Adventures in the Outdoors

Dibble's Quarry & Pecoy Notch Beaver Pond Hike - Catskill Mountains, NY - 10/9/09

2009-10-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

On my last visit to the Catskills my Father and I had the afternoon free and figured we'd go and check out the beaver pond just below Pecoy Notch. This pond a few years back was just an old beaver meadow, as the beavers had moved on, but now, it's been re-inhabited and the beavers are going strong, raising the pond to levels I've never seen and even moving past the main pond to create other ponds on the small swamps to the west.

The trail begins off of the Roaring Kill Road at the parking area for the Pecoy Notch and Mink Hollow trails. A short yellow trail leads up to the intersection of the two trails and in just over 2 miles you can be in Mink Hollow to the west in about 1.7 miles, be in Pecoy Notch to the east. We headed up to Pecoy Notch.

From there the trail climbs up fairly steadily as it makes its way to the first quarry along the trail. The trail actually follows an old quarry road that was used to haul the rock out of the quarries. The trail never really gets very steep, but there are a couple of short pitches that aren't exactly level either.

Once you're past that first quarry, the trail is generally level until it reaches Dibble's Quarry. Along the way you follow a bench around the front of the mountain and above you there are some large cliffs. In places, boulders from those cliffs have fallen and the trail makes its way past the rocks.

The trail approaches Dibble's Quarry from above so you see the opening in the trees ahead. The trail drops down over a ledge and then enters the quarry. When we were there it was pretty thick fog, but the quarry does offer a great view up towards Twin Mountain and across Platte Clove to Round Top and High Peak mountains.

While Dibble's Quarry is a fun place to visit, we continued on past the quarry, crossing the small stream and then climbing fairly steadily as the trail makes its way to the beaver pond.

We didn't end up going all the way to Pecoy Notch, which is less than a half a mile above from the the pond. Instead we turned around and started heading back. As we approached the quarry, the clouds had lifted enough to give us something of a view.

All in all, a good hike to spend a few extra hours on an afternoon.

Blackhead Range (Thomas Cole, Black Dome & Blackhead) via the Blackhead Range and Escarpment Trails - Catskill Mountains, NY - 8/14/09

2009-08-22T13:14:00.001-07:00

There are a couple of different ways to approach and traverse the Blackhead Range in the northern Catskills, but I decided to go from Barnum Road in the west, across the range to the Escarpment Trail and then down the Batavia Kill Trail to where I had left my truck. Turns out I was on my own for this hike, which covered about seven miles, three different peaks and a bunch of elevation changes.

I was a bit disappointed in a lot of the viewpoints along these trails. They have either grown all the way in or are in their last stages of being views. It doesn't seem that they are being maintained, which in the Catskills for the majority of vistas is required. So a lot of the hike was in the trees with the occasional view, making so you almost didn't realize you were making a high-elevation traverse along the Blackhead Range.

Turned out to be a really hot day to tackle the Blackheads. I was kind of surprised, even at the tops of the mountains, there was little if any breeze, lots of humidity and some pretty good heat. Got so hot and humid my camera had a perennial haze across the lens, which resulted in my pictures getting progressively “foggier” throughout the trip. So it's partly haze and it's partly moisture on the lens.

I started at the Barnum Road Trailhead where I was dropped off after we had shuttled my vehicle over to the Big Hollow Road Trailhead.

At the end of Barnum Road, the trail continues along on what I imagine used to be the continuation of Barnum Road. It follows this right of way for almost a quarter of a mile before turning off the road and entering the Forest Preserve. There's also a trail register at this point.

From here, the trail starts climbing in earnest through several different lines of ledges interspersed with fairly flat lengths. Nothing is overly difficult, but it's pretty steady climbing.

As you start to get higher onto Thomas Cole, a few views do start to open up, especially when you reach the first “peak” on Thomas Cole, called Caudal after almost three quarters of a mile from the trail register.

You then drop down a bit and climb up onto the top of the next “peak,” which is called Camel's Hump, which is about six tenths of a mile beyond Caudal and just above the 3500' elevation.

From here it's a pretty easy walk across what is an almost flat expanse towards the summit of Thomas Cole. I was pretty surprised at just how level it was.

You'll climb up Thomas Cole, reaching it's summit about two and a quarter miles from the trail register. There's a bit of view on the way up.

The trail then drops down to the cole between Thomas Cole and Black Dome. It's not a huge drop and you'll quickly start climbing up Black Dome after a short descent. As you make your way over Black Dome you will see Blackhead Mountain up ahead and the dip between those two mountains seems a lot more imposing than the notch between Black Dome and Thomas Cole.

When you descend down to Lockwood Gap between Black Dome and Blackhead, you'll come up to the trail junction between the Black Dome Trail you've been on and the Blackhead Trail, which continues on up to the top of Blackhead and intersects with the Escarpment Trail.

At this point, if you don't feel like tackling Blackhead, you can drop down to the Big Hollow Trailhead via the Black Dome Trail. It's just about two miles to the trailhead from trail junction between Black Dome and Blackhead.

Since there was a bit of drop between the two mountains, the ascent up Blackhead from the trail junction is somewhat steeper than the climb between Thomas Cole and Blackhead. It's only about six tenths of a mile though, so it goes by pretty quickly. You'll also come across some nice views looking back across Black Dome.

Soon after that viewpoint, you'll come to the summit of Blackhead where there trail junction with the Escarpment Trail is. There isn't really a view from the top at the Trail Junction, but there is a pretty open rock that was nice to stretch out on and relax for a while.

From there, I took the Escarpment Trail down to its intersection with the Batavia Kill Trail. This was actually the only part of the hike I had done before and I had forgotten just how steep the trail from Batavia Kill trail junction up to the summit of Blackhead is. I mean, I had carried up an indian tank full of water when I was an Assistant Ranger there, so I should have, but this is one steep trail.

Thankfully the steeps don't last too long and after about about a mile you come to the trail junction with the Batavia Kill Trail.

As you drop down into Big Hollow along the Batavia Kill Trail, the Batavia Kill Leanto is only a few tenths of a mile down the trail. The leanto was empty when I came across it, which surprised me a bit since it was a Friday afternoon and it's a leanto that's relatively close to the trailhead, so I figured people would be camping there.

The rest of the trail is pretty uneventful as you generally follow an old roadway down the valley to Big Hollow Road. About a half a mile before the trailhead, you come to the trail junction with the Black Dome Trail, which descended from the notch between Thomas Cole and Black Dome.

From there, you go across a couple of bridges while following the old road before finally coming out at the parking lot for the trailhead.

A good hike overall, even if it was really hot. I'm glad I did it as this was the first time I had managed to get over Thomas Cole and Black Dome since I had only been up Blackhead before this trip. I wish the State would work on clearing some of the vistas, they really have grown in or are just about to grow in and some maintenance would make the hike even more worthwhile.

