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2006:Mar 27 - GREAT CLIFF on HORRID MOUNTAIN hike from Rt.73. Little snow, icy up higher. Views S, W to Gore Mt., E to NH. 650' gain. Drove short distance E to CHITTENDON BROOK. Area has 7.5 miles of trails. Sections of corn & icy snow but much bare. Sunny, temp in 40s. Carried skis more than skied - what skiing there was was ok. Rocky brooks with clear cold mountain water. All streams bridged. Worth a revisit. 5 miles.   Mar 26 - LINCOLN GAP, VT. 1 mile of unplowed road on either side of the gap - thin icy cover to the W (the way we came up) - good coverage to the E. Cloudy, flurries, temp in 30s. Gained 650' from car to top of gap. Catamount Trail to the N (2,400') had over 1' heavy wet snow - good advanced skiing - turned around at about 2 miles from gap at steep uphill below Mt. Abraham, Vermont's 5th highest peak. CT to the S (1,800') thin icy cover but very good fun & fast novice skiing (even had nice glide going uphill) on forest road - turned around after 1.5 miles at a burned clearing with good views W. Used plastic boots with 3-pin bindings for good control in dense snow; climbing skins on most of way down from pass to slow me down on ice & thin cover. Legs tired. Sugarbush & Mad River Glen reported 6"-18" of new snow a few days ago. 8-9 miles, 5 hours.  Mar 24 - BURNT VLY, E of Stratford. Snowmobile Corridor 8 trail from Rt.29A N toward Spectacle Lake. 0-8" heavy snow with some bare spots. 1.9 hours.4.5 more miles of Bog River-Lows Lake shoreline above Lows Upper Dam newly protected - details.Mar 20 - ARLINGTON-WEST WARDSBORO ROAD aka KELLEY STAND ROAD. Temp in the 20s; 4" powder on variable icy base at start inreasing to 8" powder as elevation was gained. The road is not plowed W of the E Br Deerfield River & is used by snowmobiles (none this weekend) & can be used to access the Long, Appalachian, Catamount, Stratton Pond & Branch Pond Trails. Generally uphill gaining almost 700' to the top of the pass where there are good views W across the valley to the Taconics. Dropped down on the W side some before returning. Pleasant easy run back E with views of Stratton Mtn. Ran into a moose at the junction of the Stratton Pond Trail. It started to come toward me as I was photographing it & I turned to ski away & tripped over my feet creating a nice face-plant. I turned toward the moose fully expecting its mouth to be right there ready to take a piece out of me..... 6 miles, 2.7 hours.  Mar 19&20 - GROUT POND winter leanto camping in Vermont. 2"-3" powder on variable base, very nice skiing on lakes & unplowed roads, trails a bit iffy; temp rising thu 20s, snow showers & sun. From Arlington-W. Wardsboro Rd skied 1 mile on unplowed dirt road/snowmobile trail to Grout Pond cabin (1st come 1st served but not real cute + no view of pond), downhill to boat launch (interesting with a sled in tow), then across the pond to leanto (1 of 2) on NE shore. Pond is 0.8 miles long. After setting up camp, skied West Trail to E Branch Deerfield River as it enters Somerset Reservoir. Skied along edge of reservoir with nice views of Mt. Snow & back along Grout Pond outlet. Some open water on pond near outlet but most of pond was solid ice with few inches of powder. 10 miles, 5.3 hours. Light snow overnight produced 1.5"-2" more powder; temp dropped into the teens. Morning ski on pond then packed out.  Mar 17 - GLASGOW MILLS, from Glasgow Rd, W of Rt.10 between Rockford & Caroga Lake. Avg. 5" powder (nearby Royal Mtn had reported 8") on mostly good base, some wet spots; temp rising thru the teens, not a cloud in the sky. Gently uphill never too far from scenic Glasgow Creek for 1.3 miles to Glasgow Mills, the site of an old sawmill in the late 1800s. In fact, this snowmobile trail was once a road dating back to 1799! Checked out trails S & W for a short distance before being tempted by an unmarked old road heading N - after a short uphill thru hemlocks (& thin snow) continued on thru open hardwoods where the skiing was just about perfect. Hit my turn-around-time too soon - still had to get to work. Mar 13 - HIDDEN VLY. E of East Stoner Lake (1.2 miles from Rt.10). In the Shaker Mtn WF. 0-10" wet snow, some bare spots; temp ~50F, rain, thunder, lightning. Old logging road has a rope tied across it at start - no trail markers but easy to follow the 2 miles to Hidden Vly. Wide but hilly route. If the weather was better we would have continued on to explore Whitman Flow. Ref: Discover the Southern Adirondacks. 2.5 hours. Mar 12 - LITTLE POND & PORCUPINE LOOKOUT, Green Mountain NF, Woodford, VT. In the mostly hardwood forest, 10"-20" of heavy wet snow; temp in 40s, some drizzle & a rain shower late. From the Little Pond parking lot on Rt.9 (2.1 miles E of Prospect Mtn Ski Area) headed NE on unmarked snowmobile trail, crossed powerlines & headed N off-trail ( altho, at times, it looked like we might be following an old logging road). Reach snowmobile trail that links Forest Road 275 with FR272 - skied it E for a bit dropping a nice 200' & climbed back up. Continued off-trail around E then N side of Little Pond. Pond's ice covered with a layer of water. Headed SW on unmarked trail to Long/Appalachian Trail. A moderate climb S brought us to Porcupine Lookout where there are views SE. Returned to FR275 - the snowmobile trail was sometimes pleasant but also sometimes worn to dirt or covered in spruce & balsam needles - we detoured off-trail again & back to cars. If you don't know the Woodford area I suggest you just go out & follow other people's ski tracks & you will learn. 4.8 hours.  Mar 10 - LISHA KILL PRESERVE walk, Rosendale Rd, Niskayuna. No snow but fair amount of mud. Tall, majestic old-growth white pines, hemlocks & oaks. The Lisha Kill is still more ice than water as it passes thru a small gorge, a reminder that spring is not quite here yet. 1.2 hours.  Mar 8 - ROCKWOOD SF. 4"-6" powder on good base; main trails well-packed by other skiers, snowshoers & walkers; couple of bare spots; temp in teens - some iciness in areas exposed to a lot of sun. No-one had skied spur to SW leading down to Caroga Creek - pleasant skiing untracked snow thru hemlock grove. 2.1 hours. Mar 6 - AIKEN WILDERNESS, Woodford, VT. Very good base with 8" powder; close to 2' total in woods. In WOODFORD SP skied across well-frozen Adams Reservoir. Took the unmarked route S from Adams Reservoir (shown as broken red line on this map) across a beaver meadow & 2 beaver ponds. L or S on unmarked but obvious old logging road & up 3 moderate hills (fun on way back). Near height of land saw some ski tracks heading E thru the woods (which turned out to be our route back later in the day). Continued on logging road SW to junction (trail R or SW was taken Jan 30) - a blue paint blaze on tree - a new tin can has been wired to the tree & a map showing a loop trip to the E can be found inside . We bear SE & continue to the edge of a beaver pond. Skiing S we soon reach a large beaver meadow. Dropped over the dam at the SE end & into another pond/meadow - these 3 ponds/meadows are referred to as "The 3 Sisters". Continued S staying close to the N tributary of the W Br Deerfield River then along the streambed of the latter (ice was generally trustworthy). Turned around about a mile N of the snowmobile trail to Heartwellville (see Feb 5 trip). Up the W Br for a bit then decided to follow ski tracks E then N (close to eastern edge of the wilderness area) - figure this is the route shown on tin can map - consider this a bushwhack. Went thru more beaver ponds/meadows before turning W passing just S of the highest point of the Aiken. Saw many moose tracks. Dropped down with some nice glade skiing before crossing another meadow, up a bit then down with more sweet thru-the-trees runs before coming out near height of land on logging road. Took the campground road back to Rt.9. 9 miles, 6 hours. Area must have been skied by many over the weekend because there were ski tracks all over the place - if you don't know the Aiken, just follow some tracks. If you get lost, heading N will get you back to Rt.9.  Mar 5 - McGINN MOUNTAIN, N of Indian Lake Village. Temp rising thru 20s getting close to freezing mark - warm in the sun. Good base with few inches of powder - very good skiing - sunny areas got a bit mushy & started to freeze up late in day as temps dropped. From the end of Benton Rd (next to old landfill) take snowmobile trail NW a third of a mile - from here a designated ski trail follows the scenic Cedar River downstream for over a mile to Pasley Falls, a rapid contained by rock walls. Trail then heads SE thru an old blowdown area with many balsams before reaching a 4 corners. R or S is snowmobile trail back to car, straight is snowmobile trail to Lake Adirondack, L or N is 2.5 mile red trail to Elm Island on the Cedar River. Taking the latter (a large downed tree blocks the start) generally uphill for a while we pass thru an almost pure stand of paper birch before dropping to a stream at 1.5 miles from 4 corners - xc ski trail markers are found on either side of trail (an old ski trail used to run along the river from Pasley Falls to here). We head off-trail to the SE staying to S of stream & cliffs on McGinn. Fairly smooth going with little blowdown. Put on climbing skins (the 2 skiers still with me did not & had to work harder) as things steepened. 3 others head above first set of cliffs, take off skis & hike up S side to summit arriving a few minutes before those of us who keep our skis on & take a longer, more moderate route. Round the E side of McGinn at 2,000' & see large gaudy paint blazes leading us W up a short steep stretch (side-stepped) before moderating a bit. The high point can be seen to the SW & we soon reach a ledge (having gained 600' from the Elm Island Trail) with great views to S & E - could pick out Gore Mt., Snowy Mt., The Hudson River Gorge, Indian Lake & lots more. A cloudless blue sky day offers very distant views. A bit to the W a clearing opens up views to the High Peaks to the N & Blue Mt. can be seen thru the trees to the W. Savor the summit. We drop down to the E side again ( I wish I had brought my plastic boots & possibly skis with cable bindings; leather boots got me thru but plastic boots would have offered better control & more fun) then head around N side of the mountain & bushwhack (in every sense of the word) W - not a great route & nowhere near as open as the route to the S. Come out on the Elm Island trail about a quarter mile N of where we had left it. Passed an unofficial sign on a tree which says "Elm Island" (can see the river from here) - actual Elm Island is a mile N of here. Back at 4 corners take snowmobile trail back to cars which offers a fast downhill ride (after climbing a long hill). Description of route can be found in Discover the Central Adirondacks (3rd Edition, 2002) - the Cedar River-Pasley Falls trail/snowmobile trail loop is accurately described & so is the trail to Elm Island (now with red trail markers & some maintenance) but ignore the bushwhack route to summit - the map in the book takes you to a nubble to the N which is 200' lower - actual summit is marked 2,216' or 681m. on most maps - the name McGinn Mtn. I have only seen on a map put out by the Indian Lake Chamber. The Dutton Mt. USGS map shows the old ski trail which used to go around the mountain but we saw no sign of it. Intermediate on marked trails; intermediate+ off-trail to summit if using skins or snowshoes; expert off-trail to summit skis only. 9+ miles, 7 hours. I'll be back!   Mar 3 - MINE KILL SP, Blenheim, Schoharie County. 2"- 5" new powder, little base. Park road to boat launch is a pleasant novice downhill to reservoir on Schoharie Creek. Ski trail from park office to Power Authority Visitor Center is smooth & only needs 3" to be skiable - goes thru open area with cedar plantation - easy. "Nature Trails" are intermediate - steeper hills could use more snow. 6 miles of trails shown in Ski Tips ($7.95). 1.8 hours. 1 hour drive from APnP. Mar 1- ROCKWOOD SF. 10" powder over good base; 1" new in ski tracks. Wide, smooth trails; varied hills & flat sections. A skiing experience questionnaire can be found at register - I am asking for no grooming (sometimes they run over the trails with a snowmobile & call it grooming). Area offers a skiing experience somewhere inbetween touring centers & wilderness. 4+ miles, 1.9 hours. DEC State Lands - enter Fulton County. Fischer Snowbound skis.  Feb 27 - SHAKER MOUNTAIN WF/SILVER LAKE WILDERNESS from N end of Pinnacle Rd in Bleecker. 1'-2' powder on excellent base - sunny, temp rising into mid-teens. The 1st 2.4 miles along an unmarked old logging road is described well in Discover the Southern Adirondacks - one gradually gains 600' while passing thru an attractive stretch thru hemlock woods & near Pinnacle Creek. We ski out onto a large vly with views of the surrounding small mountains. At the height of land between Pigeon & Panther Mts. we headed NNE making turns down thru the trees dropping a quick 300'. After lunch we headed a bit further E then S up the N side of Panther Mt. before dropping back down 300' again thru the open widely-spaced trees. Very enjoyable run back down from the pass back to the car. Streams crossings not a problem - less blowdown than we've found on marked trails recently. Best skiing of the season - took quite a while for the grin to leave my face! 7 miles, 5 hours. Fischer Outtabounds skis. Used Swix Special Green wax on tips & tails of skis to improve glide & grip in the cold dry powder - Maxiglide on the grip pattern. To improve glide one could also use Swix F4 which is easy to apply to full length of bases. Feb 26 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL S from Piseco. 1' powder over mostly deep base. Temp in single digits rising into low teens, mostly sunny. Interesting, rolling intermediate terrain with some steep spots. Leanto at 3.7 miles; suspension bridge over Hamilton Lake Stream at 4 miles; turned around at junction with Big Eddy trail (see Jan 8 trip) after playing on hill to SW which has an open area. 11.7 miles, 6.8 hours. Fischer Rebound skis. Used Swix Special Green wax on tips & tails of skis to improve glide & grip in the cold dry powder - Maxiglide on the grip pattern. Wore Mountain Surf Aquashell tights under my shell pants for warmth - comfortable, stretchy, wind/water resistant, hydrophobic - also use as wetsuit for spring & fall paddling.  Feb 20 - PEAVINE SWAMP SKI TRAIL, W of Cranberry Lake. 6" of powder on about a foot of firm base - very good skiing. Main trail & all 3 loops are well marked with yellow xc ski trail markers (contrary to what you may read in the guidebooks). Most streams are bridged but there are a few trees down across the trail. Some old-growth hemlocks, red spruce, black cherry along the way. 2 hemlocks are mentioned in the guidebooks - the 1st at 40" diameter at breast height is still standing but alas the 2nd one of 42" DBH has recently come down across the trail (possibly in the wind storm 3 days earlier). Leanto on Inlet Flow reached by most direct route in 4.1 miles - nice spot among tall pines - snowmobiles use the flow. Took the 3 loop trails on the return. Rolling terrain - fun intermediate skiing with a couple of steep spots. The only map that shows the 3 loops correctly is the TI-Old Forge/Oswegatchie. Saw pileated woodpecker, grouse, nuthatches & deer. 11 miles, 5 hours. Got speeding ticket (45 in a 30) leaving Cranberry Lake Village before the trip - a portion of the next month's sales at APnP will go to the Keep Nehasane on the Road Fund - direct contributions can also be made, please make checks out to "Adirondack Paddle'n'Pole".  Feb 19 - PA'S FALLS on the BOG RIVER near Tupper Lake. 2"-4" powder on variable base. 1st 1.5 miles on unmarked old logging road from Rt.421 - rest was bushwhack It was a looooong 1.5 miles further to get to the falls over rough terrain. 30' falls in 3 drops - lots of brown tannin-rich water gushing between rock walls - ice clung to nearby rock & vegetation - an awesome sight & worth the work to get there. A short distance above the falls is a good bridge & an old dirt road comes in from the Round Lake area - this should be state land in the near future & should offer an easier 11 mile round-trip route to the falls. Decided to return up & away from the river to see if it was any easier (no). Found a hunters' path marked with ribbon but it went N & W & I abandoned that idea after going too far. 7.5 miles, 6 hours.   Feb 15 - ROCKWOOD SF, a few miles WNW of Johnstown. Large parking area on S side of Rt.29. 2"-3" powder on good base; temp ~32F, sunny. Forest has 5 miles of designated xc ski trails + more unmarked trails most of which are fairly wide & smooth, hills can be novice thru intermediate+. Much of it is thru red pine plantations. 1.7 hours. Fischer Snowbound skis.  Feb 13 - CATAMOUNT TRAIL south from Somerset Reservoir near Wilmington, Vt. Parked near a building below the dam - steep hill to parking area beyond may be a challenge even with 4WD. 4"-6" powder over good base; areas that were wet spots last weekend are now mostly frozen but could use more snow, where there was good base the skiing was excellent. Snowing over half the time we were out. Headed S on the CT - Twisty narrow downhill at the start - if you survive this then you will be ok the rest of the trip. Trail soon leaves the E Branch Deerfield River & gains elevation (nice runs on the return), passes some beaver flows/ponds with views E of Mt. Snow before dropping along a streambed (tricky crossings, some blowdown) & rejoins the river. Many moose tracks from here & S. Continued S on old RR bed & turned around where 2 downed trees block trail just before junction with East Branch Trail. 9 miles, 6 hours. Fischer Outtabounds skis. Pick up a copy of the Catamount Trail Guidebook at APnP. Got speeding ticket (45 in a 30) after the trip leaving Bennington.Feb 12 - KUNJAMUK CAVE, Speculator. Variable base with 1"-3" powder; stream crossings mostly iced over but could use more snow. Picked up the Kunjamuk Loop ski trail behind the playground/skating rink. 1st mile has nice views of the Sacandaga River but one is also paralleling a snowmobile trail. Trail close to the rivers was icy (looks like rivers may have flooded over a week ago). Section of trail away from river had better skiing & more fun hills (with the inevitable stream crossings at the bottoms). At N end of loop went E on logging road (used by snowmobiles) ~0.5 mile to the cave. Explored just about any spur trails we saw. 7 miles, 5 hours.  Feb 9 - PARTRIDGE RUN WMA near Berne, from Sickle Hill Rd (CR13). Close to 2,000' elevation attracts & keeps snow. 2" powder on thin icy base. A beauty of a crisp, chilly but sunny morning - great to be outdoors. Unplowed Beaver Rd (sign says 'Becker & Wood Ponds") & flatter portion of ski trail skiable with "rock skis". Wet areas are almost all iced up.  P & H Kayaks - Top-of-the-line British composite sea kayaks & plastic touring kayaks now in stock.Feb 6 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL N from Piseco. Lake effect snows kick in again - over a foot of firm base with a little give to it & 4"-8" of new powder. Temp in mid 20s. Snowing most the time but sun peaked out several times, too. Many wet spots avoided by skiing thru open woods (skiing was actually nicer off the trail), several small stream crossings. Mostly novice except for one long hill that is intermediate+. Turned around near Fall Stream. 9 miles, 5 hours.  Feb 5 - STAMFORD POND from Rt.100 in Heartwellville, Vt. Green Mountain National Forest S of the Aiken Wilderness. Parking is next to bridge over W Br Deerfield River at the start of Forest Road 73 (aka Old Stage Rd, 1,800' el) which is used by snowmobiles (did not see any but a couple must have gone thru). Plenty of snow, 15" in woods, temp around 40F, very good skiing. Some wet spots, easily avoided. Headed NW on the wide dirt road for over 2 miles (novice) then took a left on a lesser trail marked with ribbons. Passed Mud Pond which has a camp on it. Thru an area that must have been logged not too long ago; berry bushes & small trees. Picked up Reservoir Brook, left trail & skied near brook to SW end of Stamford Pond (2,400' el). N summit of Houghton Mt. rose to the W. Crossed Reservoir Brook on a beaver dam (pic) with a small breach in it. Bushwhacked NE never too far from the brook. Passed more beaver ponds & an area with much moose activity - saw many tracks, scat. After skirting private land, picked up snowmobile trail a bit W of where we had left it & a nice mostly downhill run back to the car. 9.5 miles, 4.7 hours.   Jan 30 - AIKEN WILDERNESS, Woodford, Vt. 10" wet powder - nice skiing. Started from Woodford State park, along road thru campground. Pick up blue trail & soon reach a 4-way junction. Blue marked trails L & R - we went straight on short unmarked path to a vly. Followed stream up thru 2 more beaver ponds - some slush. Picked up an old logging road (no markers, no signs - this is wilderness now) & followed it S. At tree with blue paint blazes ( the metal can i s no longer here) we took a right. Went some distance & returned. Saw trees that moose have gnawed on. Intermediate skiing. 3.5 hours. Cloudy, misty & lots of snow up in Woodford at well over 2,000' elevation - sunny & almost no snow a few miles away in Bennington - Prospect Mtn's website gives a good indication of snow in this area. Drove back to Merck & walked to cabin - nice colors as sun set over the shoulder of Mt. Antone. Note: gas is 20 cents/gal. cheaper in Vermont.  Jan 29 - 4" of wet powder. Skied the 1 mile (half is uphill) along farm & forest dirt roads to the cabin. Dumped the big backpack & strapped on fannypack. Skied 1.5 miles to summit of Mt. ANTONE (over 800' el gain from parking lot) where, despite cloudy skies, there were some wonderful views especially N & W (drop down to the W of actual summit for best views). Went part way om Masters Mt. Trail then back to cabin. Some rocks showing. Rain late in the day pretty much wiped out all the snow.  Jan 29-31 - MERCK FOREST. 2 nights of "soft" winter camping in Spruce Cabin. Wood stove for heat but there are so many holes in the cabin that cold air leaks in. Nice views of small mountains to S & W.   Thule cargo boxes carry your skis on your car's roof rack - Frontier & Cascade XT 1100.Jan 26 - NISKAYUNA HS POOL. Ceeb & the boss take time out from teaching a kayak class to test some boats.Jan 27 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE. 3", a bit of crust softened as the sun rose in the sky - good skiing. Someone had made a 6' snowball. 20degF. Fischer Snowbound skis. Jan 25 - "METHANE MOUNTAIN", Blatnick Park, River Rd, Niskayuna. 5" wet powder; temp in low 30s. This capped landfill between the park & the Mohawk River (minimal ice) makes a good smooth hill to practise telemark turns & downhill technique. I was pretty lousy today perhaps partly due to having a cold - fresh air & skiing should be a cure. Good exercise climbing back to the top for another run. Fischer Outtabounds skis, cable bindings, plastic touring boots. Jan 23 - ALBANY PINE BUSH ski from W end of Madison Av. Ext. 5" heavy new powder - nice skiing. Skied just about every trail in Madison Av. Pinelands & Great Dune areas - did most of the blue trail twice for it's sweet hilly runs. Most of red, white & yellow trails are novice; blue trail is intermediate. 8 miles, 3 hours. Fischer Rebound skis. Temp in low 30s. Someone had been out before us on skis & left divots in their tracks from snow sticking to their skis - should have been using Maxiglide on nowax skis - Nehasane did not have this problem.  Jan 22 - HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN hike, near Wilmington, VT. 0"-20" icy hardpack, some wet spots but not a major problem. Carried snowshoes on pack but for the most part did not break thru the hardpack & did not use. Spent a sunny, wind-free hour enjoying the views from the summit (1,030' gain in 2.4 miles) - mostly N & E but if you move around you can get limited views in other directions - nearby Mt. Snow across from Haystack Pond below; White Mts of NH, Catskills & more. Walked further N on the Deerfield Ridge Trail (views W across Deerfield River to Appalachians incl. Glastenbury Mt.) to top of Haystack Mtn Ski Area (now closed) - good views E from the chairlift. Delux did ski part of the way. 7.5 miles, 5.5 hours.  Voile 3-pin Cable bindings - Cables can be removed and stowed for free heel touring and re-attached for more performance on the descent.Jan 18 - Welcome to another episode of Desperate Snowseekers, where the secret lives of Albany NY suburbanites residing on rainy Hysteria Lane are not necessarily what they seem. Skee, a Martha Stewart on parabolics, keeps her quiver in the fridge; Pyxie always seems to be on the rebound; Telli & Mark, try to get their marriage off on the right foot again after Mark's brief affair with Sitz (& this after a previous tryst with Fay Splant); Rottefelle & Voilette enter into a binding agreement; and........featuring Nehasane as himself (as well as a couple of other characters) whose life always seems to be on the edge or spiraling downhill. Jan 16 - BELLOWS PIPE TRAIL thru the notch between Mt. Greylock & Ragged Mtn., N. Adams, Mass. Trailhead just before the end of plowing on Notch Rd. Trail is wide, relatively smooth. 8" powder, little base; windblown at higher elevation. More wet stream crossing than I would like due to recent warm spell & rain - pretty tho with the ice & running water. Notch Brook well down in ravine to our E. Intermediate steepness/skiing - a couple of steep pitches before notch can be avoided by switchbacking thru woods. Gain 950' in 2.7 miles to leanto - nice thru the trees views SE of Hoosic River valley & up to summit of Greylock, the highest point in Mass - sun & little wind made for a comfortable lunch stop despite temps in the teens. Continued S on BPT for a while dropping 500' (intermediate+) & crossing the famed Thunderbolt Ski Trail (1,800' drop in 1.6 miles! - read David Goodman's book Backcountry Skiing Adventures VT & NY for history & description - record run of 2 min. 8 seconds was set in 1948). I used skins to climb back up to the high point. Ski back down to Notch Rd was very pleasant & even the stream crossings didn't seem that bad. 7 miles, 5.5 hours. Fischer Rebound skis & Garmont Excursion plastic boots - noticeably better downhill control with the latter. G3 Climbing Skins.  Jan 15 - CAMP SANTANONI on NEWCOMB LAKE. Temp barely above 0degF; windchill -30degF. Icy base with 3' powder. Novice skiing. 10 miles, 3.75 hours. Bring your best gliding skis - waxable Karhu Vela skis - Polar wax (good for up to 5degF) was good enough today.  Jan 9 - SHAKER MOUNTAIN WILD FOREST & SILVER LAKE WILDERNESS from Pinnacle Rd near Bleecker. Few inches of heavy powder over good base at lower elevations; 2' at higher el. Temp rising into the mid-30s. Looking for a route (bushwhack) N of Pigeon Mt. over to the W Br Sacandaga River (~20 miles upstream of yesterday's trip). Generally uphill on old logging road for 1st 1.5 miles past a vly with view of Pigeon Mt. (pic) then steeply uphill to the pass NE of Pigeon Mt. Moderate downhill in a NNW direction usually W of main drainage - fairly open woods - some tricky stream crossings. Got to a large vly with pond within half a mile of the W Br. Hit our turn-around time so we turned back before reaching the river. ~2,150' el. at top of pass & a pleasant run back to the car at ~1,550'. Intermediate skiing (just do traverses thru the woods if it looks too steep for you) + a positive attitude. 8 miles, 6+ hours. Fischer Rebound skis.  Jan 8 - W BRANCH SACANDAGA RIVER from Whitehouse near Wells. Silver Lake Wilderness. Very nice conditions with good base & few inches of powder. 1st 1.5 miles on unplowed dirt road, side-trip S to suspension bridge over the river, N on NPT for 0.5 mile then W on unmarked path. Able to cross ice on Hamilton Lake Stream & ski over to Big Eddy (pic), a calm area of water between rapids. Very scenic skiing along the W Br. Temp rising into the 30s. Novice. 7.5 miles, 5 hours. Fischer Snowbound skis.  Jan 6 - CHARLESTON STATE FOREST SW of Amsterdam. Elevation over 1,200' helps keep the snow. 20 mile system of xc ski trails - snowshoers/bare-booters are asked not to walk in ski tracks. Skied N loop from Burtonsville Rd. 8"-10" heavy, a bit icy in open areas (hard work breaking trail), less under evergreens & more icy (fast - not bad); wet spots & stream crossings & some blowdown esp NE section made for slow going at times. Varied woods, couple of ponds. Map in Ski Tips & usually at register. Fairly easy but with some intermediate hills. 6 miles, 2.75 hrs. Got chewed out by the boss for opening the store half hour late! Jan 4 - ALBANY PINE BUSH from Willow St. Spent most of time on Blue & Yellow trails to the S - Great Dune, the largest dune in NYS. 1" & icy under the pitch pines; up to 4" heavy snow in the open - fairly lousy conditions. Temp in low 20s. Karhu Rendezvous (aka Qinu) skis with very light touring boots are fine in powder - wished I had my backcountry gear - tough conditions call for tough gear.Jan 2 - TACONIC CREST TRAIL N from RT.2 at Petersburg Pass. 3"-5" powder over minimal base, better off-trail (did some nice thru-the-trees runs) than on trail; some wet spots. Temp in low 30s. Snow stuck to trees like hoar frost. Bare-booted first steep 200 yds to Williams College's Hopkins Memorial Forest signboard. Soon have nice run downhill then moderately steep uphill (tricky on way back; would be better with foot+ of snow). ~1 mile in, bushwhacked E up Jim Smith Hill thru waist high brush for some views; sweet run NW back down to TCT. White Rock lookout @ ~2.8 mi. & 2,500'+ elevation - views of Mts. Greylock, Raimer & Berlin Mt while we ate lunch in the warm sun. Continued N with long sweet downhill run to col S of Bald Mt. Turned back & took 100 yd detour to the Snow Hole, a rocky grotto where ice is often found in summer. Skied in 2 states today - NY, VT - & MA was only yards away. Intermediate (+ today). 7 miles, 4.5 hrs. Fischer Snowbound skis. Use Maxiglide to keep snow & ice from sticking to base of ski especially when temps are over 25 degF.  Jan 1 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL from Benson. Good icy base but only 2" of powder - fair skiing, better off-trail. Fair amount of water running thru N Branch W Stony Creek made for some picturesque falls & rapids. Followed it downstream a ways then stayed close to NPT & turned around at Goldmine Brook. Intermediate. Fischer Rebound skis. 
