow DEC trail, branching off to the left. The yellow DEC disks indicate that it is an access trail. This trail takes you to the DEC red trail. The skier took the yellow trail.
After a short distance, I passed a yellow DEC trail, branching off to the left. The yellow DEC disks indicate that it is an access trail. This trail takes you to the DEC red trail. The skier took the yellow trail.
After a short distance, I passed over a couple of firebreak roads. Suddenly after the two firebreaks, even covered by a thick blanket of snow, you can see the ravines in the Paumanok Path, caused by illegal motorized use. Here there are a lot of fallen trees to serve as benches. You can’t sit during the warmer months because, even if you stand in one place too long, the hordes of Adirondack ants will start climbing up your legs. As the trail takes you from a predominantly oak wood to pitch pine, you walk down and through a dry kettle. Dirt bikes have straightened out the trail, causing a lot of erosion, but the snow hides this. I couldn’t get my camera to do this place justice.
Soon the trail crosses over an equestrian trail. On this trail, the DEC disks are marked with a horse head. I had lost the ski tracks by the yellow trail, but after cutting across the equestrian trail, my footprints now accompanied some size 10 boot tracks. Next I crossed over a trail with DEC signs along it. This is how DEC normally marks one of its boundary trails, but there are no DEC boundaries here. Here there is heavy deer traffic on the Paumanok Path. No wonder it is so popular with hunters. Cross over a horse trail again. It seems to be on a fire break.
Here the trail passes by a man-made meadow that size 10 evidently thought was a good place to shoot a deer. He left without bagging one. Soon there is a fire department tag at the intersection, to assist you in describing where you are in an emergency. This is something I would like to do in Manorville Hills. The way I designed the safety trails would make the tags even more effective than what they have here.
Hearing the sounds of traffic on Rocky Point Road I encounter a DEC sign at the corner of a fire break that can’t be read very easily, the distance to Rocky Point Road would only make sense if it was erected before the Paumanok Path was created.
By the time I got to Rocky Point Road, my legs were very wobbly from the exertion of walking through the snow, and I accidentally slid down the berm on the side of the road, and nearly collided with the truck in the picture. Are there hiker signs where the Paumanok Path crosses Rocky Point Road? Would it have changed anything if there were warning signs?
Keep up the good work!
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