Porter

Went up to the Adirondack high peaks area today to enjoy the near-peak fall foliage. I climbed Porter mountain via Blueberry mountain trail (from Marcy airport). This is one of three approaches to Porter (and definitely the hardest). Since this is not the typical route for this peak, I ran into fewer hikers. It was a very warm (for late September) and sunny afternoon. Fall colors were nice. Probably the toughest day hike I have done this season.

Summit Elevation: Porter 4059 ft
Round-trip Distance: 9.0 mi
Elevation Change: 3400 ft

Porter

Partridge Paths

Went hiking with Benny at the Huyck Preserve. Parked at the trailhead on Wood Rd (off of Peasley Rd). Went counter-clockwise on Partridge Path Loop Three. There were some nice early Fall colors on this sunny, warm afternoon. Woods were very dry (ground was "cracked") and the creeks were barely a trickle. Lots of stone walls and open deciduous woods in this remote area. Total distance walked was 2.7 miles. Also, stopped at Partridge Run WMA on the drive back and visited three ponds there (that you could drive to).

Huyck

Middle of Nowhere

Took the day off and went hiking in the Adirondacks near Lake George. Drove the dirt road to Jabe Pond (off of Split Rock road). There was one steep spot where I got to test the AWD in my Subie. Wouldn't recommend that stretch in an regular car. Made it to the main parking lot and was the only car there. Took the trail around the north side of Jabe Pond to the farthest campsite. Then, bush-whacked west up to the top of Middle mountain. No real view from the summit, but there were some cliffs a bit south of the top, that had great views to the north, west and south. Catamount mountain looked real close.  Could see the cliffs across Fly Brook valley that I explored last year from Wardsboro road. After some snacks, I headed back down and eventually reached a swampy area and then a beaver pond in the notch. Continued east toward Jabe Pond and then around its south side. Eventually I picked up paths and then the trail again. I also did a short climb up Number 108 mountain. There were some minor views through the trees at a rocky clearing south of the top. After tagging the non-descript summit, I went back down to the pond and the trail which I followed back to the car. A sunny, but cool day for hiking.

Summit Elevation: Middle 1867 ft, No. 108 1640 ft
Round-trip Distance: 5.5 mi
Elevation Change: 1000 ft

Middle

Pilot Knob Preserve

Took Benny on his first Adirondack adventure today. We went to Pilot Knob Preserve near Lake George. Did a clock-wise loop on the Orange trail to the view point with the Gazebo and back down. About 1.8 miles total with 640 feet of climbing. Nice cool day. Lots of other hikers out for this popular and easy hike. Benny did pretty well - though he was pooped out at the end.

Pilot Knob Ridge

Lonely mountain there on the Corner

Did a short hike in the south Central Adirondacks today. Parked on Route 8 west of Cod Pond near a pull-out for a road-side camp-site. Followed the path from the campsite down to the East Branch of Sacandaga. Changed into old sneaks and waded across. The water was less than a foot deep. Got to the other side, put boots on, and headed uphill to the top of Corner mountain. It was a short, but steady climb to the summit. The woods were mostly open deciduous. At one point, stopped in a clearing and munched on some raspberries so I could feel more primal. There was a ring of open rock slabs on the South to East sides just below the top of Corner mountain. Took some pics of the surrounding hills and then headed back down. Great weather for hiking.

Summit Elevation: Corner 2349 ft
Round-trip Distance: 2.5 mi
Elevation Change: 1050 ft

Corner