XC Skiing - Glenville's Sanders Preserve

After a couple of days in Syracuse celebrating one final Christmas, we drove home today leaving a very snowy landscape behind.  Oh, we have snow here, but it seemed like a lot more there.  But, with the afternoon free, and plenty of new snow here, we settled in at home for a bit and then headed out for an hour of skiing before dark, at the Sanders Preserve in nearby Glenville.

This can be a challenging place to ski, especially before all of the little rivulets running beneath the early snows have a chance to freeze over.  We had to gingerly cross several of these as we followed the mostly snowshoe-packed trails on the north side of Sanders Road.  We avoided the biggest downhill with a short bushwhack along an abandoned (but still marked) trail, crossed a bridge in a ravine, and found our way back to the beginning of the long gentle downhill back to the car.

The snow was fantastic, and deep enough even here to hide all of the rocks and roots.  With the colder weather expected in the coming week, it looks like a perfect time to get out and enjoy winter's best.

Snowshoeing - Woods Hollow Preserve

Today was a day when other things needed to get done, and since we'd skied yesterday, we decided to join a group of people that Holly sometimes snowshoes with in the winter, most of whom are also in her summer biking group.  We could get out for an hour in the morning, and leave the afternoon free to catch up on some things at home.

Woods Hollow is a small preserve just north of Ballston Spa, at the corner of Rowland Street and North Line Road.  There are some old carriage roads, a sledding hill, and several miles of trails to explore.  A lot of people walk here in the winter, and it isn't long after a snowfall that all the trails have been packed down pretty well.  The farther we got from the cars, the more pleasant the scenery and the walking, and the fewer other people we saw.  It was a pleasant morning for our first snowshoe outing of the season, and another way to relish the recent snowfall after a mostly green winter last year.

XC Skiing - First snow of the season

10+ inches of it.  Heavy and wet with a layer of slush on the bottom.  Miserable driveway shovelling.  Thanks to neighbor Gary for tackling the deep end with his snowblower. 

After a short break to catch my breath and drink something, Holly and I got out for an hour of skiing.

At Indian Meadows Park in nearby Glenville

Indian Meadows Park has a few miles of fairly flat ski trails, some of them groomed by a local volunteer with a snowmobile and roller.  This grooming was in progress later in our outing, but with a couple of exceptions, most of the trails we followed had already been tracked by others and made for a pleasant first time out.  The park was very crowded today, but most of the crowd was on the sledding hill and we saw only a few others on the trails.

This is the kind of snow that will set up firm and make a great base if it manages to stick around, and a few fluffy inches on top would make for excellent skiing.

Disc golf - The winds of December

After several days of dark drizzly gloom, today we saw the sun, so despite the demands of the season (or maybe because of them?), I got out for a couple of rounds of disc golf.  It wasn't going to be an easy day, since the winds were blowing, and I'd be using a backup "driver" disc, having lost my preferred one in the weeds at Blatnick Park last week.  I've always had trouble controlling this one, which is why I had replaced it earlier and not used it since.

The first nine wasn't bad, at +3.  Then the winds really picked up, and I struggled to a +5 on the back.  On the next 18, I started playing the wind and not taking stupid chances, but even so, that second round was a +12.  At least I kept it under 70, which is a number I haven't seen in a while.  Lots of friendly people in the park this morning, but no other disc golfers, and probably for good reason.

Biking - One last 2012 Mohawk River Loop

Today, friends Judy, George, and I got out for a nice 28-mile ride from bridge to bridge along the Mohawk River. 

This is a popular ride among local cyclists, but today we saw nary a one until we were almost finished.  Of course, that 10:30 start was a bit cool, with temps hovering around freezing, so that may explain the absence of others at that hour.  We were well-layered and comfortable as we enjoyed this ride at an easy pace, with a stop at Riverview Orchards for a fresh cider donut and some hot cider along the way.

Disc golf - A couple of good rounds

After a very cool morning, followed by a lunchtime meeting, I got out this afternoon for a couple of rounds of disc golf in Central Park.  Some other players were also out, but I managed to play through off the first tee and stayed ahead as if there was nobody else there.  After a spectacular 26 (-2) on the first nine, the back nine caught up with me and ballooned to a 35, for a total of 61 (+4).  The second round was a little better, with a 29-31-60 (+3).  I was throwing it pretty well, despite a lot of tree interference and 3 penalty shots for throwing out of bounds at various points.

