Hadley Mountain/ Spectacle Pond/ Gull Pond(Adirondacks)

Found my way back up north to the beautiful Adirondacks early Thursday morning, and got started hiking up Hadley Mountain and its breathtaking views of the southern Adirondacks.  It is certainly an out of the way destination off of several back roads, but never the less still an extremely popular hike that attracts crowds nearly all year.  Being a midweek day in November, there were only a couple of cars at the trailhead, and one of them ended up being a hunter.

 The ascent up the mountain is steadily steep nearly all the way up, with scattered ice adding to the difficulty of the climb.

As I climbed the mountain the ice got worse and a blanket of snow coated the trail.

 But as the summit neared , the snow cleared and it became much rockier and open.

 Views to the north began opening up, even before you get to the firetower.

 The fire tower.

 Views to the north from the summit, below the fire tower.

The very top of the fire tower is closed this time of year, but you can climb the steps to outstanding 360 degree views.  

 Views south over the ranger cabin.

The Great Sacandaga Lake and rolling southern Adirondack peaks are visible to the southwest.

Southerly views.

 Steps up the tower.

 Great Sacandaga Lake.

The views are incredible, but the cold early winter winds are brutal on the exposed summit tower, so i didn't linger too long.

The total trip is 3.4 miles RT, but due to the steepness of the hike, it seems much longer.  It was still fairly early, so I headed east towards the Schroon Lake region.   I drove up the east side of the lake, in search of a couple of shorter level hikes.  Views of Schroon Lake along the way.

 The beach at the tiny village of Adirondack.

Further north along the road, there are several trails going to the east to beautiful, remote ponds deep in the woods.  Spectacle Pond is the first pond trail, with a large pull off along the east side of Adirondack Road.

The trail begins in a deep evergreen forest, running along Spectacle Pond Brook nearly the entire way.  

 After a little over a mile, a small path leads to a clearing with views of a large marshy area and Pharoah Mountain looming in the bakground.

 After 1.7 miles the trails leads down to the shoreline, where a couple of rowboats are stored.

 I followed the shores of the pond to a designated camping site and pristine northerly views.

 Pharoah Mountain rises steeply north of the pond.

The 3.4 Mile RT is nearly all level, making for a much quicker hike.  On the way out, I ran into several hunters on the trail who were dragging a deer out of the woods.  They informed me it was a five pointer.  Although friendly, the presence of hunters in the woods is a reason I wear a blaze orange hat and stay only on main trails this time of year.

A mile or so further along the road I came to Gull Pond, which is a beautiful little pond set back on a little over half a mile from the road.  It is surrounded by rock cliffs and nice camping areas along the shores.

 The late afternoon sun was reflecting almost perfectly off of the calm water.

 Reflections.

A short bushwack around the pond leads to the rock cliffs on the opposite shore.

 The sun sets early this time of year, as I headed back to my warm car.

 Driving back into town, the moon was visible over Alder Brook.

Hewitt Eddy/ Pilot Knob(Adirondacks)

A spot I was interested in exploring was Hewitt Eddy in Minerva which is a 2 mile trail through spruce forest and along the banks of the Stony Brook and Boreas River.  The area has a very rugged, wild feel to it, even though you are only a mile or so away from the highway. A very light snow whitened some of the grassy areas along the trail adding a nice touch.  This was a very early morning hike, so the air was very cool.

 Stony Brook.

 Boreas River.

 Open area below the rapids of the Boreas.

 Hewitt Eddy.

 Soft snow falling over still water.

 Snow on the trail was just enough to make it slick in spots.

 Route 28N bridge from the trail.

 Snow on the tracks a bit further up the road towards Newcomb.

Friday afternoon I headed down to the Lake George area and did a short hike up Pilot Knob to a beautiful spot with views of the entire southern Lake George basin. 

There is ample parking at the trailhead.

 The woods have a much different feel to them down in this area.  Much less spruce and old growth forest.

 After about .7 miles you come to a clearing with a gazebo with commanding views.

 Developed Cleverdale strip with Ripley Point , Long Island and Rockhurst with Sheldon Point in the foreground.

