Hello, Old Friend

I recently got to revisit my favorite town, Cold Spring, with some very dear and talented friends (all pictures on this post were taken by my girl, Maggie).  No matter the season, weather or company, Mt. Taurus never seems to disappoint. 

On our trip particular trip, the air was nice and crisp as it should be (but freakishly isn't) this time of year.  Our Facebook pages needed an injection of adventure and I won't lie, part of the motivation behind our hike was to get some new, enviable material.  Maggie brought a camera that seemed like a prop from an old Western movie for our photo shoot.  The effect, you can see, are these awesome, grainy, black and white photos that make us look like Edmund Hillary on Everest. 

Whenever I start up the trail to the top of Mt. Taurus, I find myself cursing my decision to make the trek.  Things are layer-shedding steep.  Make sure the jacket you bring will tie comfortably around your waist.  The actual trail from head to summit is actually very short, making it arduous yet bearable.   

And then there's the top.  The view from Mt. Taurus is one of my favorites of the Hudson Valley.  With the quaint grid of Cold Spring in the foreground and the Hudson Highlands looming in the background, it is a snap shot of New York Americana.  It makes me think of the lore of the Hudson River and the region's eerie ancestry of the adventurers before us.  Everything in this part of the country is just so old. 

I also finally got a chance to set foot in Cold Spring Apothecary, which a friend of a friend opened in the past year or so.  Inside I found a range of all natural (and delicious smelling) products from face lotion to bug repellent!  Not to mention, I was pleasantly surprised to see they were carrying terrariums made by friend and fellow blogger, Liz Hobin. 

I fell even deeper in love with Cold Spring on our recent winter afternoon jaunt.  Maybe I just need to take the plunge and finally move there or at least find a way to start splitting my time.  Also, the company made all the difference.  Finding a good crew to day trip with is a must.  I know the group I went with are down for anything and love nature just as much as I do...

All the beautiful pictures in this post were taken by Maggie Kaminski