WINTER WONDERLAND
1.9 Mile Snowshoe At Thacher Park
Sunday, December 15, 2013

Woke up to a bit under a foot of snow... at least I'd shoveled last night so clearing the walk was easier than it might have been. Didn't have to do much more than brush the car off to get out, though parking is going to be a mess if the city doesn't do something about the snow sooon.
 
I was really struck by how much I've missed Thacher this year... ordinarily I'd have gone there once a month or so to run, but this year I've only been there a couple of times to walk.

I bypassed Hop Field - too many XC skiers - and headed over to the lots near the park office, figuring I'd walk along the escarpment. No one there at all - a plus in terms of having the trail to myself - but a minus in that I was breaking trail the whole way out. So it was a slow slog.

I had planned to take the trail behind the Haile's Cave picnic area back, but breaking trail slowed me down too much and I didn't want to risk getting locked in. Instead I backtracked - definitely easier going than the way out.

One plus to all that unbroken snow - I wasn't even the slightest bit tempted to try any sort of running, so while today's walk was hard work, it wasn't my usual start to snowshoe season ("Geez, this is so much harder than I remember!") Hopefully the snow will stick around long enough for me to build up a bit more gradually and determine whether running on snowshoes is in the cards this season.

JMH 

SO LONG WINTER...
Thursday, March 28, 2013

Sure, I know it was "officially" spring a week ago, but today I packed my snowshoes and skis into the closet until next winter...



I must admit I have mixed feelings about this... I'm certainly looking forward to warmer weather and everything turning green again, but sometimes it seems like winter flies by way too quickly...

JMH

A Snowshoe Race Cancelled Due To... Too Much Snow????
Friday, February 22, 2013

Well... that's what it looked like originally, when the forecast called for about a foot of snow in Hawley between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Good for snowshoeing, bad for parking at the SCA Americorps HQ that we get to use for the Moody Spring and Hallockville races.

While the forecast is now for a lot less snow, Sunday's race is still cancelled - MA DCR pulled the permit, on the grounds that they don't have anyone to plow the parking lot Sunday morning.

While I'm not particularly fond of the Hallockville Orchard race (it's mostly on snowmobile trail) I will still miss the chance to spend some time with my friends over in the forest in West Hawley. On the plus side - I can stay closer to home and get my backside out for a long run instead.

JMH

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013

A welcome sight after two tough days that saw me too tired and too buried under work to get my lazy backside out the door after work for a run...

OK, it's only supposed to be about 6 inches or so, but it's better than nothing... it was good enough to get us an unexpected day off, it means I'll be able to do some easy snowshoeing this afternoon, and it's probably good news for the snowshoe race scheduled for Saturday morning...

Besides which, it's winter and I like to see snow in the winter!

JMH



HURRAY! WE HAVE A SNOWSHOE RACE TOMORROW!
Friday, January 11, 2013

Between the warm weather and the rain we're supposed to be getting, I was pretty sure it would be cancelled... I can't imagine that conditions will be ideal (if nothing else, we're going to be sweating bullets in the 40 degree weather... or else swearing at the rain!) but current word is that tomorrow's snowshoe race at Constitution Hill is ON.

Guess that means I'm getting my backside out the door tonight for a run - finally, after a week of being far lazier than I should have been, given what I have coming up this spring...

JMH

I LOVE MISSED WOODFORD SNOWSHOE RACE
3.4 Mile Snowshoe at Woodford State Park
Sunday, January 6, 2012

I went into this second weekend of snowshoe races both excited to be snowshoeing and a bit disappointed. I started snowshoeing seven years ago, as a way to keep running trails in the winter, and Woodford was the first race I did. I had purchased a new pair of Dion 166’s and managed to get in one or two short runs in the 6-8 inches of crusty snow that we had in Albany that December. Then right before the race Woodford picked up 18 inches of fresh snow – I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I’m pretty sure that was the hardest I’d ever worked to “run” 20+ min miles! But for some crazy reason I followed that up with another tough run at North Pond a couple of weeks later – and that was pretty much it that season for snowshoe races around here, most of the others were either cancelled or changed to trail races. And here I am, 72 snowshoe races later (including a snowshoe duathlon, a snowshoe triathlon, and more than a few races outside of the WMAC series…) At least now I know why I keep hauling my backside out of bed on the weekends to drive to the middle of nowhere and stagger around in the snow – partially the challenge and the workout, partially a love of the outdoors, and mostly the people I get to spend time with.