Disc golf - A new course nearby!

I've been hearing rumors lately about a new disc golf course being planned for Blatnick Park in nearby Niskayuna, so I checked out the forums on discap.net, the web site of the local disc golf organization.  Sure enough, it's currently being built, so I found a map of the current status of this course-in-progress, and went to take a look.

The first tee is near the driving range, behind the town's transfer station.  The tees only have temporary markers at this point, and the baskets aren't up yet (going up tomorrow, 12/8!), so a 5-gallon paint pail overturned on a post marks the basket locations.  There are currently 11 of these posts, with the ultimate goal being an 18-hole course.

It was windy today, and this course is mostly wide open to those winds, so it was a bit challenging to keep the discs flying where I wanted them.  I was actually happy to see this openness, as opposed to the Central Park course, because it gave me a chance to just let it rip and see the behavior of different discs, in terms of distance and direction. 

This will be a fun course to play when it's completed, and another place to get out for a little nearby variety.  Kudos to the Town of Niskayuna and Discap for getting this course up and running.

Disc golf and biking - A 2-outing December day

Today was an even warmer day than yesterday, and another good day to get out and do something.  This morning, I headed over to Central Park for a couple of rounds of disc golf.  The first round started out great, with a very respectable 29 (+1) on the front nine.  Then the winds arrived, and control and accuracy went out the window.  The back nine was a dismal 39 (+11), my worst nine in recent memory.  The second round was at least more balanced, but not in a particularly good way, with a 31-36-67.  But it was a pleasant stroll in the park anyway, so it's all good.

This afternoon, Holly and I got out for a short bike ride on the Niskayuna and Colonie sections of the Mohawk River Bikeway.  The winds here were a little swirly but not bad, and there were lots of others out enjoying this nice December day.

Hiking and trail work - Hennig Preserve and Homestead County Forest

Today, I joined a group of volunteers who've been meeting regularly to open up some new trails in the Hennig Preserve, in nearby Providence, and the adjacent Homestead County Forest.  Today's project involved exposing the ruins of an old sawmill on Cadman Creek, which runs through the county property adjacent to one of the new trails.  With 10-12 people hacking and sawing away, we got a lot of work done, and the before/after difference at the site was striking.  I wish I had taken photos to document that difference, but was just having too much fun to even think of doing that.  I bailed out early to go help Holly cut a Christmas tree, which seemed like a continuation of the previous work.  On a mild December day, it was just a great day to be outside.

Biking - 11 out of 12 ain't bad

With rain forecast for the afternoon, I got out on a mild December morning for a few more miles on the Rotterdam section of the Mohawk River Bikeway.  I'm still chipping away at the goal of 2,100 miles for the year, and also realized today that I've now biked in every month this year except January.  With the crazy snowless winter last year, I'm not sure how I missed it, but I'll hope for a little more foresight next time around.  A lot of snow would be much preferred this coming season, but if not, I'll try for the full 12 months of biking instead.

Disc golf - A year-round activity?

This morning dawned gloomy and a little raw, the kind of day when it feels like it's about to snow.  That was, in fact, the forecast for a little later, though nothing would really come of it.  I continued playing disc golf all through last winter with our lack of snow, though I did draw the line at wearing microspikes to negotiate the sometimes icy fairways. 

I headed over to Central Park this morning to get in a couple of rounds, before the weather turned any worse.  The first round went sour gradually, with a couple of bad holes, leading to a mediocre 66 (+9), not one of my better efforts.  Then, I started out the second round with birdies on #1 and #2, and threw in one more along the way to finish with a 59 (+2), only one off my best ever.  Maybe it just takes longer to warm up on days like this.  Yeah, that's it.

Biking - Over the top on a brisk afternoon

I'd planned to help out with some local trail work today, but when I woke up with a sore back, I thought better of it, and hoped I could get in some other exercise in the afternoon.  After running a bunch of local errands and having lunch, I decided to get the bike out one more time.

Every year, I set a mileage goal to work toward, not in any calculated way, but just to have some number to shoot for and keep me motivated.  This year, I started out hoping to reach 2,500 miles for the season.  But come September and October, I lost the urge to keep pushing toward that number, or even to keep biking in general.  Still not sure why.  So, in November, being within reach of a lower goal of 2,000, I started looking toward that instead.  I had biked off and on through last winter with its dearth of snow, so there was no reason now not to keep going until conditions prevented it.