Trail maintenance over the range was pretty good. There's been quite a lot of work put into the ascent and descent portions of the trail with water bars and rock steps. It also appears the Batavia Kill Trail has been somewhat recently rerouted to break up any steep and washed out sections. The only problem I ran into were some pretty thick brambles and blackberries, which are a result of the monsoon summer we've been having. I can imagine you could cut them today and next week they'd be back, so I can't complain too much, especially since the trails are maintained by volunteers.

I had considered continuing on to Acra Point and then dropping down the trail back to the Big Hollow Trailhead, but considering the heat and the later time in the afternoon, I decided to just be happy with the Blackheads. If I had continued on I would have added another three miles or so.

The complete set of the hike photos on Flickr...

Hike Details – Mileage
Barnum Road to Lockwood Gap (Black Dome Range Trail) – 4 miles
Lockwood Gap to Blackhead Summit (Blackhead Trail) – 0.6 miles
Blackhead Summit to Batavia Kill trail junction (Escarpment Trail ) - 1 mile
Batavia Kill trail junction to Big Hollow (Batavia Kill Trail) – 1.45
Total Mileage – 7.05 miles

Hike Details – Elevation
Barnum Road to Thomas Cole – 1700 vertical feet
Thomas Cole – 3940 feet
Black Dome – 3980 feet
Blackhead – 3940 feet
Blackhead to Big Hollow – 1750 feet

Catskill Trails Map Set from the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference

2009-07-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hiking in the Catskill Mountains and looking for a good map set?

You can’t get much better than the five map Catskill Trails set from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference that covers the 4-county region of the Catskill Mountains. The maps provide information on the region’s topography, roadways and trail networks and are an indispensable guide to this great region.

Get my full review of the Catskill Trails Map Set from the NYNJTC on Epinions

Hunter Mountain via the Spruceton Jeep & Devil's Path Trails - Catskill Mountains, NY - 7/16/09

2009-07-17T12:39:00.001-07:00

You have to love a hike where for the first three miles you're able to hop a ride in the back of a pickup and get rid of the vast majority of the climb. That's where we lucked out on our trip over Hunter Mountain. Knowing the right people can be helpful. We caught a ride with the ranger since he was on his way up to do some work around the new leanto site and to post the old John Robb Leanto site as “no camping.”

FYI – at the moment there's no official camping area where the John Robb Leanto used to be along the jeep trail. The old leanto site is in the process of being revegetated and while a replacement leanto is in the works, it's not yet complete. In the meantime you'll have to camp below the 3500 foot elevation and more than 150 feet from the trail.

Our hike started at the old John Robb Leanto site, which is about a two and a half miles up the Spruceton Road Jeep trail (and horse trail). The ride cut out most of the steeper sections, though we had something of a climb from the leanto site up to the junction with the Colonels Chair Trail. As for the weather, we rode up through quite the downpour, but as we started walking, things slowly started clearing and we'd have breaks of sunshine from time to time. It didn't rain again for the rest of the day, but it was sure humid and by the end of the trip, the lack of rain let the black flies and mosquitoes come out in force. I know, black flies in late July – it's crazy with the weather we've been having.

The Colonels Chair Trail heads over to the top of the Hunter Mountain Ski Area and you can use it to climb Hunter if you've taken the sky ride up the to the top of the ski area.

From the jeep trail's intersection with the Colonels Chair Trail, it makes its way to the summit of hunter along a series of practically flat sections interspersed with a few steep sections. It can be muddy during wet times and since we've probably had the wettest summer in the Catskills in a very long time, it was quite muddy as we made our way along.

Along the way is an overgrown viewpoint that used to give you a view down and across the ski area. Right now it's pretty much grown over.

So we took a look, but continued along our way towards the summit.

Right before the summit, the road goes up its final steep section that ends at the clearing for the Fire Tower and the observer's cabin.

You can see the tower as you come up the last section and then you'll come to the trail junction where the yellow trail continues over and across the summit of Hunter Mountain to Devil's Acre Leanto. This also marks the end of the horse trail that followed the Spruceton Jeep Trail.

If you're up on Hunter on a clear day, it's well worth your time to climb the Fire Tower, even if there isn't a volunteer there to open up the observation cab on top. The view from the top of the stairs is amazing. You get 360 degrees of view up there and can see just about the entire Catskill region.

Climbing the tower isn't for everyone though, it is quite exposed and when you get to the top, it is quite high. I'd stay away if you don't like heights.

There's also a small observer's cabin that's on the ground next to the tower. It's not open to the public unless a volunteer is there manning the tower, but the porch does offer some respite from the weather if you're up there in the rain. There is a fairly detailed regional map up on the cabin on the porch should you want to get an idea of what you're looking at when you're up on the tower.

From the tower we got on the yellow trail and started walking across the summit area (the actual summit isn't where the tower is, but down the yellow trail a bit). Not too far down the trail (maybe a third of a mile) you come to the trail junction with the Becker Hollow Trail (ref. my hike up Hunter via Stony Clove and then down Becker Hollow) and a side trail to what I think is one of the best views in the Catskills. The open ledge looks right down into Spruceton Valley and I just love the view.

It was quite hazy when we were there so the view wasn't as tremendous as normal, but I like it nevertheless. The wind was blowing up across the ledge and you just feel like you're on top of the world as you look down.

The trail then starts dropping down into the saddle between Hunter Mountain and Southwest Hunter where the Devil's Acre leanto is located. It's not much of an exciting walk as it tends to wind its way down through the thick evergreen forests at first and then just traverses down through the deciduous forests right before the leanto.

Thanks to the endless rains this spring and summer, the growth along the trail is simply amazing. What would have been small weeds and brush look almost like a tropical rain forest at the moment. The trail wasn't hard to follow, but it was overgrown in places.

Just before the leanto you'll come to the trail junction with the Devil's Path as it climbs up from Stony Clove Notch.

The leanto isn't anything to behold. I think it's probably one of the older ones and while it's in decent shape, the area is like a porcupine farm. The one time I did stay there, I literally had porcupines crawling over my sleeping bag at night. On this trip we just stopped for lunch as it was starting to look threatening again and we thought it might start raining.

Thankfully the rain held off and it started to clear up again, so we headed along the Devil's Path down off of Hunter to its junction with the Spruceton Valley Trail, the Diamond Notch Trail and where it continues up and over Westkill Mountain.

The area around the leanto site was a base camp for a lumber operation back in the 1800s. They actually had several narrow-gauge rail lines running around Hunter Mountain and Southwest Hunter. The logs would be brought to the base camp and then sent down to Lanesville where they were shipped out for lumbering. You can still find the old railroad grades (the Devil's Path follows an old grade for a while) and you can find piles of coal slag from the steam engines.

The trail crosses a small stream/spring just after the leanto.

This is a pretty secure source for water in almost any season, though you should always purify it.

