Schenectady County Forest/ Duanesburg Forest(Town of Duanesburg, Schenectady County)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

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.

Long Path-Partridge Run WMA/Gifford Hollow(Town of Berne, Albany County)

Did a fairly benign hike along the Long Path in rural Albany County after work this afternoon, on yet another hot, sunny day.   Thankfully humidity was tolerable and there was even a light breeze to help ease the heat.  Parked at the intersection of Gifford Hollow Road and Switzkill Road(Elevation 1085 feet)and walked less than 2/10 of a mile west on Gifford Hollow Road, before turning at the Aqua Blazes and entering a large field with a nice view at the eastern escarpment of Partridge Run, which I would soon be climbing.

Made a brief pit stop, about 1/10 of a mile off the Long Path, where a Lean To and fireplace sit at the edge of a field.

 

Just a few short yards away from the Lean To a barely noticeable herd path heads down to the Switz Kill.  As is typical during the height of summer, the creek was nearly 100% dry and filled with rocks.

Back on the Long Path, the trail crosses a couple of large fields heading almost due west, with views towards nearby East Hill and Cole Hill State Forest to the north.

The trail eventually enters the woods, climbing steadily up the eastern escarpment of Partridge Run.

There are no real steep sections to hike, just gradual climbing with a steep drop off right beside the trail.

There are a  couple of small dips and re-climbs along the way as the elevation generally stays between 1400 and 1500 feet.

The trail basically skirts the edge of the steepest slopes, circling around the escarpment and eventually up to a good woods road, that quickly leads to Kingfisher Road(driveable dirt road).  Once on Kingfisher Road, it was all road walking from there.  Kingfisher Road drops steadily down to an abandoned section of Partridge Run Road(no longer open to vehicles)that hugs a tributary of the Switz Kill. There are numerous opportunites to check out the creek, although the water levels are very low..  The old road is is now not much more than a wide foot path in a deep ravine and in about half a mile leads to Gifford Hill Road once again.

 Partridge Run WMA sign near the entrance to the abandoned section of Partridge Run Road.

Once on Gifford Hollow Road again, I road walked all the way back to the car and was shocked to not even see one car pass by.  Covered about 4.6 miles RT with about 600 feet of total ascent.

Map below.  Red P=Parking    Blue=Route

 

Unnamed Hill North of Moon Mountain(Pack Demonstration Forest-Adirondacks)

Did a short hike to a very obscure little peak just east of the Hudson River in Warrensburg this afternoon on what proved to be a gorgeous day.  If you are hard pressed for time but still looking for something with a little bang for the buck and away from the crowds, this peak has much to offer!  I parked in unmarked large pull off on the east shoulder of CR-40(Elevation 705 feet) and headed SE into the woods following a good woods road just beyond a gate that is mostly hidden by summer vegetation.  

The woods road climbs steadily SE, but never steeply, becoming a bit less viable the further up.  I did a bit of exploring south before returning north towards the unnamed hill I wanted to hit.  There are some real nice ledges on this peak facing west, with one in particular providing stellar views.  This is a look south down the Hudson River from the open ledge.

From the same ledge, looking across the Hudson to the west stands Potter Mountain.

After checking out the views as well as other west facing ledges(no other good views I could find though), I bushwhacked over to the 990 foot true summit, which was fully wooded.

Wandered the woods a bit before making my way back down the woods road to the car.  Before leaving, I crossed CR-40 to get an up close view of the Hudson and it was beautiful as always.

A nice and easy 1.8 miles RT, with about 300 feet of ascent.

Map Below.   Red P=Parking  Red X=Unnamed Summit

Garnet Hill(Town of Peru, Berkshires)

Visited Peru in the hilltowns of the eastern Berkshires to hike 2185 foot Garnet Hill, a small peak with a little bit of history tucked into it.  The humidity was fairly low making for a beautiful summer day to do a little exploring after work.  To get started, I parked in a small pull off along Curtin Road, a rough dirt road, far away from civilization(Elevation 1790 feet)in the Peru State Forest.

A Mass DCR sign for Garnet Hill marks the start of the hike, heading west on an abandoned old CCC road. The hike along the road is quite rocky, but still easy, very gradually gaining elevation along the way.