Recently, I've been doing short rides on the bike path on a beat-up old mountain bike, which I would someday like to start using as my around-town transportation bike.  Need to get that idea going somehow if I can get past the convenience of jumping in the car.  But anyway, today's ride put me over that 2,000-mile hurdle, as I biked from Blatnick Park to just short of the Northway and back on the Mohawk River Bikeway.  Last year, the season after my cross-country trip, and being somewhat burned out by it, I came up short of 1,400 total miles, so this was a significant step back in the right direction toward longer rides and more touring.  As if to reinforce that feeling, I met a loaded bike tourist on his way to Boston from California, and we had a nice chat.

Time to raise this year's bar to 2,100, and next year, 2,500...

Biking (not shopping) on Black Friday - What a concept!

Black Friday.  And now Thursday, Thanksgiving Day itself.  What a sad commentary on our society.  After driving home from a day spent having turkey with family yesterday, I wasn't going near a store or mall this afternoon, instead getting out for another short bike ride.  Today looks like the last pleasant sunny warmish day for a while, so I returned to the Rotterdam Bike Path for a quick spin.  A lot of other people, mostly dog walkers, had the same idea.  It was a beautiful November afternoon, and outdoors was the place to be.  And I didn't have to spend even a penny doing it.

Biking and disc golf - more nice weather

Yesterday I got out for a short bike ride on the Rotterdam Bike Path, inching my way toward my revised goal of 2,000 miles for the year.  I'd hoped for 2,500 originally, but really pooped out in September/October, so now it's just 2,000.  A couple more short rides, and I'll have reached that number.  Hard NOT to get out during this stretch of beautiful weather we've been having.

Another nice day today, so I got in a couple of early rounds of disc golf in Central Park.  The scores (61-59) came out much better than I felt like I was playing, and a +6 total for 36 holes is a score I'll be happy with anytime.

Hiking - Hoffman Notch Wilderness

Yesterday, I joined a Schenectady ADK trip to Hoffman Notch, a deep gorge in the Hoffman Notch Wilderness.  Holly and I had tried this hike once before many years ago, but were stymied by high water in June at one of the stream crossings.  Today, the 14 (!?!) people on the hike would hopefully not have the same problem, despite a recent report from NYSDEC about a washed-out bridge on this trail.

We'd be hiking south into the Notch from Blue Ridge Road, and trying to reach Big Marsh by lunchtime, near the center of the map above.

After some initial route confusion and a brief separation, we regrouped and continued on our way.  Our first challenge, and possibly the referenced bridge problem, came at a series of small stream crossings not far from the car.  We managed to reinforce a small beaver dam to make it crossable, and all made it to the other side.

Reaching a former power line crossing, we saw heavy frost on the vegetation in the valley after a cold night, as the sun rose on the peaks to the west.

Entering the Notch, we found Hoffman Notch Brook very scenic, with water tumbling over large boulders alongside the trail.

This is the brook that had turned Holly and I back years before, but a series of new bridges had solved that problem by crossing smaller branches of the stream lower in the Notch, so there was no problem today.  The huge logs and high handrails on these bridges made us all look like small children or forest gnomes as we made our way across.

The upper sections of this trail were somewhat overgrown, lightly used, and more difficult to follow, but we reached Big Marsh, actually a good-sized pond, in time for an early lunch.  The ice was about 1/2" thick here, and signs of beaver activity were everywhere.

The trip back to the cars was uneventful, and the trail easier to see with the sun now at our backs and the leaf litter disturbed by the earlier passing of our large group.  We made good time back to the cars and headed home after a satisfying day outside.

Disc golf - Schenectady Central Park

With Day 2 of an insurance-reducing, snore-inducing defensive driving class in the afternoon, I took advantage of a sunny morning to get out for a couple of rounds of disc golf.  It was a frosty start, but the first nine was the best of all despite the temperatures.  The first 18 would have been pretty good except for a disastrous triple bogey on the final hole, and the second round was the usual mixture of fist-pumping and cursing, depending on the outcome of the shot.  I finished with a 64-65, slightly off my average, but overall, I was doing pretty well and managed several birdies.  It was a pretty morning, and nobody else was on the course, so I couldn't ask for more than that.

