PEAK PERFORMANCE
Hiking beyond the boroughs: Lace up those hiking boots, because every New York Ramblers outing is more than just a nature walk — it’s a 12- to 16-mile adventure.
With more variety than a bag of trail mix, a typical Ramblers hike covers a wide array of terrain both far from and near the sight of pavement. One recent Sunday, on a hike that started in Ossining, in Westchester County, a group of 11 walked through a forest used in “Tarzan of the Apes,” the 1918 silent film.
“A lot of creativity goes into the planning,” says Ramblers leader Michael Chenkin, a 55-year-old Manhattanite.
The hiking club, founded in 1923, has a rich history. Science fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft even joined an outing in the mid-1920s. Today, the Ramblers boast a diverse membership, with hikers in their 20s and beyond from all over the world. “It’s really the social aspect that I enjoy,” says Sheila Briggs, 61, of the UK.
Most challenging moment: A typical Ramblers hike is more than 12 miles (about 10 hours at a decent clip), making the tail-end of most outings an Olympian-like task. “It can be tough,” says Rose Boeve, 32, from Greenwich Village. “It is a good workout. I’d tell my friends to get a little bit more in shape before going.”
If you go: You’ll need hiking boots, bug repellent, sunscreen and at least 3 liters of water. Bring a full lunch — the group stops for a meal break, and snack stops as necessary.
Info: The group takes trips, with the starting points accessible via public transportation, every Sunday, and frequently on Saturdays. You must complete two hikes with the Ramblers before acquiring membership. The initiation fee is just $1, while membership fees will set you back $6.
Upcoming hikes are being organized in Orange and Westchester counties (tomorrow and Aug. 12, respectively). For more information, visit nyramblers.org.
— Flash Steinbeiser
EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM
Birdwatching at the beach: Celebrity sighting in the Hamptons tends to catch the beautiful type, always gorgeously attired for a polo match or presidential fund-raiser. But in Hampton Bays, LI, one of the most elusive stars is plain as day: big nose, always clad in nondescript khaki and generally found playing in the mud and reeds alongside a turgid tidal inlet.
The modest clapper rail bird has none of the natural grace of a black crown night heron or the stentorian mystique of an osprey (both frequently seen in the bays of Long Island). Yet the drab shorebird is the main attraction at the monthly walk of the Eastern Long Island Audubon Society, which launched earlier this month from Dune Road near the Ponquogue Bridge and Shinnecock Inlet. That’s because the rail generally isn’t seen this far north, so local birdwatchers consider it a kind of Holy Grail, going so far as to keep recordings of the clapper’s mating call on their iPhones to draw out the birds.
Led by society president Eileen Schwinn, 63, of East Quogue, LI, the free three-hour excursion, beginning at 8 a.m., hits the best birdwatching sites on the East End, offering sightings of nearly two dozen species. Forgot your binoculars? The half-dozen members and guests, who have more than a century of birding experience among them, happily offer high-powered scopes and binoculars so that even novices can note the bright orange beak of an oyster catcher or the black bill and yellow feet of a snowy egret from more than 100 yards away.
It’s not for the light of feather. One birder catches sight of what he thinks is a yellow legs, but he can’t tell if it’s a greater or lesser variant of the species. Nobody else, however, is able to spot it, and the birder decides that it was likely something far more common. “It was probably just a willet,” he says. “Sorry for the false alarm.”
Most challenging moment: Feigning interest in the seventh sighting of a tern or piping plover can prove difficult.
If you go: Bring plenty of sunscreen, water-ready clothes, a camera with at least a 300 mm telephoto lens — and snacks! Or ask Schwinn for a good post-outing lunch spot. Dune Road is dotted with plenty of seafood joints.
