Clarksburg State Forest(Nothern Berkshires)

With heavy rain knocking on the doorstep this morning, I headed northeast to Clarksburg State Park in the northern Berkshires, one of the only dry spots on the map.  The roads and campsites are closed for the season so I parked at the front gate and had the place to myself to explore.  I followed the park road west down to the Bullhead Trail, which is just a short excursion down to the park's centerpiece, Mauserts Pond.

 Once at the pond, I continued west along the Shoreline Trail, which passes through several damp areas.

 A great view east across the pond towards the Hoosac Range and its wind turbines way up high.

 Arriving at Lookout Point along the west shoreline.  This makes a real nice picnic spot.

 The Pond Loop Trail continues past Lookout Point, eventually crossing over Beaver Creek.

 More pond views.

 Much of the Pond Loop Trail passes over and through wetlands.  Thankfully, there are wooden boardwalks to help keep your feet dry.

 Passing through more swampy areas.

 More wooden crossings.

 A view south over a beaver dam and the pond.

One of the several small inlets winding its way towards Mauserts Pond.

 The northwest section of the State Park offers very little in the way of scenic vistas, but the Park Trail and Verrmont State Line trail make for nice hiking through mostly hardwoods.

 A small stream crossing on my way north.

 A stone wall marks the state line at the very north border of the park.

 Arriving at the end of the Vermont Line Trail at Horrigan Road.

The clouds and light rain eventually won out on  my way back to the car.  Hiked about 3.5 miles total on a gloomy November day.

Won Dharma Retreat Center(Claverack)

Kalli and I visited the Won Dharma Meditation and Retreat Center this afternoon, located in rural Columbia County.  The Center, which offers up to 6 miles of trails that are open to the public, can be found on the north side of Route 23, just east of the junction of Route 217and 23 in Claverack.

We wandered some of the various shorter trails along the west side of the property first.  These trails pass through mostly open fields and a short excursion down to leaf cluttered Hollowville Creek.

 

Skies were highly changeable during our time at the Center, and made for an enjoyable hike through the wide open fields.

 Once crossing the Center's entrance road over to the east side of the property, we quickly began to gain elevation, as well as distant views towards the Catskills.

 Due to it being a meditation retreat center, there are many benches and quiet areas to sit and relax.  Here is an outstanding spot to sit and soak in the Catskill views from this bench.

 Blowing in the breeze.

 We followed the Path of Light trail through rolling fields and open meadows until its junction with the Dharma Trail.  Once on the Dharma Trail, we continued generally north and east until meeting back up with the Path of Light.

All of the trails are well marked and easy to follow.

 Enjoying the view north to the nearby farmland.

We dropped back down to the road on the Sunrise trail, which lead us directly back to our car.  Walked about 3 miles total on a mild November day.

Anchor Diamond Park at Hawkwood(Ballston)

Took Bella out after work to visit the brand new Anchor Diamond Park at the former Hawkwood Estate in the town of Ballston.  The park just opened last week, with trails still in the process of being constructed.  Parking is available in a large lot off of Middleline Road, near its intersection witj Route 50. 

There are 4.5 miles of marked trails at the 246 acre park, with minimal elevation gain.

 The trails pass along and over a picturesque small creek, that meanders throughout these woods.

 The white marked trail is the main trail, which travels through the center of the park.

 November woods.

 There are several old stone walls that can be found throughout the park as well.

 Passing through a stretch of hemlocks.

 Bella was absolutely thrilled to be out and she gave a positive review to this new park.

 A beautifully constructed new footbridge over the creek.

 The sun struggling to make its way through the dark woods. 

 This land was home to a wealthy 18th and 19th century estate and mansion, which unfortunately burned down in the mid 20th century.  There are still some remains from those days, with a large fireplace along the yellow loop being one of the most still intact.

 An old foundation.

 Steps that once lead up to the beautiful Hawkwood Mansion.

We wandered the blue, yellow and pink loops, as well as the main white trail for about 3 miles.  Very impressed with the trail work, footbridges and parking area.  A lot of hard work has gone into this new park and this will soon be a local favorite for many in the area.