Biking - Rotterdam bike path

After doing some mountaineering on the roof of my Cape Cod yesterday to fix a couple of popped-up shingles, Holly and I got out for a short bike ride on a November day in the 60s, a real treat.  It was windy and we had time constraints, so we only did about 10 miles, but it was good to be back in the saddle after a very lazy autumn for me, at least in terms of biking.

Hiking - Touch-Me-Not and Cabot Mountains

Yesterday, I led a hike for Schenectady ADK to Touch-Me-Not and Cabot Mountains, two small peaks in the western Catskills.

It seemed like a long drive to Little Pond State Campground, south of Pepacton Reservoir and southwest of Margaretville, but it was really only about 2 hours.  We parked outside the closed campground gate, and walked in to the start of the blue trail up Touch-Me-Not, a fairly steep and relentless climb of about 700 feet.  There was lots of recent blowdown along the way as a result of recent high winds and coastal storms, and we cleared what we could without any tools.

Beyond the summit, we turned west on the red-marked Finger Lakes Trail for the short walk to the base of the even steeper climb up Cabot Mountain.  Though this climb was only about 400 feet, the steepness and the slippery downed leaves made for slow going.  There was a nice viewpoint near the summit, but the air was so hazy that views were not all that good.

After lunch at the summit, we descended via the yellow trail, through the ruins of an old farmstead, and back to Little Pond.  From there it was an easy walk along the pond past campsites and back to the cars.

Not a very photogenic day, so no pictures, but it had been a good hike with friends on a better than expected weather day.

Walk - Bike path in Rotterdam Junction

I've been feeling sluggish lately, just not getting enough real exercise.  Oh sure, I've been getting out walking various places, and the weekly disc golf is OK.  But those are fairly mild, and not much of a workout. 

Last winter, in the absence of snow for XC skiing, I started doing 4-5 mile walks on the ice-free bike path, at a very brisk pace for about an hour or so.  These turned out to be a good cardio workout, and a good substitute for biking in the cold, which just didn't seem very appealing.  So today I fell back on that experience and went for a fast walk from Rotterdam Kiwanis Park to Scrafford Lane, where the bike path comes to a dead end, and back to the car.  The signs say that's 5 miles round trip, but I think it's more like about 4.3, and it's a nice place to walk along the old Erie Canal.

There's lots of traffic noise here from the Thruway above, and an occasional train whistle, also from nearby.  But it's usually not crowded at all, and that means ducks, herons, and even the possibility of beavers who are definitely working hard out here.  Despite the noise, it's a scenic spot, and I enjoyed the briskness of both the walk and the stiff breezes that were blowing.

Disc golf on a windy morning

First round 64 was about average, then the winds came up.  Tricky winds, lots of tree interference, and a couple of uncharacteristic splashes in the creek led to a pretty bad 69, worst in months.  Couple of great shots kept it from going even higher.

Walk - Vischer Ferry Preserve

Today was the first day we'd seen the sun in what seemed like forever, and though it was chilly, it was a day not to be wasted.  After doing some other stuff in the morning, I got out for a walk in the Vischer Ferry Preserve, in nearby Clifton Park.  Days are getting shorter, and I didn't want to drive very far, so this was a good choice.

I  parked at the end of Ferry Road, in the hamlet of Vischer Ferry, and walked east along the old Erie Canal towpath toward the main preserve.  I tried to stay close to the river, but there was work in progress there, related to dredging, so that trail was closed, and I had to backtrack.  Back on the towpath, I soon came to the well-preserved remains of old Erie Canal Lock 19, a double lock built in 1842 during the Canal's enlargement phase.

Leaving the lock, I watched for a trail toward the river, and found one that passed through a very strange and eerie landscape.

There were very large trees here,  but almost no standing underbrush.  The plants were all matted down and covered with downed leaves, except for the occasional masses of twigs, stems, and weeds that were hanging from trees up to 6 feet off the ground.  Then I noticed the high-water marks on several trees, and it all made sense.

High water marks about 6 feet above the ground

There had recently been a lot of water here, probably last fall when Irene and Lee swelled the Mohawk River far over its banks.  That explained the matted down and hanging vegetation.

Finally reaching a puzzling circle of very tall spruce trees, I decided to turn around and head back to the car.  I made it all the way back without having seen another person on the entire walk.

Since it was still early, and I'd be passing right by it anyway, I made a quick stop at Mohawk Landing Park, a small town property with river access for non-motorized boat launching and a couple of picnic tables.  It's only a short walk from the parking lot, and there's a nice view here downstream along the serene Mohawk River.