2005:Dec 28 - FIVE RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER walk in Delmar. 0-2" crusty snow; very icy in trails. 10 miles of trails here in a variety of habitats from open fields to evergreen woods - beginner/novice for skiing; most trails are smooth & would only need 4" to make for good skiing. Did the North Loop & poked around the ponds. Deer, red & grey squirrels, pileated woodpeckers + other birds but I forgot my binos! 3 miles, 1.5 hours.Dec 27 - SCHENECTADY MUSEUM NATURE PRESERVE walk, from Lock 7 in Niskayuna. 1"-2" of icy snow; icy in trail - adjustable Masters poles came in very handy. Close to 4 miles of trails (intermediate for xc ski), stream, wide variety of trees, glimpses of Mohawk River (still mostly iced). Pileated woodpecker, robins, chickadees. Proposed regulations on use of motors on Lows Lake - comments accepted thru Dec 31.Dec 19 - ROCKWOOD STATE FOREST ski. Dusting of new powder in yesterday's tracks. Explored some connector trails & a little off-trail, too. 40 miles & under 1 hour drive from APnP. 2.7 hours. Fischer Snowbound skis. Saw 2 mature bald eagles flying near the Mohawk River on the drive back home.Dec 18 - ROCKWOOD STATE FOREST ski, a few miles WNW of Johnstown. 15" heavy powder (no ice) - very good skiing in a reforestation area of mostly tall red & white pine. 5 miles of designated ski trails (which does not prevent some illegal snowmobile use) & other unmarked trails & spurs. Most trails tracked by other skiers already. Took spur trail down to Caroga Creek which was running pretty good. Many nice hilly intermediate runs. Maps in Ski Tips & Discover the Southern Adirondacks do not show all trails - just go explore, if you get "lost" just head N because you are never more than a mile form Rt.29A. 2.5 hours. Fischer Rebound skis.Dec 15 - Took a walk along the bike-path near Lock 7 - the MOHAWK RIVER is frozen over thanks to 3 nights with temps around zero. 1"-2" of snow.Dec 12 - MINNEWASKA STATE PARK in the SHAWANGUNKS west of New Paltz. 8"-10", some exposed rocks. 26 miles of ski trails on old carriageways - mostly groomed. $4 weekdays; $6 weekends/holidays. Along W side of cliff-lined Lake Minnewaska (mostly open water) then on Castle Pt. Carriageway. Oaks, pitch pine, mountain laurel. Super views much of the way to & from Castle Point (el 2,100'+) - gain 500' in ~3 miles - views S to NJ, N to Catskills. Down below overhanging cliffs to Lake Awosting (over half iced up). Back on Hamilton Point Carriageway (ungroomed) with views across Palmaghatt Kill gorge to Gertrude's Nose & out to Hudson Valley & Highlands. Intermediate. 10 miles, 3.7 hours. Karhu Vela waxable skis - glide excellent, grip ok, very good turning & control.  Dec 11 - G LAKE. 15" - good base & plenty of powder. Conditions good enough to try some turns thru the woods between unplowed road & Evergreen Lake. G Lake now totally frozen over. Went along S & W side until unmarked trail disappeared short of the lake's outlet; then around E side. Layed out the full-length Thermarest pad for relaxing lunch-stop. 7.5 miles, 5 hours. Fischer Snowbound skis.  Dec 9 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE. 3" & still snowing. A quick circuit of the course before work. Karhu Vela (discontinued, 70-60-65 sidecut) waxable skis - blue wax - very good glide but not much grip for 1st 15 min. but then grip kicked in & glide suffered a bit - go figure! the wonders of waxing!Dec 5 - G LAKE. W of Piseco Lake. 8" - nice skiing - I've skied here on less. Over 2 miles on unplowed dirt road past Evergreen Lake. Old logging roads from wilderness boundary - no marked trails - shown as trails on Piseco Lake USGS map. Easy intermediate skiing. Campsite on E shore is a nice scenic lunchspot if it isn't too windy. Trail along S of lake fairly easy to follow; "trail" around N of lake requires tricky crossings of 2 streams & may seem like a bushwhack to some. Lake still has some open water. 8 miles, 4+ hours. Fischer Rebound skis. Red Ledge Thunderlite Full Zip Pants - wear these over base layer long johns on most of my snow trips - a great value @ $49.95.  Dec 4 - BREIA trails xc skiing, S of Booneville, N of Utica. 10"-20" - flatter trails are groomed but not track-set - personally I wish they would just leave the snow alone because they flattened it to 1"-2" of depth. Alder Creek Gorge - skied most of trails S of Egypt Rd - Hemlock Loop is not groomed & hard to follow. Mostly novice except the 4 gully trails are intermediate+. 2 hours. Drove over to PIXLEY FALLS SP. Skied to bottom of falls at park. Then skied 2.5 miles up Black River Canal trail (beginner) to 2 more falls. 5.5 miles, 2.5 hrs. Fischer Snowbound skis.  Nov 27 - LITTLE POND ski, Woodford, Vt. Start from RT.9 2.1 miles E of Prospect Mtn Ski Area at 2,400' el. About a foot of snow. Snowmobile trail (novice) N for 2.5 miles to the Pond gaining 300' - drop to pond a bit rough with rocks & wet spots. Near top of hill took spur trail with some wet spots SW to Long/Appalachian Trail (white paint blazes). SW on LT moderately uphill to Porcupine Lookout with nice views S & E (no signs of civilization except Searsburg Wind Farm). NE on LT generally uphill for ~1.5 miles to Little Pond Lookout (now at over 3,000' el) - some rocks beg for more snow/base. Returned partway then bushwhacked down to snowmobile trail near the pond (often skied so you may see tracks). Pleasant runs on the way out. Saw no snowmobiles (believe they are not allowed on state forest trails before Dec 15) & no hunters. 8 miles, 4.5 hrs. Fischer Rebound skis.  Nov 24 Thanksgiving - MOHAWK RIVER kayaking from Lions Park in Niskayuna. Just had to paddle with white shores (1.5" snow). Water drawn down some, shallow areas between islands. Ice forming in marshy areas & many muskrat lodges seen. Dagger Catalyst 12.8, a 12'10" kayak. WILTON WILDLIFE PRESERVE xc skiing. 5" of new snow. Skied most of trails N & S of Scout Rd parking. Trails are smooth & wide. N of Scout Rd trails are easy skiing; S trails are more hilly. Fairly quiet for being just 1.5 miles from Northway. Fischer Rebound skis.   
Apr 17 - HAYSTACK MT. & MT. SNOW ski. Karhu Dorado skis.
OR Seattle Sombrero hat & MSR Hubba Hubba tent get Backpacker magazine's 2005 Editor's Choice awards. Nehasane loves his solo MSR Hubba . MSR Missing Link tent got the award in 2004. What these tents have in common is light weight & a feeling of roominess.
Mar 27 - CATAMOUNT TRAIL ski. Nehasane's 50th day of skiing this season. Started at Rt.9 a few miles W of Wilmington. Trail follows along old railroad bed alongside the Deerfield River - Rt.9 is on other side for a while & then a pipeline is in view for the 2 miles to Searsburg Reservoir & dam. Trail is rough getting around dam but then levels out again past the reservoir. Continue on E shore of East Branch of Deerfield River. Another trail enters from the W soon crossing the river on a swinging suspension bridge. Catamount follows E Br for another couple of miles then climbs gently along a stream which is crossed several times. After a moderate uphill the trail levels out some. Rolling terrain from here to Somerset Reservoir dam with some beaver ponds & views of Mt. Snow. Returned same way. Major stream crossings have good wood bridges, some minor streams will make spring skiing tough. Next time I will skip Rt.9-Searsburg Res. section - middle & northern sections are more scenic & offer more interesting skiing. Lots of moose tracks & some fresh droppings. 14 miles, 7 hours. Fischer Rebound Crown skis, leather boots.
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Mar 24 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE ski. 2" wet powder, icy base in some areas - good skiing won't last a day - cloudy, temp ~32°F. Saw a great blue heron near small open area of pond. Fischer Rebound Crown skis.
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Mar 20 - LOST & LITTLE PONDS , Woodford, Vt. Snow 2'+; mostly sunny, temp rising thru 30s & 40s (did my thermometer really read 52°F?) Very good skiing on snowmobile trail (we didn't hear any snowmobiles on this Monday til near end of trip); good offtrail. Start at 2,400' elevation; Little Pond at 2,600'; Lost Pond at just under 3,000' (over an hour lunchbreak in the warm midday sun); we probably hit 3,200' en route. Snowmobile trail from Rt.9 to just before Little Pond - at point where trail starts dropping down to pond we bushwhack NW thru open woods (should have come back this way) & soon join Long Trail/Appalachian Trail (white paint blazes may be hard to spot). Mostly beech & other hardwoods. Pass a lookout toward Little Pond then L off trail around W side of Little Pond Mt. to remote Lost Pond. Good views of Glastonbury Mt. to NW. Skied around N side of LP Mt. then traversed its E side (views of Mts. Greylock, Snow, Haystack) thru semi-open woods down to Little Pond. Cross pond & head S thru open woods paralleling the snowmobile trail to the powerline where we pick up a spur snowmobile trail not far from the cars. SE facing snow getting a bit mushy in the afternoon. Intermediate. 8.7 miles, 5.6 hours. Fischer Rebound Crown skis, 3-pin bindings, leather boots.
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Mar 20 - MERCK FOREST. Bit hard & hint of iciness early; turning to soft wet powder as day progressed - depths in 15"-25" range - temp rising thru 30s into the 40s - mostly sunny. 800' climb to Spruce Peak via Gallup trail - first half is steep, second half moderate - wished I had brought the skins but made up with herringbones & sidesteps - view from lookout of Mt. Antone & lowlands beyond. Down Gallup across Hammond (great views), across Meyer, visit Ridge Cabin, down Old Town (nice run, semi-groomed), around on Silviculture (signboards gave me an education in forestry), partway on Antone then back out on Old Town. Maple syrup is running. Intermediate to advanced intermediate. Karhu Dorado skis, cable bindings, plastic boots - a good heavy duty set-up makes sense when attacking spring snow conditions.
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Mar 14 - PRESTON PONDS & DUCK HOLE . Weather much like yesterday: a bit of everything; winter still here for quite a while yet. Woke up to temps in low teens. Trail climbs gently then moderately with short steep pitches - I used skins for about a half mile but they weren't absolutely necessary (advanced intermediate on way down - can ski thru open woods to the N of trail) - gained 400' in 1.5 miles to pass before Upper Preston Pond. Nice mountain views while crossing the pond. A carry trail runs S of the outlet (an oar handle sticks up out of the snow at the start). Soon we are on Lower Preston Pond with views ahead to the Sewards & Sawtooths. Picked up the outlet & skied along its S shore (some open water here). After a while, the outlet narrows between steep walls as it goes over a waterfall as it enters Duck Hole - a bit before this there was a ribbon marking the start of a short narrow steep carry (side-stepped it). Out onto Duck Hole & crossed over to the 2 leantos on W side - the Santanonis pear over to the S. A large dam holds back the pond's water but will not be maintained - will Duck Hole survive? Probably not as we know it. Visited a nice cabin on S shore of Upper Preston which will probably be torn down after NYS acquires the land from the Open Space Institute. Outstanding skiing & views. Fischer Rebound skis, Super Tele 3-pin bindings, leather boots. Gloves, mittens, gaiters, hats by OR - Outdoor Research .
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Mar 13 - HENDERSON LAKE & INDIAN PASS ski & camp from Upper Works, the main entry point to the High Peaks from the S. 2 to 3 feet of snow; offtrail 3"-5" powder on top of breakable crust. Temp ~30°F; partly sunny with snow showers. Skied 1.5 miles across Henderson Lake to the new leanto at the NW end of the lake. Leanto is more Lincoln Logs than traditional Adirondack log & has a thru-the-spruces view of the lake. Dropped off overnight gear then skied the Preston Ponds trail 0.6 miles E to the Indian Pass trail. Soon reach Henderson Leanto - the narrow, winding, balsam-lined mile of trail from here to Wallface Leanto has short ups & downs & can be a challenge for even the intermediate skier. Skied further toward Indian Pass with views of the shear 1,000' cliffs of Wallface then turned around where the trail crosses to the E side of Indian Pass Brook. Back in camp, got a nice fire going, changed into dry clothing & stayed pretty toasty. Transported overnight gear on Pelican plastic sled - tracked well as long as I had it loaded stern heavy, no skeg or rudder needed; its flat bottom with keels provided good stability & better glide than one might think from a sled with this much wetted surface, I was able to maintain a cruising speed of just under 2 knots over Henderson Lake; maneuverabilty was fair; strictly for recreational use & not a "serious" sled but then what do you expect for $20 (incl. buckle straps & bungie).
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Mar 10 - ALBANY PINE BUSH from end of Willow St, Guilderland. 2" of powder over icy base in trail; nicer 8" in woods - very good skiing. Temp in teens, sunny. Blue trail loop - relatively quiet - some snowshoe tracks some virgin snow - nice hills in open woods on dunes off-trail to the SE. 3" more on Fri/Sat would make for excellent skiing here. Karhu Pyxis skis, leather boots. Fischer Europa 99 Crown skis.
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Mar 7 - CRANE & OXSHOE PONDS in Pharoah Wilderness near Schroon Lake. Temp upper 20s to low 40s - cloudy at first but then mostly sunny. 2 miles to Crane is along an old dirt road - easy intermediate - thru wonderful stands of towering white pines & hemlocks. Trail crosses outlet & passes thru attractive woods (add birches to the pine/hemlock mix) to Glidden Marsh & a good view of Pharoah Mt. Quite the variety of animal tracks en route. We take a L & climb steeply (do some switchbacks offtrail - "think out of the tracks") for a while before continuing on to leanto at Oxshoe Pond. The pond has steep rocky shorelines & is surrounded by beautiful red pines. Skied around its perimeter & up & down some of the steep rock just for the fun of it (some 30' drops at 45° angle). After a short siesta, skied back out the way we came. Billions of snowfleas were out sunning themselves. The route to Crane Pond is well-used but the further we went the less evidence of previous travellers. Intermediate. 7.5 miles, 5 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis. Use Maxiglide XC Quick Wax on bases of nowax skis when temp is above 20°F to prevent sticking.
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Mar 6 - JACKRABBIT TRAIL . From Whiteface Inn Rd in Lake Placid west to McKenzie Pond & back. Trail is an old logging road/fire trail & so is wide; turns are gentle. Temp just under freezing - snowing all the time we were out - 20"-30" already on the ground, trail "groomed" by previous skiers. Gain 500' in 1.5 miles to Placid Leanto. Trail levels out for a mile & then climbs to the top of McKenzie Pass (700' gain from start). The trail now drops 950' in 1.5 miles & is a blast in good snow conditions - this is no harder than the "Most Difficult" trails at Garnet Hill (Skullbuster, Duffany's) & a lot easier than coming down from Avalanche Pass; there are no sharp curves & just a few bumps - advanced intermediate. Steepness moderates occasionally for a quick breather. I do some tele turns, some sideplows & some just straight ahead "point 'em downhill" skiing. Took a R turn at a light blue sign & soon arrived at McKenzie Pond - skied up the E shore a bit to find a good lunchspot. I was able to ski back up to the pass without herringboning or skins (did see some folks using both techniques tho) - even went back down a ways a couple of times for seconds. A ravine is to the N. Rest of trip was relatively easy with a sweet run down over the last 0.8 miles - intermediate. 8.5 miles, 1,650'++, 4.8 hrs. Fischer Outtabounds Crown skis, Rottefella Chili bindings, Garmont Excursion plastic boots. Experimented with Maxiglide XC Quick Wax on the grip pattern to keep warm snow from sticking & Swix V42 blue wax (for "new & fine-grained snow 14°F to 32°F") on rest of ski base to improve grip & glide.
Please be patient - we are trying hard to get Nehasane off the snow & back to work to finish his reports - Rich.
OK I'm back, can I get a day off? I'm going thru a bottle of ibuprophen a day! - Nehasane.
Mar 4 - COLONIE TOWN PARK . Park at locked gate or bike path parking on Schermerhorn Rd. Followed park road to nature trails on R. Temp ~20°F - 8"-12" powder on little or no base. Most trails novice/easy intermediate but there are a couple of short steep spots at E end on orange trail. Some use by snowmobiles & barebooters. Mostly hardwoods but hemlocks are common near Mohawk River. At boat launch I went out a short distance on the river - too chicken &/or smart to go out too far despite the fact bilers have been out there. Fairly peaceful in a suburban sort of way; distant traffic noise from rush hour commuters on Northway. Map in Ski Tips & Natural Areas of Albany County. 1.5 hrs. Fischer Outbound skis, NNN-BC bindings w/old boots.
Mar 3 - LISHA KILL PRESERVE , Rosendale Rd in Niskayuna. About a foot of powder over minimal base - temp ~20°F. The Lisha Kill runs thru a ravine amongst tall white pines & hemlocks. Steeply rolling terrain. Karhu Karver Sweeper skis w/lite hiking boots - sort of like snowshoes that you can slide; now that most modern snowshoes have crampons the fun of glissading downhill is gone - the Karvers bring that feeling back. Very maneuverable; they climb much better than they glide.
Mar 2 - PLOTTER KILL PRESERVE ski from Coplon Rd, Rotterdam. 15"-25" powder, little base - temp in 20s, sunny, very windy. Snow to my knees in some areas. Did one run each with the telemark skis & skinned back up - the pipeline hill starts gently, becomes moderately steep & finally drops very steeply to the creek (losing 300' guesstimate) - it is possible to cross & ski the steep powerline on the other side (I only went part way). Karhu Rox & Fischer FX7.0 telemark skis - felt I could have used longer & wider skis for more floatation - these are mid-length (short for my 200+lbs.) & narrow (73 & 70mm at the waist) for modern tele skis. Skied N on the red trail past the powerline then bushwhacked a little to the top of the gorge with views to the hills across the Mohawk River. Fischer Outtabounds skis. Garmont Excursion plastic boots. BTW, if you have never visited this preserve, what are you waiting for? Check out Natural Areas of Schenectady County ($7) for map & more details.
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Feb 28 - COD POND ski from Rt.8 NE of Wells. Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. 5" of powder on breakable crust over good base (~15" total). Trails packed by skiers, snowshoers & bilers - saw no-one today. Crossed Cod Pond to S end then bushwhacked around W side of pond slowly climbing a hill (NW of pond). Thru-trees views N of rugged mountains of southern Siamese Ponds Wilderness & Harrington Mt to E. Dropped to the E for short distance - if it was any steeper I'd have to call it a cliff (made my way down with a series of traverses) - soon moderating before running into the trail. Back to Cod & across N end of pond to Oregon Trail by the outlet (watch for thin ice). Returned on snowmobile trail. Nice downhill run back to the car. Intermediate. Karhu Dorado skis.
Feb 27 - SOUTH BRANCH WEST CANADA CREEK & T LAKE FALLS ski near Hoffmeister. Foot of powder on top of over a foot of base, just about perfect - temp teens to low 20s. Yet another gorgeous sunny Sunday! West Canada Wilderness. Start at end of Mountain Home Rd - this is private land & you may have to get permission to park here or ask at nearest house. First mile or so is on unplowed dirt road to the summer parking area before the register - The Floe, a widening of the S Branch is seen on the R. We are the only ones to sign in in the month of Feb. Continue on an old logging road with no markers for 3 miles to crossing of S Branch which is about 60' wide here. We ski up the creek on thick snow-topped ice for about a mile occasionally skirting holes of open water. A little past a pair of cables across the river (hunters use these to cross the creek during high water) we go into the woods on the S side & pick up a path sporadically marked with reddish-orange paint blazes. Losing the path we head for the creek in an "open" area (map would make one think this would be a marsh or vly) but alders make for hard going & we ski along the edge of the creek until one of us breaks thru the ice (you carry spare socks in a ziploc bag, right?) Back into the woods & we soon find the path again - look also for axe blazes (scarred tree bark as it heals over the wound). Finally, we see yellow paint blazes & follow them uphill E along T Lake Outlet to the foot of the 350'(?) falls - a pretty awesome sight - mostly snow-covered ice with a little open water dropping into a pool. Ski in (breaking trail all the way) took 4.5 hours including stop for lunch, ski out took 2.5 hrs. Mostly novice terrain; intermediate hill just past register & close to falls. 14 miles, 7.2 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis.
Feb 24 - "METHANE MOUNTAIN" ski. Parked at Blatnick Park on River Rd in Niskayuna. Beyond the park is a capped landfill with a wonderful view of the Mohawk River from the top. Unfortunately there was only 1"-2" of crusty snow left over short grass & my dreams of turning some teles ended but it wasn't too bad just making some straight runs across the hill. I'll be back! Karhu Dorado skis.
Feb 23 - ROCKWOOD STATE FOREST ski. Borders the Adirondacks between Johnstown & Caroga - less than an hour's drive from APnP. Large parking area on S side of Rt.29 E of Rockwood. 4"-6" powder over excellent base - temp in 20s. Fair amount of wide smooth novice trail but there are nice intermediate hills to the W & NE (SE of parking) of the forest. Spur trails can add mileage. Some trails showed evidence of snowmobile (illegal) & skier use but also found some virgin powder. Ended up on the hill SE of parking area. Near the top is an old fireplace & 4-way junction. I came up gentle route from the E. Trail to S is a straight easy intermediate downhill. Trails to N & W (virgin powder on the latter) are advanced intermediate but seemed easier due to the excellent conditions - both trails have a couple of steeper drops & some turns - such a blast I had to do both trails twice! 6 miles, 2.6 hrs. Fischer Rebound skis.
Feb 22 - ALBANY PINE BUSH ski, Blueberry Hill section S of Washington Av Ext. Trailhead at end of Columbia Circle. Good skiing on 3"-4" - temp around freezing. Skied most marked trails & some unmarked. Blue trail is easiest; red trail has a nice view of the Helderberg Escarpment; N part of yellow trail has a tricky steep section (short steep drop going clockwise; winding narrow drop going counterclockwise best with deeper snow) - most trails are wide & smooth. Snow a bit sticky - use Maxiglide. Altho never too far from roads, houses & office buildings traffic noise was minimal & a variety of birds sang & called. Interesting skiing around controlled burn areas. 4 miles, 1.5 hrs. Fischer Outbound skis.
Feb 21 - PARTRIDGE RUN WMA ski near Berne. Oh so nice 6"-8" fresh powder over some base - temp in 20s. Partridge Run is a large natural area intersected by roads - elevation close to 2,000' - about 40 min. drive from APnP. Trails bordered by Beaver Rd (unplowed), Bradt Hill Rd, High Point Rd, Sickle Hill Rd are designated xc ski. Start on Sickle Hill Rd (CR13) - quite the 1 mile drive up the hill from CR1 with drifting snow & a hairpin curve (thank God for AWD). Skied down Beaver Rd 0.3mi. (ignore the snowmobile trail to the R) then R on yellow marked xc ski trail (also some blue trail markers along the way). If you keep turning L at any junction you will loop back to Beaver Rd about 0.75mi. from where you left it. We decided to return on the ski trail the way we came rather than on Beaver Rd. Spur trails lead to above roads. Nehasane couldn't resist going off trail for some glade skiing. Mostly novice terrain but 3 hills are intermediate - the first hill about 1.5 mi. from Beaver Rd has several L & R right-angle turns, so much fun I had to run it 3 times. Several beaver ponds en route - saw otter tracks at one. Woods vary but plantations of red & white pine, hemlocks & red spruce stand out. 7 miles, 4 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis.
Feb 20 - STEPHENS & CASCADE PONDS ski, near Blue Mt Lake. 3"-5" powder over good base - temp in teens to low 20s. Another blue sky Sunday! Northville-Placid Trail goes thru Lake Durant State Campground (some snowmobile use) then heads S on an old truck road into the Blue Ridge Wilderness (no motors). Generally uphill for a mile (nice run on return). About 1.5mi. from campground look for a red paint circle about 10" in diameter on an old birch to the L. About 50' beyond bushwhack SW (230° magnetic) 0.25mi. thru open woods to shore of Stephens Pond. It is about 0.75mi. to the leanto at the SW end of pond but I take the long way around the E side. Blue Ridge dominates to the SW. Looking N from the S end one can see Blue Mt. Careful of thin ice E of the island - one of Hombrua's skis went thru. Leanto is set back from pond & lacks a view of it. Picked up the NPT behind the leanto & climbed for 0.6mi. to a junction (tricky downhill ski if going in other direction). L for 1 mi. to Cascade Pond. Skied perimeter of pond with good view of Blue Mt. Hung out at leanto before making the extremely enjoyable mostly downhill 3.5 mi. run out. 9 miles, 6hrs. Fischer Outbound skis.
Feb 17&18 - MOHAWK HUDSON BIKE PATH walks from Lock 7 Rd in Niskayuna. Path W is icy & hard to walk so I ducked into the SCHENECTADY MUSEUM NATURE PRESERVE. Trails were a bit icy but much of woods were ice & snow free. View of Lock 7 with lots of water pouring over the dam - most of the Mohawk River is still iced over. Path E is usually plowed for walkers & runners as far as Lions Park (2 miles). A lake effect snow squall created a wintry scene & deposited almost an inch in an hour. The beaverdam on the Lisha Kill seems to get bigger every time I see it. Robins looked fat. As I finished up the sun came out but the snow was still flying.
Feb 14 - PHAROAH LAKE ski from Beaver Pond Rd. 5"(on trail)-10"(in open areas) powder on icy base - popular trail was well-tracked from the previous day. Temp rising thru the 20s. Good skiing but some rocks exposed - could use another 6" to sweeten things up. Fairly flat for over a mile along unplowed rough dirt road to wilderness boundary at Mill Brook then slowly gain 250' in next 2.4 miles to the lake. Last mile is thru attractive hemlock/white pine/birch forest with glimpses of Pharoah Mt. across the beaver flow on Pharoah Lake Brook. Skied along S shore of lake to Leanto #1 & spread out the Thermarest for a long break - view across the lake to Treadway Mt. Started snowing mid-afternoon. Glide out took 1.5 hrs. Easy intermediate. 8 miles, 5.2 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis, leather boots.
