Dingo and I took a walk in the Deer Pond Loop Trail located outside Tupper Lake, NY. There are three points to access the trail (off route 3, route 30, and the old Wawbeek road). We (Dingo and I) started from the route 30 entrance around 8:30.
We did the hike in a clockwise direction, for no particular reason. Knowing what I know now I would do it the same way next time. It was relatively flat easy-going for the first 3 to 4 miles, or until we turned off of the old Wawbeek road onto a fairly new-looking trail. The only obstacle we ran into was water over the road due to a beaver dam. This was easily enough averted by throwing down a few fallen logs to use as steps.
Once we turned off of the old road we begin to climb what were mostly...
While camping at Meacham Lake State campground, my pup Dingo and I, hiked Debar Mountain. We had started from the trailhead at 9:30 AM. Soon after signing in, we were off. The trail starts out very easy walking, following along what must have been a jeep trail at one time, and now appears to be a snowmobile trail in the winter. It is very easy walking well past the junction to go left to Debar mountain or going right towards Debar Meadows and onto County Route 26. From here there basically is not much climbing for a while, then it becomes gradually uphill eventually arriving at the Leanto. The trail was wet in sections up till now, but nothing that cannot be managed by rock hopping through.
From the Leanto the trail gets steeper and...
A great little hike for a beginner, young family, or for me that hasn't been out hiking since December. The hike is only about 1.1 miles to the summit. It took me longer to drive to the trailhead than it did to hike the round trip of 2.2 miles.
I arrived at the trailhead around 8:30 am. I would have the trail to myself for the hike. One of the benefits of hiking in the middle of the week. There wasn't anyone at Blue Mountain trailhead either when I passed by.
I grabbed my pack, let the pups out, signed in, and we were off. The trail is an easy climb, one of the easiest summits in the Adirondacks, and fairly dry. There were a couple of areas that were muddy, but easy enough to rock hop through. It was a mix of hardwoods and sparse fir...
What a beautiful day for a hike, blue sky, and perfect temperatures. This whole weekend has been fantastic weather.
I had heard about this hike from Scott (Winterwarlock) on more than one occasion. He mentioned it offered some wonderful views and was a really nice short hike. So today I set out to hike Snow mountain, and see for myself what he described. He didn't disappoint.
As I said previously, it was a picture-perfect day to spend in the woods. The temperatures were cooler, down from the previous 2 weeks where we were in the upper 80's for several days. This morning temps were 38 degrees, and when I finished it was 62. Mother nature has turned the page, and now the temps are more seasonal.
When I arrived at the trailhead on Route...
Pipestem Tower located in Pipestem State Park, West Virginia was renamed “Bolar Lookout Tower” a dedication in honor of the sixth superintendent of the park, Steve Bolar
Steve was a leader in the state parks system with a genuine understanding of park operations and public service. He was a mentor to many park employees during his career.
Bolar lost his battle with a terminal illness in July 2009.
The observation tower sits at 3,000 feet in elevation and commands a scenic view of the Pipestem area. Located near the park entrance the tower is accessible via the Knob Trail which is .4 miles round trip, a nice easy to moderate hike.