In any case, Woodford holds a special place in my heart, so I drove to Vermont this morning with a secret mission – to walk/run the usual Woodford course after doing the race at Prospect Mountain. Post-race I took a few minutes to chat with friends I haven’t seen nearly enough of this fall, then hopped in the car and made the short drive east to Woodford State Park. I found a parking lot filled with trucks and snowmobile trailers instead of chattering snowshoers – but I also found the best snow conditions I’ve seen at Woodford for the last 4-5 years. Deep snow, a well-packed trail through the woods and along the shore of Adams Reservoir – absolutely beautiful and one of the things I really enjoy about snowshoeing. Running at Pine Ridge and Prospect Mountain was fun, but for me groomed XC ski trails just don’t compare to singletrack through the woods.

After being laid up for much of November with an injury and 8 miles of races (including a steep climb or three, thanks to the Brad and Beth Herder and TiVO) my legs were definitely fried by the time I made the final climb away from the reservoir, and the “run” back to the park entrance had a more-than-passing resemblance to walking. But it was definitely worth it, both in the time spent running with our crazy but happy crew in Pittsfield and at Prospect Mountain and my trek afterwards along memory lane and the rolling trails of Woodford State Park.

Now one of these days I have to get here during a different season!

JMH

0.9 Mile Snowshoe at Mendon Ponds Park

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Headed over to Mendon Ponds near dusk to feed the birds... found the park very crowded. At one end there was a high school ski race going on - cars all along the roadside. And in most other areas more than a few folks out taking advantage of the snow to ski, despite the rapidly decreasing daylight.

We saw lots of deer on the move too, especially in the woods along the trail where we typically feed the birds.

Unfortunately - we must have gotten there too late and most of the birds had retired for the evening. Not one in sight the entire time we were there. Which wasn't for very long... it gets cold pretty quickly once the sun sets.

JMH

No Surprise... No SnōShū...
Tuesday, February 20, 2012

Didn't take a psychic to see this one coming... we cancelled last weekend's snowshoe races because, well - there's no snow! And with temperatures forecast for the 40's and even 50's this week, along with on and off rain - doesn't look like that will be changing anytime soon, so the plug has been pulled on this weekend's race as well. Fortunately it does sound like they have plenty of snow for Nationals in Frisco, CO... but it's going to be tough going for anyone from around here, between the the few opportunities to train and racing at altitude.

On the plus side, the lack of winter weather has made it much easier to run trails... if only I was getting my backside out the door to run. At this point it seems more and more likely that I will have to skip the Instant Classic Trail Marathon in Virginia in mid-March - I've been way too lazy over the past few weeks and right now I doubt I could even finish 26+ miles, much less in 7 hours or less. Nothing's definite but right now I can't say it's looking good...

JMH

Welcome, Winter Solstice!
Thursday, December 22, 2011

In the US, today is considered the official start of winter, and has the shortest number of hours of daylight. I'm a huge fan of the winter solstice for the simple reason that from here on out, we gain several minutes of daylight each day, which means my days of having to run, bike, or snowshoe after work in the dark are numbered...

JMH

Bummer... Woodford Snowshoe Race Postponed
Wednesday, December 21, 2011

In the words of Woodford RD Jack Quinn -

As you suspected, “I Love Woodford” will be postponed to later in the season. (TBA). I’m sorry to disappoint you all but Woodford without sufficient snow would tear hell out of everyone's equipment. If you pre-registered, please mark your check void. It will not be cashed. Thanks for your support of the Woodford race. For many of you, it marks the northern boundary of your racing season. Merry Christmas, Felice Navidad, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings! Pick the one that is politically correct for you and delete the rest. May your life be healthy and happy in the New Year with race finishes in front of five people who normally beat you.

