Freund Preserve(Old Chatham)

Had a very brief window of opportunity to get out late this afternoon, so I took a short walk at the 57 acre Freund Preserve in Old Chatham.  The weather has been abnormally mild recently, and on top of that the humidity has returned.  October is starting to feel more like early September.  I parked on the shoulder of Pitts Road and headed into the woods just past a small preserve sign.

 The woods are nearly 100 percent hardwoods and leaves are already beginning to litter the ground.  Here is one of two stream crossings at the Preserve, both almost completely dry.

 Turn here.  An orange marked trail leaves the blue trail, heading steeply uphill to a large plateau area.

Stone walls can be found scattered throughout these woods, echoing past farming and land boundaries.

Foliage has been slow to get going this year, but I did spot some yellows mixed in with the greens in the trees.

 Traveling along the lightly used trails.

 More stone walls at the far eastern boundary of the Preserve.

 Got back to the car covered in sweat after minimal elevation change and only 1.3 miles of hiking.
It's a short drive back for me, so I decided to take some back roads home to enjoy the scenery.  A lightly colored Chatham hillside.

 A quick stop at the Kinderhook Creek near the county line.