Snowshoeing - Featherstonhaugh State Forest

Several times each winter, snow and weather permitting, I lead a moonlight snowshoeing outing for Schenectady ADK.  Featherstonhaugh, unlike other local preserves, doesn't close at dusk, and at a relatively high local elevation, is a perfect place for these outings.  Since this month's trip is scheduled for sometime in the next several days if we get a clear night, and since there is very little snow remaining down here in the valley in Schenectady, I thought I would take a short scouting trip to see if this trip would even be possible.  I was surprised by what I found.

Aside from the 1" or so of new snow coating everything, there was a surprising amount of old base remaining, firm but not concrete-like underneath.  All of the wet spots of the past few weeks have frozen solid in this week's cold weather, and the ski trails are very well-covered.  I wouldn't want to ski on them right now, but snowshoeing was great, and would be even better under a bright nearly-full moon!  Fingers are crossed...

XC Skiing - Rockwood State Forest

After the paltry snowfall of a few days ago, grass is showing through again here in Schenectady, but Holly and I still had hopes of finding some skiable snow nearby.  Rockwood State Forest, less than an hour away west of Johnstown, has surprised us in the past, and from the latest snow depth map, it looked like it was worth a look, with potentially 6-8" on the ground:

But what kind of snow would this be?  Was it old crusty junk from the storm we had Christmas week, before the big thaw?  Each dot on that map is a snow monitoring station, so I checked the snow density graph for the nearest one, in Ephratah:

It looked like there was about 3" left of that earlier base, but a fresh 2" on top of it!  This could be excellent!  Almost all of the trails at Rockwood are on old roads, so it doesn't need deep cover to be skiable.  So off we went to Rockwood, also taking along snowshoes just in case the skiing was terrible.

It wasn't terrible.  It was less than "excellent", and probably not even "good", but the computer model for the graph above was pretty close to right on.  We found about 6" of old base, and 1" on top of it.  The trails were lumpy and crunchy underneath from a whole lot of bare-booted walkers over the past several weeks, but with the fresh snow, it was certainly at least "fair" skiing.

We stayed off the bigger steeper hills on the southwest corner, both because of time constraints and concerns that they might be a bit too "adventurous" under these conditions.  But we got in a couple of loops with some smaller hills before we called it a day, skiing back downhill to the car along NY-29 in the untouched snow.

A return to winter

After several balmy days above freezing, and a complete loss of any snow that was left from our only previous storm, we got a fresh 3-4" overnight, turning everything white again.  Over the past several days, I've gotten out by taking a fast 5-mile walk on the snow-free bike path, and then returning there the next day for 11-12 miles of biking.  This was starting to look a little too much like last winter.

This latest storm seemed to come from nowhere.  I heard nothing about any expected snow until a day or two before, and then suddenly, here it is.  It's a heavy wet snow that's clinging to everything as it falls, including, fortunately, the large spruce above my almost-clear driveway.

Holly and I got out this afternoon for a short walk in the Indian Kill Preserve, in Glenville.  There wasn't really enough snow for snowshoes, but the footing was a little sketchy on the steeper slopes, so some sort of traction would have been useful.  We just took our time and enjoyed the beautiful winter scenery.

Biking - Mohawk River Bike Path

Last year, when December rolled around, I discovered that I had biking miles in 2012 in every month except January.  I decided then that 2013 would be different.  With XC skiing rapidly becoming impossible during this January thaw, it seemed like a good day to get that little item checked off.  Last winter, the Mohawk River Bike Path was plowed and snow-free for about a 6-7 mile stretch in Niskayuna and Colonie, allowing an out-and-back 12-14 mile ride.  So, I headed to Lions Park in Niskayuna for a short ride and some January miles.

It turned out to be a shorter ride than planned.  Niskayuna had cleared the path from Lock 7 Road to Lions Park, but hadn't continued to the Colonie Town Line, about a quarter-mile further.