Feb 13 - MERCK FOREST ski, W Rupert, VT. Merck has 28 miles of hilly forest roads & trails - pick up free map at gate. Blue skies - temp 20-25°F. Joining me today: the Masochistic Institute of Ski Tourers And Keg Emptiers (MISTAKE). Thru the farm & up Old Town Rd then R on Antone Rd. At a cabin a ski trail makes a moderate climb along the side of a knob with valley views (Antone Rd climbs steeply over the knob then drops to junction with ski trail). Snow was piled on overhanging trees - winter wonderland. Skied S a ways over Masters Mt. & down a little to get a look at a trail that drops 1,500'. Turned around & made the final steep climb to top of Mt. Antone (gaining over 800' from start in 2.4 miles). View N from the summit. Skied W a little to a large open area with super views of Green Mts & eastern Adirondacks + a gap in trees with views SW - could make out the ski trails on West & Gore Mts. 2' of powder here. All MISTAKErs fell on the drop off the top - Nehasane stayed up. Skied back down Antone Rd with some nice runs (the steep drop off the knob was a bit hairy, next time I'll take the ski trail). Headed over to Spruce Cabin which has nice views across an open field & catches the warm afternoon sun. Field has a perfect slope to play with telemark turns - burned off a few calories yoyoing up & down the hill. Off along Meyer Rd to Gallup Rd which then winds & drops (sweet intermediate run) eventually to Old Town Rd. Mostly gentle climb back up OT Rd. With over a mile to go a binding tore out of the ski! Experimented with single ski touring - scootering, boarding with 2 feet on one ski, boot drag on downhill - the last part of the downhill was a bit too steep & I took off the ski & walked the rest of the way. At the farm there is an open view to the W - a post-sunset multicolor glow silhouetted the Adirondacks - ahhh! MISTAKErs breathed words like "Heaven" & "Nirvana" throughout the day. Advanced intermediate to Mt. Antone; rest of route intermediate. 8++ miles (repeated several hills & detoured offtrail a bit when glades beckoned), 7.5 hrs. Karhu Orion skis, plastic boots. Used Swix F4 wax to improve glide.
Feb 7 - GOOD LUCK MOUNTAIN CLIFFS ski from Rt.10. Ferris Lake WF. Well over foot of snow with good base & few inches of wettish powder. Temp rising from 20s to 40°F; more clouds than yesterday. Skied Dry/Dexter lakes snowmobile trail for 0.7 miles then headed SW offtrail following snowshoe tracks. Climbed moderately at first then very steeply (skins on). Barebooted maybe 200yds due to iciness, steepness & downed trees. Crossed summit over to the cliffs on W side - views SW across Spectacle Lake with hills S of Mohawk River on the horizon. Stretched out the Thermarest on the rocks for some RnR. After studying the maps, decided the drop to the W should be more moderate. Dropped very steeply on trail a short distance then bushwhacked W over a small knob - nice open woods with moderate grade for a while. Things got very steep again but was able to make some switchbacks to more moderate terrain again. Turned N thru open woods for a sweet run down to the snowmobile trail - so sweet I went back up and did it again. Half mile back to where we had initially left the snowmobile trail then out. Neither saw nor heard any snowmobiles on this Monday - you may get a different experience on a weekend. Intermediate+/easy expert. 600', 4 miles, 4.5 hrs. Fischer Outtabounds skis, Chili bindings, Garmont Excursion plastic boots . I strongly believe the boot/binding combination made all the difference between just hanging on and having a blast.
Feb 6 - N BRANCH SACANDAGA RIVER ski, Silver Lake Wilderness from Rt.10 N of Canada Lake. Over 2' of snow in vlies; less in woods; wet powder on excellent base. Bit icy in snowshoe tracks early; nice in untracked snow at all temps; bit sticky when warm (Maxiglide does the trick). Temp rising from 20s to mid 40s; 70s in direct sun at lunchtime. Started at the bridge over the W Branch & followed an old unmarked logging road. Hit the N Branch about 2 miles in. At an old foundation one can ski out onto a large vly with a beaver hut in the middle. Snowshoe tracks ended here; after that we broke trail (easy - only sinking in ~4"). Back on faint logging road headed generally N (river generally out of sight) - some orange tape occasionally reassured us we were on the right track. Approached the stream again and followed it upstream firstly thru the woods then along banks. Lunched at a small vly with views W to North Branch Mountain. Brought out a full length Thermarest & worked on my tan. Upstream, the N Branch is a 15' wide rocky stream much of it topped with a foot of ice then a foot of snow. Very interesting skiing up the stream. Finally, Hombrua went thru some thin ice with 2' of air underneath before hitting water - he only dipped his skis in & managed to keep the rest of him dry. We decided to turn around here and "run the rapids" back downstream - white water skiing. Ski out was faster in our own tracks. Good description of route in Barbara McMartin's Discover the Southern Adirondacks. Novice terrain. 8 miles, 5.5 hrs. Fischer Rebound skis with leather boots.
Feb 5 - ASHFORD GLEN PRESERVE ski in Latham. 3"-6" a bit icy in the early morn; temp in low 20s. Main trail is hard packed from snowshoers & walkers - no sign of anyone having skied here since the last snow. Off-trail the skiing was nice. To the S of the preserve there is more unposted land with old dirt roads which have received little use - saw some snowshoe & ATV tracks on some. Got close to Denison Rd & returned with some detours in open woods. Novice/Intermediate. Fischer Rebound skis.
Feb 2 - Nehasane sees his shadow - declares 10 more weeks of winter!. PLOTTERKILL PRESERVE ski, from Coplon Rd in Rotterdam. The preserve trail starts in the woods below the parking area but there is also a cleared gas pipeline area all the way down to the Plotterkill which could make for nice steep area to make some turns - it has been used by sledders but you can find some powder off to the sides). The red marked trail crosses the pipeline half way & I took it N - trail is well-packed & people have been barebooting it so it's not as good for skiing as it could be. Soon cross a powerline - I go to top & ski down pretty far but not all the way to the Plotter Kill knowing I had to climb back up without the aid of skins. Started on the Karhu Orion skis then went back & did most of same route with the Karhu Dorado - there is quite a difference between these skis. Used the Garmont Excursion plastic boots & let me tell you these provide at least 100% (that's twice) more downhill control & turning than my leather Garmont Tour boots - they are worth the investment if you like hills (or you are just a plain lousy skier;).
Jan 31 - SHAKER MTN. WF backcountry ski from end of Pinnacle Rd in Benson/Bleecker area. Temp in upper 20s, not a cloud in the sky - 15"-25" with excellent base topped with powder, perfect conditions - offtrail, sank in 6"-8" making breaking trail reasonably easy. My longtime nemesis, Fengshee, & cronies went in 2 days earlier so we had a nice broken out route. Took an old unmarked logging road (shown on most maps as a trail, a downed tree obstructs the start) NNW past a couple of vlies to a spot between Pigeon & Panther Mts. Saw otter tracks. Woods are a nice mix of hardwoods & hemlocks. Backtracked to open area that used to be a camp (an old rusted barrel marks the spot) then took a lesser old logging road (not shown on maps) NW to just S of Pigeon Mt.'s summit gaining 700' in 1.5 miles from the barrel - climbs gently to moderately at first then steeply (donned climbing skins, gain 400' in about 0.5 mile). Less mature woods here indicate that logging may have occured in more recent times. Thru the trees view of Panther, Pinnacle, Shaker Mts. & , to the W, down to Little Oxbarn Lake. Ski back down is expert - I used a combination of snowplow & traverses thru the woods (fell once), Delouxe used the pole-drag method (& got up without skins!), Hiwayman skinned down. After the big drop, the last 2.5 miles out has several sweet intermediate runs. Went thru the ice crossing Pinnacle Creek (not much water under, minor ice-scraping on one ski). 7 miles, 1,100'+, 5 hours. Karhu Orion skis with leather boots & softwire cable binding .
Jan 30 - Mt. BRACE ski. From Mt. Washington SF HQ in SW Mass. Temp around freezing - 10"-15" - mostly sunny. Skiing good - some steeper sections have exposed rocks - just be careful. Start on the Alander Mt. Trail then L on Ashley Hill Brook Trail, an old carriage road. From this junction one gains 800'+ in 4.5 miles to Brace - climb is gentle to moderate with a couple of short steeper spots. For a while a ravine drops steeply to the R. Go straight when Ashley Hill Trail makes a L following blue paint blazes on a connecter trail which after crossing Ashley Hill Brook will get you to the S Taconic Trail 1.25 miles N of Brace. Mountain laurel grows among the hardwoods as you near the ridgetop. Go N 100 yds to a nice view of valley & Catskills to the W. The 1.25 mi. S (& another 200'+ gain) to Brace had seen some snowmobile use & made for nice easy intermediate ridgetop skiing with super views along the way. A large cairn marks the summit. Stunning 360 views - Stissing Mt, The Gunks, Catskills in NY; Mts. Greylock, Alander, Frissell in Mass; Mohawk & Bear Mts. in Conn (Brace is in NY). Warm temp & light wind encouraged us to linger - Popolsku had to be awakened from a nap. Intermediate - even Dagang's tail end made it to Brace. 10.5 miles, 6.5 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis with plastic boots, 3-pin bindings .
Jan 26 - SCHENECTADY MUSEUM NATURE PRESERVE ski from Lock 7 Rd in Niskayuna. 6"-12" soft powder, temp in teens. Good skiing, would be better there was some base. Intermediate, some easier stuff in section the the W. Bridge is out over one iced-over stream. Karhu Pyxis with leather boots .
SNOW DATA
Jan 25 - ALBANY PINE BUSH full moon cross country ski from end of Madison Ave Ext. Wasn't too hard persuading 10 others to accompany me tonight. 10"-15" powder; temp a sweltering 20°F. Red trail (novice) well packed-out by skiers, snowshoers & walkers; blue trail (easy intermediate) less used but tracked - very good skiing. Mostly cloudy but moon did peek out a few times. Brought along a headlamp but didn't use it - enough ambient light to see one's way. 2 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis with Excursion plastic boots .
Jan 24 - Mt. EVERETT ski. Mt. Washington SF in SW Mass - probably the most wildernessy area of Mass. encompassing the Appalachian & Taconic Ranges. Parking area on East St. not plowed - parked at Mt. Washington Town Hall 0.25 mi. S at Plantain Rd. 6"-18" powder on thin icy base - windblown at higher elevation. Temp: single digits rising to 13°F. 1.5 miles on unplowed road gaining 750' to a shelter with great view N. Then 0.2 mi. on rough, rocky, icy trail to summit - would be better with snowshoes. Stunted "bonsai" pines & oaks on summit. Great tri-state views - Mt. Greylock to the N, Catskills to the W. Appalachian Trail. Upper half of road is steeper (intermediate+) & would have been a sweet run if the wind had not blown the snow off leaving icy sections that I had to side-plow down. Trail around Guilder Pond was very pretty with snow-laden hemlocks & mountain laurel but could use a better base - hit several hidden rocks. After going half way around we went back across the pond - at the outlet near the road were some wet spots - careful! Lower half of road is novice. 900', 4.5 miles, 4 hrs. Still daylight left so drove S to Mt. Washington HQ (unplowed) & skied Alander Mt. trail to camping site - occasional hidden rock. Lee Pond & Ashley Hill Brooks crossed on bridges but we did have couple small wet streams to hop. Mostly hilly & fun. Fischer Outtabounds skis, Rottefella Chili cable bindings, Garmont Excursion plastic touring boots . Swix F4 wax on skis improved glide noticeably.
Thru the ice rescue video
Jan 23 - THACHER STATE PARK ski. Nice to find the Hop Field parking area plowed; heated restrooms & warming hut a bonus - pick up a trail map here. 10"-15" soft powder, little or no base but nice skiing. Temp in single digits. Blue, white & red trails have some fun intermediate hills - snowmobiles allowed but none seen. Varied terrain & scenery. Finished on 2 mile ski loop (yellow, beginner). 4 hours. Karhu Pyxis skis, Super Tele 3-pin bindings on a 10mm riser, leather Garmont boots .
Graphical Forecast from National Weather Service in Albany
Jan 20 - CHARLESTON STATE FOREST ski. From NY Thruway (I-90) Exit 28 take Rt.30A S for about 10 miles then take a L on Burtonsville Rd & go 0.8 miles to parking area on L - about 50 min. from APnP. There are maps at the register. 10°F (warm for this week) as the sun rose & sent its golden rays thru the trees. Best conditions of the season so far: 7" mostly powder, no wet spots, 2"-3" new powder in ski tracks. Local ranger, Tom Edmunds, does a great job of maintaining a 20 mile xc ski trail system. Did the double loops to the N - lots of flat but some hills that would challenge a novice - trails are wide & relatively smooth. Pileated woodpeckers. 5 miles, 1.7 hrs. Fischer Outbound skis .
Jan 18 - REIST PRESERVE ski, Niskayuna. 0-2" base, 1-2" powder - not too good, for rock skis only. Morning temp: -1°F. Mid afternoon temp in Saranac Lake: -10°F.
Cold temps + wind chill - time to protect head & face with an OR WS Balaclava .
Jan 17 - WOODFORD SP ski, Vermont. Temp in teens-low 20s. Good base with 2"-5" powder - good skiing on most park trails - loop around Adams Reservoir has some thin spots & you'd be better off just skiing on the lake which we did after skiing the loop trail. Campground road has a nice hill for practising some turns - an unmarked, but wide trail goes E from the hill & has a nice downhill to a stream & finally a cabin (not posted) not far from Rt.9. A full day can be had by going S of the park into the Aiken Wilderness where you might find an old logging road & some beaver meadows to explore - the one beaver meadow I went out on had breakable ice which at some time earlier this winter may have had water under it - the cold is drying up wet spots & with some new snow the skiing should be very good to excellent in this area. Map - solid red line is blue-blazed park trail. Fischer Outbound skis, NNN-BC bindings - feel a lot like the discontinued Pinnacles used yesterday. . The Outbound is also a good ski for someone who occasionally wants to ski in groomed tracks.
Wipe some Maxiglide over bindings to keep snow from sticking under your boot - also works on snowshoe crampons.
Jan 16 - BREIA TRAILS ski, Booneville. 1"-2" base, 2"-4" powder, some thin spots early. Start on W side of Rt.12 just N of Burger King - Rescue building acts as info ctr & a warm place to put your boots on - pick up a free (but lousy) map here (similar to one on website). A mostly flat trail goes several miles alongside the Black River Canal to Pixley Falls SP - small hills are located at several old locks along the way - Rt.46 is crossed twice. At about 2.25 miles a trail crosses the canal on a good bridge & leads to Jackson Hill. Climbing over 500' in 2 miles (Telemark Trail) a couple of open fields are passed (Telemark Field) with views E. A warming hut (closed) is just uphill. Explored the hilltop then returned the way we came - a sweet run with some sharp turns - trail is wide & relatively smooth & should be little problem for intermediate skiers when there is a foot of snow (one thin spot this day with about 6" in most places). Continued SW on the Canal Trail (beginner) to Pixley Falls. The canal turns into a waterfall opposite the main 50' falls - spent some time here. While we were admiring the scenery an icejam must have come loose & the amount of water going over the icy main falls rose tenfold for a few minutes! Returned along the Canal Trail which seemed longer at the end of the day. 13 miles, 5.6 hours. Karhu Pinnacle waxable skis, NNN-BC bindings - decided to go waxable today due to temp in high teens to low 20s which kept me in the green/blue range of waxes which tends to be easier to wax for especially if the temp doesn't change a lot over a few hours - herringboned uphill more than I would if I had used nowax skis. When using NNN & Profil bindings, before stepping into bindings kick your boot-toe on back of skis to dislodge snow from behind the bar - you will have less problems stepping into your bindings. Spray silicone on moving binding parts every once in a while during the season.
G3 climbing skins, ski leashes, telemark bindings - we also carry Glue Renew for climbing skins.
Jan 13 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE ski. Temp 40°F (expected to rise into 50s later in day), 4" wet mashed potatoes - good skiing. Karhu Orion skis. Kayaking later (in the pool).
Staying Warm: Keep several chemical hand/toe warmers handy - they stay warm for up to 7 hrs. when kept in an enclosed area like your mitten. Pick up a supply at APnP before the weekend - 2 hand-warmers are just $1.29!
Jan 11 - H. G. REIST PRESERVE ski from Morgan Rd in Niskayuna (5 min. from APnP). 8" in woods - icy in others' tracks - temp in 20s. Couple of miles of novice trail good for a quickie before work. Fischer Rebound skis.
Staying Warm: do not wear any cotton clothing - it has no insulative value when wet. Clothing should combat wetness (from sweat or melting snow) & wind chill.
Jan 10 - T LAKE ski. Trailhead parking unplowed - parked across the street at Poplar Point State Campground which is plowed for the ice fishermen on Piseco Lake. 12" snow - half base, half powder. Temp in low 30s - blustery with snow showers. West Canada Lakes Wilderness area. Trail starts out steeply gaining 800' in 1.2 miles - the Orions gripped so well that I didn't need to herringbone. Cliffs of Piseco Mt. rise precipitously to the E. Round Stacy Mt. & drop 300' - trail is narrow & tricky - skied most of drop zigzagging thru woods but walked a short distance too. Crossed Mill Stream, grades now easier. Trail turns N & is a bit steep - I decide to use climbing skins. More wet stream crossings than I would like. Drop down to T Lake - leanto sits well up on hill & has little view of the lake. I'm past my turn-around time & cannot linger long plus I feel tired already - used the climbing skins most of the way back, they allow for better traction on the uphills & they slow you down on the downhills (sort of like going downhill in low gear in a car). Thru-the-trees views of Piseco Lake on the final drop. Too tired to ski well - couldn't snowplow very well but did a few telemark turns - go figure! Expert - for most people this would be best on snowshoes - if I do this again I might try the Karhu Karver skis with integral climbing skins, their short length make them more maneuverable. 7.3 miles, 5.7 hrs. Karhu Orion skis, Rottefella BC 75 (similar to Riva 3 but without adjustment plate) soft-wire cable bindings with risers, leather boots - should have used plastic boots.
Staying Warm: mittens are a lot warmer than gloves. On day trips, Nehasane usually brings along thin polypro or OR liner gloves, insulated gloves, fleece liner mittens, water-resistant/windproof shell mitten & heavily insulated mittens.
Jan 9 - KUNJAMUK LOOP ski. 6"-8" mostly powder - nice skiing - temp in high 20s. Start at the Speculator recreation area on Rt.30 - 'bilers start here too & have their own network. Took the loop counterclockwise following blue xc ski markers. On the flat for the 1st couple of miles with views of the Sacandaga (much open water) & Kunjamuk Rivers. Come out on biler trail & R a half mile to Kunjamuk Cave. Back to ski loop which now goes up & down some easy intermediate hills. A couple of crossover trails have some nice downhill runs. Much deer activity. 6 miles. Fischer Rebound skis, Rottefella Magnum manual NNN-BC bindings, leather boots ; Magnum bindings are easier to use & are wider underfoot than the manual bindings they replace.
Staying Warm: I usually make hot Gatorade at home which when placed in an insulated Nalgene bottle in pack stays warm til past luchtime - beats drinking cold water. This is usually in addition to hot chocolate in a vacuum bottle.
Jan 7 - ALBANY PINE BUSH ski, from W end of Madison Av Ext. 3" dense new snow with a little crust. Skiing good in other skiers' tracks, fair breaking trail. Early red trail beginner/novice (more highway noise), more southerly blue trail novice/intermediate (quieter). Karhu Pyxis skis .
Top Ten Reasons To Enjoy Cross Country Skiing This Winter…& more.
Jan 6 - COLONIE TOWN GOLF COURSE ski, Consaul Rd just minutes from APnP. 3" fresh snowfall & still falling (altho changing to sleet); no base but this snow was more dense than last week's soft powder. Terrain mostly beginner; trail fee collected when they groom (not today). Fischer Jupiter skis .
Domtar Land Deal will add more state land to the northern Adirondacks.
Jan 3 - JIMINY PEAK telemark skiing. $17 lift ticket with ecoupon on this day. Thank god for snowmaking. Temp in 40s softened the snow to make for some very good conditions. Spent some time practicing on the novice slope then on to intermediate terrain to see if I had learned anything. Karhu Rox skis, Cobra R4 bindings - ok, took me a while to get several facets of tele technique down. Fischer FX 7.0 , G3 Targa bindings - my best skiing of the day, still wonder if it was the skis or that my skills were improving. Fischer Outtabounds Crown skis, Chili w/riser bindings - slower (noticeable drag due to nowax base), so allowed skis to point straight downhill more but I was getting tired & my turns were lousy. Garmont Excursion , a plastic touring boot used in all cases. Wondered if a pure tele boot would help power the skis more in the wet heavy snow (especially the Rox) - a tele boot allows one to lock the ankle in a forward-leaning position (the Excursions pivot at the ankle).
Jan 2 - PLOTTER KILL PRESERVE hike, Rt.159 in Rotterdam. Some ice on trails - brought along a Masters Snowtour adjustable 2pc. pole & should've brought both. 0-1" snow. Crossed the creek on a good bridge then headed W on an unmarked trail about half mile to field of Gifford Farm (no posted signs, novice trail for skiing, never far from creek), explored some sidetrails. Returned to yellow Highland Loop trail & after a short steep climb took a path W toward farm & explored a bit. Returned to loop & slowly dropped to Rynex Creek which eventually drops over a 40' falls before joining the Plotter Kill. Be extremely careful near the top of any falls! Back on red trail past the 60' Upper Falls then on blue loop with views of the Upper & 40' Lower Falls. Tough ski (intermediate/expert) if over 1' of snow - most folks are better off snowshoeing. 4 miles, 2 hrs. 10 miles of trails in the preserve.
Nehasane's updated winter daytrip gear checklist.
Jan 1 - PISECO AIRPORT/FOXY BROWN LOOP xc ski. Temp in the 30s. From the airport parking lot follow the S side of the field going E til a sign points you into the woods for the 6 mile loop. Avg. 6" of snow in woods, a bit icy in ski tracks, better off-trail - thinner but quite skiable around airport - will make for nice base for any future powder. Looks like loop trail has been recently cleared. Lots of animal tracks. Only had time to ski part of the loop because the boss wanted me to be at work by noon. Karhu Dorado skis with Rottefella Chili cable bindings & leather boots .
Public can now make reports of violations of Forest Preserve laws and regulations by users and state agencies; new "Potential Violations Reports" are now available.
Residents Committee to Protect the Adirondacks.
2004:
Dec 29 - SANDERS PRESERVE & INDIAN MEADOWS PARK ski, Glenville. 3" on grassy areas skiable; thin cover on woods trail barely skiable. Spent about 10 min. at Sanders - blue trail S of trailhead on Sanders Rd is wide but just too little snowcover. Indian Meadows is relatively flat - you can do a circuit of the ballfields but I found the southern section more interesting. In the woods, cross Indian Kill on a new bridge, pass a swampy area, bear L to school fields (nice skiing), back in woods followed Indian Kill upstream to bridge - best with 6"+ (Nehasane is desperate & will ski just about anything at this point). Karhu Qinu/Rendezvous skis - couldn't think of a better all-purpose beginner ski that can do groomed, golf courses, nature areas & light backcountry. Ski Tips is a guide to winter trails in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Fulton, Montgomery & Schoharie counties - $7.95. These locations are also described further in Natural Areas of Schenectady County ($7).
New Snow, Snow Total & River Levels all on one page!
Dec 28 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE ski. Avg. 4" powder, temp in single digits. Robins, red-tailed hawk. Fischer Outbound skis .
Dec 27 - LAPLAND LAKE cross country ski. 5"+ new powder, temp in teens. If I was rating the difficulty of their trails the way I rate backcountry then their "more difficult" trails are novice/easy intermediate, "most difficult" are intermediate & "expert" are intermediate+. Most interesting skiing is on Napa Piiri & Tunturi loops. The perimeter of Woods Lake was groomed & made for pleasant skiing below Little Cathead Mtn. altho I found myself skiing thru the 6" of virgin powder instead of the groomed. Visited with the reindeer before heading out. Fischer Outbound with Rottefella NNN-BC binding system . Fischer Jupiter skis with Rottefella NNN binding system .
Pale Male, a now famous NYC red-tailed hawk, has its high-rise nest removed. Story. Pale Male website.
Dec 26 - RAGGED MOUNTAIN hike, Berlin/Southington, Ct. Clockwise on loop trail (mostly light blue paint blazes with red dot) starting on West Lane. Not long before views appear: reservoirs, woods, hills & some suburbia. A pair of swans occupied a small area of open water on mostly iced over upper of Hart Ponds. Join Metacomet Trail (blue) after 1.7 mi. which soon leads to summit/escarpment edge. Nice waterfall which drops 20' over steps with about a mile to go. Mostly hardwoods, some hemlock - some red cedars up high. 500' el gain (twice as much with all the ups & downs), 6 miles, 3 hrs. Map.
Dec 19 - PUFFER POND ski from Kings Flow trailhead. 5"-6" total, half base/half powder, thin spots, wet stream crossings, exposed rocks, fair amount of blowdown to detour around. Took red trail, the shortest route to the pond & rarely skied. Carroll Brook still flowing but we manage to find a way across - open areas along the brook allow for glimpses of Bullhead & Chimney Mts. Rough trail then climbs 460' in the next mile - I only need to herringbone a little. Trail then drops 200' to the pond (avoid steep drops by bushwhacking a gentler route thru the woods). Hang out at the leanto - comfortable temp in the 30s - Puffer Mt. rises over 1,000' above the pond but top was in the snowclouds today. Skied W on the pond & picked up the trail along the outlet (get off the pond well before the outlet - thin ice even in the dead of winter). Trail is not DEC-maintained (marked with ribbons & paint blazes) & blowdown interrupts some of the sweet downhill runs. Back to cars alongside Kings Flow. Longest 5.1 mile trip in recent memory (due to to some slower skiers in our party) - 6 hrs. Would discourage anyone from skiing this with under 1.5' of snow. With good snow cover: outlet trail is intermediate, direct trail is intermediate+. Nearby John Pond trail makes for better skiing when snowcover is under 1'. Fischer Outtabounds with Garmont Excursion plastic boots & Rottefella Chili cable bindings.
Dec 18 - HUDSON RIVER at Albany is icing over - just in case you are thinking of paddling.
Dec 13 - LOWER AUSABLE LAKE ski, St. Huberts. Several inches of firm base topped with 2" of new wet snow at start, 4" of less-wet new snow at lake - temp ~30°F. Half mile walk from parking to gate on Lake Rd - private road owned by AMR, public (but not dogs) allowed on road & trails. Hemlock branches still loaded with snow - some melting in the morning sun. Took short side-trail past the Flume on Gill Brook, a waterfall drops between vertical 10' walls. Road climbs ~700' in 3 miles & reaches the lake at 3.5 miles. Rocky mountains rise steeply on either side, we cross the bridge over the outlet & lunch with a view of Indian Head across the lake. Ski tracks on the lake ice but I still don't dare test the ice myself (especially near the outlet - expect ice to be thinner wherever there is moving water). A short spur trail (somewhat challenging on skis) leads to Rainbow Falls - a veil of water drops 80' between blue ice into a narrow canyon. Mostly gentle downhill on return, a bit steeper from the Flume down to the bridge over Gill Brook - I link a few ungraceful telemark turns the 1st time down then drop my pack, reclimb & ski back down, this time opting for a straighter line & more speed. Lots of turkeys hanging out near the register. Finished up the ski day on the hilly golf course which has super views of Giant & Noonmark Mts. Broke one of my rules today - didn't put Maxiglide on skis before heading out. Over half way in, the snow started sticking to my skis & I had to stop to apply Maxiglide which then prevented the sticking. If you apply Maxiglide to clean dry nowax skis the day before your trip it will last longer & work better than applying it to wet skis in the field. Difficulty: easy intermediate. 8.5 miles, 4.2 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis - same set-up as yesterday but different snow conditions made for a difference in performance .
