Hiking - Chase and Mud Lakes

Yesterday, I joined a Schenectady ADK trip to Chase and Mud Lakes, off the end of Pinnacle Road in the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest. The original plan was to continue bushwhacking to the base of some cliffs on Pinnacle Mountain, but tough snow conditions convinced us that the two lakes would be enough for one day.



Twelve of us started in on the trail to Chase Lake and its leanto, 2.7 miles away. There were about 8-10" of snow on the ground, and the trail had been packed sometime previously, before subsequent bouts of rain and ice. The trail was pretty firm, but off-trail, there was a healthy amount of crust, which we found ourselves breaking through later as we began the bushwhack.

There was a significant amount of running water, and many smaller streams we needed to detour to get across. The trickiest was the outlet of Mud Lake, which the Chase Lake Trail crossed on the way to the leanto. We continued upstream of the normal crossing and finally found this log that got us to the other side as we watched the churning water below.



The leanto was moved sometime in the past, and now occupies a nice location overlooking Chase Lake.



We stopped here for a pretty long lunch in the balmy almost 40-degree temperatures.



After lunch, we began the uphill bushwhack to Mud Lake, a tiny puddle hardly worth of the "lake" moniker. "Mud" would probably be accurate in a warmer season.



After the decision to skip the additional bushwhack to the cliffs, we decided to cross the Mud Lake outlet here, rather than dealing with that dicey log crossing again further downstream. We tiptoed across the questionable ice, if that's possible on snowshoes, and safely got to the other side. Then we bushwhacked down the west side of the outlet until we rejoined the Chase Lake Trail we'd come in on before it crossed the outlet. From there, it was a fast trip out to the cars on a packed trail.

Back at the cars, our party of 12 was joined by a party of 13 from the new ADK Foothills Chapter, who had also gone to Chase Lake this day. It was odd to see that much traffic at the end of this dead-end road seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

Walk - Schenectady County Forest

This afternoon, Holly and I got out for a walk in the Schenectady County Forest. At 1,400 feet of elevation, we found more snow here than back down in the valley, probably 2-3" of hard crusty stuff still in the woods. The trails were hard-packed and icy, and we were glad we brought our MICROspikes, especially in the parking lot which was glare ice. It was windy and cold, and there were time constraints, so we didn't get to walk the new Town of Duanesburg loop this time. But it was good to get out and at least see some nearby snow, even if was fairly useless for anything but a crunchy walk.

Walk - Mohawk River Bike Path series, cont'd...

Partly sunny and mid-40s. Green grass. It would be a nice early spring day if it weren't January 24th. Rather than bike on the trainer today, I decided to do something outside instead. First, I tried disc golf. After almost falling down following a mediocre fling from the icy first tee, I was wishing I'd brought my micro-spikes along. The park was very icy, and I gave up after a par on the first hole.

So, it was back to the plowed portion of the bike path, this time between Lock 7 and Lions Park in Niskayuna. I got in about a 4.5-mile walk at a fast pace, and called it my exercise for the day. Many others were also out enjoying the unusual weather, and it's nice that this section is kept clear for winter walking, running, and even biking.

XC Skiing - Schenectady Municipal Golf Course

Having cancelled a Schenectady ADK ski trip I was slated to lead today because of poor local snow conditions, Holly and I resorted to that most desperate of measures in cross-country skiing - skiing on a golf course. I'd been to Schenectady Muni a week or so ago, but then the rain and ice came and wrecked whatever good snow there had been. But we got a couple of new fresh inches of dry snow overnight, and though it wouldn't improve the skiing in wooded areas that were very thinly covered and rough underfoot, a golf course just might work. And it did! Several other skiers were also out, and the skiing was really not bad. Even if thin, the fairways are so smooth that very little snow is needed, plus some of the old base still remained underneath. We got in a couple of miles at a leisurely pace and then called it a pretty good day.

Hiking - Dippikill Mountain

Earlier this week, I got a phone call from my friend Phil from Long Island. He'd be coming up to stay for a few days at his cabin in Thurman, north of Warrensburg, and wanted to get together and do something outside. Not realizing how close he lived to it, I picked Dippikill Mountain, based on an article I'd read on the Albany Times-Union Outdoors blog (thanks Herb and Gillian!). It turned out to be a real gem when we hiked it yesterday.

Dippikill Mountain is on the campus of Camp Dippikill, a property owned by the University at Albany Alumni Association. Students and alumni can take advantage of the cabins and campsites here, and the hiking trails are open to the public. The mountain is only about a 4-mile walk if done as a loop, which is what we planned to do, returning via the pond below.



After meeting at Phil's cabin, we suited up and drove to Camp Dippikill, only about 10 minutes away. We stopped first at the camp office to register and pick up a map. Our route began just up the road from the office, and climbed gently up the ridge toward the summit. Although there were only about 6" of snow, we opted for snowshoes and the extra traction they'd provide on the crunchy snow.

On the way up the ridge, there were great views of Crane Mountain behind us and the Adirondack High Peaks to the north.





Continuing on toward the summit, we first lunched behind a rock face out of the wind. Beyond the true summit, we followed a side trail marked "To Overlook", where there was a wide-open view of the Hudson River below.