Since I had no idea whether Colonie had cleared any of the path, I headed west to Lock 7 Road and back, and settled for a very short ride of under 4 miles.  I could have gone back and forth a few times to bump up the total, but there were large numbers of walkers also out today on the path, and it just would have been more trouble than it was worth.

I don't know what the rest of the winter (or the year) will bring, but I now at least have January under my belt, and will hope for 11 more months of the same.

Snowshoeing - Thomas Mountain

The Cat and Thomas Mountain Preserve, near Bolton Landing, has been getting a lot of good press over the past couple of years, but we still hadn't had a chance to check it out.  So yesterday, with XC skiing looking more and more marginal as the thaw continues, Holly and I set off for the relatively short hike to Thomas Mountain.  We decided to do this hike as a loop, ascending via the blue-marked Two Brothers Trail, and descending by the old road marked with orange markers.

It was a foggy murky day in the woods, and we didn't know if we'd get any views today or not.

As we reached the side trail to the viewpoint on the blue trail, there were hints of milky blue sky and sun above us, but that viewpoint was still solidly socked in.  So we continued on to the cabin near the summit of Thomas.

There are reportedly very nice views from here, as shown on the Preserve's web page:

but our fog looked more like this:

This was definitely the most civilized summit I have ever hiked to, Whiteface aside.  The cabin was open to hikers, and even had a couple of comfortable chairs facing the large window and today's non-view.  It made a great lunch stop.

The walk back down the road was much faster than the trail we'd taken up, and soon we were back at the car.  This one definitely deserves a return visit on a clearer day, and maybe even a trip down the ridge to Cat Mountain as well.

XC Skiing - Saratoga Spa State Park

Every winter, the Environmental Clearinghouse (ECOS) holds Tuesday morning ski trips to various places in the local area.  Most of these locations are decided on the fly a few days before, based on snow conditions and some pre-scouting by volunteers.  But the first trip every year begins at the warming hut at Saratoga Spa State Park, and adjourns there afterwards for hot drinks, snacks and socializing.  Today was the day for that trip, and the kickoff of the season.

The day dawned very cold and clear, and we were a little concerned that the previously thawed snow might be a little icy on the park's golf course, where tracks are set around a total of a 4-mile course.  The 40+ attendees split into three groups (fast, moderate, and not-so-fast), and headed off in several different directions from the warming hut.  Holly joined the moderate group, and I joined the fast group, doing the entire 4+ miles, at a pretty good clip.

Our route in orange

The tracks were hard and fast, even icy in spots, but there was just enough grip to get a good kick/glide going, and once your speed was up, it stayed up.  Golf course skiing is not my favorite, but being able to fly along like this is a real treat sometimes.  Our group covered the route in under two hours, including regrouping time, and then we all got back together at the warming for the apres-ski snacks and a roaring fire.

XC Skiing - Clapper Hollow State Forest

Today, I led a ski trip for Schenectady ADK to Clapper Hollow State Forest, in southwestern Schoharie County.  It seems like a faraway place, but with I-88, it only takes an hour to get there, and at over 2,100 feet in elevation, the snow can be superb.

Another group had skied here earlier in the week, and I had gathered some intelligence from them about trails that would be pre-broken for us.  As it turned out, one of those people joined us today for a return trip.  Our goal was a lean-to on a small pond, where we'd have lunch, check the time, and decide what to do next.  Overall, we were only looking for 2-3 hours of skiing total for this early in everybody's season.

We left the cars, and skied trails 4-1-5-1-6, approaching the leanto from the north at about the 3.2-mile mark, where we stopped for a nice lunch break.  Then came the real fun.  One nice thing about this place is that the start of the day is a long uphill climb to a relatively flat hilltop, and then the run back to the cars is a long sweet mostly gentle downhill. 

We retraced our tracks, but opted to skip #4 on the way out, to stay within the comfort zones of some present, and exited by the longer gentler #1 instead.

The trails here are all numbered and easy to follow, provided you have a map like the one above, available in the ECOS publication Ski and Snowshoe Tips, available at several local bookstores in the Capital District.  It's also very easy to get turned around, especially without such a map.