From there you make your way through the saddle between Southwest Hunter and Hunter Mountain. An unmarked trail branches off the Devil's Path and its beginning is marked with a small cairn. This trail goes out to the summit of Southwest Hunter, a supposedly “trailless peak,” even though the trail looks almost as well maintained as the Devil's Path.

After that the trail starts descending towards Diamond Notch, though it sure takes its sweet time getting there. You follow old road grades for the vast majority of the time and make long traverses, which keeps the steepness to a minimum. Though at some point you'll start wondering when you'll get down.

Not too far down is one more viewpoint though. You have views across to Southwest Hunter and Westkill and down into Diamond Notch a bit.

After that, you're back in the woods and there really aren't any views.

Eventually you'll reach the trail junction with the Diamond Notch Trail and the Spruceton Valley Trail at Buttermilk Falls. This small waterfall is pretty and there's a fairly decent swimming hole beneath it.

After the trail junction, the trip out to the parking lot at the end of the Spruceton Valley Road is really easy. It's about a mile in length and has the gentlest dip downhill so you can make some really good time. The parking lot is located about a hundred yards or so down from the end of the road, which is a snowplow turnaround and isn't open to parking.

All told, it was a good hike, especially with that ride that saved us about two and a half miles of walking up Hunter.

The entire trip photo set on Flickr

Stats

Mileages
Spruceton Valley Road to Old John Robb Leanto Site via the Spruceton Jeep Trail – 2.2 miles
Old John Robb Leanto to Hunter Mountain Summit via the Jeep Trail – 1.3 miles
Hunter Mountain Summit to Devil's Acre Leanto via yellow trail – 1.7 miles
Devil's Acre Leanto to Buttermilk Falls via the Devil's Path – 2.3 miles
Buttermilk Falls to Spruceton Valley Trailhead via Spruceton Valley Trail – 1 mile
8.5 miles in total (2.2 riding & 6.3 walking)

Elevation Gain & Loss
Approximately 2,050 feet at Spruceton Road & 4,040 feet at Hunter Mountain Summit
Roughly 2,000 feet of elevation gain and 2,000 feet of elevation loss

Twin Mountain loop via the Pecoy Notch, Devil's Path and Jimmy Dolan Notch Trails - Catskill Mountains, NY - 6/26/09

2009-07-03T12:27:00.001-07:00

Twin Mountain is like an old friend to me. I spent two summers as an Assistant Forest Ranger hiking it probably more times than I can count and I grew up in the area too, which has added a lot more trips. So it's sort of like an old standby, but I hadn't been up there in a while so I decided to make a trip. Sadly, the weather didn't really cooperate since it rained about 50% of the time, but while I was on top I did get a few good views from the various outlooks.

The Pecoy Notch Trail starts at the Roaring Kill Road Trailhead.

The trail quickly climbs up to a trail junction where the Mink Hollow Trail goes off to the right and the Pecoy Notch Trail heads left towards Dibbles Quarry and then up into the notch. Considering the amount of rain the area has had, things are just so green and it almost feels like you're hiking in a jungle. It didn't help that the storms were starting to roll in either, so the humidity was just hanging in the air.

From the trail junction, the Pecoy Notch Trail starts climbing up through a couple of benches as it makes its way through some smaller abandoned quarries. Though the best is saved for last. The trail drops a bit and you climb out into the talus slope of Dibbles Quarry. This large quarry gives you a great view of the Platte Clove region along with High Peak and Round Top across the valley.

From there the trail crosses a stream and then follows it up along a fairly deep gorge before it turns towards the east and passes by a small vly.

From here the trail turns a bit and you come up along the shoreline of a beaver pond just below Pecoy Notch. The beavers have taken advantage of this natural depression below the notch, which looks to have been at least partially carved out by glaciers. The trail passes below the beaver dam (though the beavers being industrious have started building dams downstream so the trail is quite wet and might have to be moved in the near future.

The trail rejoins the original Pecoy Notch Trail shortly after that and makes the final ascent up to Pecoy Notch between Sugarloaf Mountain to the west and Twin Mountain to the east.

From the Notch the trail takes a pretty direct route up the western shoulder of Twin Mountain. The lower portion of the trail is actually a scramble up, over and around some pretty large boulders and talus. Since it had been raining since Dibbles Quarry and the woods were just soaked, that made the climb up a little extra challenging since water + Catskill rocks = really slippery stuff. It wasn't too difficult though, you just had to watch where you were putting your feet.

There is a decent view from the trail not too far up from the notch. It lets you look down into the Notch and across to Sugarloaf.

As you can tell, on this hike, all you really could see were the clouds streaming up and over the mountains and through the notch. That's also about the time that I started hearing the thunder off in the distance. I just kept hoping that it would stay off in the distance.

The trail continues climbing, fairly steeply in places, until it reaches a fairly large rock shelter just above the 3500 foot elevation. This overhanging rock creates a "cave" that provides some respite from the weather. Considering it was still raining, I took advantage of that and enjoyed a snack and had a chance to take a break without having to stand in the rain.

Just above the cave a little higher on the mountain is the western summit of Twin and the first of the really good views. From here you get about a 270 degree view from the north over Sugarloaf and Plateau and then south towards the Southern Catskills. When I was there it was mostly overcast, but it was still a stunning view.

The trail descends the higher western summit to a small col between the summits and then comes out on the eastern summit. This is probably where the best view of the mountain is. There's an open rock ledge that allows for a great view of the entire area.

Just after that viewpoint, there's a small view along the trail that gives you a view down into Jimmy Dolan Notch and across to Indian Head Mountain.

You drop pretty quickly down into the notch after that. From the Notch you can either continue along the Devil's Path up and over Indian Head Mountain, or you can go down the Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail to reach the Prediger Road trailhead and parking area.

Considering the rain throughout the trip and fact that as I came into the Notch it really started raining heavily, I decided to skip Indian Head on this trip and just head down to the parking area.

The trail down is pretty uneventful, though it's got plenty of switchbacks which seems to make it almost endless. As you get down though you'll cross a small creek and then come to the trail junction with the Devil's Path after it comes down from Indian Head.

From there, it's about 4/10s of a mile or so to the new Prediger Road parking area and trailhead.

All told the trip is about 5.7 miles in length and it takes a good four hours or so if you take your time to enjoy the views and the climbs.

You can view all the photos and videos in this Flickr set.

Heaven is a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the woods - Jetboil Coffee Press

2009-06-29T07:17:00.001-07:00

There’s something to be said for having a freshly brewed cup of coffee first thing in the morning when you are out backpacking and camping. Perhaps it brings a bit of civilization to your pursuits, or maybe it’s just that it’s so comforting to sit there and drink your coffee out in the middle of the wild.

To get that experience I’ve tried instant coffee (ick) and those little coffee bags (ick, ick). I had basically given up until I got my Jetboil PCS stove and it came with a coffee press. At the time I had just started using a French press to brew coffee at home and was amazed by the difference, so I was excited about having the press to take with me out in the woods.

