Ed Perratore has turned his personal journey on the historic Old Croton Aqueduct Trail into a book that was published in 2021. One Man’s Journey: A Walk on the Croton Aqueduct Trail blends his reflections with details of the sights and sounds that he encountered on the trail as well as with the history of the Old Croton Aqueduct. When bringing these components together in his book, he also included photographs of the trail—from the majestic dam with its cascading waterfall in Croton-on-Hudson to the quiet paths along the way.
Courtesy of Ed Perratore
Perratore began walking the trail while writing for Consumer Reports magazine and coping with his father’s cancer diagnosis. He spent lunch hours and weekends exploring the entire Westchester portion of the trail—which begins in Croton-on-Hudson at the New Croton Dam, winds south to Yonkers, and ends at the New York City line between Hancock and Sedgwick Avenues—in different seasons and weather conditions. “The trail itself inspired me,” Perratore says. “The walking brings out everything in your life that could use processing. . . . I was thinking [that] the kind of observations I was making might be useful to other people. . . . Everyone who walks a trail like this has a book in them.” He began to take a digital recorder to document what he was observing along the trail, including the sights, sounds, and smells. He wanted readers to feel as if they were walking on the aqueduct with him.
Courtesy of Ed Perratore
When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, and people needed an emotional outlet, Perratore’s wife, Elena, suggested that he try to get his book about the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail published. Perratore did just that in April 2021; he also finished and published two horror novels within months of each other. He published The Coven Tree in August 2021 and Hindred Spirits in October 2021.
Courtesy of Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct
Perratore says that, throughout his more than four decades of writing, he has reinvented himself often. Early in his career, Perratore wrote about health and then moved on to writing about computers and technology. Later, Perratore wrote more about the home and landscaping. “Throughout everything, I always had in the back of my mind the dream of being a writer of books,” Perratore says. “Now, I am semi-retired, marketing the books and doing a little freelance here and there.”
Courtesy of Ed Perratore
A Queens borough native and Coast Guard veteran, Perratore and Elena have lived in Mount Kisco for more than 30 years. They have two children and two grandchildren. In his book, Perratore reflects about when he walked the trails alone and when he walked it with his family. “Still, the liberty to walk the dam alone is a distinct pleasure. In the dead of winter, Elena and I enjoyed taking Katie, our daughter, and Andrew (son) there to watch for bald eagles,” he writes in his book. Perratore says, however, “It is impossible for most people to walk along the trail without things of the day running through our minds—How do I deal with this? How do I put this in perspective?”
Readers who wish to take the walk on the aqueduct with Perratore can find his book in local stores, such as Ella’s Boutique in Tarrytown, Hudson Valley Books for Humanity in Ossining, and Bruised Apple in Peekskill. Ella’s Boutique has large-print editions available as well. Readers also can find the paperback on Amazon and digitally on Kindle.
