Cooper Kiln Pond & Morgan Mountain(Wilmington Wild Forest-Adirondacks)

Headed up into the northern Adirondacks to check out a small jewel of a pond by trail and to hit a hundred highest ADK mountain in the Stephenson Range via a short bushwhack.  I parked at the trailhead for Cooper Kiln Pond off of Gillespie Drive, which is just over half a mile NW past its junction with Whiteface Memorial Highway.  Elevation at the trailhead is about 2360 feet and there was only one other car there when I arrived.  The trail actually starts on an old jeep road/ snowmobile trail and is relatively flat for a while.

After a stream crossing the trail soon begins to climb more steadily on more of a single lane foot path, climbing all the way up to 3230 feet at a height of land.

Once above 3000 feet, much of the trail is wet and muddy but not terrible, as the trail slowly descends down to the pond.

After about 2.7 miles, I arrived at Cooper Kiln Pond, which sits at the foot of of an unnamed ridge in the Wilmington Range.  The trail around the edge of the pond has been recently flooded by beaver so I had to carefully make my way around towards the Lean To.

Sitting at an elevation of 3010 feet, this pond is a real beauty!  What a spot.  I met a nice gentleman who was doing some camping at the Lean To for a couple nights so I didn't take any photos of the shelter out of respect to him.

After chatting for a bit, we parted ways and I retraced my steps back up towards the height of land on the trail.  From this point I began my bushwhack south through a mostly open spruce filled forest. 

There was only a little deadfall to contend with and the spruce never really closed in so I made good time ascending, arriving at the 3440 foot summit in no time.  A ribbon tied around a tree was the only marking I could find. 

After taking a few moments to refresh, I continued on, pressing my way SW from the summit, where the slopes drop off significantly.  After a bit of poking around, I found an open ledge with a nice look over towards nearby Esther and Whiteface Mountains.

From the same ledge looking east.

Peeking around some trees I found this good view down into Wilmington with the Jay Range, Crows and Hurricane off in the distance.

A zoom view of the previous shot.

After enjoying the ledge views, it was a short bushwhack descent back down to the trail, which I followed to the car. 

Hiked about 5.8 miles RT, with over 1300 feet of ascent.
The camper at the Lean To was the only other person I saw the entire day.

Fay, Blueberry and Carson Mountains(Taylor Pond Wild Forest-Adirondacks)

Sitting just east of the Jay Mountain Wilderness in the town of Lewis is a small cluster of trail-less peaks that can be reached via a relatively easy bushwhack.  I had heard that there are good views from these peaks, so I decided to give it a go on a gorgeous late summer day.  Access is from the very end of Seventy Road, which is a seasonal road and a bit rough in spots.  I parked my car at the end of the road, where a Fay Mountain Tract DEC sign can be found.  Elevation here was about 1430 feet.  I began by heading east on an obvious woods road, which soon became more of a foot path.

After less than 1/4 of a mile, I left the woods road and began my bushwhack straight up the steep slopes of Mount Fay.  I easily negotiated some cliffs on the short but strenuous ascent.  Very soon I emerged at the first set of ledges just west of the summit.  The views were were truly outstanding!!

To the NW, the open rock atop Bluff Mountain sure looks inviting.  Unfortunately it's not a public peak though.

Due west from the wide open ledges are the mountains in the Jay Mountain Wilderness, that rise up on the other side of Seventy Road.  In the foreground are (left to right) Slip, Bald and Seventy Mountains.  Just beyond them are US and Death Mountains.

There are actually several layers of open view spots, but as I made my way up I hit a large swath of open meadows interspersed with open rock.  Late summer wildflowers covered the ground making for a ideal scene just below the summit.

Lake Champlain was visible in the distant SE from the open meadows.

Looking up at the 2306 foot summit of Mount Fay.  The summit sits in a clearing but far back from the ledges. 

It was truly hard to pull myself away from the wide open views.  Here is a look south towards some of the eastern High Peaks region in the distance. 

From a set of ledges looking east,  just below the summit, I spotted nearby Carson Mountain and Carson Ledges with Lake Champlain beyond. 

After finally leaving the summit of Mount Fay, I dropped sown to a small col before an easy climb up brought me to the scratchy spruce covered summit of Blueberry Mountain, which is really just a bump on the ridge.  Just prior to descending Blueberry, I caught a nice view of Carson, my next peak.

After a quick but very steep drop off Blueberry, it was an equally quick and steep climb back up Carson.  Arriving at the 2103 foot summit of Carson.

Just a few steps past the summit, is an extraordinary view point to the east/ southeast.

The views weren't quite as open as Fay, but still spectacular.  Here is a view east/ NE across Willsboro, Lake Champlain and towards the Green Mountains of Vermont.

To the east sits the small peak called Carson Ledges which is unfortunately private.  The views, however, stretch far and wide from this ledge as well. 

I wandered the steep south slopes of Carson and caught a nice look back across to Little Fay and Fay Mountains, with Slip Mountain just beyond. 

From the ledges, I dropped back down into the saddle of Carson and Blueberry, where I was left with a choice.  Instead of climbing back over the peaks I had just been on, I instead opted to skirt the north slopes of Blueberry and Fay on my return hike to the car.  This proved to be a pretty straightforward route through mostly open woods.  Hiked about 4 miles RT with 1400 feet of ascent on a pleasantly cool day.

 

Hopper Slide/ Stony Ledge(Mount Greylock State Reservation-Berkshires)

Decided to head east into the Berkshires to try to find a small slide on the west side of Mount Greylock, directly above March Cataract Falls and over the area known as The Hopper.  Parked at the end of Hopper Road and began heading east on the handsome old farm road, elevation 1100 feet. 