 Houses along Cleverdale.

 Assembly Point with Speaker Heck Island.

 Views north towards Dome Island and the southern Adirondack mountains.

 Echo Bay.

 Waterfront property.

Anyone in the Lake George area should put this hike high on their priority list.  Views are outstanding and the hike, while steep in spots, in relatively short at only 1.4 RT.

Brand New Mud Pond Preserve

The official ribbon cutting for the opening of the Mud Pond Preserve in Nassau was today, allowing public access to the newly opened trails.  The preserve is a nearly 100 acre area, bordering the Nassau Transfer Station off of Central Nassau Road.  It contains a unique, complex ecosystem center around Mud Pond.  The nearly six acre pond is known as a rare acidic bog lake, surrounded by nearly 700 acres of forest and is home to rare flora and fauna.  It is chance for the town to finally show off some of its rugged beauty.  From the parking lot, to the kiosk, to the footbridge, to the trails, the town did a phenomenal job.  Many thanks to the long hours and hard work put in by David Fleming, Fred McCagg, Lani Richards and the many volunteers who made this all possible.
The beautiful kiosk at the trailhead built by Town Highway Superintendent Fred McCagg.

 A footbridge also built by Mr. McCagg, in dedication to his late daughter.

 The preserve features nearly 1.5 miles of trails, all very well marked, with a loop and overlook area.

 A road around the transfer station doubles as a trail along the edge of the woods.

 Old stone walls and abandoned cars can be seen deep in the woods along the trails, serving as a reminder of our past.

 The end of the trail, featuring a overlook of Mud Pond.

 Yellow diamond trail markers can be found throughout the preserve, making it nearly impossible to lose your way.

 Along the loop trail, the water from the swampy area near Mud Pond creeps awfully close to the trail.

 A tremendous amount of care and detail was put into the trails.  Stones laid out along one section.

 Wood chips were placed all along the trail entrance, making for very comfortable footing.

It is a great opportunity to get out and take a walk in the woods.  The town has plans on expanding the trails in the future so more opportunities await.  A great job done by the town of Nassau and a great step forward for our community.

Vischer Ferry

This historic preserve located in Clifton Park is a wonderful place to observe natural history with chances to see the remains of the historic Erie Canal, old bridges across the Mohawk River, agricultural lands from centuries ago, and ponds and wetlands offering many birding opportunities.  The preserve is a large piece of public land with many miles of flat walking trails and several different access points.  Today I went to the western edge of the preserve to the Ferry Road access point.  This was the site where a rope ferry was established back in the later 18th century by Eldert Vischer.

                                 

The old bridge abutments still remaining on the south shore of the river.

 The Mohawk River looking south and east from the old Ferry Rd ferry access.

To the west of this site is a one mile trail running along the shores of the Mohawk to an overlook by the power plant and Lock 7 falls and dam of the modern Erie Canal.  This is a flat trail utilized by joggers, bikers and rollerbladers as well hikers.  One of the benefits of this time of year is views through the leafless trees to the water.

 Along the southern shores.

 A viewing area across the Mohawk.

 Upriver to the power plant.

 The powerful falls at the dam.

 A jogger taking advantage of the mild(but wet) November weather.

A soft rain was turning into a bit heavier rain so I headed back to the car.  After the rain subsided a little, I headed down to the next access area  along Riverview Rd.  The Whipple Bridge is located here, allowing foot traffic to cross the old Erie Canal.  The Whipple Bridge was originally completed in 1869 by Squire Whipple, crossing the Mohawk River until the Erie Canal was abandoned in 1919.  It was moved one more time before finally being salvaged and moved to its current location.  The old Erie Canal covered with a green algae substance.

 Looking across the Bridge.

 The iron truss Whipple Bridge.

Once across the bridge, the towpath follows the canal allowing for a nice walk or another option is a trail continuing south through wetlands, to the old site of Forts Ferry and the eventually the Mohawk River.  There are several other options for walking along Riverview Rd, all with their own slice of history to tell.  This will be a site I visit again to explore.