"Catskill 4 Bagger"(Delaware County-Western Catskills)

Met up with my good buddy Jim to do a grab bag of western Catskill peaks, using DEP land to access each of them.  The pastoral feel of these Catskills is hard to find elsewhere, with only certain parts of Vermont coming close to the vibe that these give me.  As I've mentioned before in other posts, this particular area is my favorite to visit, so I was quite excited to get out exploring.  Heading down into Bovina to meet up with Jim, I passed by this particular farm setting and had to stop.  The cool late summer morning mist burning off as another day gets going in Delaware County.

Jim is wealth of knowledge on these Catskill peaks and has done many of them, including from different routes, so I eagerly seek out his input on all of these hikes.  Our first peak of the day was to be 2624 foot Mill Mountain, where DEP access doesn't go quite to the summit, but within a contour away.  We parked on the shoulder of County Route 6(New Kingston Road) and began our ascent, climbing over 600 feet in half a mile.  As always, handsome stone walls greeted us as we entered the open hardwood forest.

The slopes of Mill Mountain are steep, but always manageable.

Our high point for public access was just below the summit and clearly marked.  The woods here were quite open, and filled with ferns.

It's amazing what you may see when wandering the woods.  This tree has certainly been through its share of tough times.

Nearing the road, we passed through a meadow full of goldenrods and an east facing view towards 2900 foot Burnt Hill, just beyond the nearby, smaller peak.

A quick glance at the DEP access map for Mill Mountain.

Next stop was a very short distance north to another DEP access spot along New Road. This parcel heads up through wide open agricultural land and continues right up to the very top of the 2568 foot mountain.  While there is no formal name for the peak, we referred to it as SSW Warren Mountain. 

We made our our up through the open meadows, views increasing as we ascended.  After a bit of climbing, we noticed a berm and small pond just a few yards away, so we had to check it out.  This was an absolutely beautiful spot, with the calm water hemmed in by goldenrods and long distant views of Mill Mountain to the south, as well as "Coulter Brook Mountain".

We circled the pond, with different phenomenal views every step we took.  This was the west view towards the surrounding farmland and other Catskill 200 hundred highest peaks.

While autumn may be knocking on the door, summer's wildflowers are still holding on strong.

The woods above the farm fields were a treat, complete with stone walls, sedge grass and ferns.

Ascending through a gorgeous fern glade.

Higher up the mountain the ferns took on an autumn appearance, golden brown, but still beautiful.

After a very pleasant ascent, we ran into the summit cone, which was a sea of prickers, some over our heads.  Not the most pleasant last 2/10 of a mile.

We didn't linger long at the summit, quickly making our way back down into the open hardwoods below.  Early fall foliage only enhanced the experience.

We really enjoyed the nice and easy descent back down through the gorgeous farmland.  Tough to beat this.

Near the bottom of the fields, I came across an apple tree...loaded with green apples!  It just keeps getting better!

Here is a snapshot of the DEP map for SSW Warren.

Our last stop for the day was just a little further northwest to dirt Scutt Mountain Road, a high elevation seasonal access road.  There is a wealth of DEP land on both sides of this road, offering up plenty of recreational opportunities.

Our starting point for this next hike was over 2100 feet, as we set off into the open meadows to the south of the road, heading to 2646 foot "Scutt Mountain".

One of the benefits of climbing up through open fields are extensive views.  From high up in the meadows, we caught this nice look south towards 3365 foot Mount Pisgah.

NE views towards "NE Scutt Mountain", whcih would end up being our last peak for the day.

Enjoying the east view towards part of the Warren Range.

One last look at Mount Pisgah, with its ski slopes and 911 tower at the top.

Once again upon leaving the open fields, we entered more beautiful hardwoods, graced with old stone walls.

A steep push up got us near the summit, which much to our dismay, was again loaded with prickers.  We fought our way up to the high point before dropping back down into the open woods below the top.

Early fall foliage on the descent.

After crossing back over Scutt Mountain Road, we began to climb up "NE Scutt Mountain", a 2490 foot peak that sits(fittingly enough) just NE of Scutt Mountain.  The woods on this peak were very hiker friendly, offering up little resistance.