Thermarest Lite Seat - a self-inflating, insulating sit-upon pad - just 3.5oz. & rolls up to about the size of a hot dog - bring it along on all your snowshoe & ski tours.
Dec 12 - CAMP SANTANONI - NEWCOMB LAKE ski, Newcomb. 8" dense packed snow, already tracked by earlier skiers - temp ~30°F. 1 mile in saw remains of the barn at The Farm which burned down earlier this year. Skiing is on an old dirt road (closed to motors) which is skiable with as little as 4" of snow - mostly gentle grades, novice. The lake is mostly frozen over. Lunched at picnic tables on the porch of the great camp - flurries limited the views of surrounding mountains across the lake. Went off on a side-trail for a short distance - snow has excellent base but needs a few inches of powder to make for good bc skiing. Tracks a bit icier & faster on return. 10 miles, 4.3 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis .
Dec 6 - G LAKE xc skiing, west of Piseco Lake. Excellent skiing - average of 5" on unplowed dirt road & deeper in woods around the lake. Parked on Rt.8 2.45 mi. W of West Shore Rd. The dirt road heads N & drops 100' in the 1st mile then climbs 200' in the next mile ending at some boulders after 2.1 miles. It is then 0.4 miles along an old logging road to where a couple of downed trees block the unmarked trail & a path leads L down to a campsite on the E shore of G Lake. The lake is iced over (but not safe to ski on yet). Picked up the inlet just N of the campsite & bushwhacked alongside it upstream for about 0.5 miles to a 15' falls - water flowed over the rock behind a sheet of ice. Headed SW & soon picked up another old logging road (this one goes E-W; if you go E you can ski (or snowshoe) up Big Marsh Mt. especially if you are prepared to go around some downed trees) which I took back to the main trail/logging road near the lake. Skied S a bit then turned NW on yet another old road which approaches the S shore of the lake & continues around the W shore before petering out. A good side-trip is up the peninsula/island in the middle of the lake but be sure the ice is firm in the marshy area that connects it to the S shore. Discover the West Central Adirondacks shows a map on pg.25 with most of the trails I've mentioned except for the E-W one which passes to the N of Big Marsh Mt. Terrain is suitable for the novice (i.e. someone who can stay up on their skis most of the time & is working toward a decent snowplow to control speed on descents) skier. Snowing all the time I was out - 2" of new powder in my tracks on the return along the dirt road. Should be able to withstand a bit of rain Tue. & resulting base would need 2"-3" of new snow to make for good skiing by the weekend. 7.5 miles, 3 hrs. Madshus Kongberg skis with NNN-BC bindings/boots .
Now in stock: Counter Assault Bear Keg bear resistant food container - makes a great gift for the wilderness camper.
Nov 29 - 5 MILE MOUNTAIN hike. Part of the Tongue Mt. Range to the W of Lake George. Started from the N trailhead on Rt.9N. Fair amount of blowdown from yesterday's wind/rainstorm - I used to be the volunteer trail-adopter for this trail & I couldn't help but spend some time clearing debris (much pine) along the way. Oak leaves carpeted the way early on & changed to pine needles at higher elevations. At Brown Mt. (after a 900' climb) there is a lookout across the Narrows of Lake George to Black Mt. & the Green Mts. beyond. At the leanto (which now has a new wood floor) there are views of the High Peaks. Trail passes thru an attractive red pine grove with some ups & downs before reaching 5 Mile Mt. 1 mile past the leanto. The actual summit is easily missed - when you see a lot of rock to the R or W leave the marked trail & find a way to the top - there is barely a herdpath - a USGS marker embedded in the rock confirms you are on the summit. Views are best to the E (Vermont). To the SW there are some rock ledges with great views S & W - Northwest Bay below, Crane & Gore Mts. stand out among the low peaks. Donned Outdoor Research hat (note: Polartec WindPro is a tight fleece weave making it wind-resistant & quite breathable whereas Gore WindStopper is fleece with a membrane in it making it windproof & somewhat breathable) mittens & sipped on hot chocolate. Back to trail & continued S for a few minutes to a rocky lookout E - the Mother Bunch Islands below Black Mt. Headed back with a short detour on the Deer Leap trail to a lookout with views to Huletts Landing. Grouse, ravens, chickadees & a couple of wild turkeys (with smirks on their faces having escaped the Thanksgiving dinner table). Very peaceful today - it was nice not seeing any motors on Lake George. OR gaiters helped keep pantlegs dry. Brought along instep crampons but didn't use - a little bit of ice on rock at higher elevations was easily avoided. 8 miles, 6.25 hrs., 1,200' elevation gain from trailhead to 5 Mile Mt. Still waiting for snow.
Nov 26 - VISCHER FERRY full moon walk from Ferry Dr. The wide trail goes about a mile NW to a power plant at Lock 7 Dam with the Mohawk River on one side & the old Erie Canal on the other. Pass some fancy homes on the way. Returned to the parking area & continued SE on a dirt road with no development. After 0.8 mi. took a L fork on a wide grassy trail which soon leads to old Lock 19 & admired the moon, clouds & stars from here. Moonshadows were quite intense & there was no need to turn on headlamps or flashlights. On the way back, spooked a gb heron & a beaver slapped its tail on the water.
Nov 25 - BAUER ENVIRONMENTAL PARK walk. If one got out early enough one enjoyed record-tying high temp of 64°F. Parking area is on Sand Creek Rd in Colonie 0.7 mi. W of Wolf Rd. Accessible boardwalk leads thru some interesting wetlands. Wide variety of trees. Traffic sounds from Northway intrude. Loop trail under 1 mile. PEEBLES ISLAND walk. Parked at the visitor center in Waterford so I could walk across the bridge over the Mohawk River to the island. Now that it has achieved State Park status there is a parking charge on the island April thru October. Stayed on perimeter trails sometimes on top of cliffs over 50' above the river. Fairly high water level fueled the "whirlpool" falls. Arguably the most interesting natural area in the Capital District - an oasis in the urban wilderness. 2+ miles, 1+ hrs.
OR - Outdoor Research - gloves (Omni, Tour, PL Base, others), mittens (incl. Tempo, Stratus - ooh! they feel so good!), headwear, gaiters (Crocodiles, Rocky Mtn High, Caiman) for cool/cold weather comfort.
Nov 22 - KANE MOUNTAIN & STEWART LAKE hike. Registering the "new" (used) Nehasanemobile II took longer than I would have liked - finally got out of town at noon:30. Did not relish going somewhere in Capital District or south, this being the first day of southern zone deer hunting season so headed for the southern Adirondacks. From Green Lake Rd trailhead it is under a mile (over 500' climb) to the firetower on top of Kane Mt. The summit affords thru-the-trees views but from the firetower there are clear 360 views - Canada, West & Pine Lakes; W. Branch Sacandaga valley; the hills of Ferris Lake WF, Shaker Mtn WF & Silver Lake Wilderness. Headed down on trail to the N marked with red paint blazes which soon passes between 2 massive boulders. Returned on the Pine Lake trail which is marked with yellow xc ski discs. Still plenty of daylight left when I completed the circuit so continued on to Stewart Lake also following xc ski markers. Gain over 400' in a mile (making for a solid intermediate ski). Tried to gain the shore when the lake first appeared but shores are marshy & boggy. A bit further along the trail a faint path leads 200yds. to the shore & good view of the pretty "pond". Back to the trailhead with sunset skies of orange & pink. No ice on any of the lakes. 5+ miles, 3 hrs.
MSR snowshoes.
Nov 19 - ASHFORD GLEN PRESERVE walk. Roadside parking on suburban Ashford Lane in Latham, just a few minutes drive from APnP. Trail soon takes one to Vly Creek (aka Whispering Brook). Trail follows the creek upstream among hemlocks, red & white oaks. Fairly peaceful in the gully. Passed the last of the preserve signs but saw no posted signs, trails still evident & show some ATV use - I suspect this area may be owned by the Town of Colonie. Nice spot for a 1 hour quickie walk, snowshoe or ski. New addition to latest edition of Natural Areas of Albany County guidebook.
G3 - GENUINE GUIDE GEAR - climbing skins, telemark bindings & accessories.
Environmental Clearinghouse of Schenectady publishes guidebooks to natural areas of Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer & Saratoga counties as well as Ski Tips , a guide to xc skiing in the greater Capital District. The new edition of Natural Areas of Albany County has 7 new areas (for a total of 67) & updated maps. ECOS publications are available at APnP, including Environmental Trip Tips , Along the Bike Hike Trail (a guide to the Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway in Schenectady County) & Wildflowers Along the Way .
2004:
Mar 28 - CEDAR RIVER & PASLEY FALLS skiing. 0-12" wet hardpack with some barespots - stream crossings a problem. From the old Indian Lake landfill, took a L on snowmobile trail & was soon at Cedar River, still mostly iced over. A R leads along a xc ski trail tp Pasley Falls. First stream crossing is bridged but 2nd was not so turned around to start. See fresh mooseprints crossing the trail. Took snowmobile/xc ski trail R about a mile to 4-way junction: straight leads to Elm Island & McGinn Mtn. on old unmaintained trail, R to Lake Adirondack & L to Pasley Falls. After passing a cedar swamp, one passes thru an area of blowdown where small beech & balsams are growing in - Snowy Mtn. can be seen thru the trees. After a half mile of small ups & downs, reached the falls which are more like a class 3 rapid between rock walls - a very pleasant spot to lay down the full-length ultralite Thermarest for a long break in the warm (50s)sun listening to the turbulent waters. Below the falls are more rapids & the river was mostly ice-free. The only map that has these trails right is found in McMartin's Discover the Central Adirondacks - the new ADK trail guide chooses to ignore these trails & other maps show old grown-over trails. Got done early so drove S & snow was noticeably deeper. Best snow in Speculator/Piseco area. Driving S on Rt.10, the W Br Sacandaga River was somewhat open but with a fair amount of ice still. SHAKER MTN WF - short ski up old road at end of Pinnacle Rd - same story, streams running, steeper south facing slopes have many barespots. Bushwhacked E for a while trying to stay on high land to avoid streams - skiing wasn't too bad where there was snow. Fischer Rebound skis did fine - thought leather boots were my weak link today, needed to be able to transfer more power to the skis in the heavy wet snow - plastic Garmont Excursions would have been a better choice.
Mar 22 - OWL HEAD LOOKOUT ski, from Rt.9N near Elizabethtown. At trailhead (el. 1,300') less than 1' powder snow; just below the 2,500' summit 2'-3' of dry powder - nice!!! Skinned up in under 1.5 hrs. Could have used just a little bit more grip than my 48mm skins offered. Walked the last 200 yds on narrow trail to the rocky summit, a few small trees cut the wind enough for a comfortable break. On this clear sunny day (temp in low 20s), stunning views of Vermont's major peaks, Lake Champlain, Rocky Peak Ridge, Giant Mtn.'s eastern slides, Whiteface Mt., Hurricane Mt. & more. The first 600' drop was heavenly - perfect powder for making turns in the open woods. Trail then passes thru a ravine with some rocks showing - had to go easy here. Things get better for a while to a stream crossing on a good bridge. Trail levels out for bit (not so good with no grip) then drops moderately thru a beautiful hemlock woods - room here for more tele turns in & off-trail - holy sweetness, this is good! This would be a great way to end the season but I think I've got a couple more ski trips in me - still weeks before wilderness waters start beckoning (expect ice-out in the Adks. to be late April). Route is still generally considered intermediate - I would rate it advanced or intermediate+ in perfect conditions (2'+ powder). 1,250' el., 5.5 miles, 3 hrs. Karhu Rox tele skis, Rottefella Cobra R4 bindings , Garmont Excursion plastic touring boots - no grip, very good grip with climbing skins, superior turning & downhill control, excellent glide, some glide with skins on. It is hard to quantify the turning ability of these skis - my quiver of turny bc skis (Dorado, Ottabounds, Rebound) all turn very well - the Rox, in my estimation, turn 3 times better - not just better but a whole lot better. Thought the R4 bindings toured well, possibly better than the Chilis. Have been thinking about what width climbing skins to get. There are 2 ways to size skins: 1. slightly narrower than narrowest part of ski; 2. slightly narrower than widest part of ski & trim to shape of ski allowing for maximum grip, a shaped skin would be a problem to fold away neatly without exposing glue which will then attract lint, dirt, etc. but now G3 solves this problem by including "skin savers" - figure I will get 80 or 90mm skins & shape them for use with Outtabounds, Dorado & tele skis.
Mar 21 - HOFFMAN NOTCH from Blue Ridge Rd. Northern Adirondacks escaped Saturday's rain & got snow instead. At trailhead (el. 1,200') up to 1' wet snow with some thin spots; at Big Marsh (el. 1,700') 2' with nice powder surface. The first mile of the trail passes thru private land & the rerouted trail has good bridges over running streams - a cedar grove is particularly beautiful but snow was thin under cedars & hemlocks. Crossing a powerline the wilderness boundary is soon reached. Trail climbs 550' in the next 2 miles never far from Hoffman Notch Brook - little need for herringboning, tho. Huge boulders, streams, steep mountainsides & mature hardwoods add scenic interest. At about 2.5 miles a frozen waterfall drapes the 200' cliffs of Washburn Ridge - we clamber up to its base for a cool break & snowball fight. Stream crossings will soon be extremely difficult as temps warm up. Things level off before reaching Big Marsh. As I approached the marsh, I spotted an otter bounding then sliding a few feet on its belly across the snow - it finally dropped into a hole in the ice - made my day. Skied a couple of laps around the marsh (actually a beaverpond) - views of Washburn Ridge, Texas Ridge, Hoffman Mt. rising steeply up to 2,000' above. Built a fire & took a longish break. Mostly downhill return was quite pleasant. Temp in high 30s early, dropping into mid-20s in afternoon. 8 miles, 6.5 hrs. Karhu Dorado skis . I like the idea of a big heavy ski to power thru the heavy wet snow of spring - heavy plastic boot, too.
Mar 19 - ALBANY PINE BUSH evening ski from end of Madison Av Ext. Early sections have received barebooter traffic & resulting snow/ice was a bit thin. Blue & Yellow trails further out were better - looked like mostly used by skiers. Temp during the day was above freezing but fell below as we set off making for some fast skiing. Fair skiing won't last more than 1 or 2 more days here. Stars were beautiful + 5 planets are now visible above (6 if you include the one you are on). Traffic noise from the Thruway was a minor annoyance. Karhu Pyxis skis .
Mar 18 - COLONIE TOWN PARK ski. 5"-10" not quite as powdery as yesterday, no base. There is a map on a board just past the tennis courts. Generally followed the perimeter of park counterclockwise - should have avoided the orange trail near the start which has thin cover under hemlocks, many exposed roots & rocks & several short steep spots - most of red & yellow trails were nice (novice, easy intermediate). Mohawk River mostly ice-free but still abit of ice next to shore. Should have brought binoculars to observe ducks (good time to watch for migrants). Madshus Kongsberg skis .
Mar 17 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE ski. 6"-10" fresh soft fluffy powder, no base. Madshus Kongsberg skis, Rottefella NNN-BC bindings .
Mar 14 & 15 - STONY POND ski/camping near Minerva. Vanderwhacker Mtn Wild Forest. Last weekend of winter - spring skiing starts next weekend. Stony, Center, Sherman Ponds at 2,000' elevation: 1'-2' solid base with 1"-5" powder on top; Irishtown at 1,200': less than 1' snowmobile packed base with 1" powder. Ice on ponds still very good. Spotted a shuttle car on Long Hill Rd in Irishtown (2.3 miles from Rt.28N) then drove to Stony Pond trailhead on Rt.28N. 2 miles on a scenic (pond, thru trees views, large beaverdam, streams, vlies, mostly hardwoods) rolling snowmobile trail to the leanto on Stony Pond (easy intermediate). Leanto looks out over the large pond (small lake) toward Green Mtn. Snowmobile tracks from yesterday but none seen today - just some other skiers & snowshoers. Unloaded overnight gear. Explored a bit then skied to S of pond & picked up the trail to Little Sherman Pond which climbs a short distance then drops steeply (a couple of exposed rocks halfway down; may want to side-step or go off-trail) to LSP. Little & Big Sherman Ponds are now one. Pick up the snowmobile trail again E of the outlet. A gentle climb soon leads to height of land (after some thru-the-woods playing around). The trail follows an old tote road used over 100 years ago to transport iron from area mines. From here to Irishtown is an exhilarating downhill cruise with some moderately steep sections but the trail is wide & there are no sharp turns (intermediate in good snow conditions) - 850' drop in 2 miles. Before the end, state land ends - a curious bench made of downhill skis makes for a good photo op. Falls Brook (check out the waterfalls) was running a bit but we didn't have to remove skis to cross (could use the bridge, duh). The thru trip is about 6 miles if you don't do any exploring. Drove back to Rt.28N & skied back to Stony Pond. Not too hard finding dead & down wood for campfire. The day had been mostly sunny, windy with temps in the 30s. Evening brought snow - got about 1.5" new. Middle of the night the stars were out. Some sun warmed us up in the morning (mid-high 20s at wake-up time) but also had flurry activity. The wind blew mini snow tornadoes on the pond. Skied to NE arm of the pond & picked up the Hewitt Pond trail which had no sign of recent use - breaking trail was easy in few inches of powder on good deep base. Snow a bit sticky. Entered a spruce grove with vly on the L. Soon reached a trail junction. Took yellow trail R to Center Pond which goes up over a ridge - actually switchbacked thru the open woods most of the way - staying to the very steep trail would make for tough going (expert, suicidal?). Skied back down 3 times, enjoyed making turns thru the trees. Center Pond is an isolated gem in winter - skied around an island then around the pond. Demonstrated to Golite how to do a kick turn - when he tried it he fell over, glasses flew off & both lenses fell out - we found one quickly but it took 20 min. to find the 2nd. Relaxed on an old aluminum rowboat at pond's edge. Back over the ridge then climbed gently toward Hewitt Pond - some blowdown & going is abit rough. From height of land, trail drops fairly steeply (~350' in 0.6 mi.) to Barnes Pond. I dropped over 200' (sometimes thru the open hardwoods off to sides of trail). The thought of having to climb back up kept me from going all the way down. This section is at least intermediate+ in deep powder conditions - some blowdown & undergrowth in trail - not as smooth a run as the one to Irishtown but could be a blast in the right conditions. Returned to Stony Pond, took a break at the leanto then headed out. Fischer Outtabounds skis with Garmont Excursion plastic boots . Used Swix Universal yellow (warm snow) glide wax on ends of skis then Maxiglide on full ski.
Mar 8 - PARTRIDGE RUN WMA ski, near Berne. From C.R.1 take C.R.13 (uphill with a nice view after the hairpin) to top of hill - park next to unplowed Beaver Rd a little past an old church on the R. A sign says "Becker & Wood Ponds". Skied down Beaver Rd for about 0.4 mi. then took a R onto ski trail marked with yellow discs (no motorized vehicles allowed). A 4 mile loop can be done by bearing L at any junction - all R turns are spur trails leading to High Point & Bradt Hill Rds (plowed dirt roads). A pond on the R is soon passed. Trail passes thru areas of hardwoods & thru reforestation areas of pines, spruce & hemlock. After climbing a hill with several right angle turns, I took a R which soon led to an open area near Bradt Hill Rd - on a clear day there is a view here. Another short trail cuts back to the loop. Reached a "T" at height of land & took a R which soon reaches an old graveyard on Bradt Hill Rd - some of the gravestones are well over 150 yrs. old. Crossed the road, the ski trail parallels a snowmobile trail, The Long Path (aqua paint blazes) enters from the L half way down a long hill. The ski trail & Long Path make a R thru yet another reforestation area , a wetland with lots of dead trees makes an interesting side-trip. A junction is reached - L goes to High Point Rd, R to Bradt Hill Rd - I skied the former a ways til thin snow over rocks turned me back - the latter trail climbs a ways before reaching the road - skied along the side of it back to the graveyard then back to the loop. A little past the T I saw a nice downhill offtrail thru hardwoods & I couldn't resist making some turns thru perfect snowcover - worth every bit of effort climbing back to the trail. Back on the loop, dropped down a couple of semi-tricky hills, past a pond & then come out on Beaver Rd. A L takes one downhill (not fast enough in the heavy wet snow) past Becker Pond & back to start. Up to 5" new snow over variable crunchy base. Extremely variable conditions: some wet spots, some thin spots under evergreens, some perfect spots (in hardwoods). Temp in mid 30s - use Maxiglide to keep snow from sticking to skis (wipe some on bindings, too - doesn't hurt to lightly coat whole ski or bottoms of snowshoes). Mostly novice terrain but with some intermediate hills. 6 miles, 3.3 hrs. Karhu Dorado skis with leather boots .
Mar 7 - PINE ORCHARD ski, near Wells. Started from "Flater's" - see the trail guidebooks (Discover the Southeastern Adks. or Guide to Adk. Trails - Southern Region) for directions. Lightly used snowmobile trail in Wilcox Lake WF. Icy & rough at first but quite good in afternoon after sun had warmed things up - temp ~40 - avg. snow depth 1'. Snowshoers had postholed somewhat which made trail worse for skiing. 2.4 miles over novice trail to Pine Orchard where you can find many 200 year old white pines. Spent some time exploring off-trail - a huge boulder off to the S is also very interesting. On return, went off-trail at 1st stream crossing to the S, following it thru alders, across evergreen points & grassy areas to Taylor Vly outlet where the view openened up to the S - sun felt good. Back to trail at bridge. Took Willis Lake trail S for a while - a real rollercoaster of a trail (intermediate) + a nice bump at the bottom of one hill where everyone was catching some air, most ending with a sitzmark (not Nehasane, tho). Some exposed rocks in this stretch. Saw no snowmobiles. 7 miles, 5 hrs. Karhu Dorado with plastic boots .
Mar 1 - WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN xc ski via Memorial Hwy. Spent the night in a leanto among red & white pines overlooking Heart Lake at Adirondak Loj campground - overnight temp a bit below freezing - beautiful cloudfree morning - good day to get up in elevation for views. Varied snow depths with couple of windswept bare spots on the uplowed paved road (had to take skis off once); bit icy near start & at top but mostly packed powder. Warm (upper 40s) & sunny - super views along the way & from summit. Most views are to the W & N til the 4,000' point when view opens to S & Lake Placid & many high peaks are seen. At the final turn, views are to the E over the Whiteface Ski Area. Left skis at the Castle at end of road then bare-booted up the rest of the way on man-made steps - railings help here - mostly open rock around the weather observatory at the summit. Trees get smaller as one goes up in elevation & near the summit red spruce & balsam fir are a couple of feet & bearberry willows are but a few inches tall! 2,500' elevation gain.....& loss.....wheeeeee! Fast but not too technical intermediate. 10+ miles, 5.7 hrs (3.5 hrs. up; 50 min. down). Karhu Pyxis skis with plastic Garmont Excursion boots - the plastic boots help power these skis better than yesterday's leather boots.
Feb 29 - LAKE COLDEN ski via AVALANCHE PASS . Average of 3' of snow in woods; packed trail; a bit icy on S facing slopes but better on N facing. Started from the HPIC (parking charge $7; $3 ADK members) & took the hiking trail to Marcy Dam - some exposed roots & rocks - most skiers start from South Meadow & take the truck road (bit longer but easier skiing) - Nehasane was celebrating the 25th anniversary of breaking his leg doing this trip & wanted to take the exact same route as back then (except for the snowmobile from Marcy Dam to S Meadow & the ambulance to Lake Placid hospital). From Marcy Dam (nice views of Mt Colden, Avalanche Mt & the slides on Wright Mt) climbed gently to Avalanche Camps leanto after which the climbing gets fairly steep for over half a mile to the pass (skins not necessary) - over 900' elevation gain from start. In 1999, an avalanche created a new slide on Mt. Colden & trees are still piled up in the pass - an awesome sight. Trail makes some narrow turns at the bottom of a cliff before dropping to Avalanche Lake. Walled in by the steep sides of Mts Avalanche & Colden, I rubberneck while crossing. Another drop thru the woods to Lake Colden (go straight at the register on unmarked trail) - snow depth here is about 3.5'. We ski to the E side & lunch while gazing at Mts Algonquin, Boundary & Iroquois which rise well over 2,000' from the lake. Ski back down from the pass was tricky (expert, rest of trip is intermediate) & you better have a damn good snowplow (or tele skis) - I didn't look or feel too graceful at times but I made the whole trip without falling. Most skiers I saw were on wider bc skis, some tele skis, very few touring skis - years ago, most folks were doing this trip on touring skis (& breaking legs, too). 11+ miles, 6.5 hrs. Got some intermediate rolling terrain, some flat lake crossings, a longish steep section, some "must make" turns, temps both below & above freezing, a mostly packed trail - sounds like a job for Karhu Pyxis skis, Rottefella Super Tele bindings with risers, leather Garmont Tour boots . The leather boots are super comfortable for tours on moderate terrain but on the steeps I felt I could have had noticeably better control with plastic boots.
Feb 23 - JIMINY PEAK telemark skiing. One of their e-coupon days with $15 lift tickets. Gorgeous afternoon above freezing & sunny; mostly powder conditions with an occasional icy spot. One thing I don't like about the alpine experience is the many others sharing the trails & I always feel I have to be on the lookout for other skiers. Fortunate that Ceebotar is a ski patroller here (on tele gear) & we were the last of the day to ski Panorama (great views of Mt. Greylock & more) & had it to ourselves before he closed it. At twilight, Venus & a crescent moon above the rainbow colored glow of last light on the western horizon was a sight to be seen. Fischer FX7.0 skis with G3 Targa bindings & Garmont Excursion boots - excellent glide, turning & downhill control - limited by my own ability (would consider myself a novice at telemark; still working on eliminating some bad habits; in general, I know what I should be doing but it's another thing making my body actually do it). Interestingly, I talk much about good upper torso rotation when paddling efficiently - in skiing downhill, lower torso rotation is key while the upper faces downhill most of the time. The Excursion is a touring boot & may not be the best choice if most of your telemarking is done at the downhill centers or skin up/ski down bc. Modern telemark gear is more akin to alpine gear than xc - main difference is the free heel. Switched to Fischer Outtabounds for a comparison - fell down twice on my 1st run but got better as time progressed - have to pay better attention to getting skis up on edge - the nowax base slows the skis down greatly (feel about half as fast as the FX7.0) - soon was doing turns pretty well (for me) & felt in control most of the time. Thinking that maybe next season I'll get a waxable version of the Outtabounds to improve the glide.
Feb 22 - LILYPAD POND ski, S from Rt.74 in eastern Adks. 2' snow - off-trail: thin breakable crust with 3" new wet powder on top, soft dry snow underneath. Temp a bit above freezing - use Maxiglide on nowax skis to prevent snow from sticking to ski bottoms. Short Swing Trail in Pharoah Wilderness . Start of trail has some small sharp ups & downs before crossing the outlet of Eagle Lake on a good bridge. After over a mile the trail makes a long gentle climb (sweet run on the the way back) to the SW of Ragged Mt.'s cliffs before dropping sharply to Tub Mill Marsh & leanto at 2.4 miles. The marsh offers some interest & views. After crossing Rock Pond Outlet (mostly frozen but some holes in ice where you can see water) the trail climbs moderately past Honey Pond. A L turn at a 3-way junction leads a short distance to the leanto on pretty Lilypad Pond. Hemlocks & red pines make for a pleasant setting - Peaked Hill drops steeply to the far shore. Back to the junction then skinned-up & went off-trail up Pine Hill. A fair amount of blowdown & the heavy snow made for slow progress & I gave up after gaining about 300' in elevation with about 250' to go to the summit where I would have had extensive views (I 've been there in other seasons) - I think this would be better on snowshoes than skis. The light crust with heavy topping slowed my descent toward Honey Pond even despite a relatively steep route down (less blowdown in this direction). Snowfleas & lots of deer & animal tracks. Solid intermediate skiing as long as you skip Pine Hill. 8 miles, 5+ hrs. Fischer Outtabounds skis with Rottefella Chili bindings & Garmont Excursion plastic boots . Granite Gear Powderhog gaiters go well with plastic boots (can't get my OR gaiters around the Excursions) & I like the cinch at the top better than OR's.
