Kaaterskill

I did a hike in the Catskills today with Howie. We climbed Kaaterskill High Peak. Parked at the trailhead in Platte Cove and started up the road. At the height of land, I cut over to the snowmobile loop trail. Passed the plane wreck and then reached the path up the south side. Followed that up to Hurricane ledge where there were wide open views to the south. Lots of nice fall colors in the valley below. After a snack, continued on up to the peak and then down the path on the north side. Took the snowmobile trail back down. A nice warm, sunny day for our trek.

Summit Elevation: Kaaterskill High Peak 3655 ft
Round-trip Distance: 8.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1800 ft

Kaaterskill High Peak

Fall is here

I left work a little early and went for a short hike near Thatcher Park. Fall colors are just starting to show. Walked about 3-4 miles altogether.

Dippikill 3

I spent the weekend camping at Dippikill in the Adirondacks. This was my third time there. We stayed at a larger log cabin this year - Birches. It could accommodate 8 people with two bedrooms and a sleeping loft. It also had gas lights, stove and refrigerator (but no running water or electricity). The weather was pretty nice. We did a short hike on Saturday to Dippikill pond, and then took the trail around the pond. Saturday night was pretty cold (near freezing). We got a fire going in the large stone fireplace which kept the cabin toasty for most of the night. The bulk of the weekend was spent lounging and eating. A nice time was had by all, including the youngest - a first-time camper.

Dippikill 3

Chipmunk Lane

I did a quick hike with Howie this afternoon. We climbed Bennett Hill near Clarksville. There seemed to be a high concentration of chipmunks. Howie had to sniff out every one. Walked about 2-3 miles.

Jug Head

I did a hike with Howie in southern Massachusetts. We climbed Mount Everett. Parked on Jug End road and started out on the Appalachian Trail (AT). It was a strenuous climb on up. Reached the view point at Jug End and took a break. Continued along the ridge which had lots of little ups and downs (much like life). Went over Mount Bushnell and then finally reached the summit of Mount Everett. On the return, I took a side trip on a trail that went around Gilder Pond. I soaked my feet in the water and Howie made friends with another dog. Made it back to the car five hours after we had started. A nice cool, partly sunny day for our trek in the woods.

Summit Elevation: Everett 2602 ft
Round-trip Distance: 10.0 mi
Elevation Change: 1800 ft

Mount Everett

oh deer

I did a walk with Howie this afternoon at Deer Mountain Preserve near Ravena. This area was created by Lafarge Cement to improve their environmental image.
I parked and started out on the western trail. There were interpretive signs along the way. The weather was a bit unsettled. It would rain lightly and then the sun would come out. Even though I had left my jacket in the car, I didn't get too wet. At one point, I saw a rainbow. It was only half one, and just a single.
Soon I reached power lines, and then followed some ATV trails the rest of the way around the swamp (I was winging it at this point). I eventually found the eastern trail and took that back to the car. This was a nice preserve which was marred only by the "hammering" sound coming from the plant off in the distance. Walked about 3+ miles altogether.

Deer Mountain Preserve

Morning walk

This morning I went on an outing at Christman Preserve. Not much water going over the falls. Walked about 2 miles on this rather hazy and warm day. Howie took every available opportunity to cool off in the creek.

Christman Preserve