Info: The next walk, slated for Aug. 25, begins at the Cupsogue Beach County Park parking lot on Dune Road in Westhampton Beach. Free; easternlongislandaudubon.homestead.com, 516-662-7751
— Isaac Guzman
DIGGING THE RIGGING
Outrigging on the Hudson: Want to get wet and rugged on the Hudson? Say aloha to the Polynesian sport of outrigging. On weekends through the fall, newbies can join experienced paddlers at Pier 66 in Chelsea for a morning of fun in the sun.
Novice sessions, led by the New York Outriggers, use an OC6 — a slender canoe that seats six people straight in a row. Outrigger canoes are recognizable by the long, thin “ama” lashed to the side by wood struts that provides stability.
Sisters Tina Yau, a 25-year-old living in the Financial District, and Shirley Yau, a 23-year-old living in Midwood, Brooklyn, picked it up easily.
“I felt like after the first few strokes, we had it,” says Tina. “We were pretty focused.”
The session starts with a 20-minute on-land demonstration before each of the two canoes is loaded with a combination of newbies and veterans. Paddlers switch between the left and right sides when a group member calls out “hut” (get ready) followed by “ho!” (switch).
You get wet, but not soaked, in the 45 minutes you spend on the water — with the dock always nearby.
The Yau sisters plan to return, which group veteran Di Eckerle says is typical.
“We’re all addicted. I come out here four days a week,” says the 49-year-old Bronx resident. “It’s a nice addiction. What’s so cool is, any age is good.”
And don’t worry about a polluted Hudson.
“The city has done a good job cleaning up the river. I haven’t seen a body part in ages!” laughs Eckerle.
Most challenging moment: After 30 minutes, your arms may scream for a break.
If you go: Bring along a lock to stow your belongings in one of the lockers provided in the boathouse. Bring a water bottle onboard.
Info: Novice sessions are held throughout the morning on most weekends. Register at newyorkoutrigger.org in the novice section. After the first three free sessions, outriggers are encouraged to become members at $325 for an annual fee. Pier 66 Boathouse, in Hudson River Park at 26th Street
— Gregory E. Miller
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BIKE
Riding to Rockaway: Although the air is like pea soup, the 10 stalwart members of the Five Borough Bike club (two guides and eight followers) meet in front of Prospect Park at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning to trek out to Neponsit Beach, just east of Jacob Riis Park.
The skies threaten rain and Claire Mordas, the group leader, thinks we might only make it as far as Coney Island. After checking out our bikes’ fitness, we set off, single-file, through the park, and then the Prospect Park South and Ditmas Park neighborhoods, down leafy Rugby Road. To make sure people don’t get left behind at red lights, one club member stays behind to wait for stragglers.
The riders are very conscientious, waiting at lights, even where there is no oncoming traffic. When the sun comes out as we ride through Sheepshead Bay, and the group decides to go all the way to the beach, we pick up the Belt Parkway bike path just past Knapp Street. Those who aren’t wearing their bathing suits under their clothes change into them in the Riis Park restrooms before heading to the shore at Beach 147 Street.
The riders come from all over the city and beyond. Astoria biker Jennifer Morral, a lab manager at Hunter College, put her hybrid on several subways to meet up with everyone at Grand Army Plaza. “I’m new to the area and I’d been searching for a bike club that would go to all the boroughs,” she says. She found one!
Most challenging moment: Riding across the Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge. Once, the bike path was on the inside of the bridge and bikers felt protected by the structure. Now, the path hangs off the side, and the fence between riders and Jamaica Bay is not really high enough (it should go well over your head, like the fence on the Manhattan Bridge path), and it vibrates when lots of cars drive over. When the cars hit the bridge grid, they also make a high-pitched buzzing noise that sounds like the shower scene in “Psycho.” Some of us dismount and walk our bikes over.
If you go: Don’t forget your sunblock and your helmet. And fill your tires before showing up. Bring your lunch — although on this trip, the club stops to buy lunch at the Silver Star supermarket, which is a kind of random place to stop.
Info: The trips are free. The Five Borough Bike Club; 5bbc.org.
— Robert Rorke