Sunday, March 24, 2013

Two towers

Did two short hikes today with Howie. First hike was up Stissing Mountain near Pine Plains. Parked in the lot on Lake Road. Followed the unmarked trail to the ridge. After a short but stiff climb, I reached the fire tower. I only climbed part-way up the 90 foot tower since it was a little breezy out.

Round-trip Distance: 2.5 mi
Elevation Change: 920 ft

Next, went over to Ferncliff Forest near Rhinebeck. Parked in the main lot on Mount Rutsen road. Did a nice loop on various trails. Easy walking on wide, fairly smooth carriage roads and trails. Climbed to the top of the lookout tower. Had nice close-up views of the Catskill mountains on the other side of the Hudson. Walked about 2.2 miles .

Stissing

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Locks

Did an easy walk this morning in Waterford at the Lock 6 canal park. This is the start of the Erie canal, and there a series of locks over a short distance. I checked out locks 6 and 4. I also followed trails to the Mohawk river, and then along its north side to an overlook of Cohoes Falls. Except for a few short foot paths, the trails are used by ATVs and tended to be a bit chewed up and muddy. It was still nice though to walk along the edge of the cliffs high above the river. Had a sunny, but chilly and breezy day for our walk. Covered about 4.0 miles altogether.
Waterford

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Knox-ville

Did some short hikes/walks in the Town of Knox today. First stop was the Limestone Rise Preserve. Parked at the trail-head on Nash Road. Followed the entrance trail, crossed the road, and then followed the loop trail in the southern portion. The preserve is noted for the many fissures in the limestone rock. There was a fair amount of crunchy snow that was deep in spots. Didn't sink in too much but it still made walking somewhat difficult. About 1.3 mile round-trip.
Next, a quick stop at the Knox Town Park. There was a short trail that lead to a boardwalk for viewing the wetland. Didn't see any wildlife.
The last place I went to was the Margaret E. Burke WMA. Visited both the northern and southern portions of the state forest. Followed old roads for the most part. Another 2.0 miles to add to the total.
Kind of cold, gloomy day. Hopefully, Spring will be here soon.
Knox

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Taming the Lion

Did a hike today with Howie in Connecticut of all places. Started at a trailhead on Route 41 near Salisbury and followed the Appalachian Trail (AT) up to Lions Head. The trail had a little bit of everything: mud, snow, ice... but actually wasn't all that bad. I wore my stabilicers for extra traction. Nice views at the top from two different vantage points. Had a warm, sunny afternoon for our short trek.

Round-trip Distance: 5.6 mi
Elevation Change: 960 ft
Lions Head

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Peebles

Did a short walk at Peebles Island late this afternoon. About a 2 mile walk on the perimeter trail. Socks got soaked after trudging through the soft, slushy snow.

Saturday, March 02, 2013

Schodack Island

Did two easy walks/hikes near Castleton on Hudson. First, went to Schodack Island State park. Did a loop on the yellow and orange trails. About 5 miles of easy walking on wide, flat trails near the Hudson river.
Next, went to Schemerhorn Park. Parked at the end of Brickyard road. Followed the trail (old road) along the creek to a small falls on the Vlockie Kill. Around 1 mile round-trip walk.
On the drive back, I stopped at small roadside waterfall on Route 151 - the upper falls on Moordener Kill ("murderer creek"). Kind of a cold gloomy day, but nice to get out of the house for a few hours.

Schodack Island State Park