Read my full review of the Jetboil Coffee Press on Epinions

Twin Mountain Bushwhack - Catskill Mountains - 5/24/09

2009-05-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

There are a number of old roads that traverse the area to the west of Jimmy Dolan Notch in front of Twin Mountain along the Devil's Path Range. These go to old farms and quarries and make for an interesting walk in that area in front of the mountain.

We decided to follow one of the lower roads from where it crosses the Devil's Path above Prediger Road and visited the old farm that has been growing over for probably close to a century. You can just make out the outlines of the buildings and if you go up along the stream that runs through the old farm, you can find some metal pipe at a spring along the stream's edge that used to supply water for the farm.

From here we bushwhacked up the creek to find what we've always called the High Bridge Road. This road crosses the Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail just it's rerouted away from it's original route. The trail then cuts across to front of Twin and crosses that same stream that runs through the farm further downstream on what must have been quite the high bridge. The stream is in a gorge that's probably about 50 feet or so deep and where the road crosses, a waterfall plunges down through the gorge just upstream.

Since we had bushwhacked up from the farm to the High Bridge, we headed back east to the Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail and then headed back down the trail to Prediger Road. All in all it was probably a 2 to 3 mile trip and wasn't anything difficult, but it was interesting to explore the area and I always enjoy getting out in that area.

Brock Mountain - Catskill Mountains - 4/30/2009

2009-05-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

I've spent most of my life in the Catskills, but I've never had a chance to make it as far southwest as the Campbell Mountain Trail over Brock Mountain before. The trail is located in the Cherry Ridge - Campbell Mountain Wild Forest and is near Roscoe, but just over the border and in Delaware County. Considering we've got a place in the Catskills and it took us over 2 hours to get there, this place is a bit out of the way for anyone who lives in the Hudson Valley or the Catskill area. If you're living out west, it might not be so bad.

It's not far off of Route 17 and the trailhead is along Route 206 just below the height of land. The trails themselves don't seem to be used very much and that's one reason we were out there, to do some trail maintenance since there had been several blowdowns over the winter and the weeds were growing in.

I can't say that the trail up Brock Mountain though is all that exciting. The trail, which doubles as a snowmobile trail in the winter makes a fairly steady ascent up the side of Brock Mountain along an old road and reaches its first summit fairly quickly.

There are a few steeper sections, but nothing all that bad.

All in all, it was just a nice walk to the first summit, which was kind of cool because it was actually home to a fairly large quarry. Apparently all the good rock was close to the top of the mountain because this small secondary summit has almost been completely quarried out.

The rest of the walk to the true summit was much the same. You have a bit of a dip from the first summit to the main summit and then the trail climbs up and skirts just past the summit area.

There really weren't any leaves on the trees so you had a bit of view through the trees, but there are no vistas or viewpoints to speak of. This is one of those hikes in the woods pretty much.

That was the limit of our trail work for the day. Not sure I'd go back just to go up Brock Mountain again, but maybe to string together some of the trails in the area to make an overnight trip. There are a couple of leantos in the area and it looks like you could do at least a two day trip without too much effort. It's just a bit of a haul for me from our place in the Catskills, so I'd probably stick to something further east so it's easier to get to.

Hiking the Zion Narrows

2009-03-22T08:13:00.001-07:00

Are you visiting Zion National Park and looking for an exciting hike that really showcases the spectacular nature of the park? Then you should get your backpack on, pack plenty of water, and find a pair of boots you don’t mind getting wet and head on up into the Zion Canyon Narrows.

The Zion Narrows are located at the northern end of the developed portion of Zion National Park. The easiest access is from the Temple of Sinawava shuttle stop, where the riverside trail (which is a paved and easily walked trail) leaves and follows the Virgin River through the wider portion of the canyon.

At the mile mark, the Riverside Trail ends at a small picnic/rest area that has some seats and some great views of the river. This is also at the point where Zion Canyon narrows significantly and the Narrows begin. You can probably tell as you’re hiking up the Riverside Trail that the Canyon is narrowing, but here at the end of the trail, it’s very noticeable, there isn’t even any room for the trail – the river takes up the entire width of the canyon, which at about 30 feet has walls that rise several hundred feet into the air.

Read my full write-up of my hike up the Zion Narrows in Zion National Park on Epinions

Explore the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower in the Catskills

2009-03-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

While a bit more remote than some other Fire Towers in the Catskills, a trip to the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower is well worth your time and effort as its provides some amazing views.

The tower is located near the summit of Hunter Mountain at just under 4,040 feet in elevation. The sixty feet of tower bring you close to 4,100 feet and from here, you are well above the trees of Hunter Mountain and you have a view that's only limited by the conditions.

As with the other Fire Towers in the area, the only access to the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower is via hiking trails, or in the case of one trail, a hiking trail that also functions as a horse trail. There are several different trails that make different approaches to the mountain at various levels of difficulties.

Read my full story on the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower on Epinions

Hunter Mountain via the Devil's Path & Becker Hollow Trails - Catskill Mountains, NY - 2/15/09

2009-02-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

On what was probably one of the clearest days that I’ve seen in a while, we made our way over Hunter Mountain (4040’) following the Devil’s Path up from Stony Clove Notch to the Devil’s Acre Lean-to and then heading over to the summit and then down the Becker Hollow Trail to its trailhead where we had a second car. The weather cooperated fully and it was a perfect February day in just about every aspect. The sky was a dark blue, the temperatures hovered somewhere in the upper 20s and the wind, except for in a few places and on the tower, stayed pretty gentle.

We dropped a car off at the Becker Hollow Trailhead and then headed over to the Devil’s Tombstone parking area and began the ascent up Hunter from there on the Devil’s Path. I kind of forgot just how steep that first mile is since I had last climbed it years ago as an Assistant Forest Ranger. You gain about 1,500 vertical feet in that first mile.

The conditions weren’t bad as the snow that was on the trail was well packed and even the untouched snow had enough of a crust on it that you could just about walk on it. That said, there were some icy spots and while you could do most of the trail without crampons, we did put them on to make it easier.

I’m not a huge fan of hiking with crampons on though, so as soon as the trail leveled off a bit after that first mile, off they came. From there, we didn’t have any trouble on the trail without the crampons and we just barebooted it all the way to the summit.

As we looped around the mountain we did end up getting more exposed to the wind. The trail follows an old railroad bed right on the edge of the mountain and the wind was blowing pretty well. That meant it was time to dress back up with a shell and stuff after I had dropped several layers coming up the mountain.

Between the recent ice storms and the ones we’ve had the last few years, the damage to the trees is very noticeable. Just about every hardwood tree above 3500 feet has some damage. That’s opened up some views along the trail that are pretty nice but has also resulted in plenty of blowdown across the trail and stuff hanging in the trail. The trail definitely needs some clearing but it’s not impassable. However the more open views were much appreciated.