Feb 16 - TIRRELL POND ski, near Blue Mountain Lake.  Perfect conditions - 2'-3' powder - trail nicely "groomed" by previous skiers.  Northville-Placid Trail N from Rts.29/30 Lake Durant. A rollercoaster of a trail which seldom stays flat for long, some short steep sections, couple of sharp turns - you will work all of your intermediate skiing skills - snowplows, herringbones, sidesteps, wedge turns, etc. Stop for a view across O'Neill Flow to Snowy Mt. & Blue Ridge. Much of trail is thru second growth forest of skimpy hardwoods owned by Finch Pruyn Paper - state land is reached before O'Neill leanto on S end of Tirrell Pond. This leanto faces N & feels cold. Skied 1 mile to N end of pond (steer well free of inlet & outlet at N & S ends due to thin ice & wetness) to Tirrell leanto with desirable sunny southerly exposure. Clear cobalt skies offered nice views of Blue Mt. (hate that radio tower) to the W & rocky Tirrell Mt. to the E. Temp rose to 15°F. Back the way we came - lots of enjoyable runs. 9 miles; 5.5 hrs. Fischer Rebound skis ; Masters Snowtour 2 adjustable poles of 7075 aluminum are my regular poles & have served me well for 3 years now. Another member of our party had new light duty 5083 aluminum poles & managed to bend both - these are meant for light duty use at the touring centers. Poles for bc use should also have large baskets for good flotation in deep powder (Masters poles come with 3 interchangeable baskets).
Feb 15 - LOWER AUSABLE LAKE & RAINBOW FALLS ski, eastern High Peaks, from Ausable Club in St. Huberts. The unplowed 3.5 mile Lake Rd is on club property - no dogs or camping allowed. Road packed by light snowmobile traffic - snowmobiles are used to access private camps on Upper Ausable Lake. 2'+ powder snow off-road. 750' climb from parking to highest point on Lake Rd before dropping down to the lake - thin snow + rocks on this latter section (you may want to walk it). Despite a forecast for temps near 0°F it actually stayed between 10 & 13°F with little wind. Lunched at the boathouse on the lake with stunning views of Gothics & Colvin rising over 2,000' above the lake - mountains drop steeply to the lake's edge - great spot for suntanning. Skied W across the lake (turn around & look at the profile of Indian Head) & near the dam picked up the side-trail to Rainbow Falls which goes 0.2 miles into a narrow gorge - you may want to give up on the skis & hoof it in. The 150' falls were a delicate sculpture of ice & worth the sidetrip. Returned over the bridge below the dam & up the new detour trail back to the Lake Rd - this detour is narrow & steep & not very conducive to skis. The return down the road was fast & sweet. Took a side-trip to the Canyon Bridge but the Ausable River's falls & rapids were well-frozen - should be spectacular in spring, tho. 9 miles; 6 hrs. - easy intermediate skiing. Karhu Pinnacle (aka Vela) waxable skis - started with polar grip wax underfoot with cold universal glider on ends of skis but soon corked on a layer of special green & had very good grip & glide - wax wore off after about 5 miles, had to stop & rewax to maintain performance - very good turning & downhill control. Rottefella NNN-BC Auto bindings - make sure you kick your boot toe hard on back of ski to dislodge any snow behind bar in front of boot before entering binding - this makes it easier to lock in - I see many people with this problem - also once in a while spray silicone on binding where boot bar enters - good binding for light to moderate backcountry.
Feb 13 - WESTERN TURNPIKE GOLF COURSE ski, Rt.20 Western Av in Guilderland, just E of Rt.146S. Nice local spot to spend an hour or 2. Daily grooming allows for good skiing when everything else is crusted over with ice. Only $3 charge. Most trails beginner/novice - on the fast side today. Madshus Kongsberg all-conditions" ski)>.
Feb 9 - ALANDER MOUNTAIN teleski/snowshoe in SW corner of Mass. Start at Mt. Washington State Forest headquarters just S of the southern junction of East & West Streets. Fair map at trailhead; best map: NYNJTC's South Taconic Trails. Breakable icy crust on 1'-2' of snow; temp rising into the mid-30s (not warm enough to soften things up). Drop 200' in 1st 0.75 mile (put on climbing skins here) then gain elevation slowly with some downhills still. Climb steepens after 1.5 miles. Abandoned skis at about 2.5 miles switching to Tubbs Pinnacle 30 snowshoes - the Bear Hug binding barely fit over my Garmont Excursion plastic ski boots. 3 or 4 steep pitches & I was at the cabin near the summit, 1 more steep pitch to the top after gaining 800' from lowest trail elevation. Very windy but stayed 40 min. for great views of Catskills, Taconics, Appalachian Mts (Mts. Everrett & Greylock), Hudson & Harlem valleys (farms & some development). Kept skins on the skis for most of the return - had fair amount of control & it felt like going downhill in a car in low gear - skins allowed some glide & downhills were enjoyable. Took off skins for under a mile & I was flying at the limits of my abilities - all I can say is that I did not fall - not sure if I would call it fun. 5.6 miles, 4 hrs. Fischer FX7.0 telemark skis - super glide, poor grip (will not hold a kickwax for long, tried some red wax but did not work well, ice klister might have worked), very good turning & downhill control.
Feb 8 - 9 CORNER LAKE ski, near Canada Lake. 1st went to ROCKWOOD STATE FOREST - plenty of snow but topped with unbreakable icy crust, gave up after about half an hour. Off to 9 Corner Lake where snowmobiles break up the ice making for decent skiing. Under a mile to the lake (300' el. gain) then crossed against a wicked headwind - saw a few bilers. Nice spot but too bad about the smell & noise of the snowmobiles. Mostly a fast downhill cruise on the return. Madshus Kongsberg skis, NNN-BC bindings wood-core cap skis I've used>.
Feb 4 - VISCHER FERRY NATURE PRESERVE full moon ski, Riverview Rd in Clifton Park. Main entrance opposite Van Vranken Av. ~10" heavy snow on flat beginner terrain. Used by snowmobiles - signs say no motorized vehicles. Skiing was actually better in snowmobile tracks. Went out a short distance on Mohawk River (don't recommend you try crossing it); ponds seem quite solid. Moon hid behind clouds til we were almost done. Fischer Jupiter "nordic cruising" light touring skis .
Feb 2 - HUYCK PRESERVE ski, Rensselaerville in SW Albany County. About a foot of snow. From Rt.85 entrance skied across bridge below Rensselaerville Falls then sharply uphill (you may want to walk, as many others have or zigzag up thru the woods). Crossed Ten Mile Creek on another bridge at top of falls then circuited Lake Myosotis & Lincoln Pond (some thin spots under spruce/hemlock, trail follows a driveway past the buildings of the Eldridge Research Ctr.) Trails near falls intermediate; novice around the ponds. 6 miles, 2.5hrs. Ref: Natural Areas of Albany County available at APnP. Karhu Pyxis skis, 3-pin bindings, leather boots .
Feb 1 - PANTHER MOUNTAIN ski - Shaker Mt. Wild Forest/Silver Lake Wilderness near Benson & Bleecker. Snow depth: 2'-3'; temp in mid-20s, sunny, little wind. From N end of Pinnacle Rd, skied over a mile on old logging road going NNW to a major stream crossing after gaining over 300'. Headed NE offtrail on S side of stream over half a mile to a large vly between Pinnacle & Panther Mts. known by locals as "Sam's Vly". The main beaverdam was out but a smaller one upstream can be crossed - don't step off it like I did because you may step in water hidden under the snow (carry a scraper just in case). From the N end of the vly, we put on the climbing skins & turned WNW zigzagging up Panther Mt. Keeping a gully on our L, headed NW to Panther's lower NE summit where we had lunch & enjoyed thru-the-trees views (gain of over 400' from the vly). Dropped 500' N of the summit thru deep powder - too much to do many real turns, for the most part I just went straight down, the deep snow keeping me from getting up too much speed. Arrived at a stream that drains the col NW of Panther. Reclimbed half the last drop for seconds. Reskinned & headed SW up to the col gaining over 300'. From here we follow a stream SSE & soon find the old logging road going past a large vly with nice views of Pigeon Mt. The last couple of miles were a grin-inducing moderate downhill run back to the cars. The logging road receives some light use so breaking trail may not be too hard but offtrail it was a fair amount of work - bring help (I dragged along 11 others about half of whom helped break trail). Skiers with skins had a much easier time on the uphills than those without. Saw a flying squirrel; heard chickadees & nuthatches. 8 miles, 7+hrs. Navigation by USGS Caroga Lake map, compass & altimeter (Nehasane don't need no stinkin' GPS.....yet.....famous last words?....anyway, getting lost is just the start of a new adventure.) Fischer Rebound skis with 3-pin bindings & plastic boots . G3 climbing skins .
Jan 30 - LISHA KILL PRESERVE ski/sweep, Rosendale Rd in Niskayuna. About 6" of snow - could have used a foot more to better cover up tree roots, etc. especially under the hemlocks & pines. The Lisha Kill is frozen over. This preserve's steep rolling terrain is better for the snowshoer than the skier. The Karhu Karver is a short wide ski with an integral climbing skin & the bindings accept any type of boot (I used hiking boots). The Karvers glide some but not as well as any xc ski I've tried; I sidestepped one very short section but walked straight up all the other hills, this takes a lot less energy than herringboning or side-stepping; Karved turns very well, I could make parallel & telemark turns; the short 130cm. length makes them very maneuverable; the bindings kept my foot firmly in place.
Jan 29 - ALBANY PINE BUSH ski, from W end of Madison Av Ext (which is the western extension of Washington Av Ext?!) Skied at least part of white, red, blue, yellow trails (novice) + powerline (intermediate) - most broken by previous skiers - 6" of powder on decent base - very good skiing. Waxable Karhu Pinnacle (aka Vela) skis with Rottefella NNN-BC bindings - don't get out often on waxable skis but temperature today steady around 20°F in a nice zone for waxing - glide excellent, grip fair (Karhu & Fischer nowax skis climb hills better, end up doing more herringboning with waxable) to good (kick on gentler terrain), turning & downhill control very good especially for a ski with such moderate sidecut (70-60-65) - very lightweight for a metal-edge ski - lively/snappy feel rewards better skiers. Used to be my go-to all-around ski but stupidly sold my nowax ones - Karhu has discontinued the Pinnacle/Vela - closest skis dimensionally are: Karhu Pavo <(softer flex, nowhere near as lively a ski; what I call a "powder ski", good ski when snow conditions are excellent but not as good in icy, hardpack or heavy wet snow; do recommend to skiers under 130lbs, tho)>; Karhu Pegasus never reached production this year but should be available next season & may be a worthy replacement; Fischer Outback & Outbound most closely perform like the Pinnacle/Vela. NNN-BC (new nordic norm - backcountry) bindings - good for novice/intermediate backcountry; some people have problems locking into the auto version (recommend you kick boot toe very hard on rear of ski to didlodge any snow around the metal bar before stepping into binding, may want to spray boot toe & bindings with silicone once in a while or wipe Maxiglide on bar), at the end of one frigid bc trip I could not get boot out of binding; the manual version is more reliable (keep binding closed when you take skis off for a break to keep from icing up). We recommend 75mm (old nordic norm; 3-pin or cable) bindings for most intermediate/advanced use.
Jan 26 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL in Benson. Off-trail 6"-12" powder on good base; NPT well-packed from weekend skiers (the trip to Rock Lake is a popular run). The wide trail starts out thru private land but soon enters the Silver Lake Wilderness. At N Branch W Stony Creek (quite the mouthfull of a name), the NPT goes L past a gate - here I went R & skied along the creek downstream hoping to get a glimpse of a waterfall but posted land is reached in about 0.7 mi. & I return. At the gate, I crossed the well-frozen creek & bushwhacked NW, zigzagging uphill (& wishing I had brought the climbing skins). After gaining about 350', headed S down a moderate slope thru open woods - didn't last long enough before running into the NPT trail. Followed it W to Goldmine Creek then turned back - mostly downhill with some tricky fast turns (intermediate). Karhu Pyxis skis .
Jan 25 - KANE MOUNTAIN ski, near Canada Lake. Started from the Green Lake Rd trailhead & climbed 600' in 0.6 mi. Used climbing skins on skis - my old skins are only 48mm wide, originally bought for much narrower skis - still had plenty of traction on a slope that averaged 20% - trails packed by previous skiers. Firetower on top had superlative views on this cold (high in lower single digits - really needed the Grabber MyCoal hand & toe warmers today) but cloudless day. 2 other groups up here skiing, too. Headed down via trail going NNE toward Pine Lake - initially goes along a ridge then plummets steeply to a trail connecting Pine Lake & our original trailhead. Up to 18" powder on good base. 2.8 mile roundtrip. Karhu Rox telemark skis - "Roxing" the free-heel world - great downhill control, easy to turn (whether doing wedge, telemark or parallels), maximum fun, stable, confidence-indspiring - thought the 175cm length still gave me enough floatation with a 225lb. total load - nice glide, too - used with Garmont Excursion plastic touring boots & Rottefella R4 cable bindings.
WEST & NORTH BRANCH SACANDAGA RIVER ski. About 7 mile drive from Kane Mt. - started at what is known by paddlers as the 1st bridge on Rt.10 - a plowed parking turnout is to the NE of the bridge. Good base topped with foot+ of powder - looked like someone skied here last weekend, could still make out tracks. Close to perfect snow conditions. Unmarked old road follows the W Branch E for a bit thru balsam firs then pulls away NE to avoid an open wet area then comes back SE arriving at the N Branch after about 1.5 miles from Rt.10. N Branch is well-frozen & we ski S along it, over a couple of beaverdams & are soon at the confluence of the W Branch. Novice terrain. Will return to explore further - old roads date back to 1800s - now this area is in the Silver Lake Wilderness Area. The W Branch is one of my favorite rivers (for hiking, paddling, skiing), going thru many transformations as it drains the center of the wilderness then winds clockwise around it, sometimes a mild flatwater stream & sometimes a raging whitewater run with unrunnable waterfalls thru the gorge - all in about 25 miles before entering the main branch near Wells. Karhu Pyxis skis with Garmont Tour leather boots & Rottefella Super Tele 3-pin bindings .
Jan 23 - FEATHERSTONHAUGH STATE FOREST ski. From Rt.159 near Mariaville, drive SW on Lake Rd then take a L on Tidball Rd & go down half a mile - just 17 miles from APnP - designated xc ski trail starts on the R just before a large house - make sure you are on the ski trail & not the snowmobile trail - trails can also be accessed from Lake Rd. Average about 8" of powder - very good skiing due to 1,300' elevation attracting some lake-effect snows. Soon reach a 2 mile loop (mostly flat, beginner terrain) - another hillier loop can be reached by crossing Lake Rd via another spur trail - total of about 4 miles of trails in the forest. Good maps can be found in ECOS' Ski Tips & Natural Areas of Schenectady County - both available at APnP. Fischer Rebound skis .
Jan 22 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE ski. Quickie before work - temp close to 20°F, warmer than most days of late. Still 2"-6" of old windblown powder (sometimes soft, someplaces hard) despite no snowstorms of late - decent skiing. Fischer Rebound skis .
Jan 19 - SHAKER MTN WF/SILVER LAKE WILDERNESS ski from N end of Pinnacle Rd near Benson & Bleecker, southern Adirondacks. 6" to 18" (at higher altitude) of powder over good base - excellent skiing - broke trail all the way. Head NNW on obvious old road (Chase Lake trail goes off to the E) slowly gaining elevation thru an attractive mixed forest. At 1.6 miles a large vly appears on the L but today is too cold & windy (sunny, tho) to make a long stop here. The old road continues along the E side of the flow then seems to peter out between Pigeon & Panther Mts. Continued NNW thru open woods up to a col NE of Pigeon having gained 700' from the start. Skied down the other side a bit looking for a good clean run down to make some thru the trees turns - small trees just a bit too close for a good long run. Figured I would bushwhack around a hill & loop back clockwise to my tracks below the col - got screwed up somehow & ended going around Panther Mt. instead - checked my map a couple of times but stubbornly didn't pull out my compass & altimeter - didn't realize I was lost til I saw a vly (same vly I had passed earlier) down below Panther's steep SW slope - switchbacked down & side-stepped some (wore leather with Chili cable bindings but wished for my plastic boots here). Found my tracks & had a very pleasant ski out. Met guidebook author Barbara McMartin's son James going in for a late afternoon ski & had a quick chat. This area has endless possibilities for the backcountry skier who doesn't mind going off-trail some - snow cover is consistenly good every year. 7 miles, ~900' elevation gain, 4hrs. Fischer Outtabounds Crown skis .
Jan 18 - PUFFER POND ski from Kings Flow - Siamese Ponds Wilderness in central Adirondacks. Parking at the Chimney Mt. trailhead is on private land & charge is $2. Skied trail down E side of Kings Flow for over a mile then trail pulls away from the flow & starts climbing moderately - no DEC trail markers but there are plenty of ribbons along route. The old road follows Puffer Pond Brook for about 1.5 miles before reaching the large pond after gaining over 400'. Skied out onto the pond - the sun peaked out thru the clouds over Puffer Mt.'s 3,400' summit as I crossed over to the N leanto. To the NE of the summit a ridge stretches out with consecutively smaller bumps looking like the tail of a dragon (Puff?). To the NE of the pond, the imposing dome of Bullhead Mt. rises steeply over 1,200' above the pond. Visited the leanto at E end then explored route (basically a bushwhack) toward Twin Ponds. Very pleasant run back down from Puffer Pond back to Kings Flow. About a foot of snow - half solid base, half powder - could use more snow to cover up some rocks & smooth out iced-over stream crossings - skiing pretty good - temp well into the 20s, some snow showers & a bit of sun. 8 miles, 5hrs. Fischer Rebound skis Swix Universal glide wax on front & rear of skis), excellent turning & downhill control - skis a bit skitterish in tracks & packed snow (nothing major, you get used to it) but no problem when breaking trail>.
Jan 11/12 - MERCK FOREST, Rupert, Vt. ski, camp - E of Salem, NY - 70 miles from APnP. Pick up a map at entrance by the visitor center - big map by the register shows trail difficulty but handouts do not - you may want to make note of which trails are "most difficult" - most trails here are intermediate or harder. Day 1 - mostly hardpacked powder with some bare spots & rocks, some trails better than others. From the parking area, a plowed road takes you thru the farm then onto unplowed (but sometimes traveled by tractor) Old Town Rd & a long moderate uphill climb - not a big deal with a daypack, but a bit of work with a backpack full of overnight gear & "survival libations". Head for Ridge Cabin via Meyer & Gallup Rds (most "Roads" at Merck are unplowed dirt roads) - 2 miles from start. Cabins can be rented by anyone - Ridge is at the end of a dead-end trail & is a 1 room cabin with wood bunks, a table & a couple of benches - a wood stove provides plenty of heat given some time & firewood is provided - thru the trees views of surrounding mountains in the N Taconic Range - no running water - an outhouse sets back away from the cabin - what I call "soft winter camping". Took an afternoon spin down Gallup (some thin spots) to the Glen, up Old Town (some ice) & Merck (nice) to "Viewpoint", down Lodge (nice), up Hammond (nice snow & views) & fast run down Gallup back to the cabin - intermediate skiing with 800' of elevation change. Day 2 - snowed lightly overnight & all day Monday adding 3"-4" making for some good skiing. Morning run: Up Gallup, down Hammond, up Lodge (steep hill between Lodge & Viewpoint may be side-stepped), down Merck, down Kouwenhoven ("most difficult" with long steep hill, some rocks & blowdown, hairpin R turn at bottom - best done with 2' of snow), up Old Town, back via Meyer. Packed up & the ski out was quite pleasant - the downhill on Old Town was so much fun I had to go back & repeat at least part of it 3 times after dropping pack at bottom of hill. Leaving most of weight at the car, skied Discovery trail (nice) which soon drops fairly steeply (intermediate) then parallels an open field. Field has a slope to it that is excellent for practising tele & other turns - spent quite some time here. Ventured out onto the Wildlife trail (some blowdown & rocks) & turned around at a difficult brook crossing (will do sometime I have more time). Karhu Dorado skis with Chili cable bindings & leather boots .
Jan 10 - Brrrrrrr.....overnite low -12; may barely get over zero degrees today here at APnP (will stay in the minuses in the Adirondacks).
Jan 7 - COLONIE TOWN GOLF COURSE, Consaul Rd - full moon ski. Just a few minutes from APnP. $3 trail fee Fri, Sat, Sun 10am-4pm - free Mon-Thu. If needed, rent skis at APnP. Beginner, novice terrain. Snow squall as we started out but soon the moon was out casting tree shadows across the fairways. Especially interesting was the Lisha Kill which can be crossed on a number of bridges - paused a moment to watch the moon's reflection ripple in the flowing water. Made my own tracks. Fischer Outtabounds skis . With windchill & temp in mid-teens, wore Mountain Surf Aquashell under shell layer - warm, feels good on the skin, cuts wind, breathes, is stretchy & can also be used as a wetsuit when paddling.
Stay warm - carry extra clothing (mittens* $9.95+; a down jacket is great) & put it on whenever you stop for a break before you get cold; sit on an insulated pad like the Thermarest Sportseat* ($17.95; some people even use a Thermarest self-inflating mattress*); bring Grabber MyCoal hand & toe warmers* ($1.19-$1.79pr); bring a lightweight Nesters stainless steel vacuum bottle* ($23.95-$29.95) with hot drink &/or food (soup/stew); wear only non-cotton clothing* ($15.95+). *Things you can buy at Adirondack Paddle'n'Pole.
Jan 7 - ALBANY PINE BUSH quickie ski before work, from end of Madison Av Ext (W of New Karner Rd or Rt.155). 2"-4" with tiny bit of crunch to it, some thin spots - temp in teens. Novice terrain (gentle hills, no sharp turns) on red loop near start. Fischer Outtabounds skis - very wide, metal-edged skis - in tracks made by previous skiers . The Outtabounds could be appreciated by the bc beginner (stable, unintimidating), advanced skiers in challenging terrain (turning), bushwhackers & winter campers (floatation).
Jan 5 - PERKINS CLEARING ski. Arose in the morning with no new snow! (Interestingly, back in Colonie, the store got 3+" of heavy wet snow). Started to snow lightly as I headed out of Placid - light snow for rest of day with some sleet mixed in in the pm. Just a dusting in Saranac, Tupper, Long Lake - bit more new snow in Blue Mt & Indian Lakes. Lakes are mostly frozen (Lake George the exception) but rivers are open. Parked on Rt.30 at rest area next to Mason Lake (half way between Indian Lake & Speculator). Skied alongside of Rt.30 a quarter mile to dirt road to Perkins Clearing (may be plowed if logging going on). 2" new snow over ice on the unplowed dirt road made for nice skiing on gentle hills (competent beginner) - off-road in the woods there was about a foot of base with some give to it which was pretty good skiing, too (novice/intermediate). Went off-road several times, sometimes thru the trees & sometimes on old logging roads - I just love to explore, you'd go nuts trying to follow my tracks. Altho there is some state land at first, much of the land is owned by International Paper & is posted only against camping, fires & trailer parking. Logging roads have no markers but it is easy to follow your own tracks back - still best to have map & compass, tho (I was mapless because I expected to be skiing in the High Peaks area). Saw a grouse & plenty of fresh deer tracks (keep an eye out for moose, too). Turned back after reaching Perkins Clearing which is 3.4 miles from Rt.30. The dirt road to & past Perkins is quite scenic but is also popular with snowmobilers (saw none today) - I would avoid weekends here. Karhu Pyxis skis .
Atop Mount Mansfield, Vermont: A record rainfall of 13.52 inches was set for the month of December. this shattered the old record of 9.96 inches set in 1968. A record snowfall of 91.0 inches was set for the month of December, this broke the old record of 80.0 inches set back in 1970. The 91.0 inches of snow that fell in December also ranked as the highest monthly snowfall total for any month atop Mount Mansfield.
Jan 4 - Mt. VAN HOEVENBERG (aka VERIZON SPORTS COMPLEX) xc ski. "Easy" trails groomed ok, "more difficult" trails fair, "most difficult" trails icy ungroomed - disappointing for an Olympic venue. Still had a pretty good time anyway - lots better than staring at 4 walls. Nice views at times but also some distant sounds like bobsled run announcements, biathlon gunshots & traffic on nearby roads. Karhu Pyxis . Softer flexing skis (often foam-core, not often wood core) are fine in powder but don't usually perform as well in iffy conditions - the Karhu Pavo comes to mind. Non-cap skis (Pavo) have sidewalls that are attached to bottom & top of skis - on cap-construction skis (Pyxis) the sidewalls & top of skis are all one piece which allows for better transfer of energy to edge of skis. Fischer Jupiter skis . Forecast called for 4"-8" of snow Sunday night/Monday morning so I stayed in a Lake Placid motel hoping for some excellent skiing Monday. Shared the jacuzzi with a guy from the Adirondack Park Agency & we talked much about the new DEC snowmobile plan - the APA advises DEC making sure things are in agreement with the State Land Master Plan - pretty pruned by the time I got out of there.
Jan 1 - GARNET HILL LODGE cross country skiing. Good conditions - Garnet Hill has done an excellent job of grooming - most trails in very good shape with powdered surfaces, some lesser used trails had some icy spots & tree/ground debris. In the woods there is maybe a foot of rock solid iced-up hardpack - a nice base for future snows. Garnet has a good assortment of enjoyable, hilly intermediate trails plus the attraction of a shuttle van that will assure that you ski downhill more than uphill (sign up for it at the ski lodge). Started out on Fischer Vista Crown skis (sidecut 59/50/54) with NNN bindings & light duty boots . Switched to Fischer FX 7.0 telemark skis (sidecut 112/70/96) with G3 Targa bindings & Garmont Tour leather boots - dabbed some grip wax underfoot but it didn't last long due to the ski's single or alpine camber & the abrasiveness of the snow - skied mostly downhill to 13th Lake trying to perfect my telemark turn - real shaky at first getting used to the change in equipment but better as I approached the lake - easy to do parallel turns - could have used a lift to bring us back to the lodge but we did the next best thing as we created our own shuttle: Hapiledi picked us up on 13th Lake Rd, reducing the climb to the lodge by over half - still needed climbing skins to get from lake to road as there was very little grip wax left on the skis, skis felt clutsy while herringboning - skis a bit skitterish at first on the groomed trails - liked the flexibility of leather boots with these skis (last time on these skis I used Garmont Excursion plastic touring boots). Switched to Fischer Jupiter "nordic cruising" skis (sidecut 58/48/57/48/53) with NNN bindings & boots again . If I had to pick 1 ski to use here on this day I would have chosen the Fischer Outbound (sidecut 70/60/65) - narrow enough to barely fit in groomed tracks, steel edges for better edging on icy slopes .
OR Gaiters are a necessity when wandering off into the snowy woods on snowshoes or xc skis - we carry the Rocky Mountain High (packcloth & Gore-Tex), Crocodiles & Kids models. Windbloc & WindPro gloves & hats; shell mitts, too.
Learn & brush up on skills from your easy chair! We have many videos for sale or rent - beginner & advanced kayak, rolling, canoeing, whitewater, telemark skiing & more.
New from MSR Snowshoes are the Evo & Evo Ascent - we also carry the Denali Classic, Denali Ascent & Tyker - MSR snowshoes will also be available for rent at APnP this winter.