We were puzzled by the taller mountain at the distant left center of this view, but some map sleuthing after I got home revealed it to be Buck Mountain, on the east side of Lake George.

Dropping down to the pond, we followed the West Shore Trail past leantos and campsites along the shore, crossing a bridge at the far end where we looked back up at the mountain.



From there it was a short walk back to the car. We returned to the cabin and continued chatting over nachos and beer until it was time for me to head home. It was a great day out, crisp and clear with great views, and nice to catch up with a friend I don't often see.

A brisk walk on a brisk afternoon

It was a sunny day, but still no local skiable snow, so I got out for a walk instead. I've been doing these hour-long 4-mile walks on the bike path lately, and as long as the way is clear of snow and ice, it's pretty good exercise.

It was cool and breezy with temps only in the mid-20s, but the sun made for a nice afternoon to be outside. I headed for the Rotterdam section of the Mohawk River Bike Path, but found it still covered by patches of snow and ice. That would never do for the fast pace that I wanted. Then I remembered that Colonie and Niskayuna to the east sometimes plowed their sections of the bike path, so drove over that way instead. I wound up walking from the Niskayuna Train Station in Lions Park to the bridge over Shakers Creek, just short of Forts Ferry Road, and a 2-mile walk each way. I didn't see another soul the whole time, and enjoyed the solitude and river scenery. It wasn't as good as XC skiing, but at this point, beggars can't be choosers when it comes to local outdoor exercise in the absence of snow.

XC Skiing - Rockwood State Forest

With any snow on the ground about to be destroyed tomorrow for skiing purposes, Holly and I got out for a short ski this afternoon while it was still possible. I'd heard reports from Fulton County of 8-10" of snow in the last storm, so Rockwood State Forest, west of Johnstown, seemed like a logical choice. Most of the trails here are on smooth old roads, so it doesn't need a lot of snow to be skiable. What we found was about 8" total - 5" of old granular snow, then a quarter-inch of icy crust, and all topped off by 2-3" of soft powder. Without the underlying crust, it could have been somewhat better skiing than it was. But the trails were pretty beat up - lots of footprints and dog piles, and just generally overused and in need of refreshing with some new snow. Unfortunately, that doesn't look at all likely for the rest of this week, and tomorrow's ice/sleet/snow/rain event will make this place unusable for a while. We were glad we got it in while we did.

Hiking - Falls on Johnson Pond Brook

Yesterday, I joined a Schenectady ADK trip to explore the location for another section of the North Country National Scenic Trail through the Adirondacks. Leaders Walt and Norm have been scouting several areas of the Adirondacks where this trail is slated to pass, and today was another one of these bushwhack trips. We started at the end of the plowed section of Johnson Pond Road, north of Paradox Lake, with our destination being a series of waterfalls on the outlet of Johnson Pond. Temps were in the mid-teens, with much colder temperatures expected later in the day.



The first half-mile down Johnson Pond Road was very scenic, with 6-8" of snow hanging from the trees. Though snowshoes were probably not strictly necessary for this trip, they made for smoother walking once we left the road and got into the rougher terrain.



The other kids also enjoyed the winter scenery, some of the first we've had all year.



We wound our way around blowdown and along a property line before turning south and downhill through a valley that would eventually join the Johnson Pond outlet. When we reached the falls, they were hardly recognizable under the snow and ice. Water was flowing underneath, but these would be much more scenic in the spring or summer when the cascades are visible. We stopped here for lunch before turning around and retracing our steps back to the car.



The trip back to the car was much easier, as we had our earlier tracks to follow. There was an option to climb Peaked Hill from the gentler north side on our way out, but nobody seemed especially interested in that extension of the day. So we were back to the car and home early in time for dinner after a nice day out in the winter woods.

XC skiing - first of the season!

It seems ridiculous that I should have to use that title in the middle of January. But so it goes.

A long overdue snowfall blanketed the green grass overnight, and though it was only about 4", there are places nearby where that makes skiing possible, especially when there is pent-up demand. I'm fortunate to live within 5 minutes of Schenectady Municipal Golf Course, a rolling layout very popular with golfers in summer and XC skiers in winter. We often ski there at night, either by moonlight or by the glow of the city-lit clouds above. With their short-trimmed grass, golf courses are the ideal place to get out skiing with minimal snow.

The snow was heavy and wet, a fact that made for much better skiing with only that shallow depth. It compacted firmly, and prevented breaking through all the way to the grass below. Several other skiers were out on the course, and I mostly skied in their tracks, but occasionally made my own. I did about a 2-mile loop, with a few rolling hills. That was enough for the first use of these muscles this season, especially after having already done my now-daily 7-8 miles on the bike trainer earlier in the morning.

It looks like another mixed bag of winter stuff tomorrow, so it's hard to know what will be left to ski on after that. With the non-winter we've had so far, it's good to grab this sort of opportunity when it presents itself, especially when it's so close to home.

Walk - Indian Kill Preserve

This afternoon, Holly and I squeezed in a walk in the Indian Kill Preserve in Glenville. It was one more nice day before tomorrow and Friday's winter precipitation sampler. A few other people (and dogs) were out enjoying the afternoon, and the ground was sufficiently frozen that there was miraculously no mud. With a whole potpourri of stuff falling from the sky over the next couple of days, things will probably get messy once again. It would be really nice if it could all fall as snow...