After another mile or so on the Devil’s Path we got to the trail junction with the Hunter Mountain Trail and we went down to the Devil’s Acre Lean-to (it’s like 0.1 miles from the intersection) and had a quick lunch so we didn’t cool down too much.

Then we headed along yellow Hunter Mountain Trail. This trail climbs up the remaining 500 feet or so to the summit area of Hunter. I thought it was a pretty forgettable walk, though there are occasional glimpses out as you get near the edge of the mountain when you realize you are walking along in a high altitude forest.

After just under a mile and a half, the trail comes to the trail junction with the Becker Hollow Trail.

On the side of Hunter that’s opposite of Becker Hollow there’s a short side trail that leads out to a tremendous view.

It’s probably about a 270 degree view to the east and the south. You can see Slide Mountain and the southern Catskills, Spruceton Valley, and mountains off to the east. It’s a pretty impressive view, even when you consider the 360 degree view you’ll get from the Fire Tower on Hunter.

We spent some time here taking in the view and then headed over to the Tower. Considering the wind and stuff we just walked by. I really wasn’t in the mood the get cold before we started heading down.

Then we headed down the Becker Hollow Trail. Damn, that trail is steep. I had done it back in my Forest Ranger days when I came up and then down to spend the night on the summit, but when you add some ice and snow, it just seems even steeper.

The tree damage in this area has the added benefit of opening up some really impressive views as you make your way down the ravine.

The Becker Hollow Trail is about 2 miles long and about 90% of that is either heading down steeply or at least heading down at a steady clip. There’s probably about a 1/3 of a mile at the end that’s flat as you walk out along the valley.

We never put the crampons back on as we made our way down Becker Hollow. In a few places it would have been easier, but for the most part, there was enough broken up snow on the trail that with just boots we had plenty of grip. If I had been going up though, I would have put them on once it got steep.

Signed out, got the car warmed up, picked up the other car and then headed home for a nice warm shower.

The entire set of photos from the hike are in this Flickr set.

Info on the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower.

Platte Clove Outlook - Catskill Mountains, NY - 2/14/09

2009-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

We spent Saturday afternoon doing a quick walk out through the Platte Clove Preserve to a viewpoint over Platte Clove. It’s probably about 2 miles round trip and it’s a fairly easy bushwhack since it seems that the Hutterian Brethren (a local religious community nearby) has beat out an unofficial trail to the site.

The view is quite tremendous though as you are pretty much standing at the head of Platte Clove and look right down the clove and into the Hudson Valley.

I've done the trip before, but it's always a nice walk.

There are more photos over in my Flickr set for Platte Clove.

The LL Bean Bigelow Mountain Top Loading Day Pack

2009-02-04T06:39:00.000-08:00

Having had a number of backpacks throughout the years, I can confidently say that the LL Bean Bigelow Mountain Top Loading Pack is my favorite. I find it to be very comfortable, it holds more than enough for a day trip and functions well. The camera pocket on the waist strap is a cool feature too!

I've used it for skiing and hiking and its worked well in all conditions. I've even used it as an overnight backpack on some short hikes where I've bivouaced.

For the full run down on the Bigelow from LL Bean, check out the article I've written on it on Epinions.

Hiking the Catskills' Tremper Mountain

2009-02-04T05:22:00.000-08:00

While I already have a write-up of my hike up Tremper and then along the Warner Creek Trail, I did an article on Associated Content about hiking Tremper itself.

A climb up Tremper Mountain gives you a chance to enjoy the Catskills and get some great views from the restored Fire Tower at its summit.

Along the approximately 2.75 mile trail from Route 40 in Phoenicia to the mountain's summit, you'll make your way up at a route that climbs steadily but is not all that steep or difficult. Near the summit you'll pass two leantos or shelters where you can camp along with a spring for water. On the mostly flat summit you'll walk through an oak forest and then come upon the Fire Tower. Here you can climb almost 50 feet on the tower to get a 360-degree view above the trees of the surrounding Catskill region.

Read my full article on Hiking Tremper Mountain on Associated Content

Noon Hill Reservation - Medfield, MA - 1/18/09

2009-01-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

After several inches of fluffy powder on top of a fairly sturdy base of snow, Moe and I decided to head over to Noon Hill and try our hand at skiing around. We pieced together the largest loop around the reservation as possible and made sure we went up and over Noon Hill so we could get a chance to carve some turns.

I’d say there was probably about a foot of snow on the ground which was more than enough to get around comfortably as most of their trails are well cleared and not all that rocky. I know I scratched over a rock or two in a few places, but nothing that bad.

It was still snowing when we got there and were getting ready, though the storm had started to break up so as we set off, we skied through heavy, but then progressively lighter snow.

The vast majority of the trails in the reservation are fairly level with only gentle ups and downs so for the most part, our trip was a classic kind of ski. As we were there as the storm was ending, for the most part we were breaking trail too. There were other skiers there, but we seemed to be doing opposite loops so it wasn’t until almost the end that we ended up skiing back on the tracks they had already made.

Before we got to Noon Hill proper, there were a few small hills that we went up and over and with all the snow, they were an easy ski. This was only Moe’s third time on cross-country skis and he did a great job all around.

The top of Noon Hill was wrapped in clouds so we couldn’t see too far from the viewpoint. However everything was covered with the snow and what we could see looked nice.

The trip back down Noon Hill was good because the trail widens up as its an old road. It left plenty of room for a good cruising and made for an enjoyable trip back down.

I think the trip was about 2 ½ miles to 3 miles in total since we tried to stretch it out as much as possible by always taking the longer route around. While it’s not skiing a major mountain or anything like that, it was a nice trip and considering it’s about 15 minutes from the house, it’s a lot more convenient than driving out to the Catskills, Berkshires or Whites.

All the photos from the trip on Flickr

Noon Hill References:
My Noon Hill Photos on Flickr
Noon Hill Reservation

Hiking in New York State's Catskill Mountains

2009-01-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

Want to hike in the Catskill Mountains of New York State?

There are plenty of options and plenty of things to consider with all of the options that the Catskills have to offer. If you'd like, there are hikes that will only last a few hours. For the more adventurous, there are multi-day hikes that will take you across some really rugged, yet beautiful terrain.

Continue reading Hiking in New York State's Catskill Mountains...

Fill 'er up! - Water Bottles, Bladders and Trail Hydration Know-How

2009-01-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

You’re about to go hiking and you think that out of all the stuff you’re putting together, water bottles must rank down near the bottom of your packing priority? Well you’d be wrong, water bottles and the hydration they provide to you are probably the single most important aspect of hiking and backpacking. Without the proper amount of water you will get dehydrated and sick and you could die.