I did indeed suspect that's what would happen but had hoped that maybe Woodford had a little more snow than everywhere else around here (ie. more than none.) Woodford holds a special place in my heart, because it's the first snowshoe race I ever did (and my first time snowshoeing on snow more than a couple of inches deep) and I always look forward to running/walking/staggering my way through the course. On the other hand, this makes my travel plans a lot less complicated, since it will save me a trip from Rochester to Albany and back.

With luck, if Woodford does get rescheduled it will be for a day when I can be there...

JMH

A Short Walk on a Warm Windy Evening
Friday, February 18, 2011

I had planned to go for a run tonight, but the combination of a couple of chores that needed doing and being a bit beat from the past week made that a difficult proposition. So I settled for a short walk to the store and back, to pick up some supplies for the post-race feeds tomorrow and possibly Sunday.

It was definitely an atypical February evening - warm and windy, with a bright moon up in the sky. I've been enjoying snowshoeing and I'm looking forward to another month of that (at least, if the snow holds up) - but tonight I felt a definite stirring in my blood for trail runs on warm spring days and evenings. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming running season!

JMH

5.2 Mile Run Snowshoe on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Since I haven't run in a while and we're supposed to get a lot of snow tomorrow, I headed over to the bike path to do a couple of laps on the Gerbil Wheel. Good thing I had my snowshoes in the car, because when I got there I discovered they hadn't yet plowed the path between the Niskayuna Lions Park and Lock 7 Road, so there was 6-8 inches of snow covering the pavement. Sometimes you just gotta be flexible... I strapped on my older pair of snowshoes and headed off down the path.

Even though the snow wasn't too deep, it was mostly unbroken and surprisingly tough going - I ended up walking a lot of the trip out. The flat, flat path was both a plus and a minus; no hills to climb, but none to catch a break going down either. Running down the short hill to Lock 7 Road felt really good, so much so that I decided to keep going on the far side of the road. Made it most of the way to the trailhead at the Lock 7 parking lot, then decided to turn back. Since that part of the path doesn't get plowed, it was tougher going than the Gerbil Wheel.

I was able to run more on the way back, in part because I could use my previous footprints and in part probably because I was warmed up. But I still did a good deal of walking. Once I got back to the park, I decided I wanted to get in a bit more, so I headed east toward the Niskayuna/Colonie town line, another section of path that doesn't get plowed. That was obvious when I reached the barrier and saw just the tips of the posts to either side sticking up out of the snow. Turned around and headed back, just in time as it happens - while I was in the car getting ready to leave two snowmobiles went by on the path.

I almost didn't go out tonight, because I got home from work early because of today's storm and was feeling pretty warm and comfortable. But in the end I'm glad I went out instead of staying home. It was tough going and more walking than running but well worth it.

JMH

5.5 Mile Snowshoe in the Pine Bush
Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I had hoped to get out for a walk last night but it was just too darn cold when I got home from work, so I was very pleased that tonight's temperatures were a bit more moderate. Though it didn't feel that way at the start of my run - I spent the first mile or so wondering if I was going to have to cut things very short for lack of warm enough gloves. Thankfully I warmed up pretty quickly after that and ended up dressed pretty much just right for the bulk of the time I was out there.

I haven't been to the Blueberry Hills/Kaikout Kill Barrens for a while, and I was pretty sure I could avoid any major hills (since my legs are still a bit tired from this past weekend) so that's where I headed when I finally got out the door. There was a fairly well packed path heading down the trail, but I figured out pretty quickly that if I strayed off the packed stuff by just a bit I would end up sinking about ankle deep, especially if I broke through the ice layer a few inches down. So that made for challenging footing in a few spots, especially where the wind had drifted snow across the packed path.