After nearly 3/4 of a mile, a foot path/ ATV trail leaves the road and heads south, marked with occasional American flags as trail markers.

Just a bit over 1/3 of a mile from the road, I arrived at a Memorial Site.  This marked the spot of a horrific 1942 plane crash, involving 19 US Air Force Paratroopers, claiming the lives of 16 of these soldiers. The men were returning from a training mission during the height of World War 2.

Plaque honoring the fallen.

From the Memorial site, I retraced my steps back to the old CCC road and then continued my slow ascent up to the summit.  The road ends in a meadow like clearing just below the true summit, complete with a fire pit and a view.

The summit views aren't great, but at nearly 2200 feet, the view east is still nice.

I attempted to get a better view, but unfortunately it didn't help.

I explored the area around the summit, and it is filled with the most abundant areas of fern glades that I may have ever seen.  Nestled in amongst the waist high sea of ferns were impressive old stone walls as well!

I eventually wandered up to the true 2185 foot summit, that sits about 100 yards off the old road and itself sits in a small clearing.  Not really much to see though.

A very easy bushwhack brought me over to the CCC road, which I hiked all the way back down to the car.  An interesting 3.5 miles RT, with over 400 feet of ascent, and didn't see another person.  Did, however, see many annoying bugs that kept me company. 

Map Below.  Red=Old Road/ ATV Trail   Blue=Foot Trail/ ATV tracks to Memorial  Black X=Memorial

Robert Ingalls Preserve(Town of Stephentown, Rensselaer County)

Headed out for a short walk at the Rensselaer Land Trust's Robert Ingalls Preserve this evening following a brief downpour on yet another hot and sultry summer day.  The rain temporarily cooled things off to a somewhat tolerable level, so I tried to take advantage of that small window. 

Conditions have been quite dry all summer, and although Black Brook was low it did have ample water to soak my feet in.

Evening sunshine coming through the tree canopy.

I wandered the various trails at the Preserve, but was quickly noticing an increase in humidity as I made my way through the woods.

Sally's Rest-A new addition since my last visit here-is a bench along the Ridge Trail overlooking the wooded ravine of Black Brook. 

Covered a nice and easy 1.5 miles RT, and worked up a good sweat along the way.
 

Blueberry Mountain(High Peaks Wilderness-Adirondacks)

Did a short hike up Blueberry Mountain in the heart of the High Peaks region on this sultry, steamy summer day.  Blueberry Mountain may be short in stature nestled among much higher peaks, but it is quite a steep trail with good views on top to boot.  I parked at Marcy Airfield(Elevation 985 feet)and much to my surprise, only saw two other cars there when I arrived. 

The trail is quite rugged and steep, and I was working up a really good sweat-gaining 2000 feet in just over 2 miles. I was rewarded with many good views along the way though!  Looking down into Keene Valley with Giant Mountain towering above.

Porter Mountain's neighboring ridgeline.

Views towards the Great Range.

 

Southeast views ranging from Giant(left) to Dix(far right).

There are great views from numerous vantage points including this look north towards Keene.

NW views towards Pitchoff's long ridge.

Although the views were enjoyable, it was quite uncomfortable in the steamy mid day heat, so I descended hastily to try to beat the worst of the blazing sun. 

A tough little hike, but very rewarding.  About 4.8 miles RT, with over 2000 feet of ascent and only saw one other hiker all day!!  Stay hydrated my friends.

 

Long Path-Joslyn Road to Doppler Radar(Town of Berne, Albany County)

Did a short evening walk along a quiet stretch of the Long Path in the hilltowns of rural Albany County today.  Parked along Joslyn School Road in East Berne near an old, abandoned farmhouse and headed out, crossing through open fields on private property.(Elevation 1480 feet)

On the far side of the field, the trail enters the woods continuing through private property and passing by old stone walls.

 After a little more than half a mile, the trail jogs west, where it begins a more gradual climb.

 

The trail utilizes various woods roads as it meanders its way up through a mostly hardwood forest.

Arriving at the Doppler Radar Station at the end of Woodstock Road.  This was also the high point of the hike at 1830 feet elevation.

Turned back from the Doppler Radar station and retraced my steps back to the car for a total of 3.2 miles RT, with 350 feet of ascent, and didn't see anyone else the entire time.