Near the summit of this peak, we came upon a large cliff band, a staple of many of the higher, eastern peaks of the Catskills, but seemingly out of place here.  We hit the wooded summit, which sits just beyond this cliff band, before heading back down.

As mentioned earlier, Jim has an extensive knowledge on these peaks, and having previously done this mountain, he knew of an excellent view point to the west from an open field towards Scutt Mountain and Bramley Mountain.  The view did not disappoint!  This is why I truly love these peaks!

As we made our way back towards the cars on Scutt Mountain Road, we soaked in the early fall colors, that seemed to be sprouting up all around us.

The reds really seem to be a step ahead at these elevations!

Strolling through open meadows, with fall foliage beginning to emerge....this is what it's all about.

Our DEP access to the last two peaks for the day, "Scutt Mountain" and "NE Scutt Mountain".

 Totals for the day between all 4 mountains, was 7 miles RT and 2200 feet of ascent.  As September rolls on and we close in on autumn, the days are bittersweet.  Today, however, was just plain sweet.

John Pond Ridge(Siamese Ponds Wilderness-Adirondacks)

With an iffy weather forecast, I decided to do an easy half day hike in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area.  My plan for the day was to do a loop hike from Clear Pond to John Pond on trail, adding John Pond Ridge via bushwhack between the two.  Parked my car on the shoulder of Wilderness Lane and opted to hike in to Clear Pond first with an elevation to start the day of 1695 feet.  A nice and easy one mile hike in on a yellow blazed trail got me to Clear Pond.  Hints of autumn were all around, from temps in the low 60's to fall foliage breaking out on the occasional tree.

A short spur trail heads over to a beautiful spot on Clear Pond.  A fire ring, row boats and easy water access make this a must see spot.

After checking out the clearing on the pond, I headed back to the trail junction, where a left hand turn brought me back onto the yellow trail towards John Pond.  This part of the trail heads south, closely following the west shore of Clear Pond, where occasional openings provide nice water views.

As the trail nears the south end of the pond it turns away from the water and climbs into a hardwood forest.  About 2/10 of a mile after leaving the shoreline, I headed off trail into the woods, ascending an open forest.  A steady 300 foot climb got me up onto the north end of John Pond Ridge, where a large expanse of open rock provided great views towards John Pond and Bullhead Mountain beyond.

SW views towards Chimney Mountain.

The ridge is actually broken into three separate summits, spread out over 3/4 of a mile.  The bushwhacking is very pleasant up high through grassy clearings and open hardwoods.  This hike was all about the views and not elevation, as the high point on the ridge is just over 2300 feet.

From the middle summit, I tried to get a glimpse north to the high peaks, but storm clouds were quickly moving in up there.

On my way to the third and southern most summit, the dark clouds were really moving in, threatening overhead.

The southern most summit provides a really good view of John Pond and its odd, off-green like color.

Bullhead Mountain, one of the Adirondack hundred highest peaks, looms impressively to the south.  Storm clouds behind it kept me from lingering long.

The southern end of the ridge is filled with much more spruce, but a carpet of white moss makes for a nice walk.

I dropped off the southern end of the ridge, heading east towards John Pond.  Once off the cliffs, it was a very easy hike down through more hardwoods.  The dark clouds above really took away from the pictures of the pond.

Nearing the lean to, I found an open area with good views of the pond.

The southern ridge above John Pond is easily visible from a spot near the lean to.

Arriving back at the trail, I quickly stumbled upon the lean to. 

Fearing that the skies would open up any minute and knowing I had over 2.6 miles left to hike, I fervently made my way on the yellow marked trail, which was actually an old road.

A short side trail, blazed in red, breaks off from the main trail momentarily leading to a sad 19th century grave site.

Back on the main yellow marked trail, the hike is fairly benign, with the exception of a small foot path down to a large wetland.  This is part of John's Pond Brook and provides glimpses of the surrounding mountains from the extensive wetlands.