I started out looping around the perimeter, and ended up at the base of Blueberry Hill West... at that point it became clear that I wasn't going to be able to get the distance I wanted without either running multiple loops (bleah) or heading into the Kaikout Kill Barrens. So I abandoned my hope of avoiding hills and ended up running up and down quite a few, especially when I strayed off the path on the way back so that I could follow another set of snowshoe tracks. Those went up one of the tallest hills around (aargh) and then I had a heck of a time getting back down, since the snow on the eastern side of the hill had drifted fairly deeply... at one point I stepped into an unbroken snowbank and sank in up to my hip. Needless to say after fighting my way through deeper snow I was more than a bit happy to finally be back on the packed path...

The "habitat restoration" (ie removal of invasive species and really just about all flora except for some of the pitch pines) that was done at Blueberry Hill West and the Kaikout Barrens in the past year was really apparent and more than a bit depressing... especially at the border of the preserve, where there is no longer a wall of trees and bushes to block the view of the industrial park next door. As I've said before, I understand the need to preserve the environmentally unique inland pine barrens habitat... but it still seems a shame to me to cut down perfectly good trees (even if they're not native species) and turn what was once a delightful woods into a open field. But maybe that's why I'm a recreational naturalist and not a professional ecologist.

On a totally different note, near the end of my run I felt a sharp pain in my right knee, in pretty much the same area where I injured my left knee a little over 1 1/2 years ago... I walked it out, and did the same a couple of times when it gave me twinges during the last mile or so. Clearly all the running/hiking I did during the past few days over very uneven footing has strained or slightly torn something in my knee... so I'll be taking it easy on it for at least a little while, since I definitely don't want to be sidelined for months like I was back in 2009!

JMH

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...
4.5 Mile Snowshoe at Five Rivers EEC
Sunday, February 28, 2010

... the not-so-tough wonder why the heck they're doing this to themselves.

Last week I set out for Five Rivers and ended up going to Thacher instead. Today I thought about going to Thacher and ended up at Five Rivers. Sometimes even I wonder how I end up in the places I do... though given how sluggish I felt all during today's snowshoe, it's probably a good thing I opted for Five River's gentler terrain and lighter snow cover.

Unfortunately I left my camera at home, so I actually had to concentrate on running... still ended up taking a lot of breaks. I was tired and it was pretty difficult going, with 6 to 9 inches of wet, mushy snow on the ground (plus a few patches of bare ground.) There was also a layer of water under the snow... wet going all around.

I started out doing the loop around the Beaver Pond, and discovered that the Five Rivers crew have been busy since I was last there - they've built a new platform to float at the far end of the pond, near the spillway. From there I headed back across the road and along the Vlomankill trail up on the ridge overlooking the stream. No surprise, the water was fairly high. Followed the stream all the way over to the intersection with the North Loop, then made my way back through the woods and along the field to the Wild Turkey trail. I was a bit surprised that there was very little wildlife in evidence... even the birds didn't seem very active.

That changed later in the run, first when I spotted a couple of downy woodpeckers in the woods along the Wild Turkey trail. Then, as I made my way down toward the visitors center, I disturbed a group of juncos out looking for food, and passed through an area where a large flock of robins were foraging. With all the snow on the ground they were as amusing to watch as last weekend at Schodack Island, but I still spent a while watching them wing around and search for food down in one of the wetter areas where some of the snow was gone.

From there I looped around the old orchard (more robins, but no deer) and then down to the access road, before climbing the hill behind the visitors center. At the top I made my way to the butterfly garden and sat watching the bird feeders for a while. All the usual suspects were present - chickadees, sparrows, a couple of cardinals, mourning doves, and downy woodpeckers, but I also spotted a red-bellied woodpecker and a bit later as I was walking back to the parking lot, a northern mockingbird. I was a bit bummed at that point that I'd left my camera at home, because I could have gotten some nice bird photos.

The sun peeked out from behind the clouds as I was making my way back to the car, and I noticed several people over by the orchard - looked like the deer had put in an appearance. Another photo op missed.

