Sunday, June 14, 2009

Trail work

I climbed Windham High Peak in the Catskills today. I also worked on my newly adopted section of the trail ... the first 1.1 miles of the Escarpment trail from the trailhead on Route 23 to the lean-to. For the most part, the trail was in good shape. A crew had gone through already and cleared the blowdown. I clipped a few branches here and there, but there was not much to do. After taking a break at the lean-to, I continued climbing to the top.

Reached the summit, enjoyed the views and some snacks. Real nice day out.

Summit Elevation: Windham 3524 ft
Round-trip Distance: 6.4 mi
Elevation Change: 1740 ft

Windham 2

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Unsettled

The weather forecast look a bit unsettled, so I just did some quick hikes this afternoon in southern Albany county. The first was at Bennett Hill Preserve. Howie and I started out on the trail alongside the cow pasture to the back of the preserve and up to the middle plateau. Then, we took the newer red trail to the top of the hill. There was a new "manufactured" view at the northern end of the loop trail. After circling the top, we headed back down to the car.

Next, we stopped at Lawson Lake county park. Walked on the loop trail that lead to a small creek. Then we checked out the lake briefly. There were some brief, light showers at times during our walks, but no real rain.

Bennett Hill

Friday, June 12, 2009

Good dog

I took Howie to the vet this afternoon. After getting poked, prodded and a clean bill of health, we headed up to Thatcher Park for a short hike. A brief shower had just passed by, so everything was wet. But, luckily it didn't rain while we were there. Spent about an hour walking around including the Indian Ladder trail.

Thatcher Park 2

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Snowy

I hiked Snowy mountain in the Central Adirondacks with Howie. The first couple miles were nice and easy. The last mile was steep and the trail badly eroded in spots. Also, the bugs increased in number and verocity as I climbed. At the top, a cool breeze kept most of the buggers away. Nice views from the tower and also the ledges near the summit. Howie enjoyed about half my turkey sandwich.

Summit Elevation: Snowy 3899 ft
Round-trip Distance: 7.5 mi
Elevation Change: 2200 ft
Snowy

Friday, June 05, 2009

Chip and Dale

I did a short hike this afternoon at Plotterkill Preserve. Did a loop on the red trail. Howie kept himself busy chasing chipmunks which were very numerous in the woods. Instead of crossing the Plotterkill a second time and back up to the ridge, I opted to just follow along the creek bed for a while. The water was low and there were paths in places on one side or the other. Reached a cascading waterfall and then the base of the lower falls. Scrambled up and on to the base of the upper falls. Then, I headed back up to the ridge trail and out. A nice day for a walk even though it was cloudy. Walked about 6 miles or so.

Plotterkill 2

Monday, June 01, 2009

Devil Dog

I climbed Plateau mountain in the Catskills today. I did a loop starting on Notch Inn Road. Walked up the gravel road to the start of the new Warner creek trail. There were a lot of switchbacks in the new trail to moderate the climb. Passed several viewpoints on the way up. The last two on the new trail had the best views. Stopped at a spring so Howie could get some water. Continued on to the junction with the Devils Path. Turned right and followed the path over the true summit of Plateau and on to the eastern viewpoint. Had a quick snack break and then head over the long flat ridge (around 2 miles) to the opposite end. Met one couple on the way. The guy dubbed Howie "Cujo". I stopped at the western view point for another break before heading back down the steep trail to Notch Lake. Followed the highway back down to my parked car. A nice sunny day for a hike.

Summit Elevation: Plateau 3850 ft
Round-trip Distance: 8.2 mi
Elevation Change: 2450 ft

Plateau