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

Solitude

Howie and I did a hike today in the southwestern Catskills. The weather didn't look good on the drive down to Margaretville. It was rainy with dark clouds and fog. By the time we reached the trailhead, it had cleared and the sun was out. The weather stayed nice for the duration of our hike.
The trail started out following an old road that wound back and forth as it gained elevation. At the top of the ridge ,there were tons of ferns. We stopped at several sandstone ledges to take advantage of the west facing views and to refuel.

We didn't see one other person on the trail today.

Summit Elevation: Dry Brook Ridge 3460 ft
Round-trip Distance: 10 mi
Elevation Change: 2000 ft











Pepacton Reservoir (NYC water) in the distance












Self-portrait

Dix

Howie and I did a hike in the Adirondack high peaks. We climbed Dix mountain from the Round Pond trailhead (NY Rte 73).
Someone had signed in a couple days before as "naked guy". Luckily, everyone we ran into was fully clothed.
This was a tough hike that took almost 9 hours (including summit time). It was nice to soak my feet in Round Pond near the end of the hike. We had a warm, sunny, somewhat hazy day for our journey today.

Summit Elevation: Dix Mountain 4857 ft
Round-trip Distance: 14 mi
Elevation Change: 3200 ft











Summit pic











Looking north (Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge in the distance)











Howie taking a nap

Stratton ... no Bryant

Howie and I did a hike in Southern Vermont (Green mountains). We climbed Stratton mountain. There is a ski resort on the east side, but we climbed it from the south on the Appalachian Trail/Long Trail. At the top, we were greeted by some very mellow summit stewards. Howie stayed on terra firma while I climbed up the tower in some 25 MPH wind .... a little disconcerting. When I got back down, Howie was enjoying some pepperoni that a hiker had given him.
We continued on the AT down to Stratton Pond where I soaked my feet for a few minutes. Howie wanted no part of swimming in cold water and was content to lay in the grass. Some backpacker was going on about his stove that he made out of beer cans and only weighed one ounce.
We returned via the Stratton Pond trail to the forest road, and then walked the road back to the car - thus completing the loop.
We had a nice sunny, breezy day for our trek. The wind helped to keep the bugs away.

Summit Elevation: Stratton Mountain 3936 ft
Round-trip Distance: 10.5 mi
Elevation Change: 2000 ft













View from tower















Fire tower