Lisha Kill Preserve(Niskayuna)

Got out for a short, peaceful excursion at the Nature Conservancy's Lisha Kill Preserve, located off Rosendale Road in the town of Niskayuna this afternoon.  Mostly drab, overcast conditions persisted throughout the day, but the temperature was a nice, cool 60 degrees, making for nice walking.
The trail begins just past a kiosk in a hardwood forest, but quickly descends down through an old growth forest to a small, pretty tributary of the Lisha Kill.  

There are three trails that wind their way through the preserve, with the 1.5 mile Grattan FamilyTrail being the main trail.  The other two trails, Paul's Trail and Frank's Trail, each form loops, eventually meeting back up with the main trail.

The highlight of the preserve is the Lisha Kill itself, which is a picturesque, medium sized stream that is flowing a bit high after recent rainfall this week.

A fallen tree has now created a beautiful, small cascade.

A tinge of fall has colored the trees along the creek, making for a very pleasant scene.  The coming weeks only offer to get better and better.

I completed all the trails at the preserve, taking my time and soaking in the serenity of these quiet woods.  Hiked a bit over 2 miles total.

Little Sawyer Mountain(Blue Ridge Wilderness-Adirondacks)

After finishing our hike to McGinn Mountain, we found that it was still early in the afternoon and the conditions were still optimal, so we decided to pay a visit to a small, unnamed summit bump just SE of Sawyer Mountain.  Although this drive only took us a few minutes north and west of Indian Lake, we could notice a slight advancement in the foliage here.  We parked at the trailhead for Sawyer Mountain off Route 28, and started on the trail.

We left the trail almost immediately, diving into the hardwood forest.

The route was pretty straightforward, heading almost due south with a gentle ascent.  After about 1.3 miles, we made our final push up the summit ledges on Little Sawyer Mountain.

Fall colors creeping a bit further along just below the ledges.

Although only 2365 feet in elevation, the views from the summit ledges are five star.

The Balance Rock on Little Sawyer with Sawyer's main summit overhead and Blue Mountain "peeking" over the shoulder.

The intimate views of Squaw, Burgess, Panther, Brown Pond, and Wakely Mountains are glorious

The viewshed off Little Sawyer is quite spectacular, especially on the brink of fall's brilliant display.

Although Sawyer Mountain is a well known trailed hike, with a nice view of its own, Little Sawyer's view puts it to shame.

The incredible "balancing rock" sits precariously on the side of the steep ledges.

A last look back at the summit ledge and its views with the balancing rock.

Our route to and from Little Sawyer Mountain, the unofficial name we gave to the summit bump just SE of Sawyer Mountain.  About 2.75 miles and over 500 feet elevation gain.

McGinn Mountain(Blue Mountain Wild Forest-Adirondacks)

What's a guy to do when the forecast calls for crisp, sunny weather on an early fall day?  Head north to the central Adirondacks to bushwhack a couple of under the radar peaks near Indian Lake of course.  On my drive there, I paused for a few moments to soak in the early morning serenity of the Hudson River off Route 28 near the tiny hamlet of North River.

Our main goal for the day was to hike 2234 foot McGinn Mountain, a peak that receives so little attention that is not even labeled on the National Geographic Trails Maps.  We parked at the end of Pelon Road in the village of Indian Lake and began our hike heading north on a snowmobile trail.

There are several trails that break off in different directions, including a loop, but we continued in a northerly direction towards McGinn.  Following our GPS, after over 3 miles, we decided to leave the trail at a height of land about 7/10 of a mile away from the summit. We opted to make things more interesting by heading right at the steep rock face, easily finding a chute until....

...a second, much more formidable rock wall, stood in our way.  There was no way up this one, so we had to go around it altogether, although that wasn't very hard either.

Once we emerged atop the ledges, the panoramic view to the south unfolded before us.  Here, we caught a nice look at Snowy Mountain with its prominent point, as well as Panther taking center stage to its right.

The view towards the hamlet of Indian Lake.  Adrirondack Lake is the lake to the right, and Lake Abanakee is the body of water to the left.

The combination of the perfect weather and incredible views had us searching for words to describe this spot.

There is a sheer drop off below these ledges, so if visiting please be careful.

The view west towards the "Little High Peaks" is as good as it gets for this area.

A closer view towards Indian Lake and the Snowy Range.

Continuing along the rock ledges, which are quite long, we found even more views to the east/ southeast towards Bad Luck Mountain and beyond.

East views over the Hudson Gorge Primitive Area and the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest.

SE views over Bad Luck Mountain towards many of the peaks in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness.

More south/ SW views.

SE/ south views.

A zoom view towards Lake Abanakee, with the Route 28 causeway easily visible.

Nature's paint brush is just beginning to paint the landscape in the central mountain region, offering up a preview of what's to come.

A large, open rock sits atop the 2234 foot summit a mere 1/10 of a mile above the ledges.  Although nice, unfortunately there are no views to be had from here.

We decided to take the gentler, northern route off the mountain, where a much more mellow descent brought us back to the trail.

Enjoying good conversation and perfect early fall weather as we headed out the last 3 miles on the snowmobile trail.

Our route for the day, which covered 7.5 miles with about 900 feet of ascent.

A spectacular, unknown little peak, with much to offer those willing to leave the beaten path.

Number 8 Mountain(Pharaoh Lake Wilderness-Adirondacks)

With a nice day in the forecast(low humidity, comfortable temps)I decided to head north to the Adirondacks to do some off trail exploring in the beautiful Pharaoh Lake Wilderness.  My starting point for the day was the trailhead for the south access road to Pharaoh Lake, at about 940 feet elevation.  I started by heading north on the access road for about a half mile, avoiding the steepest cliffs of the mountain, before beginning the bushwhack.

The terrain was very easy to negotiate, with a gentle ascent towards the summit. 

In what seemed like no time, I could see the open ledges unfolding just ahead.

Wandering along the open meadow like ledges, progressively getting more and more open.

The view south/ southwest over Brant Lake is nothing short of spectacular.  The small summit of Sand Beach Mountain rises along the west shore of the lake, while the Bent Lee Farm sits at the foot of the mountain.

To the west, Valentine Pond sits among a sea of green, with numerous peaks on the distant horizon.

The open ledges are really enjoyable to explore and make a perfect lunch spot(when there is no wind).

A zoom view of the Bent Lee Farm, far below.

Continuing along the ledges, which stays open for quite a bit, offering up different views.

The east/ southeast view towards the Brothers.

A last look down over Brant Lake and beyond towards the southern Adirondacks.

I've often said that pictures don't do justice to the beauty of a spot, and I really feel this way for these ledges.  It is a truly special location.

The open ledges on the mountain sit nearly 200 vertical feet below the summit, but a short bushwhack brings you to the lovely 1946 foot, park like summit area.

 An easy descent back through open woods brought me back down to the access road, and eventually to the car.  A lot of bang for the buck on this beauty!  About 4 miles RT, with 1000 feet of elevation gain.
On my drive home, I took a moment to soak in the view of the mountain from below, near the North Brant Lake Cemetery.  The rock ledges really stand out from here.