Goose Pond Mountain State Park
Chester, NY - April 2, 2010
Last weekend, I wanted to shoot some sunset scenes but didn't know where to go. I found Goose Pond Mountain State Park in the Village of Chester on the map, about a 15-minute drive away, and so went there.

It turns out Goose Pond isn't a good place to shoot sunsets, at least not in early spring. A hill blocks the sun as it sets in the west and the hill casts a shadow on the entire park.

Still, I felt a thrill upon entering the park -- Goose Pond Mountain turned out to be a swamp. Swamps have always been a curiosity of mine ever since I saw the comic book "Swamp Thing" as a youngster, passed through swamps along North Diversion Road on the way to Baguio in my youth, and driven through the swamps in Secaucus, New Jersey everyday to work as an adult. So you can say that I've always viewed swamps from a distance all my life, and finally, I was in one walking, touching, smelling, and hearing the cacophony made by the crickets and the crows.

I never would have thought anyone would turn a swamp into a park. Finding dry paths around the wetlands just to get around is like going through a maze with many dead ends. And where would you lay down a picnic blanket when most of the soil is saturated?

Long ago I've read from a New Age book (it may be one of Ruth Montgomery's books, I can't remember) that mosquitoes are remnants of an early stage in Creation and should have been made extinct by Evolution a long time ago. Somehow the mosquitoes survived. Mosquitoes serve no useful purpose in today's ecosystem, according to the book, and so even though spirituality requires that we respect all life, there are some creatures that need to be extinguished. After being buzzed by mosquitoes while standing very still at the Goose Pond swamps so as not to introduce camera shake while I took long exposures, I now think I understand. Someone long ago must have tried to meditate while in the swamps but was constantly annoyed by mosquitoes and so declared it was OK to swat them.

Whatever the case, I like taking pictures of quiet and serene places especially those found in Nature. I like staring at them for long periods of time because they pacify my mind. This weekend, however, I found out there are exceptions. Unless one is capable of shutting down all senses, not all such places however inviting they may appear are meant to be conducive to contemplative thought.

 Click on a picture to enlarge.
Start of the trail.
Initially, I thought this wooden bridge was constructed to beautify the park.
Later I realized the bridge is actually a necessity. Without it, you will have to walk around wetlands to get anywhere. The bridge is the only way for strolling around the park.
Pond at Goose Pond Mountain State Park.
The Goose Pond Mountain State Park is made up mostly of swamps.
According to one of the signs posted around the park,
This may be the park ranger office. It's beside the small parking lot off State Hwy 17M.
I came at the “golden hour” to shoot sunset scenes. But it turns out the park is actually not a good place to take them, at least not in the early spring. There's a hill that blocks the sun and casts a shadow on the entire park. Still, it can be a peaceful and tranquil place if you can turn a deaf ear towards the cacophony the crickets and the crows make (the noise was extremely loud and continuous) and don't mind the mosquitoes constantly buzzing in your ears.
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