Plateau II

(movie guy voice)
In a world ... where people have too much time on their hands ... Comes a story about a guy and his beagle ... Join them on their last adventure of the year ... As they tackle a mountain that has eluded them in the past. Will they be able to overcome easily surmountable obstacles to make it to the top?
Plateau II ... This time it's personal!

Yes, Howie and I finished out the year by climbing Plateau mountain in the Catskills. I parked at the Notch lake trailhead and we started up the Devil's Path. It was a strenuous climb to reach the first look out. There was only a dusting of snow and a few icy spots on the way up. We continued along the long ridge to the "real" summit and then returned back to the car. On the way down, I could hear cowbells in the distance. It turned out to be a dog. We had a sunny and warm day (for end of December anyway) for our last hike of 2006.

Summit Elevation: Plateau 3840 ft
Round-trip Distance: 6.4 mi
Elevation Change: 1860 ft


View to the North


View to the South

Pine Hill

Howie and I headed north for today's hike. We climbed Pine Hill in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness (Adirondacks). Parked at the trailhead on Route 74 and started out on the Short Swing Trail (blue markers). After almost 3 miles, we left the trail and headed uphill. It was a short 0.5 mile bushwack to reach the top of Pine Hill. There were many open and rocky patches which provided views in different directions. We took a short lunch break and then headed down - ending up at Horseshoe pond. Navigated around the pond and back to the blue trail which we took back to the car. Saw nobody else in the woods today. Everyone must have been at the mall. It was a warm day, but very cloudy and gray.

Summit Elevation: Pine Hill 1900 ft
Round-trip Distance: 8.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1500 ft


Horseshoe Pond


View from top (Pharaoh mountain in distance)

Stopped at Stoppel

Howie and I did a hike in the Northern Catskills on this sunny day. We parked at the end of Storks Nest Road and started up on the Dutcher Notch trail. When we reached the junction, we turned left onto the Escarpment Trail. We went all the way to Stoppel Point. I got a late start today, so there wasn't enough time to go much further. So, we turned around and headed back to the car. There was only a dusting of snow on the upper portions of the trail. Where's the snow .. Mr. Snow Miser?

Summit Elevation: Stoppel Point 3420 ft
Round-trip Distance: 8.2 mi
Elevation Change: 2270 ft


Icicles


View to the north


View of Blackhead range

From the archives

Here is a photo from my first hike ever - Mount Marcy in the Adirondack high peaks (Aug 2000)

(Not a recommended hike for a newbie however ... it's almost a 15 mile trek !!)

Equinox

Howie and I did a hike today in Southern vermont near Manchester. We climbed Equinox mountain (sounds like a mountain name that a corporate committee came up with). The blue trail started at the Burr and Burton Seminary behind the athletic fields. The first part was an old logging road that wound its way up the mountain. We took a short spur trail to the upper spring (a white plastic pipe stuck in the side of the hill with water gushing out), and then continued on up to the summit. The trail was more of foot path at this point. On the summit, there is an old hotel and a bunch of antennas and relay towers. BTW, there is a toll road that takes you to the top as well ... but that's for wimps. There were no cars parked in the lot near the hotel, so I am guessing that the road is now closed for the season.
We wandered around the top for a bit, and then continued on the ridge trail to Lookout Rock, passing Mr. Barbo's memorial on the way (Mr. Barbo is a dog). Stopped for snacks and photos at the lookout and then returned back to the car (using the yellow trail to take us back to the blue trail). We saw only a few other hikers out on this cool and partly sunny day.
On the drive back, I stopped at two covered bridges near Arlington - the Chiselville Bridge and the Bridge at the Green.

Summit Elevation: Equinox 3850 ft
Round-trip Distance: 5.8 mi
Elevation Change: 2880 ft




Trying to look not confused


View from hotel's deck


Bridge at the Green



Chiselville Bridge

Berry nice

After Turkey day, I had to get out and do a hike to burn off those extra calories (too much stuffing!). Howie and I drove just over the NY border into MA.
We started at a parking area on Route 20 and hiked north on the Taconic Crest Trail (TCT) ... all the way to Berry Pond campground. It was a nice ridge walk that was marred only by the occasional sounds of ATVs on nearby trails/roads (unfortunately they are legal here in the Pittsfield State forest, but at least there were none on the trail I was on). We saw only a few other hikers and one pooch today. Given that I hiked over 5 hours, I figured that I burned around 2400 calories.

Round-trip Distance: 12.0 mi

View from overlook


Berry Pond

Gray day

Howie and I did a hike today near Williamstown (a small college town in Massachusetts). Deer hunting started this weekend in NY, but we were safe from Elmer Fuds as there is no hiking on Sunday in MA (some out-dated blue law).

We started out on the "Pine Cobble" trail that lead us to ... surprise! ... Pine Cobble - a rocky outcrop with a view of the village below and the surrounding hills. We continued on to Eph's lookout and the Appalachian trail (AT) which we took North to the Vermont border. Turned around and took the "Class of 98" trail back to the Pine Cobble trail and then returned to the parking area.

