Sanders Preserve(Glenville)Kane Mtn/Stewart Lake(Adiorndacks)Indian Meadows Park(Glenville)

A hot and humid Wednesday was in the cards for today but I had a free day so I wanted to take full advantage and get out exploring some areas I haven't gotten to yet.  My first stop was in Glenville, NY, which is about halfway between Schenectady and Amsterdam, at the Sanders Preserve.  This is a mostly wooded preserve in the Glenville hills, cut by Washout Creek, which eventually empties out into the Mohawk River.  Washout Creek got its name due to a cloudburst in the late 1880's that left the creek swelled, causing significant damage to the railroad tracks lying below.  Today the preserve is a popular Cross Country Skiing trail in the winter due to its slightly higher elevation than the surrounding land.

There were some beautiful blooming flowers at the start of the trail which grabbed my attention immediately.

The trail quickly entered the deep woods and it was a very pleasant walk with the early morning sun streaking through the trees.

I soon heard the sounds of flowing water nearby.  I followed a footpath off the trail leading down a steep embankment to Washout Creek.  There was minimal water, but enough to create a couple of very small falls.

I did a couple of the loop trails through the woods and eventually to the completely dry tributary of Whitetail Creek on the eastern part of the preserve.  The humidity was really picking up, leaving me sweating badly and seeking relief, so I decided to move on to my next destination.

And my next destination was the Southern Adirondacks in the town of Caroga.  I knew of a fire tower on Kane Mountain which offers splendid views of Canada Lake below and some of the Southern Adirondacks peaks.  The parking area was in the woods off of a secondary road, so it took some effort to find it, but I eventually did.  The trail is relatively short, but moderately steep most of the way.  I passed a couple of other hikers along the way, but the forest was mine other than that.  I was really working up a good sweat climbing this mountain,  but I knew the pay off would be worth the effort. After a little over half a mile I arrived at the tower.

There aren't really any views at the base of the fire tower so I decided to climb up to the top and take a look around.  The views did not disappoint.

 

After hiking back down the mountain, I realized it was still early and I was actually already at the trailhead for Stewart Lake which was from the same parking lot for Kane Mountain.  So off I went again.  This trail was a bit longer(2.5 mile RT) but was mostly flat, which made for easy walking. There is a stream crossing almost immediately after starting the trail.

As mentioned the hike is relatively easy walking, with just a couple of muddy areas and trees down to go around on the way.

Once at Stewart Lake, you must try to follow footpaths through marshy wetlands to get near the water.  Even after walking out through the marsh quite a bit I was still a good distance from the lake, but managed to get some beautiful pictures of this gorgeous area.

With my boots wet and muddy, I decided to head back to the car and go find somewhere to eat lunch.  After eventually getting some food and drying out a bit I noticed the clouds starting to build and on a day this humid, thunderstorms are never out of the question.  I figured I'd head back closer to home and see how the weather looked.  I took some back roads since I was in no rush and eventually found my to Indian Medaows Park, back in Glenville.  Back where I started the day.  The clouds were certainly looming but I decided to head out for a pretty mellow walk through open fields and woods leading down to the Indian Kill.

Once I arrived at the Indian Kill I came across a footbridge leading to more trails on the other side of the stream.   Although intrigued, I decided they would have to wait for another day to explore.

With the building clouds and a full day behind me, I decided to head back.  By the time I got back home the rain had just started and lightning was putting on a show in the not so distant sky.