In the end I didn't go as far as I'd been hoping to when I left the house, but I think I went plenty far for how I was feeling today. I didn't push all that hard at the race yesterday, but it sure felt like I did! Of course, it has been a long week marked by a definite lack of sleep and exercise - I'm sure that didn't help. With luck I can get outdoors more often this week, and I am definitely going to try to get a few good nights of sleep before the end of the week and Nationals on Saturday. Hopefully the snow at Highland Park will be better for running than the mushy slop we have around here!

JMH

SNOWY AFTERNOON (MIS)ADVENTURES
2 Mile Snowshoe at Thacher Park
Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Only two miles? When I had the whole day off from school and could have conceivably spent as much time and distance as I wanted to out in the snow? As always, there's a story behind it all...

We had under well under a foot of snow on the ground and it was raining lightly when I left the house to go snowshoeing; after debating between Five Rivers and Thacher I decided on the latter because I need to work on hills and I would be in the woods most of the time, so it wouldn't matter much if it kept raining. What I wasn't expecting to find - 6 foot tall piles of snow along the road and around the Hop Field parking lot, and 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground. Fortunately, there were folks on snowshoes and skis coming off the trails, so at least I wouldn't be breaking trail the whole time I was out there...

While I was getting ready another car pulled up and a man and his young daughter got out and got ready to do some snowshoeing as well. We got to talking, I got distracted, and before I knew it my keys were locked in the car. Fortunately, the fellow had a cell phone and called the park office, who sent a very nice NYS Park Police Officer down to help. She didn't have anything to get the door unlocked... but she did phone a local towing company and waited around until they arrived. We talked on and off while waiting and I found out that a lot of folks up that way were still stuck at home because of the huge snowbanks blocking their driveways, and that other than the park HQ Hop Field was the only area they managed to plow that morning. I know some people knock the NYS Rangers and Park Police, but I've always been impressed whenever I've dealt with them, and today was no exception.

Once the towing company arrived they got the door open pretty quickly and I was finally able to get snowshoeing... of course, I only had about an hour before the park workers would be showing up to lock the gates. So I headed out on the somewhat packed loop... it was pretty incredible how much snow was out there. The picnic tables were totally buried, and any time I stepped off the path I sank past my knees, with my 25" snowshoes on! I ran when I could but mostly I just walked quickly... the trail was a bit narrower than was comfortable for me, and periodically I'd end up whacking the inside of my ankle with the opposite snowshoe... should have a nice bruise tomorrow.

The path followed the stream over to the field above the park maintainance area, then up the hill and onto a trail I don't think I've ever taken before. I passed the fellow and his daughter, a couple XC skiing (they'd gone out while I was waiting to get my car unlocked) and two more people snowshoeing. All to quickly I found myself at the top of the hill back down to the Hop Field picnic area, for a loop of about a mile. So I decided to do it again, but this time check out some tracks that broke away and headed over toward the Paint Mine area trails... I figured if someone had gone over that way I could always cut down to the road, take off my snowshoes, and run down the road to get back to the car.

What I ended up doing instead was breaking trail for a ways, in a short loop over to the bridge leading to the Paint Mine area and then back to the 1 mile loop. That was incredibly hard work and I am really, really impressed by the folks who broke the loop trail this morning; I doubt I would have kept going for a mile. The snow was wet and heavy and I had to lift my feet high to take each step, running the risk of losing my balance and falling (I did fall once and discovered that getting back up in snow that deep with no poles is not easy at all!) I ended up stopping every 6 feet or so to take a break, and I was very glad when I finally made it back to the packed loop.

The XC skiers were coming through as I was rejoining the loop, so I followed them back and we talked a bit about the park, snowshoeing and XC skiing, and some of the efforts of the Friends of Thacher Park to raise awareness and gain support for keeping the park open. I think I'm going to end up joining that organization - I just have to get up to the Nature Center to get the forms, or maybe I can get them mailed to me. I may also help them with their fledgling web site (not that I know that much about building web sites, but I know plenty of people I can ask for help!)

So while I didn't get much snowshoeing done and I had to deal with being an idiot and locking my keys in the car, I did get out in some of the deepest snow I've ever stomped around in and I may end up joining an organization that I know is going to work hard to do everything they can to support Thacher Park and keep it open. Definitely a positive afternoon, when all is said and done.