A lot of people just buy a bottle of water at a convenience store and throw it in their backpack before they start hiking. There are a couple of things wrong with this kind of planning. One, how do you know that a liter of water is going to be enough for your hike? Perhaps if you’re just going for a quick jaunt then it is okay, but for a hike of any length, you’re going to need a lot more water, more than a single bottled water. Two, while you might think those bottles are tough, if you have a good fall on a trail and hit that bottle, it’s going to smash right open and you won’t have any water left.

Continue Reading Trail Hydration Know-How...

Hiking Boot Shopping 101 - New Advice Posts

2009-01-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

I've written advice pieces elsewhere on Epinions and Associated Content and thought that having these posts here on the blog would be helpful. I'll categorize them as "Advice" and from time to time as I write them elsewhere, I'll post a short intro here with a link to the full article.

We'll start out with Shopping for Hiking Boots...

---

So you’re in the market for new hiking boots?

For anyone walking up to the hiking boot display at an outdoor gear store, the experience can be pretty intimidating. Not only are there plenty of different boots to choose from, you are usually deluged with information and suggestions from the salesperson, who may or may not have your best interests at heart.

Read the rest of Hiking Boot Shopping 101...

Noon Hill, Noon Hill Reservation - Medfield, Massachusetts, November 28, 2008

2008-11-30T10:16:00.000-08:00

My Father and I did a quick walk over Noon Hill in Medfield's Noon Hill Reservation this past Friday since he didn't want to partake in the Black Friday shopping activities that my Mom, brother and partner wanted to.

Wasn't much different from my last visit there except it was later in the day and it was fall instead of spring. The trails are roughly the same and the view from Noon Hill was good. My Father was impressed with Gillette Stadium off in the distance.

While I don't think hunting is allowed within the Trustees' lands, there was quite a bit of shooting that you could hear as you walked and hence we were dressed up like traffic cones in orange clothing. I didn't hear anything really close, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

I only took a few photos and this was the best of them.

Noon Hill References:
My Noon Hill Photos on Flickr
Previous Noon Hill hike blog entry
Noon Hill Reservation

Giant Mountain via the Ridge Trail - Adirondacks, NY - October 11, 2008

2008-10-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

I’m not sure if I’ve hiked anywhere on a trail as crowded as the Ridge Trail up Giant Mountain was. I’ll admit it was the Saturday of a perfect Columbus Day Weekend weatherwise, but still, it was like following a herd up and down the mountain.

Thankfully though even with the crowds this hike is well worth the effort. It is one of the most accessible trails in the Keene Valley area and it offers some of the best views of the High Peaks. Not only that, it’s quite a climb, especially as you make your way up the pretty much open rock ridge to the summit.

Now the guidebook and the trail sign claim that the hike is only 3 miles to the summit. My guess is that they haven’t remeasured it since they added a significant number of switchbacks to the trail that probably add about a half a mile or so.

Three miles is no big deal you say? But consider the 3,050 vertical feet you’re also climbing. This trail is relentless with few gently sloping sections and even fewer level sections. The trail starts up and doesn’t really stop until it gets to the summit of Giant Mountain.

The first views really come into focus just before you reach the Washbowl (a small pond) along a cliff line that lets you look across the valley to the High Peaks beyond.

The trip to the Washbowl takes up almost a mile so in the remaining 2.3 (or so) miles left, you really just go right up the side of Giant. The lower portion consists of a series of switchbacks and at the end of those, you break out onto a fairly open rock ridge that travels to the summit of Giant. Once on the ridge there aren’t any switchbacks and you just make your way up, up and up.

The views from here on out just get better and better the further up you get on the ridge. On a clear day like we had, you can see just about everything around you and it’s amazing. No wonder it was so crowded!

The ridge consists of a series of bumps that you climb up and over before the ridge narrows and then climbs to the summit of Giant itself. At this point, it’s really kind of cool because the ridge is maybe 40 or 50 feet wide and it drops off steeply. The trees kid of hide it, but without them, it would probably be quite harrowing.

There’s some scrambling up through the woods where it gets fairly steep and then you come to the intersection with the Rocky Peak Trail. From here it’s just a short climb to the summit, which is expansive and features an open rock cliff face to the west giving you amazing views of the High Peaks just across the valley.

We probably spent an hour up on the summit just taking in the views and enjoying our lunches. The weather was as perfect as you can probably get with stunning views all around. The only real distraction was the 50+ people milling around. Groups large and small continually came up to the summit and then headed back down. It wasn’t quite the Adirondack hiking experience I had planned for Moe, but considering the popularity of the trail, its ease of access and the weather conditions, I really couldn’t complain.

When it was time to start down you realize just how much you had climbed up and just how steep it was. The benefit though is that as you are going down, you can enjoy all the views that you had missed because you were looking the other way going up.

The trip back down does by pretty fast. Quite soon we were almost down off the ridge and back to the Washbowl, then passing that line of cliffs before dropping down and heading back to the parking near Chapel Pond.

We signed out and then headed to the car.

I was shocked at just how many cars were parked along the road, but it would explain the number of people we passed going up and coming down. Even more amazing was the fact that it was about 4:30 in the afternoon when we came out and people were still just starting up the trail and that’s without a backpack or anything else. Good luck with that.

After all that climbing up and down during the day, it was nice to get the hiking boots off and the sneakers on.

All of the photos for the hike are located in the Giant Mountain Hike set on Flickr.

Owen Pond and Copperas Pond Trail - Adirondacks, NY - October 10, 2008

2008-10-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

Our hike over to Owens Pond and Copperas Pond was really just a short walk of about a mile each way. We could have made a loop since the trail loops around and intersections with Route 86 that are about a mile apart. We decided just to head in and then double back.

The hike itself really isn’t all that challenging. From the westerly trail intersection with Route 86 the trail climbs fairly gently over a ridge before descending a bit to Owens Pond.

You go through a few wet areas and pass a fairly extensive beaver pond along the way.

Owens Pond isn’t all that impressive and the trail skirts its shore before beginning to climb again to reach Copperas Pond. It’s a little over a half a mile to Owens Pond. There are a few nice views though from the lake shore with the mountains off in the distance. There’s also a nice designated campsite just below the trail on the shore of the lake.

Out of the two lakes, Copperas is definitely the more scenic one. From the shoreline just below the trail you get a view across the lake to the leanto on the opposite shore along with Whiteface Mountain rising up in the distance.

We didn’t continue much beyond this as the leanto on the other shore was occupied and since we were doubling back on the car, there really wasn’t any point in going much further. All told I think it was just over a mile to reach the shore of Copperas Pond. It would have probably been about a ½ mile more to get to the leanto.

We turned around and got back to the car fairly quickly. It was a good way to spend the later part of the afternoon and see part of the Wilmington Notch area that most people don’t when they speed through on the road.

All the photos from the hike can be seen in the Owens and Copperas Ponds Set.