Disc golf on another nice afternoon

It looks like we may be in for some sloppy weather later in the week, so this afternoon I got in my weekly disc golf outing in Schenectady's Central Park. It's amazing to be doing this in January, but with no snow, sunny skies, and temps near 40, there's no reason to not continue on. Looking back, the first time I tried this activity was actually January 5th of a year ago, in another stretch of poor skiing conditions and minimal snow. But today, I did much better than last year's first-time 81, with a 66 and a 72. Average those two together and you get..... my current long-term average. The sun was bright, there was no wind, and it was just a nice day to be out doing something.

Hiking - Huckleberry Point in the Catskills

January 7, no local snow, and sunny with temps in the 50s - unbelievable. Holly and I took advantage by heading to the Catskills for a snowless hike with a view. Huckleberry Point is a steep prominence on the eastern edge of the Catskill plateau. It overlooks the Hudson Valley and Platte Clove, also known as the Devil's Kitchen, a rugged valley a thousand feet below. The hike is about 2.4 miles each way, up and over an intermediate bump, and then down to the point. The return trip climbs back up and over the same bump before descending back to the car.



There was no snow on the ground here, although we did have to take care on occasional icy patches, despite the mild temperatures. We were the first to reach the point today, and had it to ourselves to enjoy lunch and the great views. The Hudson River was visible far below to the east.



Across Platte Clove far below, Overlook Mountain with its fire tower was visible in the distance, with Platte Clove Mountain in the near foreground.



Further to the west, the peaks of the Devil's Path were nearby, with Indian Head and Twin being especially prominent.



As we were just underway on our return to the car, we met a group of four, and then a group of two, followed by a group of seven, and then a final group of four, all on their way to the point. We were glad we'd arrived there when we did, with lots of other people out enjoying another unseasonably mild and snowless winter day.

Another fast walk, another 400 calories...

Friends and family sometimes find it laughable that I'm worried about my weight, and it's true that I've managed to keep it off for many years. But lately, it's been creeping upward, to levels I haven't seen before, and I need to do something about it. Something that doesn't involve giving up beer...

After yesterday's fast-paced walk on the bike path, I went out today for an encore, on a different section. It was a beautiful sunny mid-40s day, and lots of other people had the same idea. But mostly, I was passing them, arms a-swinging. I can't run anymore, but this is turning out to be a good and gentler substitute when I don't feel like dragging the bike out of its winter home in the basement, and we have no local snow for XC skiing. 4-5 miles at 4 mph only takes a little over an hour, doesn't destroy my knees like running seems to do, and makes me feel like I've done something more than a casual stroll. And combined with a morning ride on the bike on the trainer, it's more regular exercise than I've been getting for the past few months.

Enough - time for another Bud Select 55...

A brisk walk on the bike path - and a SKIER?!?!?

After several recent outings where I wasn't moving very fast, either because of the terrain or the added activity of geocaching or letterboxing, I wanted to get out today and really stretch my legs at a stiff pace. I wanted to go someplace flat, with smooth footing, and just let 'er rip. The Mohawk River Bike Path in Rotterdam fit the bill nicely, so I parked at Kiwanis Park and set off for the dead end across NY-5S at Scrafford Lane. This would give me a 4.4-mile round trip, just about right.

Shortly after I left Kiwanis Park, I noticed a person standing on the ice of the old canal, between the bike path and the highway. When I got closer, I stopped. This person was putting on XC skis on the relatively new ice, with less than an inch of snow covering it! Intrigued, I stopped to watch. Then we recognized each other - it was Donnie from the Schenectady Wintersports Club, who lives almost across the road. In a recent news article in the Schenectady Gazette, he had noted that he got out skiing 76 days in 2010. And he's apparently off to a good start this year, despite the dearth of local snow. After a brief chat, we went our separate ways, he skiing down the canal, and me walking away shaking my head and smiling.



The wind had come up, and small ground blizzards were blowing down the canal toward me as I crossed NY-5S. Reaching the dead end at the railroad tracks at Scrafford Lane, I turned around and started back, now with a nice tailwind. I met one jogger on this stretch, but otherwise saw nobody else the rest to the way back to the car. Passing the area where I'd met Donnie earlier, I marveled at his ski tracks on the thin snow and ice of the canal. He'd apparently even tried a very short stretch on the bike path itself, with pavement showing through! That's dedication, or is it desperation?

I finished the walk in a little over an hour, at an average pace of 4 mph, and felt satisfied that I'd done what I'd set out to do. Now if we'd just get some more snow...

Walk - Featherstonhaugh State Forest

This week was supposed to be one of my monthly moonlight snowshoe outings at Featherstonhaugh State Forest, near Mariaville. Needless to say, snowshoes will not be necessary. But hearing reports of up to an inch of snow at higher elevations, I decided to see what had fallen at Featherstonhaugh, and whether a bare-boot outing in the moonlight would be an alternative.

Though we received only a dusting at best in the valley, there was indeed close to an inch of snow in the forest, just about enough to whiten the ground. And with a temperature of 13F and a howling north wind, it certainly looked and felt like winter.



