Mount Greylock's Slide & Ragged Mountain(Berkshires)

Mount Greylock is not only the highest mountain in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at nearly 3500 feet, but it also boasts several interesting slides worth checking out.  My buddy Jim has always wanted to check out the impressive 1990 slide that scars the east side of the mountain, so we decided that today would be the day.  We parked in Greylock Glen at the barriers on Thiel Road, starting from an elevation of only 1180 feet.  A short walk up into open meadow provides an outstanding view of Greylock and its slide, as well as the powerline cut out that runs up another, older slide from 1901.

We wandered through Greylock Glen, making our way over to the base of the Thunderbolt Trail, which is the steepest route up the mountain.  Snow was patchy at this elevation, with some deeper pockets in the shade.

The Thunderbolt Ski Trail was built all the way back in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the trail saw its heyday back in the 30's and 40's.  Today, the trail is still skied and hiked quite often, but decades of neglect have also left remnants of the past scattered about in the woods.

The east side of Greylock is extremely steep, with snow covered drainages cutting down the steep slopes.

Cool but comfortable temps and bluebird skies made for fantastic conditions.  We used spikes, but were barely needed on the crusty snow.

One of the nice parts about hiking the Thunderbolt Trail is that you gain elevation very quickly, with views behind you to the valley opening quickly.  At about 2800 feet, we decided to the leave the trail and bushwhack towards where we believed the slide was. 

After a half mile bushwhack through deep snow, we emerged at the base of the slide.  We had to be very careful with the snow breaking away beneath our feet on the steep slopes, but we made our way as carefully as we could to the open rock. 

We were both extremely impressed at the sheer magnitude of this slide, as it stretched upward over 200 feet almost vertical. With warm temps and melting snow, we decided not to push it any further, and we turned back here. 

The bushwhack back to the trail was all side hill, with steep pitches making it a slow go.  Occasionally we would sink in almost up to our waist in snow too, so we really took our time here. 

The slopes beneath us on the bushwhack were quite steep, offering glimpses all the way down to the valley below.

Once back to the trail, a steady, steep drop brought us back down to the Bellows Pipe Trail at about 2000 feet of elevation.  We followed this trail north, eventually meeting up with the Ragged Mountain Trail, which brought us steeply up to that summit.  While it may be looking like spring in the valley, the slopes just below Ragged's summit were completely engrossed in winter conditions.

From just off the 2517 foot summit of Ragged Mountain, we enjoyed the spectacular view of Greylock and its slide.  Although I've done this peak several times, this was Jim's first visit here and he was impressed. 

A zoom view towards the summit, with the summit road running just below it,  Between 2800 feet and roughly 3100 feet is the Indian Head slide, which we had just been to.

Jim continued on to Raven Rocks and Ragged's other summit bumps, but having visited them before, I opted to turn back.  I bushwhacked straight down off Ragged through melting snow and muddy conditions.  All of the drainages are running impressively, especially below 2000 feet. 

Once near the base of the mountain, I was welcomed back into spring conditions.  The deep snow from up high was all running water way down here.

A nice, full 7 mile hike through snow up high and mud down low.  Over 2300 feet of ascent for the day. 
The apple orchard just below Greylcok Glen provided its own fantastic views east towards the Hossac Range as I began my ride home, completing another great day out in the woods.

Cat Rocks & Nuclear Lake(Appalachian Trail-Dutchess County)

Headed south this afternoon to hike a scenic stretch of the Appalachian Trail in Dutchess County.  Parked along the shoulder of West Dover Road beside the well known Dover Oak, where the Appalachian Trail crosses the road.  The Dover Oak is thought to be at least 300 years old with a circumference of over 20 feet and is the largest blazed tree along the entire length of the AT.  It is quite an impressive site!!  Even more impressive is that with the leaves off the trees, the ledges that make up Cat Rocks can clearly be seen as well. Elevation to start was just under 550 feet.

I crossed the road and headed west, first dropping down through a wet section on puncheon, before beginning to climb.  The trail heads steeply up along a rock spine, gaining elevation quickly before dropping off the spine and back into woods.

The route remains steep, soon arriving at a spur trail to the Telephone Pioneers Shelter.  I took this blue blazed spur trail over to the shelter, which sits on a steep hillside, near a small drainage.

From inside the shelter, there are screened views to the valley below.

Once back on the main trail, a short but steep climb brought me up to the main ridge and within a few minutes, I arrived at Cat Rocks.  The views from these ledges are very nice, and stretch from NE to SE.  Here is a look SE towards Pawling.

I explored the ledges for a few minutes, checking out the various vistas.  The nearly vertical drop off on the east side provides great views all the way east into Connecticut,

NE views from a lower spot on the ledges.

A zoom view towards Pawling.

When exploring steep ledges like these, you must be careful with your footing, as you never know when a large crevasse, such as this may appear.

From a spot just below the ledges, I caught this incredible look at the geological formation known as Cat Rocks.

After enjoying Cat Rocks for a while, I finally continued on the trail, heading west through rolling terrain.  Passed by this large vernal pond next to the trail which was fee of any ice...

...but less than 1/10 of a mile further, in a slightly sheltered location, this vernal pond held onto its ice(although it was melting fast with temps closing in on 50)

One of the best parts of traveling a well used trail such as this, is that it has all the amenities(at least in the hiking world), such as puncheon in wet areas.

I found many, many old stone walls in these woods, offering up a glimpse into the past.  It is quite obvious that these woods were almost certainly farmed before nature reclaimed them.

