Tuxedo - Mount IVY trail
In the states there is this concept of long weekend. Most of the holidays are either Friday or Monday making it a 3 day off that week. People here usually go on long drives and stuff on these days. August 30 to September 1 is one such weekend. We really didn’t have much to do, and so I was planning on going to Washington DC to see some National Monuments.
But things went the other way, and we finally went on going on a trail to Tuxedo - Mount IVY and it was one of the best time of my life. No, believe me.
Travel Details
There are many different trails in that area, so keep a map with you and stick to it. Also, if you don’t have a car, then there are very less mountain trains easier to access, and Tuxedo is one such place. Later, I was surprised to know that the lovely Tuxedo station was built in 1885. Here is a pic of the Tuxedo station:
Travel to Tuxedo from Hoboken is fairly simple. You will have to take a train to Port Jervis. Please don’t sleep on the train, and if you do you sure are going to miss some of the best scenes like this : 
and this :
The hike
Oh wait, before we even hike, we lost our tracks, we went upto Port Jervis, which is an hour from Tuxedo. By the time we realized this, we were already in Port Jervis station. We soon took a decision to not spoil our day but just take a taxi back to Tuxedo and do the hike, and so it started the hike from Tuxedo. The trail was for beginners like us, all we had to do was to follow the red dot and go on.
and finally you will come to the top of Mount IVY and the view is awesome. The day we chose was perfect, it was sunny, but the clouds were playing hide and seek with the bright sun, so it wasn’t very hot.
Me from the top of the mountain :
and so we completed the hike, and were still going on and on as the red trail goes for 100 s of miles. Then, it started raining. It was so awesome standing between the trees with the rain pouring on you. As the rain picked up the pace, small waterfalls started forming in the forest, because of the heavy downpour. You wouldn’t believe me if I say, this was one the best moments of my life. And then we met with some cheerful folks who told us the rain is going to stop in 15 min, and it did. I am not sure how they were able to predict it so perfect.
The after-rain effects
It was just so beautiful, it was heaven on earth. With mist settling down, and the bright sun rays (after the clouds clearing up) trying to pierce through the mist, it looked as if both the Sun Rays and the mist are enjoying each other. Too bad, I wasn’t able to take any pics in the rain, as I was very afraid water might go into my iPhone and damage it. But I sure didn’t miss the opportunity to take a pic after the rain:
We then walked back to the tuxedo station, and then wanted to sip some hot coffee as we we were drenched in heavy rain, went to a local deli store, and surprisingly I found a Gujarati person ( again!) called Sam who is the owner of that Deli; realizing that I was an Indian too, he was kind enough not to charge me for my hot chocolate.
We then spent 20 mins in the cozy and beautiful Tuxedo station, and then came back home.
This hike is very easy, and he is what you need :
The ticket from Hoboken to Port Jervis costed around 18 $, but be sure to take a ticket from Hoboken to Tuxedo which will cost you 7 bucks.
Get down at Tuxedo, and then keep a map with you. Here is how my map looks :
http://www.mapmywalk.com/workout/713533611
I’m sure I would have seen the same or more beautiful atmosphere in India, if I would have explored better, and may be I should.