Map of Trail

Mill Brook Trail, Kilkenny Ridge Trail, Unknown Pond Trail Loop - White Mountains, NH - September 13, 2008

2008-09-16T07:31:00.001-07:00

While it lacks any real mountaintop views, the loop up the Mill Brook Trail, across the Kilkenny Ridge and then down the Unknown Pond Trail back to the York Pond Road is a nice (long) walk through the northern forest with a few really nice views, especially along the beaver meadows on the Kilkenny Ridge and at Unknown Pond. Plus if you are feeling ambitious, you can take a side trip up Roger’s Ledge, a small mountain just to the east of the junction of the Mill Brook Trail and the Kilkenny Ridge Trail to get a really rewarding view of the region. On this trip we skipped the trip up to Roger’s Ledge because we had done it before and as we were counting up the miles, the extra mile or so to get there and back just didn’t seem worth it.

The Mill Brook Trail starts at the Berlin Fish Hatchery, probably a few tenths of a mile beyond the gate for the facility. We decided to park outside the gate in the parking lot because the signs said the gate was locked at 4pm and we didn’t want to be stuck inside the gate overnight.

The entire trail is fairly easy going except for about the last half a mile or so, which climbs up the crest of the Kilkenny Ridge. For the most part though, you are following an old roadway (which used to connect Stark to Berlin) through a mature forest.

The trail does get very muddy in places if it’s wet. We found ourselves hopping from rock to rock or trying to avoid really muddy holes. We hiked the trail after a day of fairly steady rain and a wet summer, so it was probably extra muddy for us.

You follow a stream up most of the way and overall the 3.6 or so miles goes by fairly quickly. The only real strenuous part of the trail is the last half mile or so which leaves the old roadway and climbs fairly directly up the ridge to meet up with the Kilkenny Ridge Trail.

Our original plan at this point had been to go up Roger’s Ledge and then return to the truck going back down the Mill Brook Trail. However considering how muddy it was and the fact that we realized we had already gone over Roger’s Ledge in the past, we decided we’d head the other direction towards Unknown Pond and then drop down the Unknown Pond Trail, which we hadn’t been on before to get back to York Pond Road. The only downside to the loop is that when you reach the trailhead on York Pond Road, the gate and the parking lot we parked at are about 2 miles out along the road, so you have quite a bit of road walking to contend with.

Having decided on the change of plans, we relaxed a bit at the trail junction and had our lunch before headed out along the Kilkenny Ridge Trail.

The interesting thing about the Ridge Trail is that it’s fairly easy going, even as it makes its way along the mountains. Obviously it follows the ridge crest (hence the name). However it also doesn’t necessarily hit the summit of each mountain it goes by. That’s the case with the mountain that holds Unknown Pond. You merely climb up and over a shoulder and then drop quickly back down to the Pond.

Along the way though, you get to go through an extensive bog and beaver meadow area. I find this area to be really amazing since you are at a pretty good altitude (2,000 feet roughly), along the crest of a ridge and you’ve got extensive bogs and a very large beaver pond.

The beaver pond is a real treat because as you walk along the shoreline, you get an excellent view of the mountain beyond. Not only that, but this entire boggy area and beaver pond must be home to a ton of moose. I half expected to run into one on the trail considering the amount of tracks and scat we saw. Alas, no close-ups of moose, but I bet there is a pretty good chance you can run into one.

The beavers are still quite active and have been working on a trail reroute of their own. In one place, they have built up their dam and flooded the trail, where the bog bridging is now floating in the water. It is easy to get around though, since the beaver dam is so sturdy, you can just walk along that to get around the flooded section.

After about 2.1 miles from the Mill Brook Trail/Kilkenny Ridge Trail intersection, you come to the Kilkenny Ridge Trail’s intersection with the Unknown Pond Trail. This trail travels from Mill Brook Road in Stark to York Pond Road at the Berlin Fish Hatchery. It also travels along the shoreline of Unknown Pond and provides access to the official campsites on the pond.

As we started descending along the Unknown Pond Trail, I was a bit surprised at how rugged and how steep it was, considering how easy the Mill Brook Trail had been. It made me glad that we had done the loop in the direction we had, as I wouldn’t have really wanted to climb up the Unknown Pond Trail. It wasn’t as wet or as muddy as the other trail, but there were quite a few steep sections as you made your way down. Once you reach the old roadbed though about halfway down, the way becomes easier and then for the last half a mile or so, you are on an old railroad bed which is even easier walking.

If you’ve managed to reach the trailhead before 4pm and you’ve got a second car for the loop, you are in luck as all you’ve got to do is hop in and drive on out. For us though, we didn’t have a second car and anyway, with the length of the hike, we knew we’d never make it out before 4.

So we took a break for a while to rest up and then we headed out of the parking lot and onto York Pond Road where 2 miles of road walking awaited us.

The first mile wasn’t bad as it was a gravel road. The second mile however, was paved and if you have never hiked a long distance on a paved road with hiking boots, consider yourself lucky. Where there was an open shoulder we tried walking off the pavement, but most of the way we just had to suck it up and walk on the road.

The walk out went fairly fast, though I have to admit that when I came up to the gate at about 6pm and it was wide open, I sat there going “why didn’t we drive in a bit?” It really wouldn’t have mattered though, as we would have had to have two cars and left one at the gate and the other at the Unknown Pond Trailhead.

All told the trip was about 11 miles and that includes the 2 miles of road walking. It was a long day, but I thought it was one of my more enjoyable hikes lately. We didn’t have any tremendous views or spectacular summits to climb, but we did get to spend a day hiking through some of the wildest parts of the North Country and get some amazing views and experiences anyway.

The entire set of photos for the Mill Brook/Kilkenny Ridge/Unknown Pond trip can be seen on Flickr.

The Falling Waters/Bridal Path Loop over Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette, White Mountains, NH - June 27, 2008

2008-08-01T06:43:00.001-07:00

The Falling Waters, Franconia Ridge, Bridal Path loop up and over Mounts Lincoln and Lafayette in Franconia Notch is one of the classic hikes of the White Mountains. It takes you from the floor of the notch, up to the summit of Little Haystack. From there, you walk across the fairly narrow Franconia Ridge to reach Mount Lincoln. You descend on the ridge and then climb up Mount Lafayette. From there, you start heading back down along the Greenleaf Trail until you reach the AMC Greenleaf Hut. That’s where you get on the Bridal Path, finish descending the ridge and hook back into the Falling Waters Trail before reaching the Lafayette Place Trailhead parking lot.

All told it’s about a 9 mile loop with and a gain and loss of several thousand vertical feet.

It’s best to start out early and take your time. Not only that, but you’ve got to watch the weather, since the 2 miles or so along the Franconia Ridge and the descent from Lafayette above treeline are all exposed to the full force of the weather. You have to watch out for thunderstorms and any other kind of inclement weather since there isn’t too much protection up there. We had our eye on some thunderheads throughout the day but thankfully they all stayed to the north and south of us.