The ground had mostly frozen, so there was no mud or swampiness to worry about. But the footing was rough and the walking difficult. Any standing water, of which this place has plenty, had a thin skin of ice on top, but not quite enough to support my weight. It was pretty slow going, and I won't be leading a nighttime trip here this week under these conditions.

The section of XC ski trail that I walked was in pretty good shape in terms of being passable, with little or no blowdown on the trail. Markers were plentiful, and skiing should be OK, at least on this section, once we get more snow.



A major bridge near Lake Road was moved off its alignment by recent flooding, and no longer connects well with the trail on its western end. If not fixed by ski season (doubtful), some brush may need to be trimmed at its current terminus to allow skiers to cross and continue.

Disc golf and another local walk, before the cold arrives

With no snow on the ground, temps in the 30s, and no disc golf lately through these crazy holidays, I was itching to get out again. So I braved the cold gusty winds and headed to Central Park to play a couple of rounds. Now, it should be obvious that strong winds have quite an impact on one's ability to control a flying disc, and that was indeed the case today. I threw a couple of 76s, well worse than average, and I can at least partially blame the winds. Many shots sailed away in odd directions despite my best efforts, and I visited parts of the course where I'd never been before. But I wasn't the only fool out there. A five-some was starting on #1 as I was starting my final nine at #10. If you build it, they will come. And they do.

This afternoon, Holly and I got out for another local walk in the Lisha Kill Preserve, in Niskayuna. It was much sloppier going than it had been a few weeks ago when I was there, but many other people were also out enjoying the muddy trails. We covered all three loops at a leisurely pace, and then went our separate ways to take care of other things.

Tomorrow, a cold front will drop temperatures significantly, into the single digits overnight on Tuesday. That should improve the mud situation, but a thick coating of the white stuff is also badly needed.

Walk - A new year in the Moccasin Kill Sanctuary

January 1. New Year's Day. 50 degrees and sunny. A day not to be wasted indoors watching football. Well, maybe later...

After a green Christmas, we now have a green New Year. And this scene was especially green as I walked in the Moccasin Kill Sanctuary, west of Schenectady.



There's a long-standing mystery between me and the Moccasin Kill. I have a vague long-ago recollection of an open view back toward Schenectady from the end of one of the long ridges between the deeply carved ravines. Today, I set out to find it. And it turns out that I'm either misremembering, or the trees have grown up and it's no longer there. I went where it should have been, but found nothing. So I continued on and walked the rest of the trails.



As I was returning from the blue loop along one of the upper ravines, I noticed something I hadn't seen before - a couple of very nice step waterfalls, visible (with care!) from just off the trail. They were partially frozen, and the water was flowing behind and through the ice. Because of this, they were very white and hard to miss, especially with no leaves on the trees.






Tomorrow night the cold arrives again in earnest, but unfortunately, the prospects for any snow are still pretty dismal. In the meantime, these frequent local walks will have to suffice.

Walk and letterboxing - H. G. Reist Sanctuary

This afternoon, Holly and I got out for a walk in the H. G. Reist Sanctuary in Niskayuna. It was a convenient place to meet for a short outing while getting some other stuff done. Although there are a few geocaches in this preserve, today I brought along clues for some letterboxes instead, just for a change. Letterboxing is a little different from geocaching, in that clues and landmarks are used to guide the seeker to the letterbox, rather than using a GPS and latitude/longitude coordinates. It existed long before geocaching, and originally got its start in England.

We don't get into the whole letterbox rubber stamping routine, nor do we normally log our found geocaches. We just enjoy the hunt and finding the hidden items. The three we found today were very easy, but added some interest to a walk on a balmy New Year's Eve afternoon.

Geocaching - Return to Indian Meadows

This afternoon, Holly and I got in another walk, this time at Indian Meadows Park in Glenville. We'd come here a few weeks back and found 4 of the 5 geocaches we were looking for, so today, we tried that fifth one again along with 3 others we'd never tried. We found ourselves way out the far southern end of the park where we'd probably never been before, along the trail that supposedly connects to Van Buren Road near Swaggertown Road. We got in about a 3-mile walk and found all four of the geocaches we were looking for, including the one that had confounded us before. The ground was frozen, and it was a good thing, since there was lots of ice on the trails that would have otherwise been water and mud.

Hiking - Taconic Crest Trail

Today, I joined an ADK and Taconic Hiking Club hike on the Taconic Crest Trail south of Hancock, MA. The trail follows a high ridgetop along the NY/MA border for about 35 miles. If a hiker completes all sections of the trail in winter, a very nice patch is awarded.



Although I received this patch a year or two ago, some friends are still working toward it, and it's a very nice place to hike relatively close to home.

Hiking a section of this trail first requires pre-positioning a car at the day's end point, driving everybody to the beginning point, and then a long steady climb up from the valley below, to about 2,000 feet above sea level. Despite green and brown fields in the valley, we found a few inches of powdery snow at that higher elevation, giving us our first taste of local winter since a freak October snowstorm.