I stayed straight on the blue blazed Hopper Trail, which climbs directly up the gut of the large, deep cirque known as the Hopper.  The trail climbs moderately, gaining about 1300 feet in 2 miles, where it arrives at Sperry Road. 

I was only on Sperry Road for a brief moment before ducking back into the woods on the March Cataract Falls Trail.  This trail climbs a bit before dropping down to the falls in about 3/4 of a mile.  I was actually a bit surprised to see how much water was coming down the falls due to the time of season.

After enjoying the falls, I dropped down about 30 yards and crossed the brook, before beginning a very steep climb up the other side of the brook.  There is a bit of blowdown to contend with, but within just a few minutes I had found the slide. It was quite grown in, but still obvious.

I was able to make my way up the steep scree field with incredible views back down into the Hopper. 

Low brush and small trees have really grown in, crowding much of the slide but there are some open peeks down the near vertical slope.

As I neared the headwall, the slopes got dangerously steep and also thick with brush and small trees.  This forced me to leave the slide and head off into the woods to the left.  The woods were pretty open here, but incredibly steep and filled with duff.

I kind of backtracked my way down to the headwall at about 2700 feet, trying safely to find the best view I could get.  From a small opening atop a ledge I found this small view looking across the Hopper at Stony Ledge.  It's hard to tell in photographs, but the footing through here was pretty rough and the slopes were dangerously steep.

Once back in the safety of the woods, I took this shot looking back down at the top of the slide.

A nice, short and easy bushwhack through mostly open woods brought me to the Overlook Trail.

Took the Overlook Trail to the Hopper Trail, then back to Sperry Road, which I stayed on all the way up to stony Ledge.  Given the time of year, I was a bit shocked to see the vibrant yellow colors showing up along Sperry Road, near the summit of Stony Ledge.  Autumn is just around the corner.

As always, the view from Stony Ledge never disappoints.  The best part today was that I was able to spot the slide I had just been on directly across the Hopper.

I hastily made my way down the Haley Farm Trail, stopping only to enjoy the spectacular north facing view into Williamstown and the southern Vermont peaks beyond.

Another evening view NW across the Williamstown area.

As I dropped down the steep slopes, I was reminded just how quickly the seasons transition,as the sun seemed to all but disappear.  Sunsets are now well before 8pm and even earlier in the deep woods.

Back down off the mountain, the farm road quietly makes its way past old stone walls and lengthening shadows.

Once back at the car, I had to stop and soak in the majestic view of Mount Prospect towering above this gorgeous old barn.  The early evening light only enhanced the moment. 

 

Hiked about 7.5 miles total, with 2400 feet of total elevation gain.

Today's rough route below.  Red=Trail  Blue=Slide/Bushwhack

 

 

Grafton Forest(Grafton-Rensselaer County, NY)

Took advantage of a beautiful, fall like afternoon by heading up into the hills of Rensselaer County to visit the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance's Grafton Forest at the end of Stuffle Street in the town of Grafton.  One bit of caution for anyone attempting to visit here though...the ride in can be a bit of an adventure if you don't have a high clearance vehicle.  Luckily my SUV had plenty of clearance, but I definitely took my time driving in.  Bright blue skies, a cool breeze and temperatures in the upper 60's were just the recipe for a gorgeous stroll as I set out, elevation to start was just over 1340 feet.

Almost immediately I left the main trail(Whoop-de-do) and picked up the yellow blazed Valley View Trail, which is a gorgeous foot path that climbs steadily west towards the view.

Less than half a mile into the hike and I had this view!  Jackpot!

Looking north towards the Tomhannock Reservoir.

From the large clearing at the Valley View, I took in this view NW across northern Rensselaer County.

The foot trail continues past the Valley View, working its way north-northwest crossing a maze of fern filled old woods roads along the way.

After a little bit of ups and downs, I finally came to the spot known as the Vulture View.  What a spectacular perch!  The view is similar to the Valley View but closer to the Reservoir and gives a slightly different perspective to the surrounding landscape.

To the east of the Reservoir, the rolling farmland and hills of Rensselaer County into Washington County stretch as far as the eye can see.

A closer look provides a glimpse of the farmland on Fords Hill and traffic on nearby Route 7 at the south end of the Reservoir.

After soaking in the vista for several minutes, I continued on, following the orange blazed Vulture View Trail for roughly half a mile back to the white blazed Whoop-de-do Trail, which is really just a rough forest road. 

The Whoop-de-do trail makes its way NE passing by a large wetland, which sits just off trail to the right.

A short distance later I came to a handsome little Lean-To sitting unassumingly in an open wooded area.

I stopped to check out the Lean-To, which appears to be newly built and is in pristine condition.  The gorgeous day and the quiet setting made for a perfect spot to stop and chill for a bit.  I really enjoyed soaking up the serenity here.  

 

Just a few yards in front of the Lean-To is this view, across the large marshy area.  The Forest map refers to this marsh as a "Oligotrophic Dimictic Lake".  Not entirely sure what that means. 

 

From the Lean To, I picked up the red blazed High Point Trail, which passes through one gorgeous fern glade after another, as it modestly makes its way uphill to the east.

The red trail climbs up into open woods before arriving in an airy, sedge grass clearing at a spot marked as the High Point.  I believe, off the record, that this is the high spot in the forest at just over 1560 feet.

Bear claw marks!  Very cool!

Followed the red blazes back to the car for a total of 4.8 miles RT.  Elevation gained was around 800 feet on a nearly perfect(in my opinion) late summer afternoon.
Updated trail map of Grafton Forest, as posted inside the Lean-To.