From Harlem to Claudius Smith’s Cave in Harriman State Park with the Boys of Harlem Children’s Zone, Led by William “Mr. Will” Hirschfeld
As we made our way back to NYC, I overheard Mr. Will ask the boys, who were still energized by the day’s adventure, “What was your favorite part of the day?” Our bodies were tired from the sun, and from scaling the rocky terrain along the Blue Disc Trail to Claudius Smith’s Cave at Harriman Park, measuring 5 miles round trip. The unanimous favorite was the rocky playground that was once the hiding place of Claudius Smith, a Loyalist guerrilla fighter during the American Revolutionary War. “How could anyone live here?” the boys later remarked as we crept through the rocky enclave. “Play here, yes!”
As I listened to the remembrances of the day, I thought to myself about some favorite parts of the day.
Our day began at 8:30 AM at the Harlem Children’s Zone on 129th Street. It was a cool and rainy morning as the group gathered together and prepared for the journey ahead. As the day progressed, so did the clouds, until the sky finally opened up complete in blue and sun. From the tops of Almost Perpendicular and Claudius Smith Rock were we able to take in the enormity of the park, the budding green of Spring, and a view with no city in sight.
Perhaps the boys waxed nostalgic for the city, its streets everywhere littered with trash, and had to be reminded to pick up after themselves. I realized the importance of teaching our youth, “Leave no trace!”
The hustle and bustle of living in a big city limits our natural propensity to stop. What a pleasure to watch Ralph, upon feeling the urge to stop, stop. He let his body fall to the ground, seated, he drank water and simply enjoyed being still in the world.
Hearing the words of “Ms. Penny” Temple repeated when visited by a lizard, the boys canted, “Careful, It’s a living thing!” We were visited a short while after by a tree frog, who was again treated with respect and wonder. It was a first time being so close to living things other than pigeons and people for the boys, as well as a first time hiking for many of them. A day in the woods was the scaling of rocky landscape, conquering mighty hills to reach the great height of the eagle and to see what it sees as it soars above. A day in the woods was a day of play, of comradeship, and oneness with nature. In the rock, the boys saw themselves, solid and strong.
The bugs and insects certainly made their presence known, though some of our insect friends were there to do more than pester. We came upon a fallen tree of termites and watched on, witnesses to the miracle of the interchange among insects, death, and new life.
Large tree branches became large staffs and the boys, young sages and guardians of the earth. A mistaken branch, the root of a tree, and the boy stopped pulling at it, and instead, regarded the tree, a living thing, and this root, a part of a living thing.
A tight squeeze through Elbow Brush, the boys lined up one at a time, eager and curious about what rocks can do and what they can become, and how we relate to them. When we came to Claudius Smith’s Cave, Mr. Will along with Christopher helped the group descend its rocky curvature. The boys encouraged each other. When we walked, the boys looked back and around to make sure the group was still together. When one boy ran out of water, another was there to share. We moved together, each with our different speeds, each from our own walk of life, still, we moved together.
Making our way back to the road that would take us back to the city, and to where it all began, I was one with the boys, “Can we do it again?” Certainly, my favorite part of the day was our togetherness and our shared eagerness to hike again.