We soon reached Berry Pond, in the Pittsfield State Forest. As the sign says, this is the highest natural body of water in the state of Massachusetts, at 2,150 feet. There are picnic tables and campsites here, and it's a popular place in warmer weather.



Just north of Berry Pond, there's a wide open view to the west, stretching from the Catskills on the left around to the valley we'd left below.



Rain was expected later in the day, but this was a very strong group, and we finished the 6.8 miles by early afternoon, despite considerable ups and downs. Conditions were great, and so was the company, and we all enjoyed a nice wintry day outside.

Walk - Sanders Preserve

After three celebrations of Christmas in the past two days, and with a fourth coming up this evening and a fifth on Wednesday, Holly and I got out for a short walk this afternoon in the Sanders Preserve in Glenville. The usually wet trails were partially frozen, so the walking wasn't too sloppy. Though there were several cars in the parking lot, we didn't see anybody else, and we enjoyed the relative quiet of the not so wintry woods.

Walk - Schenectady County Forest

Cards are sent. Gifts are bought and wrapped. Cookies are baked. Calendars are full for the next week. And today was the calm before the upcoming storm of holiday get-togethers and events. So I got out this morning and took advantage of it.

With a cold rain overnight, I had some slim hopes of finding a dusting of snow at higher elevations. So I headed to Schenectady County Forest, which at over 1,400 feet often gets snow when we lowlanders get rain. Unfortunately it was not to be. I found plenty of mud and standing water, but no snow at all. The only snow anywhere locally is at Maple Ski Ridge in Rotterdam, where a narrow strip of the man-made stuff stands out brightly against the greens and browns everywhere else. Looks like no white Christmas this year.

Geocaching - 4 for 4 at the Woods Hollow Preserve

After a morning of baking Christmas cookies, Holly and I got out for a walk this afternoon in the Woods Hollow Preserve north of Ballston Spa. Though it's now officially calendar winter, temps were in the upper 40s, and there is still no snow on the ground.

We like to include a few geocaches on these walks just to make it more interesting, and it turned out there were four here that we hadn't previously tried to find. We had the preserve mostly to ourselves, with only one dog walker encountered on the trails. We found all four caches easily for a change, and enjoyed a warm afternoon stroll at the same time.

Disc golf - last one of the year?

With sloppy weather coming in later this week, along with the holiday crunch, I ignored the mid-30s temps and the gusty winds to get in another disc golf outing in Central Park. I actually wasn't the only one with the same idea - several other groups were also out. The first round was an abominable 76, a whopping 19 over par, and tempted me not to play a second round. But I did anyway, and came in with a 67, not spectacular, but about average, and much better than the first round. That may be it for the year, with snow possible over Christmas. A good snowfall would be a VERY welcome thing anyway at this point, so fingers are crossed.

Walk - Niskayuna's John Brown Trails

This afternoon, Holly and I got out for about a 2-mile walk on the relatively new John Brown Trails, off Whitmyer Drive near the former Schenectady Museum Preserve. I'd been there several times before, the most recent about 2 weeks ago, but it was new for Holly. We'd actually skied some of these trails many years ago before they were formally marked. It felt good to get out and walk off some of the stiffness and achiness from yesterday's hike. It was obvious that trail work continues in this area, with some big logs recently cut and a couple of new trails marked. Looking forward to snowshoeing here if we ever get a winter this year.

Hiking - Waterfalls and big trees on the NCNST

Yesterday, I joined a Schenectady ADK trip to scout the location for a new section of the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST). When completed, this trail will extend over 4,000 miles from North Dakota to Crown Point, on Lake Champlain. The exact route through the Adirondacks is still being determined, and we were checking out a possible route for one of these sections on our trip.

The area we were exploring was adjacent to Berrymill Pond, northeast of Adirondack Northway (I-87) Exit 29. The plan was to follow existing trails southward, and then continue bushwhacking along Berrymill Pond to a beaver pond previously reached on a trip from the south by our leaders Walt and Norm. That would result in an entire road-to-road section having been explored. Other explorers in the group included Susan, Dale, and Herb.

Our route - north to south and back again


Starting south from the car on the trail along Berrymill Brook, we soon came to the first of many waterfalls we'd see on this trip.

Waterfall on Berrymill Brook


Reaching the point where we'd leave the established trail, we started through open woods along the east side of Berrymill Pond, ducking out through the trees for an occasional view.

Southbound along Berrymill Pond


Reaching the outlet of Moose Pond high above, there was another very nice waterfall, the best of the trip.

Waterfall on Moose Pond outlet


The entire route south passed through an area that contained many dozens of huge white pines that towered above us.

One of numerous 2-3' diameter white pines


Near the destination beaver pond, Walt and Norm recognized landmarks that they'd reached northbound on their previous trip, so our mission was accomplished. We stopped for lunch on the shore of the beaver pond before returning north the way we'd come.

Beaver pond - the lunch spot at our southernmost point


We varied our route a little on the return, trying to bypass a few of the tougher areas we'd discovered earlier, but the return trip took about the same time. Reaching the north end of Berrymill Pond, we stopped for pictures in the waning afternoon light.

Owl Pate overlooking Berrymill Pond


As always, the last mile seemed endless, but we finally reached the car not long before sunset after a satisfying day. With its waterfalls, ponds, cliffs, and huge trees, this area will provide a very attractive addition to the NCNST.

