This is a post-election day hike. My son and I planned this day off well, unlike the results of the presidential election. We knew that we had to get out into the woods and just get away from the buzz of the election results. Blue Mountain, in Blue Mountain Lake, NY was a great choice.
The forecast was for misty rain in the morning and then clear up in the afternoon to be a mostly cloudy day. The weatherman was partially right, it was a misty day. The radar showed the rain from overnight was on its way out, so in theory, we would have an overcast day.
We signed in to the trail register at 9:13 am with a slight drizzle of rain. We weren't worried as we were dressed for the wet weather. On this trip, we had a few new pieces of gear to...
This was a lazy day today. After sleeping in until 7:30 this morning I had to change my plans. I knew I wanted to get out and hike something, so this little gem popped up on my radar.
I have been nonchalantly hiking the Adirondack fire towers, something that isn't really intended to achieve but appears to be moving in that direction. My intent is to get my endurance back up and, with my son finish the 46 high peaks this winter. We have 9 left to do, so getting in shape is a top priority.
Azure Mountain is in Franklin County, NY. It is off the beaten path, and I took the scenic route to its trailhead. I was coming from Plattsburgh so I took a shortcut via County Route 30 past Buck Pond campground, then Keese Mills road out of Paul...
I found this to be a very nice hike. It was nothing that I had expected, I compared that to what I had read anyways. It's like reading a book, forming your own vision in your mind, then watching the movie in a theater, based on someone else's imagination.
The trail is a soft gradual hike, from trailhead to the summit it is a 2.5-mile trip, 5 miles round trip. The climb is so gradual that you do not realize the climb is just under 1700" of elevation gain. The mountain itself is at 3386' of elevation. There isn't a lot of climbing until you reach the cabin, from there to the summit, just under 1.5 miles is where you gain your elevation.
The trail crisscrosses a few waterways, which are either covered with a footbridge or rock hop-able...
This mountain is located behind what locals in Tupper Lake call Lumberjack Spring and was once referred to as Litchfield Hill and on some older maps can still be found as such, while It may not be ever an official name. A new trail has been developed by the DEC to mimic the one developed over time by users; it now clearly accesses the summit of Goodman.
This 1.7 mile, one-way, the hike is over easy to moderate terrain. Danielle wanted to do this one first, and she made a good decision as it is an awesome hike. From the parking area located at the old road at the back. This old road used to be Highway 10 between Long Lake and Tupper Lake, back in the day; the old tarmac is still beneath your feet for quite a ways. Just outside of the...
This hike is 1.1 miles, one way, the hike is over easy to moderate terrain. Most of the trail is rocky and has a lot of tree roots to contend with. The trail is fairly new and the footing is a bit rough in areas, but quickly becoming heavily traveled. The trail sweeps around the steep western slopes of the mountain. As the trail steepens a bit, it continues to contour its way around to the northern slopes of Coney Mountain and then meets up with the original trail just below the summit. The last section is over slab rock, no scrambling is necessary. The views start to open up with Goodman Mountain to the north and Mount Morris to the northeast. The waters of Tupper Lake can be seen to the north as well and the wooded hills of the...