After an uneventful 2.4 miles, I arrived at the John Pond trailhead, where a short road walk brought me back to Wilderness Lane.  From there it was another short road walk to the car to complete the half day loop.  Hiked about 5.5 miles RT, with a little over 1000 feet of ascent for the day.
Red=Trail  Blue=Bushwhack

Holt Preserve(New Scotland, Albany County)

Quiet, tranquil weather moved in following a line of thunderstorms this afternoon, allowing me to pay a visit to the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy's 148 acre Holt Preserve.  The Preserve is located on the western slopes of Copeland Hill in the town of New Scotland and is a peaceful place to take a relaxing walk.  Clearing skies greeted me as I strolled past the kiosk onto the red trail, soon arriving at a small but picturesque pond.

As I made my way around the water's edge, I noticed that I had become quite popular among the fish species residing in the pond.

The trail fully loops around the pond with an attractive clearing and bench on the north side of the water.

After enjoying the pond scene I continued on, entering into a beautiful hardwood forest on old, decaying wood steps.

I explored the red, green, blue and yellow trails on what turned out to be a gorgeous afternoon.

The blue trail passes close by to the edge of the escarpment, offering up broken views down into the nearby hills and farmland.

Wandered about, enjoying the solitude of the woods on this nice and easy 2 mile walk.
On my drive out, near the trailhead, I stopped for a moment to take in the west views from the open meadows and an old, dilapidated barn.

Moose Mountain(Wilcox Lake Wild Forest-Adirondacks)

1840 foot Moose Mountain in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest has been on my bucket list for quite a while and today would prove to be the day that I finally would pay it a visit.  Just to clarify, there are many "Moose Mountains" in the Adirondacks, but this is the one that sits just off Route 30 near the Sacandaga Campground in the town of Wells.  Some folks like to approach this peak directly from Route 30, but I decided to hike in from Pumpkin Hollow Road, where a snowmobile trail crosses the road near Willis Lake.  I followed the trail for about 1/10 of a mile to the outlet of Willis Lake before beginning my bushwhack.

Once off the trail, I followed the south side of the outlet stream where fallen pine needles cushioned each step.

As I followed the outlet, the ravine became very steep, but I simply stayed the course, staying high above the steep slopes.

While almost a staple of Catskill hikes, I rarely stumble upon stone walls up in the Adirondacks, so it was a nice find when I saw this moss covered stone wall near the outlet.

After about 6/10 of a mile, I dropped down to an easy rock crossing of Coulumbe Creek.

I took a moment to soak in the tranquility along this peaceful creek.

A short distance beyond the creek  crossing, I ran into another drainage and an old woods road, that was in surprisingly good condition.  It appeared that some sort of old camp must have been here many years ago.  A few yards off the woods road, I found this very old, rusted car.

Old tires were strewn about near the car, as well as other rusted camp tools and parts.

The woods road gained me some elevation as it climbed the eastern slopes of Moose Mountain.

After gaining about 250 feet from the drainage, I left the woods road and headed straight up the open hardwood forest, aiming at the set of cliffs along the south side of the peak.  At about 1500 feet, I began to encounter the first of the open ledges that ring the summit ridge.  The view was south, towards Route 30 and the Sacanadaga valley.

From an area of open rock on the eastern summit of Moose, I caught this glimpse NW towards Dugway, Swart and Hamilton Mountains.

As I neared the eastern summit, the views only got better.  This is the south facing view from up high.

Grassy slopes along the summit ridge made for a pleasant spot to relax and take a break.

Continuing on short distance beyond the summit, I found another open rock slab, with more outstanding views.  The SW views here take in Three Ponds and Wallace Mountains.

The true summit sits about 3/10 of a mile west so I continued over there, making it in less than 10 minutes. The summit is wooded, but dropping down about 1/10 of mile, I found a gorgeous set of western ledges with views towards the West Branch valley.  A couple of birds of prey flew away when I approached the ledges and I was even able to capture one of them in this shot.

I quickly moved on from the ledges to allow the birds to go back to their perch.  As I headed back towards the eastern summit I stayed slightly lower on the slopes, to see the rocky ledges from below.  This was a very fun exploration, with more open rock than I had first thought.

As I headed back up and over the eastern summit, clouds began to move in, so I picked up my pace, quickly heading back to the car.

Luckily the rain held off and I made it back to the car as the sun began to come out.  About 5 miles RT, with 1300 plus feet of ascent on this fun day.