Whiteface and Esther: 11/06/2010

What a difference a day makes. We had originally planned this trip for Friday, the 5th, but the weather forecast for Thursday and Friday was so dismal we pushed back a day to Saturday. We couldn't have scored a more beautiful day to be in the mountains.

Just enough snow to ski from the Toll House

Two Local Gems

For a good part of October, weekend weather and family commitments weren’t lining up to allow full-day excursions into the Adirondacks. Fortunately, there are many close-to-home options for a short outing when schedules and conditions allow. The Burl Trail and Bog Meadow Brook are two such local gems that we visited on spur-of-the-moment excursions with our two kids this month.

Minnewaska State Park: 10/11/2010

As a rock climber, most of the time I’ve spent in the Shawangunks has been on vertical rock, but a recent visit to the New Paltz area provided an opportunity to explore some of the excellent trail network in Minnewaska State Park. Minnewaska sits atop the Shawangunk Ridge, which rises two thousand feet above the Hudson Valley and is characterized by pitch pine forests, sky lakes and dramatic cliffs and rock formations.

Lake Minnewaska

Algonquin & Iroquois Peaks: 10/03/2010

Driving towards Lake Placid on Saturday afternoon, it seemed that virtually every trailhead parking lot we passed was overflowing with cars. With beautiful fall weather and near-peak foliage, it was no surprise. We had reservations for the night at Adirondack Loj, located just footsteps away from the popular Heart Lake trailhead, and planned to climb Algonquin and Iroquois Peaks on Sunday.

Crisp morning at Heart Lake

Thomas Mtn Night Hike: 09/24/2010

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a night-time hike, at least intentionally. This past Friday night, after a great dinner at a Lake George inn, we donned headlamps and hiking boots for the short 1.5 mile hike up to the Lake George Land Conservancy’s Thomas Mountain cabin near Bolton Landing for an overnight stay. A near-full moon almost made the headlamps unnecessary since the trail, a former jeep road, is relatively open to the sky.

The cabin at night