The snow was great, and we had a good group, so this was a very enjoyable day.  More playing in this ephemeral snow will surely follow in the days to come.

XC Skiing - Schenectady County Forest

Between a tiring ski outing yesterday, and leading a Schenectady Chapter ADK ski trip tomorrow, Holly and I got out for a short leisurely ski around the Schenectady County Forest, near Mariaville this afternoon.  There are several loop possibilities here, and we chose the longest one, which takes somewhat less than an hour.  The snow was still excellent, and the trails had been well-skied, making for a pleasant circuit through the snowy woods.

XC Skiing - Huyck Preserve, Rensselaerville, NY

Two skiers.  Under three miles.  Over two hours.  Beautiful new trail.  Over a foot of unbroken powder.  Exhausted.

Our route in green, starting at the upper left corner

Friend Roy and I arrived at the Huyck Preserve Visitor Center a little after 12:30 today, hoping to ski several of the loops north of Lake Myosotis.  But we really wanted to get to the brand new northernmost loop, which we'd heard was the best of the bunch.  The Building and Grounds Supervisor, Adam, suggested that we follow him in his truck up a couple of local roads to the far end of that loop, and he would plow out a parking space for us.  Thanks, Adam!  As it turned out, it was the only way we ever could have reached that loop this afternoon.

We parked at the corner of Peasley and Wood Roads where Adam had plowed us out a space.  Heading downhill from there along unplowed Wood Road, we reached the trailhead shortly after crossing a stream, and set off CCW around the loop.  Climbing steadily at first through a pristine 12+ inches of new snow, it soon became apparent that my waxless skis  were getting no grip whatsoever when climbing through this fluffy stuff.  That left it to Roy to break trail whenever we were going uphill.

When we reached the top, I headed down first, at least giving Roy a nice ride in my tracks.  Reaching the stream at the bottom, we followed it as it meandered through a shallow rocky gorge.  This was the prettiest part of the loop.

Reaching a bridge, we entertained thoughts about skiing over to Loop #2 and seeing if the trail there had been broken.  But starting up the 0.1-mile uphill connector, we quickly changed our minds and turned back across the bridge.  Now we had a choice.  Should we return in our tracks the way we'd come, and actually enjoy some skiing?  Or should we continue on around the loop so we'd get to see the whole thing?  Being gluttons for punishment, we chose the latter.  I tried to help out with the trailbreaking where the terrain and my slippery skis allowed it, but Roy was definitely doing the bulk of the work.

After a short steep climb and a gradual downhill to another stream, we turned to the west and followed the trail along the stream and back out to the road.  From there, it was a short uphill back to the car.

This trail is really a very nice loop, and would have been even more spectacular if the trail had already been broken.  And now it is.  So, fellow skiers, head out to the corner of Peasley and Wood Roads in Rensselaerville, and give this trail a try.  You'll definitely like it.

XC Skiing - Featherstonhaugh State Forest

Yesterday, I got out for a couple hours of skiing at nearby Featherstonhaugh State Forest, near Mariaville.

I parked on Hardin Road, and skied up the west side of the figure-8 trail system on that side of the road, then crossed the road and skied the other longer loop CCW.  The figure-8 loops had been broken after the first larger storm, but the newer 6" was pristine until I broke it out.  The crossover from those loops to the main loop had not been skied yet at all, and I was slogging along breaking trail in well over a foot of new snow.

I decided that if the main loop had not been broken, I would turn around and go back the way I'd come, since I was getting tired already.  Fortunately, other skiers had broken out the main loop, and despite numerous wet areas to avoid, I actually did some kicking and gliding here.  Beavers had flooded the trail in a couple of places, so some minor bushwhacking was in order there as well.

On the return across the road, I broke out the east side of the southern figure-8 loop, but climbed back up the ridge on the final loop to enjoy one last downhill before the car in my tracks from earlier.

It was a tiring outing, and I'm taking today off.

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.