On Friday before Shavuot, the MTA Mountain Lions enjoyed a terrific hike in Upstate New York’s Harriman Park. They hiked from Fort Montgomery, along the Hudson River, up Popolopen Creek and then up Popolopen Torne to an amazing vista. The creek was a fantastic mix of fun rock scramble and beautiful waterfalls and pools, and only the cool temperatures kept the Lions from diving in. After a strenuous climb up the Torne, including passing some interesting local fauna, they arrived at the top to find a 360-degree, magnificent view.

It was particularly relevant to be hiking at the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend, as Popolopen Torne is the location of a cairn set up by West Point Cadets to memorialize fallen comrades. The Mountain Lions stopped at the cairn to pay their respects to these heroes while also thinking about the dedication of their friends who carried large stones up the mountain in order to build the cairn in their memory.

The trail down the mountain is named 1777, in honor of an important Revolutionary War event. The 1777 trail follows the path of Sir Henry Clinton, who led British troops in an attack on Fort Montgomery on October 6, 1777. Though Clinton was successful at overcoming the American defenders of the fort, he did not succeed in his main goal of providing help to General John Burgoyne’s army, trapped further north in Saratoga. Burgoyne’s surrender, on October 17, was a huge victory for the Americans and a turning point in the war.

The hike combined the great outdoors, beautiful vistas, strenuous climbing, homage to fallen soldiers and a history lesson. All in only four hours.