Hiking, Snowshoeing - Jockeybush Lake

Any snow within a reasonable drive at this point is deep but not especially skiable, so we decided on a snowshoe outing instead. Jockeybush Lake is off NY10 north of Pine Lake, NY, in the Town of Arietta.



It's about a 1.1-mile uphill walk to the lake, following its very nice outlet stream all the way from the car.



Today, that stream was really running with snowmelt, given all the warm temperatures and rain we've had lately. We were unable to cross the stream every time the trail did, so we bushwhacked all the way to the lake along the north bank. The snow was over a foot deep, with an unpredictable crust near the top and soft mushy snow underneath, so it was fairly hard work breaking trail. Along the way, we came upon this waterfall (which the camera messed up the coloring of, so it's in B&W), and had to find a route around it.



We reached the lake in a little over an hour, and just relaxed and enjoyed the above-freezing temperatures. It really feels like spring has (almost) arrived, but I'm sure we're not finished with winter yet.



The walk back to the car was much easier, as we retraced our steps on the now-broken trail. Big rain tonight and tomorrow, and then it's off to Vermont for a couple of days of skiing. With any luck, there will still be some OK snow further north and east.