And best of all, we finally have some "real" winter around here... let's hope it sticks around for a while, despite the rain we're supposed to get on and off for the next few days.

JMH

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

At last, some fresh snow! Not a lot around here - maybe 6" - but combined with what was already on the trails up at Thacher yesterday, I'm finally foreseeing some decent snowshoeing tomorrow night after work... and some good race conditions this weekend!

JMH

HEY! WHERE ARE ALL THE RUNNERS?
2.4 Mile Snowshoe at Savoy Mountain State Forest
Saturday, January 23, 2010

I fell for the wildness of Savoy Mountain State Forest the first time I went there, back in August 1995. Last winter the usual snowshoe races there were cancelled due to trails being badly blocked by ice storm damage, and this year the location is being held in reserve as a backup in case one of the other races ends up with no snow. Since it was an absolutely beautiful sunny day, I decided a visit to Savoy was in order before heading back to Albany.

I actually ended up stopping at the Hairpin Turn on the way up the mountain to take photos of the mammoth icicles on the rocks alongside the road. Too bad some yahoo decided to shoot them with paintballs, but even with a few orange splotches they were still incredibly impressive. I stopped again on the way back down, for more icicle photos and a few shots of the view off into the valleys and over toward Greylock. Awesome!

There were only a couple of cars in the parking lot when I reached the North Pond picnic area - a definite change from every other time I've been there and the lots has been packed with runners' vehicles. Best of all, there was plenty of snow... now I just had to hope the trail was well-broken. After running the race this morning (and running for the past two evenings) I really didn't feel up to any significant trail breaking. I took it as a good sign that while I was getting ready a group from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts down in North Adams came back to their vehicle. At the very least the trail would be broken from them...

As it turned out, I had nothing to be concerned about. Other than the picnic area which was a bit churned up, the main trail was in fantastic shape, well-packed from snowshoes and XC skis. If anything, it was in better shape than some of the times I've raced on it. I started out on the North Pond trail, circling around the edge of the pond through evergreens and all the big rocks (just snowy lumps today.) The sun was filtering down through the trees and it was all absolutely gorgeous. Along the way I passed the 2nd of Savoy's Balanced Rocks - I visited the one in the eastern half of the forest back in 2005 and 2006, and I'm sure I've run past this one plenty of times and just never realized that it's also called Balance Rock. I decided to head out on the South Pond loop after about half a mile or so... the North Pond loop is a bit longer than I wanted to go for, and there's always a chance we'll be running it sometime in February.

My plan was to take the South Pond loop to the Tyler Swamp trails, walk/run around the swamp, and then head back on the rest of South Pond and finally back the way I came. Those trails are a muddy mess in the summer but there was enough snow today that it seemed like a good time to do them. Unfortunately, the Tyler Swamp loop was unbroken, and a few steps convinced me that I really didn't want to be breaking trail for 1.5 miles. So I just kept on the South Pond trail above the shore of South Pond. Followed some tracks down to the pond itself, and got to see South Pond up close for the first time. Fantastic!

Back at the intersection I made a short detour up the hill to the camp sites, but the road to the cabins had been plowed and apparently someone was in residence, so I headed back down to the North Pond trail and back to the picnic area. Walked over to the beach to get some photos of North Pond covered in snow, though the sun wasn't at the best angle and there were folks out on the ice at the far end of the pond. Still, altogether a nice end to a great short trek through Savoy State Forest... one of these days I need to get over there for a longer run in some parts of the forest we don't use for races.

JMH

A NIGHT FOR OWLS
5.5 Mile Snowshoe in the Pine Bush
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I ended up running most of the Albany Running Exchange's Brave the Blizzard course from the past few years... don't know if they're using the same course this year or not. Snow conditions were basically the same as last week... snow on most of the trails but very packed down. The best snowshoeing was actually in the woods between the Pine Bush and Guilderland Elementary... no big surprise, not as many people go back in there.

