Saturday, March 29, 2008

Gunked up

Howie and I did a hike in the Shawangunk mountains (also known as the Gunks). Parked at the upper lot in the Minnewaska state park. We did a loop hike to Gertrudes Nose. It was a nice sunny day with lots of views. Most of snow was gone ... just a few icy spots in the shade. Walked about 7 miles on a mix of old carriageways and foot trails.

Gertrudes Nose

Monday, March 24, 2008

Back to reality

I was getting used to the warm weather in North Carolina. But, I had a dose of reality today on a local hike. Took Howie to the Christman Preserve .... which felt like the Christmas Preserve. It's still "winter times" in the higher elevations around Albany. The trail was a bit icy to walk on. Howie had no problem with his four-paw drive. I on the other hand had to slide on my butt in a few spots. We had a nice sunny afternoon to enjoy the falls.

Christman Preserve

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Easter hikes II

The next hike was at Umstead State Park. We did a loop hike on the Company Mills trail. There was a lot of ups and downs, but nothing too strenuous. Another warm sunny day. Walked over 5 miles.

Umstead State Park

Friday, March 21, 2008

Easter hikes

I did a couple of hikes while visiting my sister in Chapel Hill, NC over the Easter weekend. The first hike was at Eno River State Park. We did a loop hike on the Cox mountain trail (which is really more of a small hill). Covered almost 4 miles.
Eno River State Park

Afterward, we went to Duke Gardens and walked around to check out the Spring flowers.
Duke Gardens

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Howie is a cartoon

Howie has entered the two dimensional world...

Friday, March 07, 2008

Need a clever title

I went to Thatcher Park with Howie this afternoon. Walked along the escarpment, ate a sandwich, took some pictures. Falls were roaring. Spent about an hour in the park.

Thatcher Park

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Mashed potatoes and gravy .... wooo!

It was too sunny out today to be at work. So, I took the afternoon off and went over to Plotterkill Preserve with Howie. There was still lots of snow in the woods, and it was turning mushy in the sun ... like mashed potatoes. Mmmm .... mashed potatoes. Falls were nice as usual. Did about 2+ miles of walking. Felt like Spring was close, but nature is just teasing us.

Plotterkill

Sunday, March 02, 2008

This hike was a Bear

Howie and I climbed Bear mountain in Connecticut. It is the highest peak in that state. Had good snowshoeing conditions with about 12 inches of fresh powder. Beautiful day with lots of sun and clear blue skies. A little breezy on top, but bearable (pun intended). Howie met about 5 other dogs on the trail.

Summit Elevation: Bear 2316 ft
Round-trip Distance: 5.5 mi
Elevation Change: 1560 ft
Bear mountain (CT)