Then, wanting to beat rush hour, I headed home.  It was a beautiful day to be out, and there's no shortage of places close to home to do just that.

Trail maintenance and construction - Hennig Preserve

Yesterday, I joined a group of volunteers who've been building and maintaining trails in the Hennig Preserve, a Saratoga PLAN property in the Town of Providence, near Lake Nancy and just south of the Adirondack Blue Line.

We were working yesterday on a new trail in the adjacent Homestead County Forest, shown in purple above.  Trails here will connect to those in the Hennig Preserve, creating a nearly 10-mile trail network.

The new trail had previously been flagged and mostly roughed out, so yesterday we were cleaning up some rough edges and breaking through a few sections that were still not cleared at all.  It should now be almost ready to be formally marked and opened for general use.  This will be a very nice trail when completed, following Cadman Creek (Lake Nancy's outlet), with views of beaver dams, remains of former sawmills, and this very nice waterfall where we stopped for lunch.

I hope to spend more time with this kind of local trail work, especially after next year when we give up our adopted section of the Northville-Lake Placid Trail much farther north, after 20 years of maintaining it.

Trail maintenance, Frankenstorm, and disc golf

This past weekend, with storm clouds looming in the days ahead, Holly and I led a Schenectady ADK trip to our adopted section of the Northville-Lake Placid Trail, near Lake Durant.  We've been the ADK Trail Stewards on this section for 19 years now, and make two trips each year to remove blowdown, cut back brush, and clear leaves and debris from drainages, allowing the trail to dry out (theoretically).  On this trip, we had seven of us, many of whom had helped us out before, and we got a lot of work done.  Then it was home to get cleaned up to first drop in briefly on a birthday party before finishing off the day with a concert.  Busy day.

Sunday was spent battening down the hatches in preparation for the remnants of Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Nor'easter Sandy.  Fortunately, when Sandy arrived on Monday, the Capital District suffered only a glancing blow and endured only some high winds and scattered power outages, nothing like the damage in other parts of the East Coast and New England.

Today, with Sandy's winds still gusting to near 50 mph at times, but under partly sunny skies, I got out for a couple of rounds of disc golf.  Discs tend to wander when thrown under these windy conditions, but I finished with rounds of 66 and 68, not horrible all things considered.  I did need to be acutely aware of the sounds coming from the trees overhead, in case a sudden change of location became necessary, but never actually had that problem materialize.

One side benefit (?) of the winds is that a whole lot of leaves now litter my yard, so cleaning that up looks like the next thing on the agenda.

Biking - Mohawk River Loop

Six weeks off the bike.  That's been unthinkable for the past 5-6 years.  But that's where I found myself this week when some friends and I decided to once again take a leisurely tour of the Mohawk River, between Rexford and Crescent.  We do this ride several times a year, but it's especially nice in the fall, when we stop for cider and donuts at Riverview Orchards.

This was mostly a social ride, with lots of conversation and an easy pace.  It felt good to be back in the saddle again after a long stretch of mostly walking and hiking, and the 28-mile loop passed quickly and easily.  We're hoping to do more rides like this if the weather continues to cooperate.

Walk - Exploring the Christiana Natural Area

This morning after helping Holly with some yard work, I made a stop on the way home to explore a place that's been on my list for a while.  The Town of Glenville acquired the 48-acre lands making up the Christiana Natural Area late in 2008.  The upper reaches of the Indian Kill flow through the wetlands here, and I didn't expect to be able to go very far because of the wetness.  But the town has done a lot of work and a great job laying out trails here that mostly stay relatively dry, recent wet weather notwithstanding.

The trailhead, kiosk, and parking area are on Onderdonk Road, just northwest of Droms Road.  The white line above outlines the property, and the blue and yellow dots represent the two trails.  I started out by walking the blue trail along the eastern edge of the wetland, hoping to do a loop and return via the yellow trail.

Near the trailhead, a couple of bridges had washed downstream in a time of higher water.  These two streams were narrow enough to jump across and continue on.

Approaching an area of open water behind a small beaver dam, I scared up a bunch of mallards who were obviously surprised to see me.

Open water, minus ducks

The bulk of the area within the trail loop is a large marshy area, with lots of birds flying around.  The trail here was mainly wide and grassy, and occasionally wet, as it followed the edge of the marsh.  A lot of work has been done to clear shrubs and smaller trees to open up these trails.

