Big Pisgah & Little Pisgah(Hudson Gorge Wilderness-Adirondacks)

Having previously visited the old Gooley Club Land that the state acquired a few years ago near the Essex County/ Hamilton County line, I decided to revisit this land with a new lens(so to speak).  I drove as far north as I could from Route 28 on Chain Lakes Road until a washed out area stopped me.  Many others may not have issues with this area as it does appear to be driveable, but I didn't want to take any chances with my low clearance sedan. It did add about 4/10 of a mile each way , but that didn't bother me.  The black flies, however, did bother me, but not as bad as they could've been.  The road walk went by quickly and within a few minutes I arrived at the condemned Gooley Club building near the gate and trail sign in. 

The old Club's access roads are now marked as trails and are slowly being reclaimed by nature.  They served as my route into and out of this beautiful area.

A little less than half a mile beyond the gate and trailhead, I left the trail and headed north up towards Big Pisgah Mountain.  The woods were remarkably open and made for very pleasant bushwhacking. 

Within 15 minutes, the woods got noticeably steeper and then I emerged into several wide open areas just below the summit.

The south facing slopes of 2211 foot Big Pisgah Mountain appear to have suffered from a previous burn which has left poor soil and hence, extensive open areas to explore and enjoy views. 

South facing views towards the peaks surrounding Indian Lake.

The view shed is quite nice, stretching from SE to SW, from Gore all the way towards Blue Ridge(and even Blue from certain angles).

These orange leaves caught my eye from a distance...a(very) early fall??

After enjoying the summit views on Big Pisgah, I dropped west/northwest and then back up towards neighboring Little Pisgah Mountain. The woods between the peaks were all hardwood and very easy to navigate.  I saw many old rusted metal trail markers along old woods roads in between, which I'm guessing were used by the club, prior to the state acquiring the land.

A short climb up brought me to the open summit of 2200 foot Little Pisgah Mountain.

The summit of Little Pisgah was very similar to Big Pisgah.  Very large, open former burned areas offer up tremendous south facing views.

After exploring the open summit, soaking in the views, I dropped down the steep NW slopes, where sporadic openings provided more views, although certainly not as good as the summit.  The views I did find were towards Blue Mountain(L) and Dun Brook Mountain(R).

A short, steep drop brought me down to the blue trail(the Gooley Club road), which I followed a short distance until meeting up with the Clear Pond trail, blazed in yellow.  Although the trail signage indicates that it is only 3/10 of a mile, I found that it was nearly double that.  The pond is absolutely gorgeous.

I enjoyed the solitude of the pond, with Dun Brook Mountain on the horizon beyond.  Unfortunately, the black flies chased me away after just a few minutes.

Followed the yellow trail back to the main trail along the road, which I followed back towards the trailhead.

Just prior to reaching the car, I spotted an unmarked foot path heading down towards the Hudson River.  A short but well trodden path brought me down to the wild and scenic Hudson.  This spot is the last take out before paddlers encounter the rapids on the river, where the Hudson and Indian Rivers come together.

Hiked nearly 7 miles total, with over 1000 feet of ascent.  A very nice day in the Adirondacks.