After a long, quiet stretch in the woods, I arrived at the north shore of peaceful 55 acre Nuclear Lake.  I wandered the west shore for a bit, stopping at a cove to take in this serene shot.

Heading back to the north end of the lake, I dropped down to the shore to soak in this view.  Although a nearby chemical plant named the lake back in the late 1950's, it was in 1972 that ironically a chemical blast fueled fears that the lake had been contaminated.  After years of cleanup and testing which proved that the lake was clean, the lake received a clean bill of health.  Thankfully today, the public can enjoy the lake that is often considered one of the more beautiful sections of the AT.

After enjoying the serenity of the lake, I turned back, retracing my steps towards the car.  One interesting spot that I passed, was Penny Road, which shows up on my map, but is nothing more than an old woods road, lined by stone walls on each side.

The quiet hike back eventually brought me to Cat Rocks, which I had to check one last time.

Hiked about 7 miles RT, with over 1700 feet of ascent along a gorgeous stretch of the Appalachian Trail.

 With time to kill, I took the scenic route home, passing through rural Dutchess and Columbia County's.  The less traveled roads sometimes provide a glimpse into a much slower pace of life, such as this farm in the town of Ghent.

Balsam Mountain(Big Indian Wilderness-Catskills)

A requirement to become an official Catskill 3500 Club Member is to not only climb all 3500 foot peaks in the Catskills, but to also climb Blackhead, Panther, Slide and Balsam Mountains in the winter as well. I had kind of pushed this goal off to the back burner for quite a while, but with only a winter ascent of Balsam left, this goal was easily within my grasp.  I woke up Tuesday realizing that if I didn't hike it today, I would have to wait another year before my chance would come again.  Due to the fact that my previous visit to this peak was from the west in Rider Hollow, I decided to hit Balsam from the east in McKenley Hollow( a route I had never done before). On my way, I took a moment to remember some ghosts from the Catskills past at the beautiful Oliveria Cemetery.

A little over a mile in on McKenley Hollow Road, I arrived at the parking area, marked with signage and an informational kiosk.  Two other cars were there when I arrived(possibly also trying to gain their last minute winter ascent of Balsam?)Elevation to start was 1630 feet, meaning the summit was nearly 2000 feet above us.

Almost immediately after leaving the car, the trail, blazed in red, crosses McKenley Hollow Brook, which washed out the original bridge during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.  The new, higher, sturdy bridge easily gets one across the brook.

Once across the brook, the trail heads west through an area that was also rerouted following Tropical Storm Irene, which washed out the old route.  The trail closely follows the picturesque brook for about 1/4 of a mile, before eventually crossing it and then paralleling it from the other side.

After a touch over 6/10 of a mile on the trail I could see a privy through the trees.  Just a few feet away from the privy I spotted the remains of some sort of foundation. 

A few yards further beyond the privy and foundation, I came to the McKenley Hollow Lean To shelter.  I took a minute to check this spot out and it does look like it would make a nice camping spot, with the brook a very short distance away.

Once beyond the Lean To, the trail continues along the brook, soon recrossing it again, and then beginning a very steep ascent, even aided by rock steps in one location.

A light snow had started to fall as I climbed, at first seeming barely noticeable, but within minutes picking up in intensity. 

As I gained elevation the snowfall rate really hastened, with visibility starting to drop as well.

A look back near a steep area of the trail along the brook, with a steady snow falling.  The nearby ridge lines, which could easily be spotted through the trees just minutes ago, were now completely gone.

At just over 2500 feet, I left the trail, heading north/ northwest in a more direct line towards the summit.  As I made my ascent through the now very wintry woods, I came to the head of one of the drainages.

The woods were very open and easily navigable, as I continued to gain elevation at a very steady clip.

The snow squall was showing no signs of letting up, making for an eerily beautiful scene. 

As I continued up over 3100 feet, I began to turn more north on very steep, but manageable slopes.  Once under 2/10 of a mile to the summit, I decided to head right for it, arriving at the wooded 3600 foot summit in no time.

There are no views from the summit, but I knew that a short distance north on the trail, there is a spectacular vista, so I headed over there to enjoy the view.  Big Indian and the valley of Route 28 can easily be seen surrounded by towering peaks all around it.

I spent a few moments at the view spot, soaking in the spectacular view, before finally turning back.

The woods along the summit ridge were much more wintry, with deep snow, and hemlock replacing hardwoods.

I was only on the trail briefly before heading back into the woods, this time heading more east/ southeast off the summit ridge.  The descent was actually very gentle through pleasant,open woods.  Once back below 3000 feet, and facing a more southerly direction, the snow disappeared almost completely.

The terrain rotated between gradual to very steep, but with open hardwoods all around it was easy going.  Down near 2600 feet, I soon came to a bit of a clearing, with through the trees views over Big Indian Hollow and the many ridges of Panther Mountain unfolding before me.

Being careful to stay on state land, I turned and headed nearly due south over very steep slopes to get back down to the DEC trail.

Once back down on the trail, it was an easy hike out, rock hopping back over McKenley Hollow Brook...

...and passing over stone steps and a magical looking forest on my final leg of the hike.

Enjoyed a nice but steep hike up to Balsam Mountain, gaining nearly 2100 feet over 5.6 miles RT.  About 2/3 trail, and 1/3 bushwhack on my all important winter ascent of Balsam.  I've now officially met the requirements to be a Catskill 3500 Club Member...and with that...goodbye winter.