We saw quite a few hikers and two back-packers out on this gray, overcast day.

Round-trip Distance: 6.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1700 ft

View from Pine Cobble

"Turn back now!!!!"

What are the chances

What are the chances of seeing other hikers on a mountain with no trail and on a weekday? Pretty good I guess ... since that is what happened today.
I took a day off from work on this sunny day to climb North Dome in the Catskills. Howie and I started off on the Devils Path trail. After about a mile, we headed off the trail and up toward the peak. Not far from the top Howie and I met up with the group of three that had the same destination this day. They were surprised to see us (likewise). I passed them and went on to the top of the peak. I signed the log book in the canister. The group caught up to me again later as I was wandering around the summit trying to find the view point. I followed them a little ways until we reached the rock ledge with a 180 degree view. Stopped for a quick lunch and then said goodbye to the group and headed back down to the car.

Summit Elevation: North Dome 3610 ft
Round-trip Distance: 4.5 mi
Elevation Change: 1830 ft












View













Howie and I

The white stuff is back

Howie and I did a hike in Southern vermont. We climbed Bald mountain near Bennington. As we went up, the amount of snow went from nothing ... to just a dusting ... to about an inch near the top. I was a little surprised by the amount of snow on this rather low mountain.

The summit is no longer bald (caused by forest fires in the previous century), but is covered with evergreen trees. We didn't see any other hikers except for one couple as we were headed back to the car.

Summit Elevation: Bald 2857 ft
Round-trip Distance: 7.2 mi
Elevation Change: 2160 ft












Intersection just shy of the summit













View from White Rocks

Alander

Howie and I hiked Alander mountain in the southern Taconic hills. Did a loop hike from the trailhead on Under Mountain Road using the Robert Brook, Taconic, Alander Loop and Alander Brook trails. It was a breezy and partly cloudy day for our short trek to catch the end of the fall colors. There were a lot of other hikers out and several friendly dogs.

Summit Elevation: Alander 2250 ft
Round-trip Distance: 5.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1500 ft












Near the summit
















NY/MA boundary marker

Baldhead

Howie and I did another hike in the Southern Adirondacks. We climbed Baldhead mountain (near Stony Creek). There is no trail to the summit so we were almost guaranteed to have the woods to ourselves ... which was the case. The navigation was pretty straightforward. We parked at a pulloff on Tucker Road and then just headed a little west of north through the open woods. The upper third of the peak had many bare rock patches (due to all the fires in the previous century). The fall colors were pretty nice on this sunny and warm day (though probably a bit past peak).

Summit Elevation: Baldhead 2870 ft
Round-trip Distance: 4.5 mi
Elevation Change: 1500 ft












Looking south toward Hadley mountain












Looking north toward Crane mountain

Fade to Black

Howie and I climbed Black mountain near Lake George today. We did a loop starting from the trailhead on Pike Brook Road. Climbed up the east trail to the summit and then down the south trail to Black mountain ponds, Lapland pond, and back to the trailhead. There were quite a few other hikers out enjoying the cool weather and fall colors. Our short trek took us around 4 hours.

Summit Elevation: Black 2640 ft
Round-trip Distance: 7.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1200 ft












Summit pic












Black mountain ponds












This pic was a mistake, but looks kind of cool

Giving props to Hops

Hopkins that is ... which is the moutain that Howie and I climbed today ... the last day of summer.
We took the Mossy Cascade trail which followed along a brook with, oddly enough, mossy rocks and small cascades. There was also a short path to a small waterfall (about 30 to 40 feet high).
We had the open and rocky summit to ourselves. The view included many of the high peaks.
Continued on the path over to Spread Eagle mountain and then returned back to the car. We had a cool, cloudy day with some breaks of sun for our short trek.

Summit Elevation: Hopkins 3150 ft
Round-trip Distance: 7.3 mi
Elevation Change: 2200 ft

Another forty sixer

I climbed Saddleback today to help Jerzy finish his 46 high peaks. Mengis came along too.
Things got off to inauspicious start as the parking lot was full when we arrived at 7:15 am. Apparently, there are a lot of early birds hiking. So, we had to drive to another lot and then take a shuttle bus back to the trailhead.
The first 4 miles were easy. Then things got harder going as we went up the Ore bed trail. It was wet, steep and slippery. Took some extra time today, but everyone finally made it to summit in one piece.
Howie was there of course, and he got the star treatment on the summit. At least two different people (that I didn't know) took his picture. Maybe I should get him an agent.
The trip down was slow as we were being cautious to avoid injuries. A couple of miles from the trailhead, we caught up to another coworker who had hiked Big Slide.
The entire trek today took around 10 hours including breaks.
Oh yeah .... congratulations Jerzy.

Summit Elevation: Saddleback 4528 ft
Round-trip Distance: 13.5 mi
Elevation Change: 3200 ft












The crew

Dog on a mission

Howie and I did a quick hike at Thatcher Park this evening. Walked along the Indian Ladder trail and along the escarpment. We passed a couple of people who tried to pet Howie, but he ignored them and kept right on going. I told one person that he was a dog on a mission. Spent around an hour walking around.