Much like Monday night, I ran most of the time with no lights... the overcast sky was pretty bright and the snow both reflects enough light to make it easy to see the trail and smooths things out enough that there's much less to trip over. Running at night in the woods without lights is definitely one of the things I really enjoy about running in the winter.

I heard an owl twice tonight! The classical "who, who, who-who-who" that they always use on TV or in a movie for an owl call... I'm guessing a great horned owl from the calls on www.whatbird.com. Interestingly, every time I heard him call, a short time later I heard another animal calling in the trees as well - I originally thought it was some kind of nocturnal squirrel, though that didn't make a lot of sense to me, but listening to the owl calls on Whatbird has me thinking it may have been a short-eared owl. Very cool...

JMH

2.1 Mile Snowshoe to No Bottom Pond
Sunday, January 10, 2010

From Harvey Mountain I drove over to nearby Beebe Hill State Forest, which in addition to a number of hiking trails has two points of note - a fire tower on the top of Beebe Hill itself and in almost exactly the opposite direction No Bottom Pond, so named because tradition has it there's one point where soundings don't give a depth. Since it was getting late in the day I decided to visit the fire tower another time and settled for hiking out to No Bottom Pond.

No Bottom Pond has a certain degree notoriety for two reasons. The first is that is periodically disappears. Apparently there's a small drain in one spot which, when the local water levels start dropping, allows the pond to drain down to a small puddle, so at any given time a visitor might find anything from a full pond to an almost empty one. This has apparently happened since the first recorded observations of the pond. The second is an association with an infamous figure in local history, Oscar Beckwith, sometimes referred to as the cannibal of Columbia County. As detailed in Patricia Clyne's Hudson Valley Tales and Trails, Beckwith was a miner living in Austerlitz in the 1870's who murdered and dismembered his business partner. The unexpected return of his victim's landlord resulted in the crime being discovered before Beckwith could dispose of the remains; parts of the body were found in his stove and a pickling barrel, the liver was in a frying pan on the stove, and later at his trial Beckwith admitted he'd planned to eat parts of his victim, though it's not clear that he actually managed to do so before being discovered (but then, "the intended cannibal of Columbia County" isn't nearly as alliterative.) A posse from nearby Alford, MA, came to Beckwith's cabin to arrest him, but Beckwith had fled. They followed his tracks through the snow to No Bottom Pond, where the tracks vanished and the pursuers concluded that Beckwith had hidden in one of the many caves near the pond. They gave up the pursuit and Beckwith escaped to Canada, only to be brought back almost 4 years later and finally tried and hung two years after that.

According to my trail map there are three routes to the pond, two on a loop road (used as a snowmobile trail this time of year) and one a hiking trail. I opted for the easiest choice, the shorter side of the snowmobile loop. It was pretty easy going for a while and then went up and up... not tremendously steep, but also not a welcome climb after my trek in Pittsfield yesterday and my hike up Harvey Mountain today. Just over the top of the hill a hiking trail climbed a bit further and then dropped down to the shore of the pond. I was very glad for my snowshoes along that stretch - it had been hiked by folks without snowshoes and was a mess of post holes.

Not much to see at the pond, no great surprise - its frozen over and snow covered - though at least it looked like it was close to full. I hiked around the east end to get to some of the rock formations across from the spot where the trail ended... pretty cool, I'll have to get back there in warm weather and get a better look. There were also a lot of signs of beavers around the edges of the pond... gnawed trees and quite a few that had been dropped by the little guys.

After that it was just a matter of hiking back out... up the hill to the snowmobile trail, and then back down to the car. I actually ended up running down the hill I'd hiked up earlier - it was easier than trying to walk down it - and thankfully didn't have any snowmobiles go through while I was there. Once I got back to the car I really wished I'd brought dry pants to change into... I'll have to remember next time to dress like I would for XC skiing and bring extra clothes (which I would just naturally do if I was planning to go for a run.)

