Bald Mountain via Lewis Hollow(Taconic Crest Trail)

Took advantage of a beautiful summer afternoon by doing a bit of exploring in the Taconics, not terribly far from my house.  I wanted to hike up the steep west side of the Taconics in an area that I haven't ever been to, so I decided to ascend the abandoned Lewis Hollow access trail up to the Taconic Crest Trail via an easement.  From an elevation of about 1080 feet along Lewis Hollow Road, I enjoyed an impressive view of the Taconic ridge to the east across open meadows.

The abandoned access trail follows an old woods road, climbing steeply out of the hollow.  Much of it is overgrown and can be extremely difficult to follow in spots.

 Arriving at a clearing at just over 1500 feet, the view north towards the Taconic Ridge is quite nice.

The view NW just over the shoulder of the ridge.

As I gained elevation the woods roads branched out in many directions, but the main one became more obvious and easy to follow.

 The climb was pretty relentless, ascending straight up through the hollow.

 The woods road/ abandoned access trail was very pleasant up high.

 Nearing the head of the hollow at just about 2000 feet, with a precipitous drop off into the cirque on the right.

 Once I gained the main ridge, the ascent finally relented, arriving in a plateau like area accompanied by ferns.

After about 1.3 miles, I hit the Taconic Crest Trail at just over 2200 feet, a climb of over 1100 feet.

 Heading south on the trail, I passed by the first Route 346 sign(which is the end of the Taconic Crest Trail)There is also one more at 4 miles.

 The Taconic Crest Trail is a long trail that follows the "crest" of the Taconic range in this region.  There are many ups and downs on this trail, however, and began to feel like I was riding the waves.

 ATV use is obvious in this area along the trail, with tires tracks all over the place.  Unfortunately in low spots, the trail becomes more like a lagoon.

 Continuing south, I began the climb up Bald Mountain, with a steep drop off to the west.  It appears in many spots along this stretch that there would be views without the leaves on the trees.

 The trail doesn't go to the true 2484 foot summit of Bald Mountain, but a short bushwhack brought me up to the nondescript, wooded summit.  The trail does, however, offer a peek a boo view just off the east side of the summit towards the Pownal, Vermont area.  A bench provides a resting spot to enjoy the view.  Again, I'm confident this view is much better with the leaves off.

An uneventful hike back brought me back to the car with a little over 6 miles hiked and 1900 feet of ascent.