Disc golf - A quiet day in the park

Today I took a break from the ongoing Christmas madness and got in a couple rounds of disc golf in Schenectady's Central Park. There were very few people out this morning as I started, but the dog walkers and joggers began to appear as I was finishing up by late morning. I scored a pair of 65s, several shots below my usual average, so it was a good day.

Geocaching - Indian Meadows Park

This afternoon, Holly and I got out for a walk in Indian Meadows Park in Glenville. To make it interesting, we added on 5 geocaches that we hadn't visited before. We wound up easily finding 4 of the 5, but on the other one we were stumped, even though we were probably right on top of it. Unfortunately, we decrypted the wrong clue at that point, and kept looking down instead of up. We didn't discover this until well on our way to the next one (whose clue we had decrypted), so didn't go back. Senior moment. We'll get it next time. Nice day for a walk, with some sloppy weather coming in later in the week.

Hiking - Baldwin Mountain

Yesterday, I joined a Schenectady ADK trip to Baldwin Mountain, a small trailless peak near Newcomb, NY. I was actually the only one who signed up for this bushwhack, so leader and friend Herb and I threw cold-weather common sense and safety out the window and did this one with a party of only two.

Herb had picked this destination based on a large open area on the south side of the summit, as shown below by Google Earth. I had also noticed a smaller open rock area, so we decided to try to get to them both, in addition to the actual summit.



We parked at the entrance to the Santanoni Preserve, a popular cross-country skiing destination later in winter. Signing in, we were somewhat surprised to find a couple of other past entries, also headed to Baldwin Mountain. Then we started the walk down the closed carriage road until we reached the point where we needed to set off through the woods. There was about an inch of new snow on the ground, and we noticed various animal tracks as we walked.

Leaving the road, we headed basically northwest toward the base of what I was now calling a "slide". Herb didn't share my optimism, and would only call it a "possible open area". I was pretty sure we would be ascending the open rock, with wide views behind us all the way up, but he wasn't yet convinced.

In this first leg of the trip, we found sporadic remnants of an old road that made the going much easier than we'd expected. Arriving in the general vicinity of the base of the slide, GPS guided us through some thick spruce and then out onto the open rock of the old slide. The views south were stupendous, and even better than we'd hoped for.





After spending some time here enjoying the views, we headed up the slide and back into the woods toward the actual summit. There were no views here, so after enjoying a snack, we headed down the SE ridge toward the other possible open viewpoint. We tried to stay on the northern side of the ridge, in hopes of finding an open view of the High Peaks to the north, but never found a really good one. With the leaves off the trees, there were several glimpses of the snow-covered peaks, and an occasional small opening like the one below, but nothing that provided wide sweeping views.



Arriving at the next knob that promised the possibility of the other open rock view, we fought our way through some very thick spruce to the top of a sheer drop over an open rock face. This was certainly the other possible view we'd identified, but it paled in comparison to the earlier one from the slide.

Back on the top of the ridge, we stopped for lunch and plotted our next move. We decided to stay on the ridge as we descended back to the carriage road, and looked for other possible views to the north. We didn't find any, but it was worth a try, and was on our way in the right direction anyway.

We managed to hit the carriage road near where we'd left it, and started the easy walk back to the car. All told, we covered a little over 6 miles, most of it off-trail, and got to see some views that few have probably seen. It was an interesting trip, and we were both glad we'd decided to go in spite of our better judgment.

Hiking - Bailey Pond and Hayes Mountain

Yesterday, a rainy day in the Capital District, I joined a Schenectady ADK hike to scout part of a route for the North Country National Scenic Trail as it passes through the Adirondacks. While a general trail corridor has been pretty much decided, the specifics within that corridor are still being researched by boots-on-the-ground efforts such as ours yesterday.

We started at the end of Loch Muller Road, west of Schroon Lake, and our destination was a small col on the south ridge of Hayes Mountain. The approach to this col from the west had been previously scouted and found to be a satisfactory route for the NCNST. We were looking for any traces of supposed old roads in this area that could be easily followed and used as the new location for the trail.



Reaching Bailey Pond, we found it covered by a thin sheet of ice, and Hayes Mountain's summit well up in the clouds. It was just that kind of day, with temps hovering in the mid-30s.



Attempting to avoid the thick spruce thickets surrounding the pond, we took a circuitous route to higher ground and open woods before continuing our route southwest. The two vleis we reached next were no longer flooded, and the edges were walkable. Ascending away from the valley, we soon reached the destination col, and stopped for lunch.

We tried a slightly different route on the return trip, avoiding the vleis by staying higher in the more open woods, and skipped Bailey Pond altogether by doing the same, heading more directly for the trailhead. This worked out well, and cut nearly .75 mile from our original route.

It wasn't a very pretty day, but we never got rained on despite the weather to the south. Though we didn't find any old roads, we got a better feel for the best way to route the new trail, and enjoyed a day outside with a great group of friends.