Soon, I came to the stream crossing at the northern end of the preserve, where the blue trail changes to yellow on the other side.  There was no bridge here, and it was too cool to swim, so I turned around and headed back.

Reaching the start of the yellow trail, I followed it along the western edge of the marsh.  This trail was farther back from the marsh in open woods, and somewhat less wet for the most part.  I found the views from the blue trail much more interesting.  Soon I was standing across from where I'd been a few minutes before, at the end of the yellow trail at the same stream.

Heading back to the car, it was clear that this preserve is still a work in progress, but a lot of progress has already been made.  Kudos to the town for acquiring this gem, and thanks to Mr. Christiana, its namesake, for deciding to keep it as open space.

A walk, some disc golf, and trail maintenance - Another catch-up entry

I've been falling down again at keeping this up to date, so this will be a quick note to fill in the last couple of days.

On Monday, I joined a walk in Wolf Hollow, west of Schenectady, location of the Hoffmans Fault, and a ravine rich in history.  On a beautiful morning, about 40-50 people showed up to this event sponsored by the local League of Women Voters and the Mohawk-Hudson Land Conservancy.

In the afternoon, I headed over to Schenectady's Central Park for a round of disc golf.  I hadn't played in almost a month, and the winds were significant, so I didn't expect any miracles.  I almost got one, though, as my tee shot on 160-foot #9 bounced off the chains and fell to to the ground, robbing me of my first ever ace.  I finished with several birdies and a couple of double bogeys for a respectable 63 (+6), right on my average.

This morning (Tuesday), I joined friends from the Environmental Clearinghouse as we performed our annual maintenance and clearing of the cross-country ski trails in Featherstonhaugh State Forest, near Mariaville.  We cut back brush and moved a few larger fallen trees, and left the trails in better shape for the winter season.

Hiking - Knobs west of Moxham Mountain

Yesterday, I joined a Schenectady ADK hike to a series of small knobs on the west end of the ridge near Moxham Mountain, near Minerva.  A new trail to Moxham's summit was cut this past summer, shown below in yellow, and we used it to reach the top of the ridge before turning west.  There, we left the trail and bushwhacked a clockwise loop (red) around some of the trailless western knobs, all with open rock and great views.

Pictures below are keyed to the numbers shown

Leaving the trailhead, we soon reached the top of a ridge (0) with great views of its own, right on the trail.

View to the north from Ridge #0

Moxham's summit from Ridge #0

Reaching the main southern ridge and leaving the trail, we climbed steeply to the south-facing cliffs of Knob #1, where there was a great view back toward Moxham's imposing summit.

Moxham from Knob #1

Continuing on to Knob #2, I stood at the top of a sheer cliff to get this picture back to the east.  Distant views were not so good early in the day, but the nearby terrain more than made up for it.

Cliffs on Knob #2

By now it was getting windy, and standing around for very long was a bit chilling.  We continued on to Knob #3, where we found a wide open summit with more great views and reindeer lichen everywhere.

The open summit of Knob #3

This was as far west as we planned to go, so we headed northeast to visit a parallel series of knobs to the north.  Knob #4 had a great view toward the northwest, where we could see NY-28 snaking up the hill toward Indian Lake.

View northwest from Knob #4.  NY-28 is at center.

We found a sheltered spot among the pines here, and stopped for lunch out of the increasingly biting 40-degree wind.  Once refreshed, we set our sights ahead toward Knob #5, our final climb before returning to the trail.

Knob #5 from Knob #4.  Knob #2 is at right.

This was pretty rugged terrain, with dense undergrowth.  But once we climbed up out of the col, we found some of the easiest bushwhacking of the day, through tall red pines and very little beneath them.  The faint traces of a path that we'd encountered throughout the morning were the clearest here.  The skies were beginning to clear as well, and distant views were steadily improving.  Knob #5 seemed to provide the best views of the day.

Panorama from south-facing cliffs on western end of Knob #5

Crane Mountain in the distance

One last open view of Moxham's summit from Knob #5

Before the trip, in looking at Google Earth, we had mapped out several places on these knobs that appeared to have open rock and potential views.  So far, we were batting 100%, so were confident that the last target would continue our streak.  There was a large whitish patch on the northeast corner of Knob #5 that appeared to promise views to the north, which had been a rarity today.

A northern view from Knob #5?

