This is a very nice family-oriented hike if you're in the Tupper Lake area. This mountain along with Mt. Coney and Goodman Mt. make up the Tupper Lake Triad, it's also one for the New York State Fire Tower challenge.
I hadn't really hiked all summer, except for Little Haystack Mt in Buck Pond campground. I wanted something on the easy side to get me back into the groove, but also to see how Misty would do. She did great as expected.
This is a short hike at 1 mile to the summit, over a very gradual incline. When I arrived at the trailhead it was about 10 am. The parking lot was full. I suspect this is a very popular hike since it is so close to Tupper Lake, and easy climbing to the summit.
As I said, the trail is well marked and taken...
Took a hike up Lyon Mt today with great company, and earn the hike towards the winter Adirondack fire tower challenge. My son had mentioned he'd like to hike this gem at some point, and I needed no further excuse to take the time and oblige him.
The forecast wasn't to be a bluebird day, but it also wasn't going to be brutally cold, or too warm either. In the previous warm weather, we had created a lot of snowmelt. That along with some who hiked during that time without snowshoes did a fair amount of damage to the trail.
We were able to drive all the way up to the trailhead without any problem, it did require 4 wheel drive though. The road was in good shape with about 6 inches of new snow, and there was no blowdown so it made for a...
Loon Lake mountain is reported not to see a lot of foot traffic, and therefore seldom mentioned. I think this has changed this year, as I have seen a lot of trip reports recently on this hike, and it is a beauty of a hike too.
The information at http://www.cnyhiking.com states the hike is just under 6 miles round trip. The entire hike is an easy grade, except for the last mile which is where you gain a lot of the 1651 feet of elevation in the hike. The trail climbs a total of 1200 feet in that last mile. It may be daunting for some, but it makes for some great butt sliding on the way down in the winter.
The trail was easy enough to follow, one needs to just pay attention at the various intersections along the way. As I said earlier...
Well, I figured since I couldn't make the meetup hike on January 16th with a group from ADK Fire Tower page, and I really didn't want to get out of a nice warm bed on the 15th, today was the day to do something.
I have been working some odd shifts at work this week and it has allowed me time off during the week to hike with my son, who was also off today as well, so it was a win-win situation.
The trailhead to Spruce Mt. was easy enough to get to. It's about a 2.5-hour ride from Plattsburgh. The forecast was overcast to partly cloudy today, with little to no breeze. The temps were expected to be around 40 degrees, which is crazy for January weather.
The trail was a hard pack all the way to the top. We gave the snowshoes a free ride...
I had actually planned to hike Bald Mountain today, but a lack of sleep and a late rise left me with fewer options. I had given thought to do absolutely nothing today, as it was about 10:30 before I even got dressed.
Poke-O-Moonshine is a nearby hike for me, about 20 miles south of Plattsburgh. I have hiked this mountain many times from the original trail from the former campground. While that is a direct route, it is a somewhat steep climb right off the start. In 2008 DEC created a new trail to the summit, which is not as steep but is a longer hike at 2.4 miles one way. I opted for this route as I had not climbed Poko in that direction. It is a pleasant hike with gradual terrain. Most of this route is an old jeep trail so that in and...