In a ceremony on July 9 at Ossining’s Gerlach Park, Dustin Hofer (left) of Briarcliff Boy Scout Troop 18 was awarded his Eagle Scout badge, the highest rank in scouting, for planning and carrying out construction of a stairway connecting the park with the Old Croton Aqueduct (see Friends newsletter no. 37, Winter 2011, for a full description). The stairway creates convenient access to the north end of the Aqueduct and to Croton Gorge County Park and the New Croton Dam, since Gerlach Park has plenty of parking as well as restroom facilities. The walk is about two and a half miles to the dam.
Directions: The entrance to Gerlach Park, marked by a green sign, is on Old Albany Post Road/Quaker Bridge Road, about a mile west of Rte. 9/Highland Ave. Drivers heading northward can take Rte. 9A to the Shady Farm Rd. exit, make a left from the exit ramp and then an immediate right onto Old Albany Post Rd. The stairway to the Aqueduct is at the north end of the park. To find it, look for the plaque (pictured) at the bottom of the wooded embankment. (Photos by C. Fahn)
