Our virtual journey begins at the Blue Dry Brook Ridge Trail head which is accessible from the NYSDEC parking lot at the end of Beaverkill Road in the Town of Hardenburgh (Ulster County). From here we will be hiking almost 2 miles through widely varying terrain and breathtaking scenery.
	This first section of the trail -- a long-ago abandoned farm road -- is grassy and easy to traverse. Mature sugar maples line either side of the trail, and the old pasture land is blanketed with hay scented ferns -- a prolific fern found in the Catskills. In the distance you can hear the call of the Common Yellow Throat as a slight breeze rustles the leaves overhead.
Continuing along, the trail becomes more rocky, and the forest becomes filled with dense, mature trees as you leave the pasture behind. Yellow Birch and American Beech -- major components of most northern hardwood forests -- become the dominant forest species. As you continue your journey through the beech woods, the sounds of the Black Throated Green Warbler and the Red-Eyed Vireo permeate the air around you.
	Throughout your journey, amongst the rich ground cover on the forest floor, you will encounter patches of club moss. These mosses -- actually a species of fern -- grow in circular clumps, and are a sign of healthy forest. Like most ferns in New York State, club mosses are a protected species and care should be taken not to disturb them.