SCENES FROM A RUN: MARINE PARK WEST TRAIL, CHANNEL AVENUE ENTRANCE

When the current school year started, my son was supposed to take public transportation to school.  Somehow the school found the money to cover school bus service for all the grades at his school.  All was well and good until the bus strike happened.  From the few times when wife and I took the subway home from school, we knew that things are pretty chaotic on the subway platform.  Students ran along the platform as if they were at a playground.  The top of the stairs would be clogged with kids who have no consideration for others.  So on the first day of the strike I took the subway with my son and walk with him to school.  I also met him after school and rode the subway home with him.  To save a few bucks and also to maintain my running schedule, I usually ran home after dropping him off at school.  I sometimes also ran to school to meet him in the afternoon.  It worked well, except I ended up with running pretty much the same route day in and day out.  A few weeks into the strike my son was comfortable enough with the subway that I let him go to school by himself.  He would call me when he transferred to the Q train and again when he got to school.  At last I was able to resume running other routes and not have to be at his school.

The first chance I got I went right back to continue exploring the West Trail of Marine Park.  The last time I was there I entered at Allen Avenue.  This time I ventured further south and got onto the trail via Channel Avenue.  Just beyond the perimeter of P.S. 277 there was a big clearing with tire marks to suggest some vehicles recently plowed through the area.  It was too close to the road (Gerritsen Avenue) so I didn't think it was the trail and went further toward the water.  I was wrong.  There was another trail that supposedly ran along the water and the clearing I saw was indeed THE trail.  I took a few photo of the area near the water and went back to the trail, then headed north to trace my way back toward Avenue U.  That's my plan, a small section at a time, so that I always travel over familiar territory.  Like last time, I exited the trail at Whitney Avenue.

Happy Trail!

After a short walk from Gerritsen Avenue and P.S. 277 was the path leading to the trail.

Not much snow was around, just a tiny bit of ice on the path leading to the trail.

I thought this path was too close to Gerritsen Avenue to be the actual trail, but I was wrong.

The trail actually leads back to Avenue U.

Looking left of the clearing, Avenue U would be to the left of the photo.

Looking along the water, which is to the left of the photo, toward Belt Parkway.