Earth Day began way back in 1970 with a near end of the world fervor. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring about pesticide use was just eight years old and industrial pollution was a very real and serious problem in the U.S.
Earth Day was inaugurated back when people would freely toss trash out car windows, no problem, sailing it down the street, littering roadways and highways. Paint sludge was dumped and buried in Ramapo’s own Torne Valley. The nascent environmental movement resulted in groundbreaking laws, including major revisions of the Clean Air Act in 1970 and Clean Water Act in 1972.
This past Sunday the Tuxedo/Sloatsburg Cub Scouts from Pack 2146 took a walk on the wild side with a hike to Claudius Smith’s Den in Harriman State Park to celebrate Earth Day by performing service in the park. The hike was led by den leader Billy Mincey with assistance from den leaders Bill Clarke and Brian Colton.
Scouts accessed the red and white trail near the Tuxedo Train Station via the East Village entrance off Grove Drive and then hiked the 1.35 miles from Tuxedo to the hiding spot of one of the Hudson Valley’s most legendary outlaws, Claudius Smith.
The boys from Pack 46 enjoyed the high scenic views of the Hudson Valley while Mr. Mincey discussed the history behind Claudius Smith and his feared gang of thieves.
Smith was an infamous Tory outlaw and defender of the Crown during the New York campaign in 1777. Known as the “Cowboy of the Ramapos” for his outlandish thieving exploits, Smith hid away in a stone cave formation up in what’s now Harriman Park with his sons other gang members until he killed the wrong man — Major Nathaniel Strong.
Whether Smith actually ever really did the deed, the testimony of thirteen citizens of Orange County against him caused his downfall.
He met his end on the gallows in Goshen in 1779.
The pack also learned about the outdoor ethics of Leave No Trace that involves 7 core principles of the woodsy life, which include plan and prepare, leave no waste and leave what you find.
The pack then learned a little Earth Day education, an environmental celebration that began before many of their parents were even born. The scouts wandered the woods and performed an earth day-inspired clean-up of the area surrounding the Den. Many garbage bags were carried back out from the site.
Over 20 cubs and their parents joined the hike, and fun was had by all on a sunny Sunday.
For more information about Boy Scout Pack 2146, visit here.
Information on the outing and photos provided courtesy of Brian Colton. Plus a big thank you.