Arriving at that "cliff", what we found instead was a large open patch of the same whitish reindeer lichen we'd been seeing all day.  Much hilarity ensued.

A large very FLAT patch of reindeer lichen

Descending now back toward the trail, we encountered some pretty thick brush and blowdown, and also some wet areas, but finally reached the trail somewhat below where we had left it earlier.

On the way in, we had passed a trailside beaver pond without stopping for a look, so we made that slight side trip now.  It was a pretty spot, with an old dam and beaver lodge still in evidence.

From there, it was a short climb back over Ridge #0, and then downhill to the cars.

This was a spectacular hike with rugged terrain and a plethora of views from the various knobs.  A return visit to Knob #5 alone would be well worth the effort.

High Peaks Weekend Wrapup - 2 out of 5 ain't bad

This past weekend, I'd be joining my brother Bob and his friends as they completed the Adirondack 46 on Mount Marcy.  So first, let me lay out the overall plan, which got a little complicated because they'd be camping and probably incommunicado, while I'd be driving up for a day hike and trying to time my arrival on Marcy with theirs.

The three of them would drive up on Wednesday, and spend the night at Adirondack Loj. The next morning, they planned an early start, backpacking to Feldspar leanto, setting up camp, and then climbing two trailless peaks from there, Cliff and Redfield, before retiring for the night.  On Friday morning, they would climb Gray and Skylight, followed by their arrival atop Marcy, where I'd be waiting with their ADK 46R patches to celebrate their accomplishment.  We would try to coordinate the timing by cell phone if possible, but otherwise we had a mutually agreed upon turnaround time, in case somebody got delayed for any reason. They would then return to their camp for the night, and I would return to the car and a motel in Lake Placid, and we would meet up for dinner after they packed out on Saturday.  On Sunday, we'd all drive home, they to Syracuse, and I back to Schenectady.  An ambitious plan on their part to say the least, even in good weather.

They drove up as planned on Wednesday, and I had no further communications with them before I arrived at the trailhead on Friday morning.  The view of the peaks shrouded in clouds was not encouraging as I started down the road from NY-73 to the Heart Lake parking area.  Oh, and was that snow on the ground and the peaks?

Indeed.  It had snowed overnight, and there were reports of several inches of new wet snow at higher elevations.  Hope the guys had a good night out there, and what would they decide to do now?

With Marcy itself 7.4 miles away, I started in on the trail to Marcy Dam, and even at these lower elevations, there was a dusting of snow all over everything, a real pre-winter wonderland.

The weather forecast for the day called for temperatures falling through the 20s in the afternoon, and the teens atop Marcy, with winds there gusting to near 40 mph.  And with the clouds, there would also be no view whatsoever, just cold wind-driven dampness.  The further I walked, the more this seemed like a really stupid idea.  A dangerous idea, considering I was heading up there alone.  I vowed to make a decision one way or the other when I arrived at Marcy Dam, 2 miles from the car and before the real climbing started.

What I found at Marcy Dam

When I arrived at Marcy Dam, it was snowing lightly, and the peaks were nowhere in sight.  The temperature was already below freezing, and would be dropping further, especially as the trail climbed higher.  All of the wet snow and mud on the ground would likely be iced up by the time of my return trip from the summit, if I even ever got there, making things pretty treacherous.  Being old enough to know better than to continue, I decided to call it quits here.  Since I had cell service here, I called Bob and left a message, letting him know I was heading back, and urging them not to do anything stupid.  I had a feeling that they'd be driven to continue despite the conditions, but really hoped they be smart about it and either bail out, or be extremely careful.  Then I headed back the way I'd come, got in the car and drove away, hoping for a phone call from them sometime soon. The helicopter heading toward the High Peaks did nothing to assuage my concerns.

It was still several hours before I could check into my motel, and I was dressed for hiking, so I thought about someplace else I could go.  I remembered Haystack Mountain between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, so headed in that direction.  The sign at the trailhead proclaimed a hike of 3.3 miles and 1,238 feet of climbing to this summit, which I remembered having very good views.  Being much lower, it wouldn't be in the clouds, and they were starting to break up a little anyway.  What I didn't remember were any details of the trail, but my memory would soon be refreshed.


