In the Fog - Cross River Reservoir

Jan 28th - On my trip back home from upstate NY, I just had to stop and take a few photos at the Cross River Reservoir in Pound Ridge NY - the fog was incredible!

Iced off!!

Iced off the trails... ARRRGGG!!!

Luther Forest

What a bummer - I showed up at Luther and rode both south loops as well as a bit of the north side but it was terribly icy almost everywhere and very difficult to ride (unless I suppose you had studs…), After two hours, I called it quits.

Schenectady Central Park

After a break for lunch and a visit with an old friend, I decided to check out the trail at Schenectady Central Park but once I got there—despite the fact that the forest ground was completely snow free—every trail and fireroad was a non-stop sheet of ice so I headed up to Hawkwood (Anchor Diamond trails in Burnt Hills) to hike instead.

Hawkwood

But that was iced over as well and really needed crampons to keep from slipping  -- Crazy!!!!!!

Exploring Pine Mountain

The early morning crappy weather (overcast, sporadic rain) turned nice (sunny!) after a couple of hours.  We came in via Bennetts Pond / Rt 7, and after exploring the stream crossing, we headed along the south side of the pond then over the White Trail and up the first hike-a-bike Red Trail. Most of the rest of the time was spent exploring the hillsides "off the beaten track".

The highlight of our "tour" was finding quite a few more natural overlooks on Pine Mountain - the terrain there was amazing!

Stream Crossing

 Bennetts Pond :-)

Heading Up the Red

At the Kiosk

Click to enlarge

Exploring...

Wicked Rock Gardens

Many Overlooks (ooo yeah!)

 Hidden Stream

As we traveled eastward over an incredibly picturesque ridge, we had to dip into this ravine and cross this raging stream. I can image this spot must be heaven in the summer greenery...

Conclusion

The Pine Mountain area is amazing - it's no wonder Charles Ives spent a lot of time there! LINK