Moxham Mountain: 10/20/2013

Our hike up Moxham Mountain on Sunday afternoon had a decidedly autumnal feel with bare trees and a cold, steady wind. But the crisp air, the few remaining colorful leaves, the open woods and wide ranging views left us feeling that fall may indeed be the best season for hiking.

View of Gore Mountain from the first lookout

Whiteface Mountain, circa 1986

A recent conversation with a ski buddy prompted me to dig up these old photos I took of Whiteface more than a quarter century ago. We had been wondering exactly when Skyward (one of the summit black diamond trails) had been straightened and widened. We didn’t nail down an answer, but these photos at least confirm that it was after 1986.

At first glance, Whiteface in 1986 looks pretty much the same as it does today. By contrast, photos of Gore from the same era look dramatically different than today due to the highly visible Old Red Gondola. But comparing the 1986 Whiteface photos closely to the same view today does yield some significant differences.

Essex Chain Lakes deserve Wilderness protection

Dear Governor Cuomo:

It’s an interesting and ironic coincidence that October 1, 2013, the first day of the federal government’s shutdown, also marked the first day of public access to the Essex Chain Lakes. At the same time that our National Parks – America’s best idea – were closed, new lands in the Adirondacks – New York’s best idea – were opened for hiking and paddling.

In the coming weeks, the Adirondack Park Agency is expected to make its recommendation to you on the classification of the former Finch Paper lands surrounding the Essex Chain Lakes. That recommendation will be one of the APA’s most important decisions in years.

Gore Mountain Leaf Cruncher 5K: 09/28/2013

Next time I complain that Cedars – the ski trail from Gore’s main base to the Burnt Ridge chairlift – is flat, remind me of last weekend’s Leaf Cruncher, the trail race that follows ski trails, work roads and single track on a course billed as “the North Country’s toughest 5K.”

Before actually running the race, I chalked up that “toughest” claim to enthusiastic exaggeration, but the course was tough enough that I logged what is probably my slowest-ever 5K result: 27:03, still good enough for 3rd place overall (don’t be too impressed, there were only 20 competitors).

The start of the Leaf Cruncher 5K