Mallet Pond State Forest(Schoharie County, NY)

Headed out to rural Schoharie County late this afternoon to do a short walk to Mallet Pond in the 2584 acre Mallet Pond State Forest.  I parked in a large pull off along the south shoulder of Sawyer Hollow Road and crossed over the road to get started, heading north on an unmarked but obvious woods road. 

Once you are in the woods the old road is actually marked with snowmobile blazing and shows obvious ATV use during the summer months. 

The trail/ old road heads almost directly north, passing first through hardwoods, then climbing up into a dark conifer forest.

The "trail" was pleasant enough, although quite muddy.  The dampness also seemed to beckon the bugs into the area.

Vestiges of the past.  Stone walls line the old road..one of the only tangible signs left behind that is man made in these woods.

After about 1.2 miles, I arrived at the gorgeous SE shore of Mallet Pond.

The pond is rugged and remote and is a wonderful place to escape the world.  It was created back in 1976 by the New York Power Authority.

A perfect summer evening, with just a few fair weather clouds and low humidity.

Black eyed Susan's along the shoreline.

I wandered a herd path around the south end of the pond and then explored some informal campsites in the woods before turning back.  Found some funky fungi in the wet woods.

Enjoyed a nice and easy stroll on the woods road back to the car.

Hiked about 2.6 miles total with 330 feet of climbing along the way.  A beautiful and serene, out of the way, slice of heaven.

Black Mountain(Hudson Gorge Wilderness-Adirondacks)

Headed north on a scorcher of a summer day to check out 2290 foot Black Mountain and Black Mountain Ponds in the Hudson Gorge Wilderness.  After visiting neighboring Starbuck Mountain last year, the open cliffs atop Black have been on my radar ever since.  Even early in the morning on this day, the heat and humidity were cranking up, so I took a couple minutes to check out the Hudson River in the nearby hamlet of North River.

There are several pull offs and access points to the Hudson as it parallels Route 28 on the way to Indian Lake.

After enjoying a few minutes along the Hudson, I continued on a short distance into the town of Indian Lake and a dirt pull off area where Route 28 meets Cleveland Road.  This spot is marked with a giant red chair and the words Indian Lake written in front.  Geared up and crossed Route 28 heading north, elevation a bit over 1700 feet. There is no trail for this mountain, so this would be a bushwhack hike.

I followed the state land boundary, blazed in yellow to an easy crossing over pretty Raquette Brook. 

Beyond the brook, I picked up a rock climbers path to the base of Starbuck Mountain, before leaving it, bushwhacking east towards Black Mountain's lower slopes.  The climb up Black was pretty straightforward and fairly steep.  As I gained elevation, I swung a bit more south towards the southern cliffs of the mountain.  Once there, I picked up a rough herd path heading right towards the ledges.

There are a couple of open areas with good, but limited, views along the way so I continued east along the area of ledges.

My persistence paid off, as wide open ledges began to appear before me..with a vertical drop off below.

I really had a lot of fun exploring these open ledges.  Pine needles and crunchy undergrowth cushioned my footsteps.

The wide open south facing cliffs allow a good luck towards South, Pete Gay, Gore, Height of Land  Mountains. 

To the west/ southwest the view takes in an unnamed beaver pond at the base of the mountain as well as Ruby and Davis Mountains.  Route 28 continues its course west into the hamlet Indian Lake. 

Traffic flowing along Route 28 can be seen far below in the haze.

Each open ledge provided a slightly different vantage point.

From this vantage point, I spotted the cliffs I had already explored on this peak as well as neighboring Starbuck Mountain's numerous rock ledges and cliffs.  Casey Mountain is the peak just beyond in the distance.

Each successive ledge seemed to be just as open and jaw dropping as the one before.  Another ledge view towards the peaks surrounding Gore Mountain.  Route 28 can again be seen threading through the valley below.

Blueberries are starting to ripen and there seems to be an abundance on this mountain, so I'm sure the black bears will be paying a visit soon.

Circling around the ledge bands.

Ruby and Davis Mountain's again, this time from a different set of ledges, facing more easterly.

Continuing all the way around to a yet another spectacular, wide open ledge, with views to the east this time.  The Barton Mines Hudson River Plant is really the only man made thing seen in this shot looking east.  The valley of Route 28 cuts between Moxham and South Mountains just beyond the plant.

The multiple rocky summits of nearby Moxham Mountain really stand out.