Disc golf - dodging the raindrops

Weather radar is a really useful tool for sneaking in a short outdoor activity, despite the overall forecast. It was supposed to be a rainy day today, but the radar didn't reflect that when I got up this morning. It looked like at least a few hours of non-rain were available, so I headed to Central Park for my usual disc golf outing. As it turned out, I got in 35 dry holes, and a bit of drizzle on the last one, so timing was everything.

The first round was a 33-34-67, just about average and nothing special. I started off the second round like gangbusters, with a very hot "putter", finishing that nine with a 29, just one over par and my best ever. But on the back nine, the trees apparently got wind of what was happening and decided it couldn't be allowed to continue. They were reaching out and batting down my shots over and over again, ballooning my score to a 39. The resulting 29-39-68 was OK, but could have been so much better. I was at least glad I had been able to get out on a day I had pretty much written off in advance.

Walk - Colonie Town Park

Every two years, the Taconic Hiking Club hosts what's called their "End-to-End" hike of the Taconic Crest Trail. Actually, the trail is over 35 miles long, and this one-day hike only covers 25-30 miles of that total distance, but it's plenty. The total elevation gain up and down on the ridge is over 6,000 feet, and it's a long tough day. I finished it in 2002, and don't care to do it again. Anyway, today was the first organizational meeting for the 2012 event, scheduled for May 12, 2012. I went to the meeting, enjoyed lunch, and volunteered for a couple of tasks that make this event possible, so will now be looking forward to it in the spring.

After the meeting, there were still a few hours of daylight, so I stopped on the way home for a walk in the Colonie Mohawk River Park, off US-9 north of Latham. There are a few miles of wooded trails here, in addition to the pool and ballfields, and I mostly had them to myself on another sunny brisk fall afternoon.

A walk in the park, and a late-season tick

After a chilly morning, I got out for another walk this afternoon, this time in the former Schenectady Museum Preserve, now the Mohawk River State Park. The state has done nothing with this property yet, and it hasn't changed much over the years. Knowing it well, I decided today to do some exploring instead of just walking the usual trails.

I parked at Lock 7, and followed the Mohawk River Bike Path a short distance, until I noticed an unmarked trail heading toward the river, near where the concrete piers jut out into the water. Following this trail, I hugged the river pretty closely, and then returned to the bike path a little further west. From there, I headed up the new Whit-Shaker Trail with blue markers, until I reached the white-marked former mountain bike route that is now a dead end. I decided to follow it and see how that worked. It actually circled around and dropped me very close to the blue trail again, so I followed that to Whitmyer Drive and the main parking area for the "park". Then, after wandering around some of the usual trails, I dropped back down to the bike path and returned to the car.

A little while later, at home, I noticed a tick crawling off my long sleeve and onto my bare hand. A TICK? In December? I threw all of the clothes I was wearing in the wash, including the outerwear, and did a quick body check, but there were no more. I suspect must have I picked it up on that brushy stretch of "trail" by the river early on, but it was certainly unexpected for this time of year. Guess that's the price I pay for my wanderings.

Walk - H. G. Reist Preserve

With other stuff on the plate this morning, I got out for a short walk in the H. G. Reist Preserve, in Niskayuna. It's a property of the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club that covers 111 acres and has a few miles of mostly level trails. There are several wetland areas within the preserve, and it can sometimes be a pretty wet place to walk, based on past experience. I set out today expecting the worst, given the sloppiness of the last few places I've walked. But I was pleasantly surprised by the many sturdy bridges that have recently been installed, many apparently as Eagle Scout projects. I kept my feet fairly dry and covered about 1.5 miles on a much cooler November afternoon.

Walk - Indian Kill Preserve

Today started the return of November weather after a long warm spell, but it was still fairly comfortable and not raining. So Holly and I got out for a walk in the Indian Kill Preserve in Glenville. It was pretty muddy but otherwise pleasant as we made our way to the "Third Falls" and back, about 1.5 miles total. The trail continued from there, but a stream crossing was required, and the water was running too high for that. Tomorrow and beyond we'll be back in the low 40s again, more typical for this time of year, but still way too warm for any prospects of snow.

Walk - Niskayuna's John Brown Trail System

Another fine November day, with rain possible later, so I got out for a morning walk on the new trails that the Town of Niskayuna has added recently near the closed landfill.

I was a little frustrated with this place last time, so this time I decided to actually document my frustrations in case anybody ever asks. I also GPSed the route, and created the map below. I need to emphasize that this first map is my doing, and NOT the Town's, but I believe it to be accurate, both in terms of trail colors and locations.



I started in this time from the closed Niskayuna landfill, where a trail suddenly enters the woods with no prior markings directing anybody to it. This blue trail soon had some DEC postings about a "restricted area" and "endangered species", so I jumped off on the white crossover trail to the main yellow loop, which I then walked counterclockwise. As I walked, I marked spots with the GPS where it seemed like the trail markings were confusing, and noted the location and reason for future reference on a paper copy of the basic map available at the kiosks at some of the trailheads. I had made this paper copy from a photo I took last time out, just so I had at least some kind of map with me that time (in the camera).



Finishing the loop, I followed the bike path back up the hill to Blatnick Park and the car. No sooner had I started driving home than the drizzle began. This may be the last warm day for a while, but it's time for some colder weather and a bunch of the white stuff. I say bring it on.