2003:
Dec 28 - WOODFORD STATE PARK ski, on Rt.9 in Woodford, Vt - signpost is at gate but sign has been removed for winter - parking across road a bit further E on Rt.9. Few inches of powder on few inches of wet hardpack base made for good skiing - a bit sticky in the afternoon (don't forget the Maxiglide). A snowshoe race was just finishing up as we set out. Skied campground road (novice) around E of Adams Reservoir. At top of hill, near leantos, picked up trail marked with blue paint blazes (intermediate - some short steep hills, narrow). Trail enters Aiken Wilderness for a short time. We take a pleasant lunch-stop at the edge of a beaver meadow. Sunshine, temp in mid-40s, nary a breeze - nice! Skied around meadow - ice seemed substantial enough - explored a large beaver dam at the outlet. R at trail junction to loop at end of campground road & out over the unplowed road. Saw quite a few snowshoers but no other skiers. Leisurely 4 hours. Incidentally, northern half of Vermont received 6-24" of new powder. Karhu Pyxis skis .
Western Trnpk Golf Course in Guilderland allows dogs on one of its groomed xc ski trails. Newspaper article.
Dec 22 - CHARLESTON STATE FOREST ski. From Rt.30A in Charleston take Gordon Rd SE for 2.2 miles then L on Gidley Rd short distance to register on R. East Trails section. Skied SE to North Face trail & made figure 8 out of Upper & Lower Loops. From latter, get good thru the trees views across farms N to southern Adirondacks, E across Schoharie Valley & SE to Helderburg Escarpment. Some easy hills on loops but mostly flat. Back, then across Gidley Rd N toward Burtonville Rd. Trail eventually switches back past an attractive stream. Back to Gidley Rd. Saw 3 deer. 7 miles, 3 hrs. Same snow but temp a bit warmer than yesterday. Fischer Outtabounds skis (Chili cable binding & plastic Excursion boot) . Charleston SF is a nice place for backcountry beginners.
Dec 21 - CHARLESTON STATE FOREST ski. From Rt.30A in Charleston (SW of Amsterdam) drive E on Burtonville Rd about a mile to trailhead. This high elevation (1,200') plateau west of the Schoharie Creek holds the snow well & has been getting some lake-effect snow, too. 3-5" powder on about 10" semi-firm base - nice! Get map at trailhead register (also in Ski Tips). Charleston SF has close to 20 miles of designated xc ski trails. Snowshoers are asked to walk outside of ski tracks to help preserve the tracks (wish this was the case in the Pine Bush, too). We skied on the North Trails where one can find 6 miles of trails - mostly reforested (with a variety of tree species) gentle terrain for the novice with the occasional hill to spice things up. Lots of fresh deer tracks. Surprised to find no-one had skied this section but breaking trail was easy nevertheless. Karhu Pyxis skis . Small world dept: later in the day, Forest Ranger Tom Edmunds who overseas Charleston SF stopped into the store & bought new skis. We chatted for a long time & it was good to see his enthusiasm for the area & xc skiing. He is responsible for the new improved map you find at the register & plans to add more trails in the future. Interestingly, he is not disappointed that the area is not very well-known.
Conditions at NY XC Ski Centers
Dec 19 - TAWASENTHA PARK ski, Rt.146 in Guilderland. Half inch of powder on icy hardpack with some give - good skiing on the flats, fair on the hills. Started from the winter recreation area which is S of the main entrance & the Normans Kill. Immediate drop on the sledding hill down into a field by the stream which was flowing ice-free. Bushwhacked thru some brush & brambles dowstream to private land then explored a bit up away from the stream - might be best on snowshoes due to steepness of ravines. Karhu Pyxis skis .
More on cross country ski Sidecut, Camber & Flex
Dec 16 - SCHENECTADY MUSEUM NATURE PRESERVE ski from Lock 7, Niskayuna. 10" of day old snow - novice to intermediate. Had to get out today before predicted rain spoils everything tomorrow. View of Mohawk River which is icing up - ice fishermen out by the lock where we do our paddling classes in summer. Ref: Natural Areas of Schenectady County or Ski Tips. Karhu Pyxis skis with Super Tele 3-pin bindings on a 10mm riser & leather boots . Am mounting risers on most of my backcountry skis - allow for better edging & help prevent "winging out" (catching the side of boot/binding on the snow when turning downhill which can trip you up).
Nehasane's favorite weather forecast site: National Weather Service
Dec 15 - JIMINY PEAK telemark ski practice. Capital District received 6-12" of new snow. Jiminy Peak offers $15 lift tickets on certain Mondays with ecoupon (see their website); Jiminy will also be offering "Telemark Tuesdays" starting Jan 6 (7 evenings of skiing, 6hrs of instruction for $150) - call (413)738-5132 (not on website); their novice slope is a great spot to practise tele turns. Spent a lot of time on the novice slope but also made 3 runs down from the top of the mountain. 30-40mph winds sometimes made things interesting depending where on the mountain you were. Legs (especially thighs) burned after a few hours. Karhu Dorado - a backcountry/tele ski turned very well for a xc ski - I had some problem transitioning from powder to icy spots & my tips crossed at times on the 195cm length skis (I am far from being a telemark expert). Karhu Rox - wow! What a difference! These skis turned at least 100% better than the Dorados, downhill control was vastly improved & I skied faster & with much greater confidence. Fischer FX7.0 - had a different feel than the Rox but turning ability & control were pretty close (by the time I tried these I was getting tired but technique was improving). On the Rox & FX7.0 I skied on 175cm lengths, one step down from their longest available lengths - with regular xc skis I am always relegated to the longest length to get any glide due to my 200+lb weight (you lightweights don't know how good you've got it) - tele skis are camberless & performance is less effected by the weight of the skier. The Dorado has some camber under the foot for grip & glide when touring on rolling terrain; Rox & FX7.0, being tele-specific skis, have no camber & are meant to go downhill, climbing is accomplished by attaching a climbing skin (or taking a lift); a traditional xc ski has a full double camber for kick & glide on flatter terrain - tele turns are more easily done on skis with less camber. Rox & FX7.0 are designed to work well on- or off-piste (groomed downhill ski areas or ungroomed backcountry steeps in the East) - in areas with deep dry powder like the Rockies, skiers often go for even wider skis & heavier/bigger boots than these. Garmont Excursion plastic touring boots used with all skis - found them to be be plenty of boot for these skis. Good xc skiers probably need less stiff boots than those folks coming from a downhill background; the latter (& less experienced xc skiers) may want to try the Garmont Veloce tele boot. Pure tele boots can be locked in a forward lean position for better downhill performance; touring boots like the Excursion do not have this feature.
Dec 14 - TACONIC RIDGE SF ski from Petersburg Pass, Rt.2 on the NY-Mass border. S on Mt. Raimer on old ski area trails - advanced level skiing. Some powder on thin crusty base - not really a lot of fun in these conditions. Trail N of road is a nice intermediate trip for 3 miles after you've climbed the initial steep hill away from Rt.2. Super views E & W from the parking area at the pass - Mt. Greylock in Mass & Hudson Valley & beyond in NY. Nice spot for snowshoers, too. Headed over to GRAFTON LAKES SP. Skied the Spruce Bog Trail from Mill Pond on Long Pond Rd - intermediate, inch or 2 of powder on some crusty base made for ok skiing.
Dec 10 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE, Oregon Av. Something for everyone here - flats to steep hills - choose your terrain. Fischer Jupiter a "Nordic Cruising" ski with double side-cuts - most skis are narrowest underfoot, these skis are almost as wide underfoot as at the shovel (front) & narrowest fore & aft of underfoot - this creates a more stable platform to ski on. .
For Places to ski in the Greater Capital District pick up a copy of ECOS' Ski Tips at APnP - only $7.50.
Dec 8 - HARVEY MOUNTAIN xc ski. From Berkshire Spur of NY Thruway, drive S on RT.22 a couple of miles & turn L on East Hill Rd then 0.4 mi. to parking on the R. Across the road is a marked trail that goes 1.5 mi. to Harvey Mtn. which may be good for the snowshoer or hiker. Also across the road, a dirt road heads by some campsites (permit required) eventually leading to what will be a new development - when we arrived this road was not plowed so we skied on it (on our return it was plowed!!) At the top of the 1st rise we beared R onto a trail which rejoined the road after a nice downhill. Continuing a gentle climb on the road (heading S; Pinnacle Point to the W) we arrived at a metal gate on the L where a sign says Harvey Mt. 0.9 miles. Past the gate the wide smooth trail/road (easy intermediate; sweet run on the return) climbs moderately then skirts the W summit (2,040') on its E side, drops down a bit & makes the final climb to a large clearing full of blueberry bushes just below the N summit (2,060'). A picnic table made for a good lunch spot. Wonderful views of the Catskills to the W & Mts. Everett, Race, Bear, Frissell, Brace & Alander to the S. Explored some unmarked trails (strong intermediate) near the summit which is right on the NY-Mass border. Being a State Forest, there is a chance you may share the main trail with snowmobiles but we saw none today & followed other ski tracks. Snow varied from 6" to 36" in windblown spots - in the 2' range in the woods. Watch for bear tracks. Matched the Karhu Dorado skis with Garmont Excursion plastic boots . Wider skis offer more floatation in deep snow. 600' elevation change, 6 miles, 5hrs.
Ski Tip - when going straight downhill keep one foot slightly ahead of the other - you will feel more stable if you hit any bumps.
Dec 7 - ALBANY PINE BUSH xc ski from W end of Madison Av Ext. 18" of fresh, light powder snow - relatively easy to break trail thru. Most trails novice - blue loop is easy intermediate - powerline has steeper drops. Spent some time on a loop (rare red or blue paint blazes) at S end off yellow loop (near cemetary & Guilderland Central School) - a nice hill with some turns made for a fun practice hill & I climbed back & ran it repeatedly. 5 hrs. (A few miles E, Averill Park received 32".) Karhu Dorado , a wide super sidecut metal-edged ski . Rottefella Chili cable bindings keep the leather boot's heel centered over the ski - had a problem with a cable spring that slowly loosened which has since been fixed with a dab of Loctite.
Dec 6 - ADIRONDACK PADDLE'N'POLE ski? Sweep? Had a chance to try out the Karhu Karver , the longest ski? in Karhu's Sweeper series - very short wide skis with integral climbing skins. Not a lot of glide but still faster than a snowshoe (I'd be tempted to put a glide wax on); could climb up moderately steep snowbanks with ease & coming down was fun; very maneuverable. Binding can be adjusted for shoe size with an Allen wrench (included); ratchet straps were easy to use. Wore a Sorel pac-style boot which worked ok but I would've prefered a stiffer boot. Next time out I will wax them & look for some real hills. Skied the 2 miles from store to home on the Karhu Dorados - gentle grades & enough traffic to make it lots more dangerous than wilderness skiing.
In the latest issue of Backpacker magazine the MSR Denali Ascent snowshoes came out on top in a test of 5 snowshoes & was also rated a "Best Buy".
Dec 1 - G LAKE xc ski. 2-3" & barely skiable - W of Piseco Lake. 2.1 miles on unplowed dirt road then half mile on unmarked old logging road to campsite on E shore of the not yet frozen lake. From Rt.8 the road drops quickly then more gently. A mile in, you start climbing moderately, gaining over 300' in the next mile - this makes for a sweet novice+ downhill run on the return. More old logging roads & snowmobile trail can be explored in the area. 4 hrs. Piseco got another 3" after we left so skiing should be good for rest of week. Fischer Rebound . If the Rebounds were not my rock skis before this trip they are now - ouch.
Fitness Facts about Cross Country Skiing & other tips.
Nov 30 - LESSER WILDERNESS SF, Tug Hill Plateau NW of Booneville, xc ski. 2.5 hour drive from APnP. From Snow Ridge ski area in Turin, drive N on Rt.26 & take 1st L on Carpenter Rd then look for sign on the L after hairpin R turn. Over 1,800' elevation - gets lake-effect snows when cold winds blow across Lake Ontario. 6-8" heavy wet snow, many wet spots. At first, XC ski trail parallels Seymour Rd, an unplowed dirt road. We took a R on West Loop so as to avoid a flooded area 1.1 miles down Seymour. Maps at most junctions will let you know where you are. Trails to S of Seymour drier & more interesting especially next to Mill Creek as it wound thru a small ravine. Came out in the dark after 6 hours of skiing. Total of about 9 miles of designated xc ski trails - novice terrain. Some hunters still in the woods. Fischer Rebound skis, Rottefella Super Tele bindings (a heavy duty 75mm 3-pin), Garmont Tour classic leather boots. . Boots are very comfortable on my wide feet & their moderate stiffness make them excellent for general backcountry use; Norwegian welt contsruction makes them resolable.
Grabber Mycoal Hand & Toe warmers should be part of your essentials kit at this time of year.
Nov 16 - MT. VAN HOEVENBURG xc skiing near Lake Placid. 6" of snow - free skiing, center not officially open. Trace of snow at Northway Exit 30 & only an inch or two in Keene. Told myself not to do anything foolish on the 1st ski of the season & to stay on intermediate trails but couldn't resist the temptation of "most difficult" Hi Notch & Porter Mt. Loops. From top of Hi Notch (after climbing 450'), a backcountry trail heads toward Adirondac Loj but would need more snow to cover up some rocks. Porter Mt Loops can take you over 3.5 miles from the stadium & had received very little use & no grooming. Thru-the-trees views of nearby Pitchoff, Cascade, Porter & Algonquin Mts. Most of route was powder with an occasional wet spot or rock poking thru. Snow was wetter on south-facing Big Rock & Rollercoaster loops & made for more difficult skiing on the light touring gear & I was wishing I had some stiffer backcountry skis & boots. Clear blue skies slowly yielded to clouds as the afternoon went by. About a dozen cars in parking lot when I arrived, only one left when I returned. Unfortunately, snow will not last the week with warmer temps & rain in the forecast. Karhu Qinu/Rendezvous skis, NNN bindings with light duty boots . Maxiglide , now in new & improved concentrated paste, used on ski bases to keep warm snow from sticking & to improve glide.
Apr 8 - SCHENECTADY MUNI GOLF COURSE xc ski. 2" of fresh powder over thin crusty base made for some pretty good skiing. Played a lot with telemark turns on the many hills - things were working pretty well with the Fischer Rebound skis in the shallow powder conditions (had a harder time last year making them turn predictably in packed wet snow conditions) - Fischer nowax base grips better in warmer snow than in cold deep powder - the Rebound is a great all-around backcountry touring ski. This could be the end of skiing for me this season although the Adirondacks should have snow for the next couple of weeks.
Apr 6 - GARNET HILL xc skiing, near North River & Gore Mt. Excellent conditions - gently groomed midwinter-like powder, not spring mush - 2' deep in woods, I sank in 1.5' when doing a short ski off-trail, light crust on snow in open areas. Half their trails were groomed & the van shuttle was not in operation. Hit as many intermediate & expert trails as time would allow - did "Solitude" twice (couple of fast switchbacks & a steep drop) &, of course, "Skullbuster". Karhu Qinu touring skis & Karhu Pyxis backcountry skis.
Mar 31 - AUSTIN FALLS - SACANDAGA RIVER xc ski on Old Rt.30. My Monday luck continues - a beautiful sunny day & up to 5" of fresh snow in the Speculator area! Started at the Old Rt.30 bridge - road on N side of river was not plowed - looks like they may plow it for about a mile occasionally. International Paper lands to the N require a permit to traverse (except mountain biking in summer). River rapids drown out most other sounds. Pass a calm spot before river narrows thru a chute. The falls were super with lots of water swirling up & around. Went a little further than the closed bridge then back up. 350' el. change, 7 miles, 3 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis.
GOOD LUCK LAKE. From Rt.10 skied 1 mile to the lake - last half of trail had many wet spots. Took fork to Dry & Dexter Lakes a short distance & skiing was quite good with less wet spots - northern exposure helps here. Huski Classic skis - yes, the 1st skis I ever bought - wood with waxable p-tex base - mounted more recently with NNN-BC bindings - broke my ankle on these in 1979 while returning from Avalanche Pass - slapped some universal glide wax & purple kick wax on them & off I went (added some red later for more grip) despite having a sidecut of 60-53-67 they were still hard to turn - waxed skis never seem to climb hills well & I have to resert to herringboning more often.
Mar 30 - MOHAWK-HUDSON BIKE PATH walk from Lions Park, Niskayuna. Got out early to beat the snowstorm. Walked W then E of the park, never too far from the Mohawk River (or road, for that matter) - water level has dropped some from earlier in the week. Saw red-winged blackbird, robin, cardinal, kingfisher, blue jay, purple finch, crow, mourning dove, black-capped chickadee, white-throated sparrow, Canada goose, mallard, common merganser, bufflehead (near the Lisha Kill bridge), ring-necked duck (fishing in the bay to the E), chipmunk & joggers. Celestron compact, waterproof binoculars. 4 miles, 1.5 hrs.
Before you store your skis, put a coating of Maxiglide or Easy Glide on the bases to keep them from drying out.
Mar 27 - PASLEY FALLS, CEDAR RIVER xc ski. Start from end of Pelon Rd in Indian Lake Village at old landfill. Good skiing on snowmobile/ski trail - fair skiing on ski & backcountry trails. Average of 1' of heavy snow. Ski trail along river had some wet spots (water skiing, anyone?) - 1 stream was bridged, another was not & I turned around & went around from other direction to the falls after going part-way to Elm Island. Huge (up to 10'x20'x2') chunks of ice going thru the falls - spectacular scene on this warm sunny day. Karhu Dorado skis with leather boots.
Mar 25 - Mt. EVERETT , MA. Skied dirt road (may be drivable in summer?) to summit gaining 900' elevation. 0-2' snow, some short bare sections, icy in spots - expert today but in mid-winter powder conditions would rate this intermediate. Road lined with hemlocks & mountain laurel. Pass pretty Guilder Pond half way up - 2nd highest pond in Mass. Road ends at rock shelter below summit - last 0.15 miles are on rocky Appalachian Trail (white paint blazes). Stunted trees on top - firetower closed- have to move around summit dome to get best views. Views E across Housatonic valley, S to CT., N to Berkshires, W to NY. Temp pushing 60 - bit windy on top. 3.5 miles, 3 hrs. Karhu Dorado skis with plastic boots . Nehasane's 50th day of skiing this season! STOCKPORT CREEK/HUDSON RIVER kayaking. From end of Station Rd in Columbiaville, next to railroad tracks - new picnic area & register at gravel launch area. Henry Hudson landed here in 1609 - nearby Dutch colonial Staats House is 350 years old. Current fairly strong upstream on the creek. Turned around at ledgy whitewater under Rt.9 bridge. Real pleasant going back with the current. Ducked into side-channel & explored some smaller channels. 4 squirrels munching on something on tree overhanging channel. 2 beavers back on the creek. Out onto Hudson River for a bit. Stayed on E shore - could see good waves on W shore. Lots of geese, ducks & birds. 2 hours. Hung around to watch sunset across river & N of the Catskills. Dagger Blackwater 11.5 , an 11.5' recreational kayak, has very good primary & secondary stability, responds well to a leaned turn - a fun boat equally at home on calm waters & easy (class 1 & 2) rivers - easy to cartop at 46 lbs. Has skeg for better tracking but did not need it today despite some wind. New Werner Rec Tour paddle sets the standard for paddles under $200. Wore Chota Mukluks & AquaShell wetsuit.
Mar 22-24 - MERCK FOREST , Rupert, VT. Sat - 2.5 mile backpack (w/65lb. pack - incl. 3-season sleeping bag, beer, but no tent) into Ned's Place cabin - 7:30pm start. Road to farm was dirt, Old Town Rd was packed hard, Antone Rd's snow was variable so didn't put on the snowshoes til Clark's Clearing. The side-trail to the cabin was narrow & hard to follow - could not see markers but could detect some snowshoe prints. Princeton-Tec Solo headlamp worked well. Starry sky - I was heading toward Orion. Dagang had arrived earlier - Oblivia got separated, missed a turn & was lost for a few hours - Hombrua, Ceebotar & Oceebota set out to search - all turned out well. Rain at night. Sun - Sweet view from Ned's Place across clearing to Shatterack & Bear Mts. & Mt. Equinox. After a short ski in the area of the cabin, snowshoed/hiked Mt. Antone (no view, in the clouds). Dropped down to the S on Masters Mtn trail which was soon snow-free. Many switchbacks make grade gentle to moderate as we lose 1,500' - gonna come back & ski this trail in good snow. Picked up Old Town Rd at Merck's S entrance then returned on Lookout Trail with a side-trip to the lookout which had nice views to the E (Merck's map does not show this side-trail accurately - less up & down than shown - wait til you see a good sign for it on the Lookout Trail). Saw couple of deer. Mon - Short hike to tiny Beebe Pond & visit the new cabin, Nenorod, which sits on a height of land with excellent winter views (on snowshoes). Wonderful clear & warm day. After packing up, ski up Wade Lot Rd. to Mt. Antone Rd. Drop pack & ski lite up Mt. Antone . Great views W across farms to the Lake George mountains & N across VT. Ski back to pack was fun. Ski out on Mt. Antone ski trail with full 55lb. pack was shaky but I stayed on my feet using climbing skins to slow me down. Skiing pleasant again after Clark's Clearing. In general the higher up in elevation (best above 2,000') you go the more snow you see. South facing slopes & valleys can be snow-free. Best skiing when temp is above 50 & snow is less than foot deep - snow offers less flotation for snowshoeing when temps get warm. Karhu Pyxis skis . MSR Denali Classic snowshoes - day trips without tail, but added the tail for extra flotation on the way in.
Mar 17 - Hudson River , River Rd in North Creeek toward Riparius. From Main St. near town hall take River Rd for a little over a mile & plowing stops. Another sunny warm day in the 50s. Skiing pretty good on snowmobile trail. Soon climb a moderate hill which affords good views of the river below. Bear left whenever in doubt. When railroad comes close I switch over to it never straying far from the river. Off trail, snow has no support & skis sink deeply. 2 deer cross river over ice - some open water, too. Took a long " Thermarest moment" at riverside. Don't forget the sunscreen - I usually use Dermatone Conditioning Lip Protector & Ultra Sunblock Stick - compact, easy to apply sun & wind protection - smells nice, too. 11 miles, 4.5 hrs. Karhu Dorado skis not necessarily best choice for this relatively flat trip .
Thule Car Racks are the premier rack systems for canoe & kayak transportation - systems also available for pick-up trucks. It is a good idea to arrange your car rack purchase a week before picking up your canoe/kayak just in case any special parts are required for your particular vehicle. When buying a new vehicle, check with Thule to make sure a rack is made for it.
Mar 16 - PINE MOUNTAIN xc ski, Hudson River Gorge Primitive Area. Mostly bushwhack. 2'-3' of heavy snow made for fair skiing - temp was in the 50s. Hombrua skied in shorts & t-shirt (non-cotton, of course). From RT.28N near Minerva, take Northwoods Club Rd - after crossing over the Boreas River, drive another 1.2 miles. Ski around E side of hill to the S, then go generally S. A red & yellow paint blazed trail is encountered & can be followed for a ways. After blazes stop continue thru the valley then head uphill SSE to Pine Mtn. Switchbacked to soften the climb (& descent). Hudson is 900' below the lookout - spent close to 2 hrs. just hanging out in the sun. Wonderful views across the gorge include Dutton, Gore, Peaked & Snowy Mtns. 3 miles, 4.5 hrs.!!! Dagang's tail end was out 5.5 hrs.!!! Fischer Rebound skis .
Mar 14 - THACHER NATURE CENTER, between Thacher & Thompson's Lake State Parks. Had to take advantage of the 2" of fresh powder on this cold & sunny morning. Took yellow trail clockwise thru field then into woods. Climb red trail N into field (views S) then across Ketchum Rd into another field with views of the Taconics & Berkshires. Looped on red trail & back. Karhu Pyxis skis.
Mar 10 - 13th LAKE & BOTHERATION BROOK xc ski, Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area, near North River. Enjoyed skiing across the lake yesterday & wanted more lake skiing. Windblown & crusty powder on lake made for decent skiing. Cold & windy - sunny & scenic, tho. Started from N end of lake & skied the W shore trying to stay out of the wind. Picked up the inlet (Hour Pond Outlet) at the S end & skied upstream - used the banks as my own personal backcountry half-pipe - went over 1 small & 1 big beaverdam. Continued bushwhacking upstream & finally ran into the trail to Puffer Pond. Headed E toward Old Farm Clearing - trail sometimes icy & sometimes with windblown powder in tracks. Took unmarked 1 mile side-trail to Botheration Brook (aka E. Br. Sacandaga River) - this was fast & icy - normally easy intermediate but expert today. Returned & headed N. Needles & branch tips of Norway spruce littered the tracks. A L turn leads to unmarked trail down to Elizabeth Point & ski back across 13th Lake. Very much like paddling/hiking trip taken last May (didn't miss the blackflies). 7 miles, 3.5 hrs. Fischer Outbound skis.
Mar 9 - AIKEN WILDERNESS xc ski, Woodford, VT. Prime goal was to get out & build a snow shelter - unfortunately it collapsed while Nehasane was in it! Learned a lot. Some bushwhacking & some unmarked but easy to follow trails. Saw signs of beaver & moose. Snow depth about 4'. Skiing was decent for the most part, icy in spots - better off trail with breakable crust with inch of powder - some nice thru the trees turns & runs - pleasant skiing (sometimes skating) across Adams Reservoir in Woodford SP. Karhu Dorado skis, Garmont Excursion plastic boots (mainly for the warmth).
Among the MSR products we stock: Zoid 2 lightweight tent, Simmerlite & Whisperlite compact stoves, Miniworks EX water filter (we also have Marathon EX Ceramic Elements in stock so that you can update your old Miniworks to faster pumping EX standards.)
Mar 7 - H. G. REIST WILDLIFE PRESERVE xc ski, end of Morgan Av. (off St. David's Ln.) in Niskayuna. Wanted to get up earlier & go up to Thacher Park but it was sooooo cold (minus 2) this morning. Still had to get out & enjoy the sunshine & 1.5" of new snow. Looped around on the yellow & blue trails & sidetrail to Paul Schaefer's old house - preserve has close to 2 miles of trails. Mostly easy terrain - novice skiing in these conditions. Karhu Pyxis skis .
Mar 3 - SHAKER MOUNTAIN WILD FOREST xc ski, from N end of Pinnacle Rd. near Benson. Southern Adirondacks received up to 6" of new wet snow yesterday - 3"-5" on top of deep base here. Originally wanted to ski in to Chase Lake for a half day trip but snowmobiles had traveled there after the snowfall &, with today's super cold single digit temps (25 degrees colder than yesterday!), trail had iced up. Old logging road to the NNW was in good shape, tho. Unmarked but easy to follow trail climbs moderately to a small vly on the L after about a mile. Shortly beyond, the E fork of Pinnacle Creek crosses the old road. I bushwhack NE along it (best on SE side of stream) until I reach a quarter mile long vly & head across it. Breaking trail was quite easy. The cloudless blue sky conrasted nicely with the expanse of white. Small, rocky cliffs at the foot of Pinnacle Mt. were covered with frozen waterfalls. Followed some coyote tracks for a while. Reached height of land between Pinnacle & Panther Mts. & returned. Pleasant run out, losing about 400' elevation in 2.5 miles. Temp in single digits & not as windy as predicted - stayed quite warm in Aqua Shell tops & bottoms (almost too hot - could have skipped the top). Have pretty much decided that the Fischer Rebound .
Mar 2 - HAYSTACK MOUNTAIN, Vt. near Wilmington. From Rt.9 take Haystack, Chimney Hill & Binney Brook Roads 2.6 miles to trailhead. Rain, sleet & snow at 2,400' trailhead, all snow higher up. Trail receives some snowmobile use - deep hardpack with 1"-3" of fresh wet powder. Some folks used skins some of the way up & down - I did not (some herringboning/sidestepping needed). Mostly spruce on ridge with some birch - on a clear day would have nice views. Skipped side-trail to summit (best on snowshoes) & around W side of summit to top of Haystack Ski Area. Another 2.5 miles along the ridge would take you to the top of Mt. Snow - save it for a nicer day. Great run back out - fell twice today on downhills - can't remember when that last happened. 600' el. change, 5 miles, 3.5 hrs. Karhu Pyxis with Garmont Excursion plastic boots handled the hills well - wish I could say the same for the Nehasanemobile as we inched down icy, unplowed Binney Brook Rd.
