Tried to beat the worst of the heat today by doing an early morning jaunt at the high elevation Schenectady Forest off of Lake Road in Duanesburg. Parked in the empty(yay!), well marked lot off of Lake Road(Elevation 1420 feet) and headed north into the woods. Within just a couple minutes of easy strolling, I arrived at a large, picturesque pond, the Forest's centerpiece.
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Beyond the pond, I took the blue trail around the perimeter of the Forest, passing by several areas of handsome old stone walls along the way.
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From the north end of the County Forest, a green blazed trail forms a 1.1 mile loop in the Duanesburg Forest through quiet woods and briefly along an abandoned town road.
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Back on the blue blazed trail, I crossed over the marshy east end of the pond I had passed by earlier, with just the hint of some storm clouds beginning to form nearby.
The footbridge crossing the marshy area.
Passing through a gorgeous alley of trees, planted back in the 1930's, during the height of the Depression.
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A small spur path leads to the Wiggins Family Cemetery-a small plot of 12 graves dating back to the 19th century.
Stopping back by the pond one last time before surrendering to the humidity and bugs.
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Hiked about 3 miles total with only minimal elevation gain along the way. Didn't see another soul all day, but between the pesky bugs and tropical humidity I was happy to be back in the AC of my car.
Looks like a nice place; I'll have to check it out sometime. Kudos to you for venturing out today, I could barely make it down my driveway in this heat & humidity. With all this energy I'm storing I think I might climb all the high peaks in the fall!
ReplyDeleteHaha yes Ned, can't wait for the fall weather!! How many of the High Peaks have you already hiked, if you don't mind me asking?
DeleteNone! Unless Noonmark counts but that's not a 46er. My goal is always to be away from the crowds (kinda like you) so I avoid the high peaks although I do Mt Washington NH every May, that's a pretty high peak (6288') !
DeleteWow-none! I agree on the High Peaks though. Very nice mountains but also very overdone...I prefer the solitude. I actually like some of the peripheral mountains in the High Peaks although it's a very long drive for a day trip.
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