Join us for a hike up near Cold Spring, NY! This is a chance to get some fresh air and exercise, to get to know fellow EA NYCers, and even to discuss substantive issues (I remember one very interesting chat-while-hiking about the mathematical foundations of sentience...).
Barring late changes, we'll hike the Bull Hill short loop outside Cold Spring up the Hudson River (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/bull-hill-short-loop). This is marked as "moderate" difficulty: you don't need to be an athlete, but you need to be up for a few hours of sometimes-uphill walking. See the hike description linked above and make your own judgment. We definitely won't be trying to set any speed records or doing any trails with "breakneck" in the name.
We'll meet at *8:20 am* at Grand Central (the circular ticket counter in the center), to catch the 8:45 Hudson Line train to Cold Spring (don't cut it too close!). We'll stop for the traditional restorative beverage/bite after the hike, at one of the laid-back patios in Cold Spring.
Hike durations can be hard to predict, but we should arrive in Cold Spring at 10:10, be done the hike by 3-4 pm, and catch the 4:15/possibly 5:17 train back to Grand Central, arriving at 5:49/6:53.
Joining us at Cold Spring is possible but slightly error-prone. Based on past experience at least one person will show up too late to buy tix etc and therefore miss the whole hike - don't be that person! (Disclosure: it was me.)
You shouldn't need to bring much beyond:
- *Comfortable shoes* (I recommend hiking shoes, or anyway ideally something with ankle support)
- A hat if it's sunny
- Water
- Lunch/snacks
- Long (lightweight) pants beat shorts for warding off ticks
- Train fare is $30 round trip
- Mask for the train/indoors
TICK SAFETY: You should also seriously consider spraying your pants/clothes with "permethrin" tick repellent (I'll bring some), and *definitely* do a full body check for ticks once you're back. On our last hike at least 6 of us (!) came back with ticks on us and, while treatable, Lyme disease is a real risk and there's no substitute for prevention!
See you at Grand Central, 8:20 am!
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For those new to effective altruism, here are a couple of good introductions. In short, EA is about using evidence to carefully analyze how, given limited resources, we can help others the *most*.
https://www.effectivealtruism.org/articles/introduction-to-effective-altruism/
https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_singer_the_why_and_how_of_effective_altruism
See also EA NYC's harassment policy - we are committed to the safety and well-being of our members: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xkaNXGFrhdahuCJXiKXWGrmtjRe_uGhEgm1AEcJ5X9c/