About a mile in, my phone rang, and it was Bob.  "Where are you?", he asked, so I explained.  He hadn't received my voice message, but told me they had also made a good choice, and were bailing out and not trying the other three peaks today.  They had managed to climb Redfield and Cliff the day before, as planned, getting back to camp after dark with headlamps just as the rains and snow arrived.  Heavy rain and snow, along with incredible winds overnight, had left much of their gear wet.  They'd be climbing the peaks with wet gear and returning to a wet campsite, with temperatures Friday night dropping well into the teens.  The only sane choice was to pack out on Friday instead of attempting those other three summits.  They were on their way out when he called me, and we arranged to all meet for dinner in Lake Placid.  Great news!

So, back to Haystack.  This trail had a significant amount of uphill immediately, followed by what seemed like an even greater amount of downhill.  After about 2 miles, I checked the GPS and I was lower than the elevation I had started at.

I parked at the left, and gave up at the right, with still 1,200 feet to climb.  Crazy trail!

And then I saw the summit in the distance, with still over 1,200 feet to climb in the final mile.  I'm not sure why I turned back, but I just lost interest at that point.  I ate lunch, checked into the motel, cleaned up, and looked forward to dinner.  The guys showed up a little later, and we all headed over to the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery for burgers and a few beers as we recounted our stories of the day.  Then it was an early night.

Saturday dawned clear and brisk, but with a warmup expected later on, I talked the guys into doing a couple of short local hikes with great views.  Our rooms were prepaid for Saturday night, so we had a day to kill anyway, and they agreed.  After a hearty breakfast at the Downtown Diner in Lake Placid, we geared up and headed off for a couple of short walks.

First on the list was Baxter Mountain, off of NY-9N south of Keene.  It's a popular 1.1-mile walk to the summit, which has great wide-open views of the High Peaks and the Johns Brook Valley.  Snow-covered Marcy is in the distance, a little left of center.  Fall colors were still abundant at the lower elevations.

We lingered here for a long time enjoying the spectacular scenery.  But then it was time to head to another local institution. the Noonmark Diner in Keene Valley, for a light lunch.  Over lunch, we talked about maybe adding on another short hike for the afternoon, since it was still pretty early in the day.  Just up the road, off of NY-73, tiny Owl's Head Mountain fit the bill perfectly.  This one is only 0.6 miles to the summit, though a somewhat steeper scramble than Baxter.  Once again, we were treated to wonderful views for only a small amount of effort.

After we spent a considerable amount of time here as well, the clouds began to roll in, and we needed to get back and get cleaned up for dinner, so headed back down to the car.

Dinner was at Jimmy's 21 on Main Street in Lake Placid.  The Italian food was excellent, but the same could not be said for the service, which involved delays, forgotten requests, and even one incorrect entree.  And all at a somewhat inflated price!

The rains came again Saturday night, and it was a wet drive home on Sunday.  As we all headed for home, the guys weren't 46rs yet as they'd hoped, but had managed to add two more tough peaks to their list, and we'd all had the opportunity to take in some very nice scenery on the one day that turned out well.

Hiking - Cliffs on Moose Mountain

After an unremarkable walk in the Albany Pine Bush yesterday that included trails being closed and lots of Thruway noise, it was nice to get out for a real hike today.

Entire yellow trail was closed.  Short noisy roadside walk on the rest.

Every Columbus Day weekend for the past 10-12 years, Holly and I have bushwhacked up Moose Mountain, near Wells, NY.  It's become a tradition of sorts to come here and enjoy the fall colors, away from the hordes, and having a mountaintop all to ourselves.  It's about a 3.5-mile round trip, and besides never seeing another soul, this place also has numerous views from its south and west-facing cliffs.

Our route, starting on NY30 just south of the Sacandaga Campground

Having done this one so many times, we have it down pat, knowing where the swamps are and how to avoid them, and navigating by feel once we hit the ridge.

We always hit the westernmost viewpoint first, and have the beginnings of lunch there.  We're never exactly sure what we're looking at, but usually the colors were much more vivid than they were today, with many trees already bare.

After lunch, we headed back to the col between the two summits, and then up to some more major cliffs on the eastern side.  Somehow we'd managed to miss this view on several previous explorations of the far eastern end of the ridge.

Cathead Mountain in the distance, and the Sacandaga River with NY30 left center

Heading back west, we paused for the rest of lunch at our favorite spot, a wide open sloping ledge with similar views.

Our favorite spot to linger a while

After a nice break, it was time to head down and back to the car.  The usual ice cream stop didn't happen today, a cool weekday in October, but it was otherwise a great day outdoors.