Howie on the wall

Graham crackers

Howie and I did a hike in the Catskills. We climbed Graham and Balsam Lake mountains from Mill Brook Road. Most of the hiking was along old wood roads. We saw a snake on Graham mountain near the remains of the radio transmission building. Actually, Howie saw it first and was a bit scared. I climbed the fire tower on Balsam Lake mountain. There was a slight breeze once you got above the trees, and nice views in all directions. A couple of volunteers told of some the work they have been doing on the tower and cabin. We had a nice sunny and cool day for our trek. Not too many people out.

Summit Elevation: Graham 3868 ft, Balsam Lake 3723 ft
Round-trip Distance: 10.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1800 ft
















Fire tower












View from tower

I'm a cartoon

Here I am as a South Park character (with some editting in Paint program - add background, add backpack, alter hair, add logo to shirt, change shoes to boots).

Create your own character here.

Doggy Date

Howie and I did another hike with my coworker and his dog (Cora). We climbed Bennett Hill - a small nature preserve out in the boondocks. The start of the trail follows along the edge of a woods next to a farm where some cows were out grazing. At the top of the hill is a path which loops around the flat summit. There are some partial views through the trees.

Hike Forever

Howie and I did a hike close by to Albany on this grey overcast day. It was in an OSI nature preserve adjacaent to Thatcher Park. We started at the trailhead at the end of Ryan road. We hiked mostly on the Long Path (aqua paint markers), but also took a couple detours on some mark and unmarked paths and wood roads. One led to the hang gliding launch site. There was a small memorial plaque embedded in the rock:
"E.C.S. Jr. 1919 1992
Dad
Fly Forever"

Round-trip Distance: 6.5 mi











Alien rock formations at the quarry












Howie getting ready to fly

Nun-da-gotta-go-go

The weekend is looking to be rainy with Hurricane Ernesto moving in. So, I decided to take a day off from work and go up north and do some hiking.
I wanted to do an easier hike than last weekend, so Howie and I did a loop over Weston mountain, Nun-da-ga-o Ridge (Soda Range) and Big Crow mountain. It sounds like a lot, but it's a relatively mild hike. A lot of the climbing is done in the car on a narrow gravel road up to the trailhead. The ridge is relatively low (around 3000 feet), but has a lot of open rock with views of the high peaks to the south. We saw a handful of people in morning, but had the ridge to ourselves for the rest of the afternoon.

Round-trip Distance: 6.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1500 ft












Lost pond











Howie has no fear












Hiking buddies

Ho, ho, ho ... green Giant

Howie and I did a hike in the Adirondack high peaks today.
It must have been opposite day as the weather up north was better than in Albany. And it's usually the other way around.

We climbed Giant mountain from the north (Rte 9N) which is a long route that not many people take since there are much shorter approaches. The trail was pretty nice though - probably from the little traffic that it sees. In some places, just a narrow foot path passing through open deciduous forests.

While coming back down we met a Canadian couple (Bonjour!) who liked Howie. Except the guy kept calling him Howlee.

Summit Elevation: Giant 4627 ft
Round-trip Distance: 15.2 mi
Elevation Change: 3600 ft












Howie on Owls Head Lookout











Howie near the summit












It's the wind messing up my hair

Huyck Preserve

Howie and I joined a friend from work and his dog Cora to do a hike in the Huyck Preserve. The preserve is located 30 miles south of Albany in Rensselaerville. The first stop on the trail was at a pretty waterfall on Ten Mile Creek. We then took the trail that looped around Lake Myosotis. We also did a short loop around Lincoln pond. The entire walk took around 2 hours.












Waterfall











Dogs enjoying the water

Colden

We have been having some amazing weather lately. So I just had to go do some hiking. I drove up to the ADK Loj this morning with Howie. Our destination this time was Mount Colden, but I thought I would mix it up by doing a loop - through Avalanche Pass, up the back side of Colden and then down the other side and out. We had a picture perfect day and there was a nice cool breeze ... almost felt like autumn was near. We spent around 7 1/2 hours on our Sunday stroll.

Summit Elevation: Mount Colden 4715 ft
Round-trip Distance: 13.3 mi
Elevation Change: 2800 ft













Avalanche Lake











Howie enjoying the breeze











Obligatory summit pic

Oh Jay

Howie and I hiked Jay mountain in the Northern Adirondacks. Jay is north of the high peaks which get most of hiker traffic. We only saw three people all day. The trail is not marked, but is easy to follow. It begins climbing through a mostly deciduous forest, until you reach the ridge. The rest of walk is along a fire-scarred ridge, with lots of open rock and views-a-plenty. The weather cooperated as we had a sunny day with a light breeze and it was not super hot (as it has been lately). As a bonus, there were blueberries everywhere that were ripe for the picking.

Summit Elevation: Jay Mountain 3576 ft
Round-trip Distance: 6.5 mi
Elevation Change: 2500 ft











Looking back (west) along the ridge











Looking east toward the true summit














Looking south toward Saddleback