The east facing ledges were actually the most open at all, with a large open rock slab providing 180 degree views.  South views still take in Ruby and Davis Mountains.

After enjoying the incredible views, it was finally time for me to move on, heading towards the summit.  At first I followed a hard path west, but soon enough it was back to true bushwhacking through scratchy spruce heading northerly.  Luckily, the ascent wasn't terrible through here so I just kept my head down and barrelled through.

Scrapped my way up to the 2290 foot summit, which was fully wooded in thick spruce.

With annoying bugs and scratchy spruce all around, I didn't linger long at the summit, dropping west down towards Black Mountain Ponds.  It was a bit steep down near the water so I carefully weaved my way down the last stretch coming out to a gorgeous view north of the ponds.  Found a small spot to chill and hydrate, soaking in the solitude.

Looking at the south end of the ponds, surrounded by spruce.  This spot had a truly remote feeling to it.

Once leaving the ponds, I picked up a herd path heading south back towards the road.  It got me back within 3/10 of a mile to the road, where I had to bushwhack my way back, being careful to stay on public land.  Got back to the car, drenched in sweat.  What a truly steamy summer day!  Possibly the hottest day of the year and it sure felt like it.  While I thought the mountain views would be good, I was actually a bit shocked at how good they were.  A pretty remarkable little peak!  Hiked 5.2 miles Rt with about 1200 feet of climbing.
Today's Route below.     Red=Ascent  Blue=Descent(route out)

Partridge Run WMA(Berne-Helderbergs, Albany County)

Headed up to 4500 acre Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area in the town of Berne after work this afternoon.  The WMA is located in the high elevation of the Helderbergs in Albany County near the Schoharie County Line and has many different access points and trails.  I decided to explore the area around Beaver Road today where there are an abundance of small but pretty ponds.  Parked in a small pull off on Beaver Road to get started, right next to Wood Pond.  Elevation to start on this hot and humid day was just a touch over 1800 feet.

From Wood Pond, I walked north along Beaver Road for less than 2/10 of a mile before turning west(left) onto a XC Ski Trail.  Mid summer conditions mean plenty of wildflowers along the route.

The XC Ski Trail I was on was blazed in yellow and quite wet in spots.  The trail crosses over a high spot on its way west under a gorgeous hardwood canopy.

After passing through an old clear cut area, the trail drops down to a picturesque but muddy beaver pond.

The beaver pond has no name, but is still very handsome.  Unfortunately, this nice spot was somewhat ruined when the bugs began to annoy me.

Sitting in a fairly flat area at 1900 feet, this spot doesn't seem to drain very well, and the beavers have made the trail around the pond extremely wet. 

Continuing on beyond the beaver pond, still heading west, the trail climbs back up into a shaded, mixed forest.  The XC Ski Trail follows the remnants of Bradt Hill Road, an old road from many years ago.

 A gorgeous section of the trail, passing beneath giant old relics. 

 There are several trails that split off the trail I was on, but I stuck with the main one, blazed in yellow(and occasional blue) keeping right at all forks.  This trail meanders north, then back east through quiet, peaceful woods. After a while, I finally came to another small but pretty body of water called Hidden Pond.

 Hidden Pond's water was a bit dirty in appearance, but the setting was truly beautiful regardless.

Heading east back towards Beaver Road through an open meadow.  Without the woods for cover, the sun was really blazing, driving up the heat quickly.

Other than ponds, this land is also dotted with stone walls, which seem to be found just about everywhere I looked. 

Once back on Beaver Road, it was a short walk over to an rough access road to Waxwing Pond.  While still small, this pond was a bit bigger than the two I had already been to.  A beaver dam sits almost right in the middle of the water, where I spooked a heron who seemed to be using it to do some fishing.

Following the dike along the west edge of the pond, enjoying the great views.

After enjoying the pond, I headed back out onto Beaver Road, following the peaceful, seasonal dirt road south back towards the car.

Before getting back to the car, I decided to make one last stop at Becker Pond.  A short access road leads to the pond, which was the largest of all the ones I visited today.  I came upon two fishermen out enjoying the water, the only other people I saw all day.  One of them even offered me a beer!

From Becker Pond, it was a short but steep climb back to the car.  Worked up a good sweat, but unfortunately had to deal with irritating bugs as well.  Hiked about 4.5 miles RT with 500 feet of total ascent.
Today's Route highlighted in red.