Feb 24 - FARMINGTON RIVER xc ski, upstream from Unionville, CT. 16 mile bike/hike trail follows the river. Crusty snow softened up a little in the late morning sun & temps slightly above freezing making for fair kick & glide skiing. Flatwater sections stiil frozen over but whitewater sections were ice-free. Fischer Outbound skis .
Feb 23 - SCHENECTADY MUNI xc ski. Well above freezing this morning. Headed for the hills in the middle of the golf course & played with some turns. About a foot of heavy wet powder - will be icy hard when temps drop below freezing. Karhu Dorado skis .
SCHODACK ISLAND STATE PARK xc skiing, on Rt.9J just S of Castleton-on-Hudson. Warm temps & surprisingly good skiing on mostly flat easy terrain. Still plenty of snow after yesterday's rain. Meteorologists didn't scare me - did not rain til I got back to the car & did not get windy til I got home. Thanks to Russki, who bought his skis last year at APnP, most trails were tracked out already. 6 miles, 2.5 hrs. Fischer Rebound skis .
Feb 21 - SCHENECTADY MUSEUM NATURE PRESERVE xc ski from Lock 7 in Niskayuna. Variable snow conditions - temp still below freezing. Practised my tele turns on powerline hill in middle of preserve. Ref: Natural Areas of Schenectady County. Karhu Dorado skis.
Feb 19 - ALBANY PINE BUSH PRESERVE xc ski, from end of Madison Av. Ext. Excellent conditions with a foot of fresh powder - easy white & red trails already tracked but was disappointed that I got stuck breaking trail on the hillier blue trail. Get out now because the weekend don't look too good - great skiing is temporary, work will always be there! Fischer Outbound skis .
Feb 17 - KUNJAMUK LOOP xc ski, Speculator. Packed powder in the trail made for very good skiing - off trail, in the woods, crusty base topped with 4" of powder. Kunjamuk Cave. 6 miles, 3.7 hrs. Fischer Rebound skis.
Feb 16 - PHAROAH MOUNTAIN ski/shoe, E of Schroon Lake. Lousy skiing (I should learn to take my own advice), very good snowshoeing, superb views. 9.5 miles. 6hrs. (3hrs up; 2.3 hrs back). Karhu Vela waxable skis (with temps under 10 degrees, I only need 2 or 3 waxes - polar, special green & green) with NNN-BC bindings & old Trak Cyber II boots. MSR Denali Classic snowshoes. Granite Gear Inversion pack. Masters adjustable poles. AquaShell pants.
Feb 13 - LISHA KILL PRESERVE snowshoe, Rosendale Rd, Niskayuna. Testing to see how 3-pin ski boots work in MSR Denali Classic snowshoes - worked out fine. Hard pack trail good enough for bare-booting but MSR snowshoes will give you surer footing with no slipping - traction & braking bars along with steel crampons do the trick. Great tall hemlock & pine woods. Lots of animal tracks on the frozen Lisha Kill. Ref: ECOS' Natural Areas of Schenectady County.
Feb 9 - GARNET HILL XC Ski Center near North River. Tiny bit icy in track at first but decent out of track where the snow was fluffed up a bit. Garnet has an excellent variety of intermediate trails & a van shuttle (sign up at the ski lodge) which assures that you ski downhill more than uphill. First run on Fischer Outbound skis - down Trapper to Sugarhouse & Mountainview to Red Fox Run (& a nice run it was) - took shuttle back uphill to ski lodge. Outbound had nice glide, fair grip & turned very nicely. An early afternoon snow squall quickly added a half inch of powder, mostly sunny otherwise. Second run down Skullbuster (expert), Cougar, Solitude, Sugarhouse, Bewilderness (lots of fun L-R-L-R curves), down & back up Red Fox Run & shuttle van back to lodge - Karhu Pyxis skis . Last run was down Wilderness to scenic 13th Lake - Beach Trail good for practising tele turns. 7 hours - just a nice winter's day!
Feb 3 - JACKRABBIT TRAIL, E end, from the end of Alstead Hill Rd in Keene. Smooth, wide intermediate trail - packed powder with dusting of new snow. Fair climb with occasional leveling off but not much need to herringbone. Beaver ponds along the way allow for great views of Pitchoff Mt.'s steep N side with icy cliffs. From height of land, nice view E to Vermont. Wonderful sundog on return - like a circular rainbow around the sun. 5 miles, almost 700' elevation gain (& loss), 1.75 hrs. Karhu Pyxis with plastic boots & Super Tele bindings .
HAMMOND POND xc ski. From RT.9 in North Hudson drive 3 mi. E on CR4 & parking for Hammond Pond WF is on R. Last minute decision to go here & I didn't have a guidebook with me. Wanted to go to Moose Mt Pond & sign pointed me E so followed red trail (despite something in the back of my head telling me I was supposed to be on a blue trail). Crossed a bridge & R onto somewhat icy snowmobile trail. Forked L & reached scenic Hammond Pond (deduced from a check of the map). Returned to trailhead. 1.7 miles, 0.5 hrs.
MOOSE MT POND xc ski. Take unmarked path S from parking lot - after a quick downhill & a R curve, arrive at the register. Bumpy, snowshoe-packed trail with a hint of ice made for fast conditions. Soon arrive at a vly & trail goes R but looks like most people go along the edge of the vly & avoid at least one short steep hill. Back into the hemlock woods at the S end of vly. Soon come to a junction, continue S on new trail to Moose Mt. Pond (may not show on maps). Pass 1.6 mi. long Berrymill Flow then start turning easterly climbing gently (couple of short steeps & one longer) to the pond. Ski out onto the snow-covered ice across to the N end of pond & leanto in the NW. Moose Mt., Owl Pate & Bald Pate - small cliff-lined mountains dominate the view S & E. Drop 330' on ski back to car. Intermediate ability. After Tuesday's rain, this area will need a few inches of fresh snow to make for nice skiing again. 7 miles, 3 hrs. Karhu Pyxis with leather boots did fine altho I did wonder if a stiffer ski like the Rebound, Outbound or Vela would have been a bit better in these less than ideal conditions.
Feb 2 - WHITEFACE MT MEMORIAL HWY xc ski. Packed powder with inch or two of fresh snow. Novice/Intermediate skiing - potentially harsh alpine conditions up high. At times, visibility was down to 10'. Last 3.5 miles from Lake Placid Turn to tollbooth in 20 min. (& I held back a little). 8.5 miles, 2,100' elevation change, 3.5 hrs. to the Wilmington Turn (windblown down to the road & a bit icy) & back. Between Lake Placid & Wilmington turns you are on an arete, a ridge between 2 glacial cirques. Best to do this trip on a calm, sunny day for superb views. What are hairpin turns for vehicles are gentle turns for skiers. Fischer Outbound skis . Super Telemark 3-pin binding with leather boots.
Jan 31 - WESTERN TURNPIKE GOLF COURSE, recently bought by Town of Guilderland, is being groomed for xc skiing. Entrance is S of Rt.20 just E of Rt.146. Small fee ($3?) will be charged at least on weekends. Over a foot of snow & very good skiing conditions. Groomed trails stay out in the open - get off the trail at S end to take a look at the Normans Kill below - nothing I tried was any harder than easy intermediate - even a black diamond trail. Good place to introduce your friends to the sport - rent skis (mostly Karhu Qinus) here at APnP. Fischer BC Vista Crown skis had very good grip, good glide & turned ok - good ski if you mostly ski in track at the touring centers & occasionally go off-track (not much flotation, tho); Rottefella NNN touring bindings.
In warmer temps. close to freezing, use Maxiglide on the bottom of no-wax skis to keep snow/ice from sticking.
Jan 27 - MT. WASHINGTON STATE FOREST in SW corner of MA. Ashley Hill Brook Trail to South Taconic Trail. 3" new powder on top of over foot of base. From forest HQ go W across field & follow any signs for Alander Mt. until in less than a mile you see a sign for Alander pointing R & Ashley Hill Trail L - turn L here. Wide trail climbs moderately - don't need to herringbone for the most part. Ashley Hill Brook is in the ravine to R. Finally, Ashley Hill Trail turns L (sign here) but I keep straight. Eventually cross brook & then after 0.25 miles turn sharply R. Hemlock woods turn to hardwoods with mountain laurel at this elevation. Reach S. Taconic Trail. Off trail, clear area on nubble to NNW offers some views - low scrub oaks may trip you up. Ski N on the S Taconic Trail 100 yds. & things open up to the W. Clear blue skies &, from the ridgetop, superb views of Alander & Brace Mts., the Catskills, The Shawangunks, Hudson Highlands & the Hudson Valley. Temperature may not have reached double digits. 2.5 hrs. to go 4 miles & up 700'; half hour to enjoy the views; 1.5 hrs. for the return. Intermediate skiing. Preferred route to the forest is S from Rt.23. Hairiest part of the day was driving the scenic route home on the road past Bash Bish Falls (to Rt.22) - narrow, steep, winding thru canyon (at one point the ice on cliff came down & across the road!) Karhu Dorado skis with plastic boots & cable bindings .
Hints to keep you warm on the trail (*items available at Adirondack Paddle'n'Pole): make hot Gatorade* in Nalgene bottle* & keep it in an OR or Granite Gear insulated bottle holder*; make hot chocolate in a lighweight Nesters vacuum bottle*; wear OR mittens* instead of gloves* (3 layers best - polypro liner gloves* inside fleece mittens* inside of windproof shell mitt*); bring Thermarest insulated self-inflating pad* to sit on; use Grabber MyCoal air-activated handwarmers*; put on more clothing (a down jacket is wonderful) whenever you stop for a break; don't wear anything made of cotton.
Jan 26 - COLE HILL STATE FOREST xc ski. Albany County near E. Berne. From Rt.443 take CR.2 S about a mile to parking area on the R. Ref: Ski Tips or Natural Areas of Albany County. Follow xc ski markers (trail #4) & Long Path aqua paint blazes W. Soon come to a tricky downhill ("Carnage I") which curves R then shoots steeply downhill - novices may have trouble with this. 2 bridges are crossed & marshes up & downstream invite exploration. Cross over CR.3 & follow ski trail #1 counterclockwise - novices may not like the uphill climb (try leaving the trail & zig-zagging up thru the open woods - don't forget, it is considered bad manners to walk in the ski trail: postholes can be dangerous after a thaw/freeze cycle). We come to a viewpoint looking to the W over to Partridge Run WMA. Drop down to Irish Hill Rd (still following Long Path markers), cross it & after an uphill take a R on trail #2 - see more animal tarcks & hear more birds here. An old straight forest road ("The Terminator") continues steeply downhill to the W & I ski it twice enjoying making turns in the wide trail (unfortunately, it ends at private land). Headed back across Irish Hill Rd & continued counterclockwise on trail #1 back to Cr.3 & back out. Fischer Outbound skis (not to be confused with the Outtabounds skis, the Outbound is narrower, has less sidecut & is stiffer) Karhu Vela except for the grip>.
New shipment of OR gaiters just arrived - keep the snow out of your boots.
Jan 20 - CHARLESTON STATE FOREST xc ski. From Rt.30A in Charleston (SW of Amsterdam) drive E on Burtonville Rd til you see the sign on your left. Close to 20 miles of designated xc ski trails - snowmobiles not allowed (although there was some evidence of snowmobile use on the first part of trail). 1,200'+ elevation & lake-effect snows make for a long snow season here. Pick up a map at the register - many of the trail junctions also have a good map. The 6 mile North trail has some hills. We took the novice 5 mile South Trails - I went off-trail a few times to enjoy some hills. Snow was hard packed but got better the further we went. 20-30mph winds rocked the treetops. The route took us thru spindly hardwoods & some spruce & hemlock groves. 3 ponds created some interest along the way. Nice half day trip. Karhu Pyxis skis . Used the all-leather Garmont Tour boots.
Some thoughts about Sidecut on xc skis: more sidecut (hourglass shape) usually makes it easier to make downhill turns. A ski like the Karhu Vela has moderate sidecut: 70mm wide at the shovel (front), 60mm wide underfoot, 65mm at the tail (70/60/65). These measurements are the same on the shortest 160cm ski (for skiers under 145lbs) thru the longest 190cm ski (for skiers over 170lbs). The curve on the 160cm ski has a shorter radius than the curve on the 190cm ski - this means that a lightweight skier on the short skis will experience better turning than the heavy skier on the longer skis. (Note: we do not recommend the Vela 160 for most light skiers - the ski is too stiff & most lightweights fail to get enough grip). On the Karhu Pyxis & Dorado skis the shorter ski's shovel & tail measurements are less than on the longer ski's - the radius of the curve is the same so both light & heavy skiers should experience similar turning ability. More on camber, flex, sidecut, etc.
Jan 19 - SHAKER MT WF & SILVER LAKE WILDERNESS xc ski thru trip. Spotted a car at the Northville-Placid Trailhead in Upper Benson then drove a few miles to the Chase Lake trailhead at the end of Pinnacle Rd. An old logging road (no trail markers) goes NNW & is easy to follow for 2 miles - some recent ski tracks made the going relatively easy while we climb 400' to a scenic vly on the L surrounded with small mountains . For a day predicted to be cloudy - the bright morning sun was welcome. It is a bushwhack from here to the NPT. Breaking trail was easy & the skis only sank in a few inches. Continuing NNW we follow a stream between Pig & Panther Mts. then head up around the W side of Panther thru a col having gained another 200' from the vly. Take a break under a huge hemlock on some high ground overlooking the valley below. This is true wilderness - no trails, no sign of man's doings. We quickly drop 200' thru open woods making turns thru the trees - so much fun that I wished we could have dropped 1,000' in these perfect powder conditions. Continue following a stream NE & finally approach the W end of a large vly on North Branch West Stony Creek - some tricky stream crossings along the way slow us down. Decided to go around the vly instead of thru it trying to stay in open hardwoods but occasionally wandering into spruce & alder near the vly. After a time, I stop & ponder our whereabouts, a hint of doubt enters my thoughts, Dagang stands behind me (obviously wondering if I knew where I was) - their silence spoke volumes. My intent was to find my tracks from Jan 13 but none were visible. The stream looked too small to be the NBWSC, but after a check of the compass I decide to follow it downstream & within seconds there are my tracks from a few days before. 8+ miles, 7 hrs. Karhu Pyxis skis . Rottefella Super Telemark - a heavy duty 75mm 3-pin binding. Garmont Excursion plastic boots were very warm & afforded excellent control of my skis.
Avalanche Pass trail in the High Peaks is open - the slide on Mt Colden above it is closed.
Jan 16 - THACHER STATE PARK xc skiing from Paint Mine area. Hardpacked by snowmobile - could use 2 or more inches of new powder to make for sweeter skiing. Soon pick up the Long Path going S. Cross over Beaver Dam Rd & continue uphill (snowmobiles not allowed in this section) to what is listed on map as "ski/sled" slope which gets quite steep when it hits the woods but is a good place to practice your downhill technique. Nice view across the Hudson Valley NE. 1st time out on the Karhu Dorado, a backcountry/telemark hybrid ski - will be comparing it to the Fischer Outtabounds. . Chili cable binding. New Garmont Tour traditional all-leather boot with Norwegian welt stitching. Modern ski/trad boot - some combination - ya gotta love it! Boot comfortable out of the box on my wide feet.
Adirondack Park Agency approves DEC's Unit Management Plan for the Bog River/Lows Lake area - motorboats will be banned immediately & floatplanes in 5 years.
Jan 13 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL/SILVER LAKE WILDERNESS xc ski from S end in Upper Benson. Snow depth averaged 3' - snowing most of day but sun did sneak out a few times. The small parking area on the R of Godfrey Rd was unplowed when I arrived (but did get plowed while I was out), the register is next to the road a bit further on the L & a plowed parking area on private land just past it was plowed ($1 charge). The NPT goes past a hunting camp & enters state land after about half a mile. Most winter day travelers follow the NPT to Rock Lake then return (10 mile roundtrip). Continued on for 2.5 miles to Goldmine Creek then left the trail & bushwhacked SSE thru open woods til running into the North Branch West Stony Creek. Crossing over a beaverdam on a small tributary, my R ski slid off & into open water - after carefully extricating myself from this predicament, had to scrape the ice off the ski (don't forget to have a scraper with you & make sure you Maxiglide your skis before the trip). Much of NBW Stony Creek was open water but I did manage to find a fair crossing without getting wet. Generally followed the creek upstream in a WSW direction thru hardwoods with some hemlocks. Breaking trail in the deep snow was easier than expected. After about a mile, came out onto a large open vly bordered with black spruce & skied part of way down it - snowing pretty hard & I decided not to push things. Returned the same way. Nice, mostly downhill run back on the NPT. 8 miles, 5 hrs. Check nearby Lapland Lake for conditions - altho they do exaggerate their snow totals a bit. Fischer Rebound skis . Will be testing the Karhu Pyxis & Dorado to see how they compare with the Fischer skis. Garmont Excursion plastic boots are more comfortable than they look but still may be a little overkill in intermediate terrain. Super Tele 3-pin bindings are heavy duty 75mm bindings & the ones we normally recommend for moderate backcountry travel. I carry USGS maps, a compass & altimeter to help with route finding - at this point in my life I see no need to carry a GPS or cellphone.
Jan 11 - AVALANCHE PASS, a popular ski trail in the High Peaks, closed by DEC due to, what else, avalanche danger. Check High Peaks trail closures altho this info was not on that site at this time - stay tuned to Nehasane's Page for all the latest updates.
Jan 10 - SCHENECTADY MUSEUM NATURE PRESERVE xc ski from Lock 7 in Niskayuna. Bit crusty with less than inch of fresh powder. Stayed on easy trails in the W half of preserve. Loop thru aspen, open field. Karhu Vela skis did fine. Breaking in a new pair of Alpina leather & plastic NNN-BC boots. Ref: Ski Tips.
New products from MSR now in stock: Simmerlite stove is the lightest compact stove with flame adjustment; new version of the MiniWorks EX water filter is 45% faster than the old one (you can retrofit your old MiniWorks with the new cartridge).
Jan 5-6 - MERCK FOREST, cabin "camping", Rupert, Vt. 8-10" of powder on top of a good hard base. Skied 2 miles to Ridge cabin with 60lb. pack. Only had to herringbone a short distance on the long uphill on Old Town Rd - think the extra weight helped push the skis' nowax pattern into the snow for good grip. From Old Town, took Lodge, Meyer & Gallup Rds over rolling terrain before turning into the dead-end trail that leads to the one-room cabin in a remote area of the forest. After dropping off most of the excess weight, skied down Gallup Rd to Dunc's dropping close to 500' in about a mile which even the novices were able to handle in the powder conditions. Below Dunc's, Old Town Rd crosses a wide stream without the aid of a bridge - nice spot, tho, at the bottom of the ravine. Long but moderate uphill on Old Town Rd broken up by some play with telemark turns on an open hillside. Back at the cabin it takes a while to warm up the wood-burning stove (wood is provided). The evening passed easily with the help of microbrews (incl. the "world's strongest beer" Samichlaus) & wine - most of us stripped & made snow angels outside (but not for long). A couple of mouse attacks at night - Hombrua finds gorp in his ski boot! In the morning, I ski N on Gallup Rd & take the Barton Trail up Spruce Peak, the 2nd highest peak in the forest. Skis not gripping well in fresh powder & I slap on some climbing skins which made the rest of the 450' climb easier. A small opening affords views of Mt. Antone (see Mar 24 trip below) & the valley below. The climb took about 1 hour but the return to the cabin just 15 wonderful minutes. Packed up & headed out after a hot lunch. Dropped the heavy pack just past Spruce cabin & skied trail to "Viewpoint". No semblance of tracks & trail is sparcely marked - I lose it but bushwhack uphill thru open woods with the help of climbing skins again til I run into Merck RD then take it N to the viewpoint which looks W into NY State. The ski back down Lodge Rd is straight & sweet, dropping about 250'. Tractor tracks made the long downhill on Old Town Rd a bit more difficult. Said hi to the horses at the farm before skiing the level road back to the car. Great downhill control with Fischer Outtabounds, Chili cable bindings, Garmont Excursion plastic boots. The only time I fell all weekend was when I tried to remove the skins without taking the skis off.
Jan 4 - 20+ inches of fresh snowfall again here in Albany area - some places got as much as 30".
Jan 1 - AIKEN WILDERNESS xc ski, Woodford, Vt. A bit too much on the fast, hard & icy side at first but things softened up nicely as the day wore on - good base for more powder expected the next couple of days. Have heard that you may get towed if you park near the Woodford SP gate - go E on Rt.9 & take 1st L to parking area (very icy today). Skied road thru campground to its end & then pick up blue trail. Soon, halfway down a hill, reach a 4-way jctn - R goes around Adams Reservoir, L loops back to campground near playground (see Dec 2 trip) - we go straight for about 10 min. then at metal posts take a sharp L into the wilderness area. See moose tracks & tree scrapings along the way. Follow a clear old road (unmarked) & in about a mile reach a jctn (metal can on blue blazed tree - this is the closest thing to a trail marker you will find). To this point, previous skiers had tracked the trail. We take the untracked L fork & head downhill with a tricky stream crossing then bushwhack R or SW to a frozen beaver pond for lunch near a beaver hut. Cross on beaverdam & work our way down to a large vley. Skied across & followed the outlet (W Br of Deerfield River) to another beaver pond then returned climbing ridge to the W & bushwhacking thru the trees (easier than it sounds but make sure you check your compass from time to time & go generally N). We come out just W of the can in the tree then return the way we came. Some nice downhills if good powder snow but today I played things conservatively due to the fast conditions & occasionally switchbacked thru the woods (I don't need no stinking trails!) Raining the last half hour. This map shows unmarked trails in blue. Karhu Vela skis with NNN-BC bindings did fine but this may have been a good day for the Rebounds or even Outtabounds.
2002:
Dec 29 - BERRYMILL POND xc ski, eastern Pharoah Wilderness near Ticonderoga. Road is plowed all the way to Putnam Pond making it attractive to bilers - snowmobiles not allowed on trails here because most are in the wilderness area. Over foot of snow. Ski 2 mi. generally uphill thru attractive forest to leanto - a group of guys had spent the night & scattered their leftover food on the ground in front of leanto: pepperoni, hot dogs, venison, turkey cold cuts, rolls, gorp, cookies, potato chips - lazy, selfish slobs! Nice waterfall at the outlet nearby. Back on the main trail a short distance then R onto a peninsula with red pines - nice spot. Continued S on main trail to height of land on Burnt Ridge - had to break trail this last 1.5 mi. Trip out was glorious skiing, dropping 600' in the 3.5 mi. back to the cars. Wide trail (old road) with some wet spots - intermediate level skiing. Fischer Outtabounds with Chili cable bindings .
SNOWSHOE & XC SKI RENTALS
Dec 27 - ALBANY PINE BUSH xc ski, from W end of Madison Av. Ext. Trails close to trailhead already broken. Skied along powerline breaking trail in 2 feet of snow hoping to enjoy some steeper hills but the deep snow made for slow downhills. Broke trail along the blue trail then zinged back on red & white trails. Ecologically interesting area - pitch pines, oaks, aspen growing on dunes. Hard to get away from traffic sounds, tho. Skiing should be excellent here over the weekend. Fischer Rebound skis .
Dec 25 - 23" snowfall in the Albany area - up to 3 feet W & S!
Dec 24 - ROCKWOOD STATE FOREST xc skiing. Less than an hour's drive from APnP in BSC (beautiful suburban Colonie). 4 inches of fresh powder on a solid base makes for very good skiing. Explored some of the unmarked trails (some dead-ended) - I just can't resist the unknown - challenging hills in most directions. Fischer Rebounds skis. Looks like we're going to have a white Xmas & then some.
Dec 23 - Happy Festivus. D'Gang celebrates Festivus at APnP with the traditional airing of grievances but little of the feats of strength. Barely recovered from the Solstice celebration. Most of Adirondacks received 2" to 6" of new snow & with a noreaster bringing up to 2 feet for Xmas we'll be all set for quite a while.
Dec 22 - KANE MOUNTAIN loop snowshoe. Started from Green Lake Rd & climbed 600' in 0.8 mi. in foot deep snow with light crust & couple inches of powder. Saw 4 wild turkeys along the way. Climbed firetower for views in all directions dominated by nearby Canada Lake & the distant Helderbergs. Headed down N of the top on a red paint-blazed trail then looped back on a trail marked with yellow xc ski markers (wet spots & rocks on the latter). Pleasant break listening to water go over the dam on Hatchery Pond. MSR Denali Classic snowshoes worked great giving me very sure footing.
ROCKWOOD STATE FOREST xc ski. On the southern edge of the Adirondacks not far from Johnstown. Parking area on S side of Rt.29 a bit W of junction with Rt.10A. Foot of hard-pack base with couple of inches of powder. Some nice hills to challenge the intermediate on wide trails - decent, but skiing will improve greatly with a few inches of powder. Over 5 miles of trails in attractive forest. Ref: Discover the Southern Adirondacks does not show a couple of the trails near the entrance. Karhu Vela skis.
Dec 19 - The haloed (a sign that precipitation is on the way) full moon tempted me to take an evening ski at the golf course. Other people's tracks were a bit icy but skiing in untracked snow was excellent. Had stuffed my headlamp in my pocket & that's where it stayed. Felt like a hypocritical rebel dressed in all cotton clothing. Practised some telemark turns on the hills - freedom of the heels! Fischer Rebounds skis . Cool.
Natural Areas of Rensselaer Country is back in print & in stock at Adirondack Paddle'n'Pole. Lots of places to hike, ski, snowshoe + detailed paddling trips (Hoosic River, Hudson River, Papscanee Creek, Schodack Creek). Great historical photos, too.
Dec 16 - MARCY DAM ski, near Lake Placid. Deep hardpack with few inches of fresh powder on the trail - about 2' at the dam - ski conditions just about perfect. Snowing lightly all day. Fischer Outtabounds skis felt a bit slow but fun on a couple of the steeper hills - turn extremely well with very little effort on my part - best for intermediate/expert trails or breaking trail in deep snow - beginners may like its stable platform. 
Dec 15 - JOHN POND ski, near Indian Lake. A foot+ of slightly crusty snow going in but pretty good & somewhat fast returning on our broken trail. Fischer Rebound skis .
Dec 13 - PARTRIDGE RUN WMA xc skiing in the Helderbergs. Park at junctions of CR6 & CR 13, S of Berne. Foot of heavy snow makes for some good skiing. Fischer Outtabounds with Garmont Excursion plastic boots.
Dec 12 - SCHENECTADY MUSEUM NATURE PRESERVE xc skiing in Niskayuna. Up to 5" of fresh wet snow - a bit thin under the hemlocks. Fischer Outtabounds with Garmont Excursion plastic boots.
Dec 9 - PISECO AIRPORT LOOP xc skiing. Temps in the Adirondacks well below zero this morning - makes it a bit harder to decide where to go. Sunny, clear skies, tho. From Rt.8, take Old Piseco Rd for just under 2 miles then R to parking at airport. 10" snow. Bumpy terrain (as opposed to hilly). Bear tracks. Made hot Gatorade in a Nalgene bottle (the ones made of Lexan don't hold odors & can stand extreme temperatures) then placed it inside a Granite Gear Aquasack - still hot hours later (OR Water Bottle Parka is another good choice). 6.5 miles, 3 hrs. Fischer Rebound skis .
Everything else being equal, the more sidecut (hourglass shape) a ski has the easier it will be to make downhill turns - for most backcountry use the shovel (front of ski) should be at least 10mm wider than underfoot.