Disc golf - Schenectady Central Park

November continues to amaze with its balmy temperatures, near 60 again today. It looked like there might be some rain by midday, so I hit the disc golf course in the morning for my now-weekly two rounds. Not much to say, except that both rounds were 67, one shot better than my running average, so not a bad day. Not much going on in the park today, just dog walkers, joggers, and the leaf blowers cleaning up the still very green lawns.

Hiking - Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, MA

We've been trying to connect with friends Dave and Theresa for several weeks now, so with deer season in full swing, yesterday we decided to head for this Audubon preserve near Lenox, MA, for a worry-free hike. There's a fairly strenuous, though relatively short, hike to the top of Lenox Mountain, and its nearby companion Yokun Seat. It's about a 5-mile loop, with some steep spots that got our hearts pumping.



It was a very warm day for late November, sunny with temps in at least the mid 50s, and just a great day to be outside. We lingered for a while atop Lenox Mountain and enjoyed the northwesterly view while we had lunch.



Next, we moved on to Yokun Seat, about 0.8 miles each way along the ridge top. There we found good northeasterly views to the city of Pittsfield and its airport far below.



After returning to Lenox Mountain, we began the long descent back to the car. The Overbrook Trail follows a brook down the mountain, and today, the numerous waterfalls were flowing freely.







About 4 hours from the time we started, we were back at the car and headed for home, less than 90 minutes away, after a perfect day outdoors.

Walk - Avoiding Black Friday in the Lisha Kill Preserve

The title says it all. The last place I wanted to be today was in a crowd of other maniacal shoppers, so I got out for a walk on a relatively warm sunny afternoon. And I wasn't alone. There were lots of small family groups and dog walkers with the same idea. I walked all three loops, about 2 miles total. The ground was pretty wet and there was plenty of slippery mud to negotiate. It was easy to see why the trails here are closed during spring mud season.

This preserve was not spared the recent damage from both heavy rain and wind, but fortunately only a few of the larger trees came down.

Fallen giants


Mostly the trails were in pretty good shape, even though sloppy.

Disc golf, yard work, and biking on the trainer

With morning temps now in the 30s and afternoons growing short, I've pretty much abandoned outdoor bicycling. So it's back to the trainer in the basement, a poor and boring substitute, but I've been feeling sluggish and gaining weight and needed to do something. I used to do this a lot more, and now need it to bridge the gap between bike and XC ski seasons. Add some music and a bunch of stretching, and it's not a horrible way to spend an hour.

Disc golf, on the other hand, knows no seasons. I suppose I'll stop when there's snow on the ground, but 35-40 degrees and partly sunny was just fine this morning. After a pretty good opening round 64, I messed up one hole in the next round, finding water and several trees in a classic series of compounding errors. The resulting 71 wasn't too bad, but could have been much better.

This afternoon, I mowed up the rest of the leaves in the yard, and got rid of a bunch of dead perennials. That should about do it for winter preparations. It was a good day, and a comfortable tiredness, along with a late glass of wine, should lead to a good night's sleep.

Walk - Niskayuna's new John Brown Trail System

Late this morning, I set out for a walk in the Lisha Kill Preserve, on Rosendale Road in Niskayuna. But when I got there, I saw a school group and leader in the parking lot, so thought better of it. Instead, I headed up the road a piece to Mohawk River State Park, aka the Schenectady Museum Preserve, off Whitmyer Drive. I was hoping to explore some new trails I'd heard about adjacent to this park, called the John Brown Trail System. John Brown, a local resident, has apparently been instrumental in their creation and maintenance, in cooperation with the Town of Niskayuna.



Across the end of Whitmyer Drive from the parking area is a trail map and the beginning of the trails. I photographed the map to carry with me in case I needed it, and set off along the fence following blue markers. The blue trail led me to a yellow trail in the area of Shaker Gorge, which the yellow trail loops around coming back to the blue again at the end. The yellow loop was pretty rugged, with lots of steep twists and turns and sharp dropoffs alongside the trail. I'd originally thought about skiing in this area, but I think snowshoeing would be a much better, and safer, idea.

A sign at the start of the loop advises that some bridges over side gorges are not yet in place, and I had a steep scramble across one of these. But more importantly, I found the marking of the trails confusing. Several times, I came to a point where a sharp turn needed to be made, but saw no obvious markers showing where the trail went next. Other times, a marker seemed to just be on the wrong tree, hinting at a direction change that wasn't really intended. The color scheme of the trails may also need to be refined, or at the very least, a better map produced. Otherwise, people are likely to be getting temporarily misplaced in here.

It was an interesting outing, about 2 miles altogether. The trails are new, and bugs like the above will surely be worked out. Meanwhile, it's just nice to have yet another place to go without driving very far.

Disc golf - Consistently inconsistent

After a few early morning showers passed by, I got in a couple of rounds of disc golf in Central Park. The only thing consistent today was the scoring, a pair of 71s. There were WAAAY too many 5s on the scorecard (most are par 3s), and I swear that the trees were making a stronger effort than usual to just get in the way. It was still a nice walk in the park, which was very quiet today, aside from maintenance workers and the usual Rose Garden volunteers. I had the course to myself, but just couldn't seem to cash in with good scores.