JMH

3.7 Mile Snowshoe on Harvey Mountain
Sunday, January 10, 2010

I've been aware of a state forest bordering Route 22 in Austerlitz for years, having seen the markers alongside the road as I drove back and forth to Albany. But it was only in the last year or so that I found out that there's actually two state forests along that stretch of road, Harvey Mountain State Forest on the east side and Beebe Hill State Forest on the west, and that there's a fairly extensive system of trails at both. The Harvey Mountain trail goes, not terribly surprisingly, to the summit of Harvey Mountain, which lies on the border between NY and MA.

Last winter I read an article posted on Rich & Sue Freeman's NY Outdoors Blog that described a local newspaper writer's hike to the summit of Harvey Mountain in January. No great surprise, I also have the trail guide mentioned in the article (AMC's Best Day Hikes in the Catskills and Hudson Valley by Peter Kick) which gives directions for the hike. So naturally I've wanted to do the hike ever since! I even tried heading over there once before, at the end of October, but ended up staying closer to home when rain moved in.

Today I had thought I might drive down to CT for the first Manchester Running Company snowshoe race in Vernon, CT (last week's race was cancelled due overall poor conditions.) When I woke up this morning I was suffuciently sore from yesterday's trek up and down the mountains of Pittsfield State Forest that I decided a 4 1/2 hour round trip to run a 5k in barely enough snow just didn't make sense... but I did still want to get outside, and from that thought it was only a few moments before I decided to give Harvey Mountain a try, with possibly trips to No Bottom Pond and the Beebe Hill Fire Tower afterwards.

I found the directions in Kick's book a little bit confusing, mainly because I ended up turning on the north end of East Hill Rd rather than the southern end - so all the driving distances were a little bit off. I was surprised the find the parking lot almost full (ie. four vehicles already there) - I'd been expecting to have the place pretty much to myself. Walked across the road to the trailhead and decided that snowshoes were in order - the path had been well packed by other snowshoers and at least one XC skier, but there was no telling what it would be like further on.

There's a steep climb right at the start but then the trail wanders along a fairly level grade through the woods for a while, before travelling along the edge of a cleared hill and then down, down, down into a gully with a very nice stream bubbling away at the bottom. Easy walking, for the most part, and no real wind in the woods.

Of course, what goes down must then go back up... and in this case, the final half mile or so to the summit proved to be the challenge, as the trail climbed up out of the gulley and up the side of Harvey Mountain. Sometimes steep, sometimes not so steep, but uphill all the way. Two hikers in snowshoes passed me on their way out; they asked me briefly about my "running" snowshoes before heading on their way. My legs weren't thrilled with the climb, especially after yesterday's 2-mile long uphill slog, but I took plenty of quick breaks and made it to the top with no problem.

The summit was basically bare, with nice views off to the west and also toward the southeast into the Taconics. Catamount was clearly visible off in the distance; I suspect the view is particularly splendid in the fall when the leaves have turned. The wind was blowing pretty briskly, so after taking some pictures I wandered around a bit. There were ribbons that seemed to be marking some sort of possible path, and other snowshoe tracks, but none seemed to lead anywhere other than into the woods to the east. No additional views, unfortunately. Since I wasn't sure where those woods led to, and the snow cover was very uneven (at one point I took a step and sunk up to mid-thigh in a drift I didn't realize was there) I decided to head back out in hopes of still having time to visit Beebe Hill State Forest.

The hike back out was a lot easier - I definitely preferred descending from the summit! Made it back to the stream much more quickly than the hike up, and the climb back up out of the gully wasn't bad at all. After that it was just a matter of hiking through the woods back to the trailhead, tossing my gear in the car, and heading over to the Beebe Hill trailheads.

Speaking of gear... my bicycling booties did a great job of keeping my feet dry during the hike, I'm really glad I'd left them in my snowshoe bag. Unfortunately all of my snowshoeing so far has been geared toward running so I really didn't think to dress right for the hike - I really should have worn one of the pairs of pants I XC ski in rather than jeans, which got pretty damp once the snow on them melted. The lightweight pair of tights I wore under the jeans kept me from getting too cold... but it really would have been nice to be able to change into dry clothes once I was all done walking for the afternoon. Definitely something to remember for next time...

JMH