Baldhead Mountain & Moose Mountain(Southern Adirondacks)

My buddy Jim and I met early Tuesday morning for a hike to the remote peaks of 2870 foot Baldhead Mountain and 22831 foot Moose Mountain in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest near Stony Creek in the Southern Adirondacks.  We used both of our cars to do a traverse hike, leaving one car along a small piece of state land along Tucker Road and then driving back west to get started at another small piece of state land.  We both donned our orange gear and headed north into the woods. 

This hike is entirely a bushwhack, through mostly all hardwoods.  We first crossed up and over a 2000 foot unnamed peak before dropping back down to a beaver pond at the foot of Baldhead Mountain.  Once we began climbing up the steep slopes of Baldhead, we began encountering open rock slabs, which provided nice views back to the south.

Open rock on the southern shoulder of Baldhead Mountain.

We rather enjoyed these open rocky areas, which were fun to climb and provided better and better views the higher we got.

A beautiful sunny day.  At some points, the November sun was so strong, that it appeared hazy looking down towards Stony Creek.

We wandered around Baldhead's numerous open rock ledges and rock slabs, enjoying mostly southern exposure viewpoints.

Just off the east side of Baldhead's summit area is a great viewpoint of nearby Moose Mountain's rocky slopes, which almost look close enough to touch.

 After hitting Baldhead's true summit(which is mostly wooded) we continued on along the mostly level ridge top to the "Eggplant" rock. 

After dropping off the summit of Baldhead, we descended to the north/ northeast and immediately hit a large section of spruce.  Some sections were fairly thick and made it tough to negotiate.

Finally hitting open hardwoods as we neared the col.

Looking directly up at Moose Mountain, some 500 plus feet above us in the col.

We decided to head a bit south towards the open rock ramps that ascend the southwest slopes of Moose Mountain.  Here is a fantastic shot back west towards Baldhead, which we had just come off of.

Open rock can be found almost everywhere on Moose Mountain.

Jim pausing to enjoy the look across the "abyss" that is the col between Baldhead and Moose Mountain.

Continuing our ascent.

Countless views can be experienced from the open rock on the mountain.  Ascending this peak is truly a rewarding and unique experience, feeling almost like a high peak.

Looking back down at Jim as we keep climbing.

Nearing the summit, the entire mountain seems to open up into a meadow like area, with still great views.

While all the views are great, the east facing views are truly awe inspiring, and completely panoramic.

Northeast views are far stretching, all the way to the High Peaks far away.

A glacial erratic just below the summit.  This boulder makes a perfect spot to stop and rest.  We enjoyed our lunch here, as well as the breathtaking views.

The open slopes near the summit.

Moose Mountain's 2831 foot summit.

An amazing view towards Crane Mountain's northwest ridge, with Gore Mountain in the distance beyond.

One of my favorite photos of the day.  Looking at Crane Mountain directly to the north, with many of the High Peaks visible in the distance beyond.

Northwest views off the mountain, with Wolf Pond sitting down in the valley below L-R(Bearpen Peak, Long Tom Ridge, and Wolf Pond Mountain).

Beginning the descent off of Moose Mountain, with almost continuous views along the way.

The "bump" on Moose Mountain's southeast side.

On the descent of Moose Mountain, we had to climb up and over a small "bump", which proved quite tough on slippery fallen leaves.  It also, however, provided a great view over Welch Vly and towards nearby peaks to the south from an open ledge.

Stopping at an area known as Welch Vly, in the col between the bump on Moose's southeast shoulder and Burnt Mountain.

Once out of the col, we climbed straight up Burnt Mountain's north slopes.  Here's a glance back over our shoulder towards Moose Mountain's southern slopes.

A vernal pond we came across near Burnt's summit.

Burnt Mountain's 2042 foot, wooded summit.

One of many different open rock ledges on the descent of Burnt Mountain that provide incredible, sweeping views to the east.

A view back south towards Hadley and Roundtop Mountains bathed in the late afternoon light.

After some tense moments and having arrived safely at the bottom of a large rocky area of steep ledges, we paused to catch our breath and breathe a sigh of relief.

We descended several steep, rocky ledges, with each getting easier and easier.  Each rock ledge offered up a slightly different view as well.  Here, Jim stops to capture a photo towards southern peaks.

As we neared the end of the hike, we had to cross babbling Kenyontown Creek.

Once across the creek, we had to climb directly up a 200 foot embankment to get to the spotted car on Tucker Road.  We arrived back at the car feeling quite exhausted after 8.5 miles and 3000 feet ascent.