Unpopular Opinion About People Who Climb Hudson Valley Mountains
Sorry. Not sorry.
There are two mountains that everyone seems to brag about conquering here in the Hudson Valley. I'm referring to Mount Beacon and Breakneck Ridge in Cold Spring.
Almost every single day during the warmer months you'll see social media get blasted with pictures on top of these mountains. I still consider them to be the lamest location to snag a selfie in the entire region. However, people still love to boast about scaling these mountains. I've seen a ton of photos posted recently of people on top of the mountains stating that they've 'climbed' them.
Really?
I'm not an expert hiker by any stretch of the imagination but the beauty of these two mountains isn't just physical. They are great because you do not have to be a professional climber to enjoy them. They're relatively easy for people to walk up them. Notice how I used the word walk and not climb.
You didn't climb up these mountains. You're not Sylvester Stallone in Cliffhanger. You didn't need ropes and pins. You can reach the top while wearing a pair of Crocs if you wanted to.
I'm aware that Mirriam-Webster may have a different opinion than I do. The definition of climb is to ascend gradually on an incline but just because I walk 19,000 feet on an inclined treadmill wouldn't mean I climbed the same distance as Mount Kilimanjaro.
Hiking and walking is fun and it's great exercise.
Stop saying you climbed or scaled these mountains. You didn't climb up them. You walked up them unless you used ropes, carabiners and pitons. Change my mind.