Starting out at the Lafayette Place Trailhead parking lot the Bridal Path and Falling Waters Trail start out together for about a quarter mile or so of fairly easy walking.

The Falling Waters Trail crosses over the creek and then makes its way across the slope to the Dry River where it turns and starts to climb up the creek’s ravine. There’s a reason this trail is called the Falling Waters trail. You hear the falling water the entire time and for about half the trip, you are basically walking up the river, fording it and climbing around the waterfalls along the way.

Before reaching the summit of Little Haystack, there’s a short side trail out to Shining Rock. We didn’t bother going out, but it offers views of Franconia Notch and Cannon Mountain.

From there, it’s a fairly quick scramble up to the summit of Little Haystack where you break above treeline just below the summit area. From here on out, you are above treeline until you drop back down on the shoulder of Lafayette on your way to the Greenleaf Hut.

The trail descends slightly after Little Haystack before climbing over a small hump and then slowly making its way up to the summit of Mount Lincoln. Nothing is overly difficult about this hike, the grades are fairly mild and the trail is well marked, however you are on a fairly narrow ridge that is well above treeline.

You quickly reach the summit of Mount Lincoln and from there, you can finally see Mount Lafayette beyond (at Little Haystack it’s hidden behind Lincoln). The summit area offers a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and if the weather is good, it offers a good place to stop and take in the Franconia Ridge and surrounding mountains.

The trail descends a bit more than it did after Little Haystack from Lincoln as you continue along the ridge on your way to Lafayette.

Again, not a difficult hike, but it is exposed and in bad weather it could be a tough, if not impossible hike. You make your way along the ridge, over a smaller hump and then begin the ascent of Lafayette itself.

The top of Lafayette offers some great views of the Franconia Notch and Ridge, along with views into the Pemigewasset Wilderness and the North Country.

From there, you begin descending down a shoulder of Lafayette on the Greenleaf Trail. This trail is fairly exposed for about half the trip down to the hut.

It eventually makes its way to treeline and then shortly passes by Eagle Lake and then reaches the Greenleaf Hut. During the summer months the hut is open (you need reservations to say overnight) to the public. There are bathrooms and running water.

It’s about 3 miles from the hut down to the Lafayette Place Trailhead and it’s a whole lot of down. You’re in the woods right after you leave the hut but then as you make your way down the ridge, the woods opens up a bit along a cliff line and you have views back up to Lafayette, Lincoln and the rest of the Franconia Ridge.

After that you drop fairly steeply off the end of the ridge and then eventually come back to the point where the Falling Waters Trail had veered off. From here, it’s just a bit back to the trailhead.

You can see the entire photoset for this hike on Flickr.

The Bubbles - Acadia National Park, Maine - July 18, 2008

2008-07-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

On the same day that we hiked Dorr Mountain in the morning, we headed around the Park loop road and decided to spend the afternoon hiking The Bubbles.

The Bubbles are two small mountains that are located at the northern end of Jordan Pond. From the top of The Bubbles you look right down the lake and to the mountains beyond. It's quite a view, which in addition to its short length makes it a very popular hike. We hit it later in the afternoon figuring it wouldn't be quite as crowded and thankfully it wasn't. It was easy to park in the lot and while we ran into plenty of people, it wasn't overwhelming.

Considering the amount of use this trail gets, it's been improved quite a bit. While the stone steps on Dorr Mountain and other trails are thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps or the 1930s, this trail has had constant work over the years so it's very easy to follow and while it gets steep in places, especially when descending from the South Bubble, it's in great shape – even with what's probably thousands of people hiking it constantly.

When you get to the col between the two Bubbles, there's isn't that much distance between them, so it's easy to go up one, then drop back down and go over the other.

My favorite was the southern Bubble. It had great views of Jordan Pond. Plus there was Bubble Rock, which is a glacial erratic that's sitting right on the edge of the top of the mountain.

From the top of the South Bubble, the trail literally goes up to the edge of the cliffs and then drops down through them. There's nothing overly technical about this section of trail, but it can be a bit disconcerting with the exposure and the view down to the lake. If I had a choice again, I'd probably come up this trail, since climbing something this steep is usually easier when you're going up then going down.

After that initial drop off and down the cliff face, the trail really doesn't level off, instead it picks its way down through the talus slope of the cliffs until it reaches the shore of Jordan Pond. From there, you climb up along a small stream to the height of land before you reach the trail you started out on and then pop back out at the parking lot.

This is one of those hikes that probably everyone who goes to Acadia does and for good reason. While it isn't that long, isn't technically hard and can get crowded, it's a great way to get a really cool mountain experience. The views of Jordan Pond and the surrounding area are cool and for most people, climbing either up or down a cliff is probably something they haven't done before.

I didn't break out the photos for this hike from the overall Acadia/Bar Harbor vacation set, so if you want to see all the photos from the hike, they are in this set.

Dorr Mountain - Acadia National Park, Maine - July 18, 2008

2008-07-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

The thing about hiking in Acadia National Park is that none of the trails are really all that long, it's just that they are steeper than hell. In some places, the trails literally climb their way up through cliffs or go over the cliff via iron ladders drilled right in Acadia's granite.

While tough, the shorter trails, do make it easier to do multiple trips in a single day. The first day of hiking we had in Acadia we did a loop over Dorr Mountain and then in the afternoon did a loop over The Bubbles. Dorr was definitely the longer trip at probably 4 or 5 miles, but The Bubbles weren't any cake walk at just under two miles considering how steep the climb up and back down was.

This mountain is located adjacent to the Sieur de Monts Spring and the Wild Gardens of Acadia area of Acadia National Park. We decided to climb the mountain via the Ladder Trail, which required us to skirt along the shore of The Tarn to reach the base of the trail.

This part of the hike was easy, but it was cool, as the trail runs right along the edge of the swampy lake and you get great views of the surrounding areas.

From the trail junction, the Ladder Trail takes a more direct route up Dorr Mountain. The trail itself is almost a constant granite staircase up the mountain, except in places where there are iron ladders or the slope isn't all that much.

All that climbing is worth it though, the views from the summit area of Dorr are pretty impressive. Cadillac Mountain is just to the west, while the ocean stretches out beyond to the south and east and to the north you can look up into Maine.

From the summit of Dorr, we looped back around via the East Face Trail so that we'd come back out at the Sieur de Monts Spring. This trail had some great views as it mades it way down the open face of Dorr Mountain.

Down at the Sieur de Monts Spring I had to do the obligatory trailhead photo!

All in all, this was probably my favorite hike in Acadia that I've done over the years. It was pretty long, the trail was incredible as it made its way up and down the mountain and the views were great. I also liked it because it wasn't all that crowded (most people head up Cadillac next door).

I didn't break out the photos for this hike from the overall Acadia/Bar Harbor vacation set, so if you want to see all the photos from the hike, they are in this set.