Town of Sand Lake Walking Trail(Town of Sand Lake, Rensselaer County)

Did a short walk along the Sand Lake Walking Trail early this morning before the heat really kicked in.  The trails are fairly uneventful, but the red trail, which hugs the Wynantskill was quite wet and overgrown in spots.  Also...tick infested.

Covered about 8/10 of a mile on a hot, spring day.  

Hayes Mountain(Hoffman Notch Wilderness Area-Adirondacks)

It's been a long time since I've had an opportunity to get out hiking, but I finally found some time and just had to take advantage. Did a little exploring in the Hoffman Notch Wilderness in the heart of the Adirondacks on a beautiful, cool spring day and boy did it feel good to get out there.  My goal was to hike to Bailey Pond via a marked trail, and then to bushwhack up to 2736 foot Hayes Mountain and an extensive area of cliffs on its SE slopes.  

I parked at the end of Loch Muller Road, at the southern trailhead for Hoffman Notch(Elevation 1650 feet), and headed into the woods via the marked trail, quickly turning left onto the blue blazed Bailey Pond trail.

The trail is well marked and easy to follow as it heads NW in the footprint of an old town road, arriving at a crossing of the West Branch of Trout Brook in just over 8/10 of a mile.

The trail bends sharply left at the brook, and within moments arrives at the NE shore of Bailey Pond, with a great view. of Hayes Mountain across the water.

The marked trail ends at the pond, but I continued west along the marshy southeast end of Bailey Pond, soaking in more views.

At the southwest shoreline of the pond, the view northeast encompasses(left to right) Hayes Mtn, a portion of Bailey Hill and Washburn Ridge 

From the south end of Bailey Pond, Hayes Mountain looms directly above to the west but is ringed with sheer cliffs in that area so I decided to continue my bushwhack further south into a deep draw between peaks, soon arriving at beaver meadow.

At the beaver pond, I turned west, climbing steeply up towards the mountain through open hardwoods.

I carefully weaved my way up the steep slopes, contouring my way over towards the extensive cliffs.  My first up close views of the cliffs were quite impressive.

From a small perch at the edge of the cliffs, I enjoyed the first of many fine view points.  This view takes in the cliffs of Hayes, as well as a sliver of Bailey Pond and sprawling Texas Ridge beyond.

From an open ledge, SE views across the deep draw where I had began my ascent, with the south end of Cobble Hill(left) and Bigsby Hill(right)

From the same ledge, looking more southerly towards the peaks around Irishtown.

As I continued my ascent, I clung to the edge of the cliffs, taking in the spectacular views along the way.  The slopes of neighboring Cobble Hill are visible here with Texas Ridge in the nearby distance beyond.

After enjoying the exhilarating climb up along the cliffs, I headed back into the woods, making my way steeply up through increasing spruce stands towards the summit.

The summit cone of Hayes is a mix of spruce and beech with the 2736 foot true summit being a bit unspectacular.

After hitting the top of the mountain, I bushwhacked north, making my way steadily down towards Marion Pond.  After a little over 3/4 of a mile, I arrived at the SW shore of Marion Pond.  

Marion Pond is a high elevation pond(2300 feet) which can be only be reached by bushwhacking or a rough herd path, so it doesn't see the amount of hikers that many other ponds may see, although it does have a couple of decent informal campsites and row boats stashed nearby.

From Marion Pond I followed the rough herd path, which is flagged, but seems to meander incoherently north and east.  I followed it for a while, before simply bushwhacking my way back down towards Bailey Pond.

Once back down to Bailey Pond, it was an easy hike out on the marked DEC trail to my car.  

Covered about 7 miles total, with a good portion of the day being off trail.  Elevation gain was a touch over 1200 feet.

Map below.  Red P=Parking      Red *-Hayes Mountain summit

Albert Community Forest(Town of Nassau, Rensselaer County)

Got out for a short walk at the Albert Community Forest in East Nassau on a pleasantly cool wintry morning.  Covered about 2 miles total, soaking in the solitude of quiet woods, as my kids napped at home with mom.  Kudos to Hudson Taconic Lands for all the work done at this property since my last visit.  Looks great!

Schodack Town Park(Town of Schodack, Rensselaer County)

Took my toddler out for a short winter hike this afternoon at the Schodack Town Park along the banks of the Moordener Kill.

There were several other people out enjoying the cool, but pleasant wintry conditions.  A fresh coating of snow made for very picturesque conditions.

My little guy tired out after about a mile so we headed back to the car, as some very light snow began to fall.

41 Acres Preserve(Town of Clifton Park, Saratoga County)

My second short walk for the day was at the 41 Acres Preserve, along the north shores of the Mohawk River in Clifton Park.  A small Clifton Park Open Space sign can be found at an otherwise unmarked dirt access road off of Riverview Road that leads to a parking area and trail entrance.

Short days this time of year.

Just a couple minutes into the woods, a fairly decent sized pond is found.

Circled around the snow covered pond on my way towards the Mohawk.

Draped in sunshine, I followed a less substantial foot path along the top of the bluffs above the Mohawk.

Down by the Mohawk River, which was partially frozen over, looking south.

Looking north, upstream on the Mohawk.

A fun little area to explore in the woods of Clifton Park.  Only covered about 8/10 of a mile, but packed a lot of punch.  

Felt good to get out for bit, albeit briefly.  Happy Holidays everyone.

Alplaus Kill Preserve(Town of Glenville, Schenectady County)

Having a toddler and an infant at home certainly doesn't allow for much free time, but today I was able to take advantage of a rare free afternoon to stretch my legs at a couple of local preserves.  My first stop was to 54 acre Alplaus Kill Preserve, the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy's newest preserve, opened last summer in the hamlet of Alplaus in East Glenville.

The sun was shining bright, warming temps up into the 40's, but a cold wind was a bitter reminder that winter was only a few days away.  Initially headed north past a gate on a wide trail, pausing briefly at a small, snow covered pond that someone had been brave enough to walk across.

The trails are marked in white, green and orange and pass through open fields and quiet woods.

The centerpiece of the preserve is the Alplaus Kill, which was partially frozen over.

The view of the Alplaus Kill from a bench at the far north end of the preserve.

Heading back south towards the car under fleeting sunlight in the late afternoon.

Enjoyed a nice and quiet walk on a breezy, but comfortable winter day at this new(ish) preserve.  Covered nearly 1.5 miles and was surprised to not see another soul.

Bentley's Karst Preserve(Town of Berlin, Rensselaer County)

Got out for a little hike this afternoon at the Hudson Taconic Lands 91 acre Bentley's Karst Preserve along the eastern escarpment of the Rensselaer Plateau under early winter conditions.  Got started from the  new and improved parking area(Elevation 900 feet) off of Route 22 in Berlin which is much more accessible than the old one was.

As I set out on the yellow blazed trail, the snow was falling quite heavily, and seemingly picking up by the minute.

The fresh snowfall made for perfect wintry conditions and I felt a true sense of peace and solitude in the quiet woods.

A steady climb brought me up towards a large set of cliffs, where Bentley's Cave can be found.  Visiting the cave wasn't on the agenda today, however.

 

A steady snowfall on a pool of standing water near Bentley's Cave.

Beyond the cave and high spot on the trail, at over 1250 feet, a steady descent brings you back down towards Route 22.

 

Completed the full loop and eventually dropped back down to the car under a heavy snow squall.  By the time I got back to the car, there was probably over 3 inches on the ground.  Covered about 1.5 miles with over 350 feet of ascent.