Who knows how many times I hiked Mt. Beacon when we lived in New York. Definitely too many to count. I wanted to return to these old familiar trails and we decided to do the standard four mile loop to the fire tower (I would have liked to have done a longer hike, but it was pretty hot and humid that day). And since we were down that way, I couldn’t pass up my favorite breakfast sandwich at The Bagel Shoppe in Fishkill. After a quick bite we drove to the trailhead and I was pleasantly surprised at how few cars were there (it certainly helps to go on a weekday - weekends are typically insane here). After living in Arizona, it was nice to be back in the green of the East Coast. I sure haven’t missed the humidity of the East Coast though! Despite the mugginess, we had a nice hike and enjoyed the views from the top. After the hike we drove down the street to visit Mid Hudson Animal Aid. It’s always nice to see the cats and all the good work MHAA is doing. We spent some time walking around downtown Beacon before heading back north to our Airbnb and dinner that evening with friends.