Dec 8 - G LAKE xc skiing - don't often repeat trips this soon but conditions are just too good here. Few inches of fresh snow in our tracks from last week. Reclimbed some of the hills up to 3 times so as to enjoy another sweet downhill run. 7+ miles, 5hrs. Nesters vacuum bottle. Karhu Vela skis .
Dec 6 - Schenectady Muni xc skiing on 2" to 3" of fresh snow. Took a little over half an hour to do a circuit around the perimeter of the golf course then played on some hills. Karhu Ursa partial metal edge skis with NNN-BC bindings.
Dec 2 - WOODFORD STATE PARK, Woodford, VT xc skiing. A good foot of snow - excellent conditions. A little over 50 miles from beautiful suburban Colonie or about the length of a Chili Peppers' CD. Again, practically no snow in Bennington but go 10 miles E & it looks like mid-winter. Parked at the gate on RT.9 & skied the campground roads which were mostly tracked by weekend skiers - views of frozen Adams Reservoir. At end of road take blue-blazed trail around S end of reservoir & soon turn S on another blue-blazed trail. Beaver flows not quite frozen hard over yet. Trail slowly winds E then N along the border with the Aiken Wilderness - intermediate backcountry skiing on narrow trail; difficulty moderates as you come back to the campground near the playground. Take peaceful siesta in one of the leantos. Link some telemark turns on a nice downhill - bad knee will keep me from doing a lot of these. On the way home stop at Man of Kent S of Hoosick for a bite & a good British Brew. Fischer Outtabounds with Chili bindings .
Dec 1 - G LAKE xc skiing. Over a foot of the white fluffy stuff W of Piseco Lake. Ski an unplowed dirt road 2.5 mi. to wilderness boundary - first half downhill (relax & enjoy), second half uphill (peel off the layers of clothing). Midway we take a short side-trip on snowmobile trail to Evergreen Lake. Had to get the 1st aid kit out to treat a hot spot on heel - don't forget the moleskin. Continue on old logging roads - no trail markers but they are shown as trails on the USGS Piseco Lake map. After 0.2 mi. forked L, around a couple of blowdowns & down to the SW corner of the lake (avoiding the wind) for lunch. Sunny most of the day but snow showered while we rested. Back to the fork, then N to E side of the lake where there is a campsite in the pines. The long downhill run on the return is real sweet - the final uphill assures that you arrive at the car warm. Novice skills will get you by. 6 miles, 5 hours. Fischer Outtabounds skis mounted with Rottefella Chili cable bindings - more ski than one needs on a trip like this except possibly for breaking trail but it's best to test a new combination in moderate conditions. The cable bindings are a little harder to get on & off than standard 75mm 3-pin bindings but hold the boot solidly over the ski allowing for greater control on the steeper downhills & there are no pins to tear out the holes in your boots.
Nov 29 - Schenectady Municipal Golf Course xc ski. Good hills to practice on & you can ski on 2" of snow. Karhu Qinu mid-width skis - essentially same ski as Ursa but without any metal edge .
Nov 28 - White Memorial Foundation, Litchfield, CT xc skiing. Storm dropped over 6" in parts of CT but today depth averaged about 4". Mostly flat terrain. Visited Bantam Lake (some development), Duck Pond, Mallard Marsh, Catlin Woods (bull "knotty" pines + 200 yr old hemlocks & white pines; more old pines can be seen on the nature trail near the museum), sometimes on the blue-blazed Mattatuck Trail. Lunched on the shore of the Bantam River which looks like a very desirable paddling destination. Circled Little Pond (the Bantam River is its outlet) on a 30" wide boardwalk which made for interesting skiing especially when I had to get by a hiker walking in the opposite direction. The boardwalk keeps one 2' above the wet icy marsh - you don't want to fall in. Skied 7 miles out of the 35 miles available.Karhu Ursa, a mid-width half metal edge ski, worked fine but not severely tested - a compromize ski than can be used in & out of track & does not have as much added weight as a full metal edge ski.
Nov 25 - Woodford, VT xc skiing. Trace of snow in Bennington but drive E & uphill & things look like mid-winter. Adventure started early as N-mobile got stuck in unplowed heavy, icy snow at entrance to Woodford State Park (gate closed) - luckily had sand & shovel which got me out. Drove about a mile further E on RT.9 & parked at unplowed dirt road marked William C. Aiken Widerness - some 4WDs had driven on this road but snowmobiles are prohibited until Dec 15. Skied about 1.5 mi. on about 6" heavy wet snow with light icy crust. At end of road a trail leads S staying close to Yaw Brook - no icy crust in woods. After a short distance trail began climbing but had open wet spots so I decided to turn back. Saw some huge moose tracks. Good base & any more snow would be a bonus - need some cold temps to get rid of the wet spots. For conditions check nearby Prospect Mt. Karhu Outtabounds skis not severely tested.
Nov 24 - CAMP SANTANONI, Newcomb Lake xc skiing. About 6" heavy snow - good skiing. At 1 mile visited old farm buildings & played on hill next them. Under 5 miles of easy terrain on unplowed dirt road to the old great camp. Nice mountain views across the lake which has no ice yet. Had 2 beginners with us today - a 13-year old on Karhu Outtabounds did very well - the stability of the wide skis helped. The lead group returned to the cars by late afternoon & I had time for a beer & snack before grabbing my Princeton-Tec Solo headlamp & a friend's Princeton Tec Aurora LED headlamp & heading back up the trail to find the slowpokes who had 1 headlamp between 4 people. The Solo gives off a good beam of light a distance ahead of you so that you can anticipate what's ahead & is more waterproof (important to us paddlers). The Aurora was not as bright & I had to shine it just ahead of my feet to see the way. The Aurora lasts much longer on a set of batteries, is lighter in weight & would be a good bet if you generally use a headlamp in a camping situation. A headlamp should always be carried on day-trips - you never know when you're going to be benighted. Fischer Rebound skis Karhu Vela skis felt zippier & lighter - this could have had something to do with me leaving the 15-20lb. daypack off while I headed back to look for the pokes>. 11 miles, 6 hrs.
Nov 18 - Merck Forest cross country skiing. In Rupert, VT just across the NY border near Salem. Feels soooo gooooood! Get map at gate - may I suggest you mark on it difficulty level of each trail unless, of course you are an expert skier. Road to farm is roughly plowed & so is Old Town Rd to Birch Pond. From Old Town I turn L on unplowed Lodge Rd & take a side-ski to visit Spruce Lodge which has a nice view. At least 6" of snow - bottom half wettish, top half nice powder - some blowdown on trails. Mostly hardwoods. Take a R on Meyer Rd & drop some easy elevation - some wet spots. L on Gallup Rd then R to Ridge Cabin where I spend some time lunching & reading the log - good remote feel - plan to revisit in Jan. for a couple of nights. Back to Gallup Rd & ski W - sweet downhill run with easy turns to Dunc's Place (The Sugarhouse?). Feel a grin stretch from ear to ear. Saw a few deer along the way. R on Old Town Rd to leantos then NE on Kouwenhoven Rd with stream on R. Trail switches back away from stream & climbs steeply (expert in other direction), finally moderating along a ridge flanked by Spruce Peak to the R & Mt Antone to the L. Wind howling high up. R on Lodge Rd then R on Hammond Rd (to avoid climbing Spruce Peak). L on Gallup Rd. Good views NE thru selectively logged woods. At junction with Lodge Rd trail drops steeply & continues dropping - thighs begin to feel the constant snowplowing but I maintain control. Farm comes into view & back on Old Town I stop to enjoy the view NE to the Adirondacks. Karhu Vela skis (set up with NNN-BC bindings) did everything I asked of them. Very happy with the Masters 2pc adjustable poles. Most trails are rated moderate to difficult - dirt roads are not as bumpy as true wilderness trails, tho - beginners should stay away (or use snowshoes). Elevation varies from about 1,400' to 2,600' - temps are colder - expect a long ski season here. 4 hours. Great start to the ski season.
2001:
Just in from ECOS - Ski Tips, a xc ski guide to Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie, Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga & Rensselaer counties. Basically a collection of trail maps (some better than others) with short descriptions for under $8.
New edition of Discover the Northwestern Adirondacks now also contains routes in the Whitney Wilderness (Little Tupper Lake) & Grass River Wild Forest + updated descriptions of Bog River, Lake Lila, Stillwater Reservoir, Watson's East Triangle, Raquette WF, Cranberry Lake & Five Ponds Wilderness! 39 new hiking, skiing & paddling trips!
Dec. 10 - Thacher & Thompson's Lake State Parks xc ski. From the Hop Field parking lot in Thacher Park (get a trail map at the restroom) skied a 1.5 mi. loop around a wetland which is a designated ski trail. Snow a bit thin; trail fairly flat except for hill at start. Drove over to Thacher Nature Center (building open Tue thru Sun) at nearby Thompson's Lake State Park & skied the perimeter trail, counterclockwise, across the access road, past an old historic schoolhouse. Took a right (N) on red trail which came out in a field; crossed Ketchum Rd & follow red markers on a mile loop thru couple of fields (Emma's Meadow?) & into the woods; back on the field, had nice view of the Taconics & to the SW. Back on the yellow trail, passed some interesting rock formations before returning via old ballfield. Used Fischer Rebounds (w/hvy duty 3-pin bindings) which had fine glide for a wide, super side-cut ski; still need some better snow for a good test. Drove over to Beaver Dam Rd & skied S section of Thacher Park along the Long Path (aqua paint blazes) to what is known as the ski slope. Donned the Fischer Outtabounds (w/NNN-BC bindings) which have a little less side-cut than the Rebounds & are not quite as stiff. Was better skiing out of other people's tracks. Past ski slope, trail climbs steeply in the woods so I turn back. Nice downhill run on way out.
Dec. 9 - Albany Pine Bush xc skiing. Pick up a trail map at the trailhead. Started early from end of Madison Av. Ext. on 7" of new snow (less under evergreens). Skied most trails in this area incl. some of the powerline where I had my only fall + some side-trips on unmarked trails. Nice hill on a short loop in the area of Guilderland Central School - skied it in both directions. Stopped here for early lunch which didn't sit well with 2 bow-hunters nearby (didn't notice them in all their camo!) Favorite spot is on the Great Dune, the highest dune in the Pine Bush. Ceebotar (on Karhu Pinnacles, as was Hombrua) made it down one steep hill that I call "the bobsled run" because of its chute-like character (an easier downhill is nearby). Also blundered into some nice hills that led to a ravine (E. Br. Hungerford Creek). Took our time (we had a beginner with us) & enjoyed the 1st ski of the season. 5+ hrs. Saw a few other skiers but no snowshoers - also using trails were a group of joggers & some mountain bikers! Used Karhu Vela (previously known as Pinnacle) skis - my favorite all-around ski - great control, grip, glide, everything! Sold my old ones to a nice guy who really wanted them last year thinking I would just replace them with new ones but Karhu had totally sold out of them by early January! Waygassy debuted the Fischer S-Bound Outtabounds & loved them.
2000:
- Apr. 10 - Headed north with 3 sets of skis, pair of snowshoes & a canoe. Took the scenic route - Lake Luzerne: no ice, Hudson River at Thurman slightly over banks, Garnet Lake: some ice, but mostly open, windy so decided not to paddle, should be ice free by weekend. Skied from Bartman trailhead near Bakers Mills to Upper Fish Pond on about 3" to 15" of fresh heavy snow. Trail drops a few hundred feet & I hit more rocks than I would have liked - would recommend this route when there is 2' of snow. Some stream crossings had to take skis off & rock hop. Pond was pretty & had good wilderness feel - only partially ice free, think it will be a couple of weeks before all ice is out (1,600' elevation). Day had been mostly sunny (high 20sF) but as I left the pond the wind picked up & all of a sudden blizzard conditions - 10 minutes later the sun was out again. Wanted to scout this area for a future trip. Lake Algonquin & Great Sacandaga are completely ice-free; Sacandaga River below Wells looked perfect for a class II whitewater run. Time to put the skis away?
- Apr. 9 - Meteorologists: 1" to 3". Actual: 8" & still snowing in the Albany area. Spent almost 3 hours skiing in the Pine Bush - broke trail all the way - did a couple of loops twice so I could enjoy a broken trail - heavy snow slowed me down on the hills so I looked for the steepest I could find - trails occasionally blocked by trees bending over from the weight of the snow. I know I've skied this late in the season in the Adirondacks but I don't ever remember skiing locally although I do remember a heavy snowstorm in the 2nd week of April maybe about 22 years ago. Will probably ski in the Adks. Monday.
- Mar. 19 - Skied north on N-P Trail from Lake Durant for about a mile but too much southerly exposure had allowed too much snow to melt on many of the better hills so went back & tried N-P Trail south to Stephens Pond. Still enough snow on roads of Lake Durant Campground to ski on but won't last long. Early part of trail is wide & smooth & skiing was good. Closer to junction of trail to Cascade Pond conditions were a bit iffy - some bare spots & rocks. Turning south on N-P Trail also iffy with some thin spots & more rocks - southerly exposure hurts here. Took skis off couple of times but some nice skiing in between. Built fire at the leanto & beat Son of Nehasane in a couple of games of chess. 36F, not a cloud-in-the-sky sunny but a bit breezy. Skied back across the pond (couple of cold nights took care of any wet spots) where ice was still firm with a couple inches of snow on it. There was a little open water at northern shoreline - had to be careful picking safest route. At north end of pond is shortcut back to main trail avoiding all the thin & rocky parts. Over 1/4 mile there are only 2 orange ribbons marking this route since it is not an official trail. Ski back out was mostly enjoyable downhill over good snowcover.
- Mar. 14 - Observations on the drive north: Hudson River is totally open - Newcomb, North Creek, Albany; Northville-Placid Trail near Lake Durant looks to have enough snow for skiing; people ice fishing on Blue Mtn. Lake (means the ice is still quite thick); southern end of Long Lake & section near the village have large areas of open water (meaning wherever the water is moving the ice is thin or nonexistant; Long Lake is really just a wide section of the Raquette River.) Decided to ski on a 4 mile loop near Lake Eaton Campground hoping to get a look at Big Brook (which we paddled in May '99) & see what it looks like from land - trail didn't come close - maybe have to take spur to Walker Rd.? Oh well, next time. Thin but solid base with an inch of fresh powder, couple of bare spots - but skiing was very good. Saw whitetail deer near Lake Eaton & lots of blowdown from the '96 microburst. Moved on to Little Tupper Lake & skied on Stony Pond trail with even better base & 2" of fresh powder! This horse trail goes 4 miles & ends on the south shore of Little Tupper. Do get a few thru the trees views of the lake & can easily reach it half way in a clearing. Here another trail bears right (horse trail bears left) but dead ends after about a mile (hey, what's a couple of extra miles!) - you will see other logging roads along the way making for tempting side-trips. The main trail ends a couple hundred yards before the lake & it is a bit of a bushwhack to get to the lake. Skied along the shoreline, next to coyote tracks, over to campsite #21. Temp. in the mid 30s - some snow showers & flurries, a little blue sky. Along the way saw 3 otters (1 adult, 2 smaller) playing in & near a hole in the ice, saw otter slide & tracks in another spot. Many people report many sightings of wildlife in this area in all seasons (3 otters surrounded my canoe on a camping trip there in Fall of '98 - saw 4 bears near Hardigan Pond on a canoe trip from Little Tupper to Lake Lila in May '99.)
- Mar. 5 - G Lake did not disappoint again 1 to 2 inches of fresh snow over good base. Decided to use my waxable 10th Mountain Switchback skis with warm Universal glider on ends & universal klister under the foot with mixed results. With temp. around 30F could have maybe gotten away with Red or Yellow hard wax. Had great glide & the moderate hills were fast but had to apply extra klister to make the climbs easier. Others with me had nowax skis & no complaints. Breezy at the lake so we skied across the lake (ice felt good with some snow - little wet in short section) over to the peninsula, built a fire & took our time at lunch. Flurries accompanied us from time to time & the downhill run on the way out was enjoyable - wide trail, no sharp turns.
- Feb. 29 - Stopped by Rockwood State Forest, met xc skier who said trails were icy hard & not much fun. Headed further north up Rt. 10 - W. Branch of the Sacandaga River was high but iced over. G lake is becoming the old standby - almost an inch of fresh snow over a good solid base. Snow depth was about 10" in trail & foot & a half in woods. Had better glide than on Sunday - sunny sections were a bit soft but shady areas were nice. Windy at G Lake - chilled down quickly - 30F. No wet stream crossings en route, saw some interesting small bird tracks - grouse? Took side trip west on snowmobile trail to first junction - good skiing here too. Still had daylight left so drove over to Mountain Home Rd. & took it as far it was plowed. Skied over a mile to Mad Tom Brook area at the border of W. Canada wilderness to scout out for another trip. The route took me past the Floe on the South Branch of the West Canada Creek - there's an Adirondack style name for you! Saw big bird tracks - saw about a dozen turkeys on the drive out - domesticated? Gorgeous not-a-cloud-in-the-sky type of day - remember to use the sunscreen. 1" to 3" more snow expected Thursday & snow showers Friday - don't put those skis away yet!
- Feb. 27 - Started out at the old Indian Lake village landfill (which I summited - nice view) following xc ski trail markers along the Cedar River - very scenic skiing next to the river which was still mostly iced up but definitely thawing. Animal tracks were abundant in the wet granular snow (depths ranged from minimal on snowmobile trails to a foot & a half in the woods) - the skiing conditions were not the best of the year but the warmth (got up to 55F) & views along the way were a treat - no gloves all day. Lunch break at the rapids (Pasley Falls) - the sound of the water was soothing as I contemplated what line I might run in a canoe. Pushed on toward Elm Island but stopped short due to blowdown & lack of time (did not make an early start), took a break & listened to the warm wind blow thru the birch forest. Terrain has enough ups & downs to make the skiing quite interesting. Area of blowdown en route allowed for views of Snowy & Blue Mtns., smell of the balsam firs added to the ambience. Tried out super sidecut Fischer Vision Mountain Crown nowax skis mounted with 75mm Super Telemark bindings (basically a heavy duty 3pin) - wouldn't be my first choice for a trip like this but might be fun in powder on steeper terrain. Friend used universal klister on touring skis which worked well. Had Maxiglide on my skis & experienced no sticking. Colder weather later this week might ice things up without new snow.
- Feb. 22 - Headed out from the Garden on the Johns Brook trail which had been nicely packed by snowshoers. Steady climb with thru the trees views of the Great Range to the ranger's cabin, crossed scenic Johns Brook on the suspension bridge & picked up the Range trail to Wolf Jaws leanto (the climbing here was a little more difficult). 40F at the leanto, nice view of Big Slide Mtn., woodpecker for company. Decided to put on climbing skins here (probably should have at beginning of Range trail) & headed over the Woodsfall trail which had one steep hill but moderated after that. About 1,300' elevation gain from start to high point on Woodsfall. Trail dropped fairly steeply down to Orebed Brook trail - skins helped slow me down but impeded good edging of skis. Took Orebed trail back to bridge & then over to Johns Brook Lodge. Saw a pine marten going after a bag of apples someone had left out. Ski out was nice - the last 1/4 mile is one of the nicest runs I've skied.
- Feb. 20 - Originally planned to ski out to Valcour Island on Lake Champlain but after ice fishermen said ice may be as little as 2" thick in places we just skied near shore for a while & then went over to the Split Rock Mtn. area north of Westport. Someone has been very busy marking trails there in the last year or two but the lack of signs made it difficult figuring out where we were going. Tried to reach the cliffs over Snake Den Harbor. Temp. was warm & snow was sticking to skis a bit but Maxiglide or Easy Glide worked well. Used Pinnacle skis for first time in some time & loved them - still are my favorite backcountry skis. Snow depth was at least 2' & other skiers had been in so trails were tracked nicely. Took one side trail which brought us back to the road (after a nice downhill run) then climbed back & explored another trail which after a while became steeper & skins or snowshoes would have helped. Our destination ended up being Pinnacle Mtn. & from eastern & southern outlooks we could see a large part of Lake Champlain & over to the Green Mountains of Vermont. After the initial steep drop the ski back to the cars was a glorious descent of over 500'.
- Feb. 17 - Rockwood State Forest - 7 miles NW of Johnstown on Rt.29. Temp. 0F at 7am. Rockwood has marked cross country trails & receives some grooming; gets a fair amount of use on weekends by people from Johnstown, Gloversville, Amsterdam area + school xc ski teams - weekdays are quieter. Plenty of nice hills that may be a challenge for novices but pure joy for intermediates; at least 5 miles of trails thru pine reforestation area. Area got some ice Monday but had about 2" of fresh powder on top which made the skiing excellent. Good snow base everywhere in the Adks., I'm actually hoping we don't get too much snow Friday.
- Feb. 15 - Intended destination: Catamount Trail - Grout Pond, Somerset Reservoir, VT. Rightfully had some reservations about this destination on this day - quite a bit of icing made trees a sight to see but stunk up the skiing so we stayed on snowmobile trails instead (grooming breaks up the ice layer). An interesting trip nevertheless with gentle to moderate grades - lots of double poling stretches but I know the views are better along our originally planned route. Too many snowmobiles out for a Tuesday - never seems that bad in the Adks. Lookouts slowly becoming one of my favorite skis.
-Feb. 13 - Tirrell Pond from the west. Just about the best skiing of the year - trail gently used by skiers & snowshoers creating slight but not too deep trough. Glide & control on Lookout skis were sweet. Beginning of trail was being used by snowshoe racers who were going up Blue Mtn. & down the access road to the north then out. After that point saw only 3 other people. Before reaching Tirrell Pond trail drops 500' in about a mile - just pure pleasure! Couple of steeper spots along the way for a bit of challenge. Tirrell Pond is in attractive setting between Blue Mtn. & Tirrell Mtn. which has a lot exposed rock. Had previously did this as thru trip coming out by Lake Durant but this was in & out the same way. The hill climb on the return was not as bad as expected & still had enough energy to ski up the Blue Mtn. access road until it got so steep that climbing skins or snowshoes were necessary - the downhill return was fun. Hoping the Adks. get mostly snow Monday - Albany area getting mostly rain - I'll be going out again Tues.
- Feb. 10 - Schenectady Museum Nature Preserve. Testing skis (Odyssey vs. Outland XT) & base preps. (Maxiglide vs. F4). Temp. just under freezing, trails hard packed by skis & walkers - very fast; hills that last week I would call intermediate I would now call expert. Tonight's storm should kill all decent skiing from Albany south, Adirondacks should get mostly snow. Go to Links page for weekend snow conditions.
- Feb. 8 - Northville-Placid Trail, Benson to Rock Lake. Excellent snow cover; not a cloud in the sky; trail broken almost to Rock Lake where big blowdown lies across trail but not too much trouble getting around it then I had to break trail to & on the lake (the quiet was intense as I rested along the shoreline). Skied to west end of lake & bushwhacked back to N-P Trail (old tracks seen going to Silver Lake) - snow is 1.5' to 2' deep in the woods, drifts around lake even deeper (a nearby XC ski center claims to have received over 4' of snow in the last 2 weeks). Trail gradually climbs about 700' from trailhead allowing for nice run on the return. Trail has been receiving light use over winter - no more than 2 parties signed in on any one day - group of 20 boy scouts on one day - scouting leaders still could use some wilderness ethics training - pretty soon we will have rules, permits, etc. like is happening in the High Peaks. Chance of mixed precip. to south & snow to the north over the next few days - we don't need any more base but a few fresh inches of powder should freshen up the trails a bit.
- Feb. 6 - Crane Pond, Pharoah Wilderness. Easy ski up the unplowed Crane Pond Rd. with excellent snow conditions; trail tracked all the way to Crane Pond then about a foot of snow on the pond to a point for lunch. Sunny day was warmer & less windy than forecasted. Gradual downhill at the end of day was not fast enough - made me wish I had brought waxable skis but the Outland XTs with Swix Super F4 (click on "Information" above) performed as well as or better than any other nonwax ski. Ice on pond was quite solid with tiny bit of slightly wet areas under the snow. Trails to Glidden Marsh/Pharoah Mtn. untracked; same with spur trail to Rt.74 (we went up a little ways); group of 18 snowshoe/campers from N.J. went in to Goose Pond (seemed like nice people but I wish people would go out in smaller groups to preserve the character of the wilderness)- using MSR snowshoes & had nothing but praise for them - if anyone has anything negative to say about the MSR snowshoes please email me - we sell these in the store, the price is much lower than other brands & we wonder why would anyone need to spend more on other brands.
- Feb. 4 - Schenectady Museum Nature Preserve in Niskayuna. Good place for practising downhill technique with a variety of hilly trails some wide some narrow. Conditions for skiing were excellent - used Outland XT ski with partial metal edge. Mohawk River is quite frozen & snowed over. For more nature areas check out the ECOS guides to Albany, Schenectady or Saratoga counties (under $10 ea. at APnP).
- Feb. 1 - Upper Sargent Pond near Blue Mtn. Lake. Skied in from westernmost trailhead on N. Point Rd. Lightly used snowmobile trail & even less used due to blowdown across trail. Broke trail all the way sinking from 6 to 15 inches into the powder but not hitting ground, rocks, etc. Passed Grass Pond & headed toward Lower Sargent Pond but spur trail had blowdown & spruce thickets were not desirable for bushwhacking around. Headed back over to the connecter trail to Upper Sargent Pond - lost trail couple of times but picked it up again by going back a bit & poking around. Spooked a grouse out of the snow - it waited til my ski tip was about one foot from it before it took off. Weather was sunny with snow showers sometimes both at the same time (22F at the Upper Pond) white-out a little after reaching pond then 10 minutes later sun came out. About a foot of snow on Pond with wet slush under it which iced up my skis (Pinnacles) & persuaded me to get off the pond pronto. Skiing back over my tracks was easier - had time to rest at Grass Pond & contemplate Nature's simplicity. Took a little over 5 hours to go about 8 miles. Anyone skiing here over the next couple of days should have a nice track to ski over. On the drive out stopped at Buttermilk Falls & skied (on Lookouts) near the falls - skis felt good - don't recommend skiing here for novices though unless running the falls sounds desirable. Lots of water going over the falls - quite picturesque.
- Jan. 30 - Destination Upper Ausable Lake. Snowmobiles had packed the snow on the Lake Rd. from the Ausable Club all the way to the Upper Lake - a mixed blessing: no breaking trail but not as nice as skiing in ski tracks or powder. Gorgeous day - mostly sunny all day, little wind - hit about 32F. Mountains come in close on the Lower Lake - Sawteeth on the west, Indian Head & Fish Hawk Cliffs prominent on the east. Upper Lake opens up with good views of Haystack, Marcy, Basin, Saddleback, Gothics, etc. Snowmobilers were staying at camps on the Upper Lake. One mile trail between lakes climbs in the middle making for nice runs down to the lakes (a welcome change after all the flat lake crossing). Ice on lakes was making lots of cracking noises (this is normal). 3 mile downhill run back down the Lake road was real fun & welcome because I was getting tired. About a 15 mile roundtrip overall in a little over 5.5 hours. Still got back in time to see all but one field goal in Super Bowl. Report from Pharoah Lake - 8" snow, no base, sometimes hit bottom, lake ice solid. Monday's snowstorm will make skiing there better - southern & eastern Adks. receiving over a foot of new snow - dare you to break trail. Northville-Placid trail from Lake Durant to Tirrell Pond was in excellent shape over the weekend. Should be skiing in Central Adks. Tuesday.
- Jan. 27 - Skied to Bennett & Middle Lakes (near Northville). Started out about 7:30am. Up to 10" of powder but not much in the way of base - wish I had used my rock skis instead of 1 year old Lookouts - hit quite a few rocks - will be better when snowmobiles come thru to pack down then add few inches of more powder. Minus 5F when I reached Middle Lake about 9am after gaining over 800' in elevation. Didn't have time to go as far as Murphy Lake - had to be at work by noon. Lakes were real pretty in the morning sun - saw lots of deer tracks.
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