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Took a walk today

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    • Took a walk yesterday, sightseeing in the Huyck Preserve in Rensselaerville, NY, where I hadn't been before. (You could say that I went Huycking.) Put in 11¼ miles on mostly easy trails. Got to gawk at Rensselaerville Falls:

      [IMG:https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7659/17281758762_50bb76a427_z.jpg]
      Rensselaerville Falls by ke9tv, on Flickr
      [IMG:https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8800/16663602483_9c5031bd06_z.jpg]
      Rensselaerville Falls by ke9tv, on Flickr
      [IMG:https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8748/17282022402_88a3f73667_z.jpg]
      Rensselaerville Falls by ke9tv, on Flickr

      walk around Myosotis Lake:

      [IMG:https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8700/17283159931_5b2b38a94e_z.jpg]
      Huyck Preserve swimming beach by ke9tv, on Flickr

      curse the mud and blowdown,

      [IMG:https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8743/17096177710_52b106f892_z.jpg]
      Washed-out trail by ke9tv, on Flickr

      and get up close and personal with a beaver.

      (Warning: Wet beaver shots!)

      Display Spoiler


      Lots more pictures in my Flickr album.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by AnotherKevin ().

    • Rensselaerville isn't Rensselaer. It's in Albany County, up in the Helderbergs.

      And RPI is in Rensselaer County, but not Rensselaer.

      (RENS-ler is the village, Ren-se-LEER is the county, RPI is the school, and Rensselaerville is none of the above.)

      The names are confusing because Kilaen van Rensselaer owned basically all of what's now Albany and Rensselaer counties, plus a big chunk of Columbia and Greene counties. The huge estate - 24 miles on either side of the river from Cohoes down to near the border of Albany and Greene counties - stayed in the van Rensselaer family, and wasn't split up until 1839.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • AnotherKevin wrote:

      Rensselaerville isn't Rensselaer. It's in Albany County, up in the Helderbergs.

      And RPI is in Rensselaer County, but not Rensselaer.

      (RENS-ler is the village, Ren-se-LEER is the county, RPI is the school, and Rensselaerville is none of the above.)

      The names are confusing because Kilaen van Rensselaer owned basically all of what's now Albany and Rensselaer counties, plus a big chunk of Columbia and Greene counties. The huge estate - 24 miles on either side of the river from Cohoes down to near the border of Albany and Greene counties - stayed in the van Rensselaer family, and wasn't split up until 1839.
      Isn't RPI technically located in the city of Troylet?
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • SarcasmTheElf wrote:

      Isn't RPI technically located in the city of Troylet?
      You've been there, I see. :)

      Yes: RPI is in the city of Troy, not the city of Rensselaer. The city of Rensselaer is also in Rensselaer County, but is not its county seat: (Troy is. )

      Rensselaerville is none of the above - it's in Albany County (and the city of Albany is the county seat).

      All of the above were once in the manor of Rensselaerwijck, which owned most of four counties. Stephen van Rensselaer (1764-1839) was the last patroon (lord of the manor), and the feudal estate of some 1200 square miles was broken up following his death, in the course of the Helderberg War of 1839-1845, a tenant uprising that ended only when the New York Constitutional Convention of 1846, article 1, clauses 11-16, 18, formally abolished feudalism.

      My history with RPI was that I applied there three times: for my bachelor's program, my master's program and my doctoral program. I was accepted all three times. And all three times, I looked at Troy and decided to go elsewhere. (Dartmouth, Arizona State, and Illinois, respectively.)

      And now I've been almost 25 years in Schenectady. (Well, in a suburb, which isn't all that bad...) I don't know why the Capital Region has got its hooks in me so much, but it has.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • Today I hiked up to Spence Field Shelter via Lead Cove trail. It's the shortest distance to the shelter at 4.9 mi. The disadvantage of this shorter trail is you start climbing from the get-go with no time to warm up. The elevation gain is about 3100'.

      As I approached the mountains this morning, I could see dark, stormy clouds and fog. I thought about turning back but the forecast said it would clear by 1100 and I had my rain jacket. I've hiked this trail before and while it wasn't easy, I was happy to find it was easier than last time. The last 1.5 mi was very slow.

      When I was 2 miles from the AT, two young girls came down the trail in the opposite direction. They stopped and asked which way I was going and wanted to know if they were going in the right direction. They were doing a loop starting at Cade's Cove, going up to the AT near Spence Field, heading 3 mi. over to Russell Field, and back down to Cade's Cove. I got them headed in the right direction but really worried about them. They had a map and they had passed a sign that clearly pointed the direction to the AT. I got to the shelter and was very happy to see them there. They had just graduated from high school and it was their first hike by themselves.

      Also at the shelter was a thru hiker, 3 section hikers, and a LASHER going to Harper's Ferry.

      After the girls ate lunch, I again pointed them in the right direction and hopefully gave them clear directions on how to get back to Cade's Cove... but I'm still a little worried.

      It turned out to be a gorgeous day in the 60's, partly sunny with a light breeze.

      Lost in the right direction.

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Traffic Jam ().

    • Kevin, a friend of mine went to RPI, one time we went to visit him at his off campus apartment and got a little lost in the city, when we called him for directions and told him what street we were on his response was "Lock the doors, speed up, ignore all traffic lights." :cursing:
      Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    • I took a walk yesterday. It was about a 12-mile "zero day" toward my aborted hike of the Northville-Placid trail last fall.

      How is a 12-mile zero - including 7.5 miles of trail that I hadn't hiked before - possible? Because the trail's been relocated, and last fall I came out on the old trail. There's a new 7.5-mile section that bypasses a 1-mile access trail and a 3.5-mile roadwalk. The old route still counts toward completion of the trail, so this won't count, but I got to visit a section of trail that I hadn't seen before. It had numerous stands of ancient hemlocks, pretty brooks, and bouncy one- and two-log bridges. The old section goes by an old one-room schoolhouse, among other historic points of interest.

      Longer trip report - including walking a half mile down the wrong trail, and an account of how I lost my lunch - at TrailJournals.


      Abner Brook


      Log bridge over Abner Brook


      Two-log bridge over Notch Brook. I thought that was rather a long way down, and that span is shaky!


      Upper Benson schoolhouse.
      I'm not lost. I know where I am. I'm right here.

    • Kathy and I did 4-5 miles today in West Hills County Park. It's home to the highest point on Long Island, a whopping 410 feet above sea level.
      We each put about 25 pounds of water bottles in our packs to get more of a workout. It was cloudy and overcast the whole time and it drizzled about 1/2 the time. Walking in that park is kinda like going to a square dance because you have to move your feet in all kinds of directions to avoid stepping on the trail muffins. The trails are shared with horses. But, it's the closest place we have to go for a walk so we go there most often. There are even spots in the park where you get the illusion of being in the woods as you can't see any houses or hear the traffic. Only thing is that it's under the approach to a local airport so that can be kinda loud, plus, a lot of people use that park. Besides the horse stables there's 2 dog park areas, so some days there's lots of people on the trails. Today was nice as we only saw a few people from a distance.
      I'm trying to do more walking in hopes that we get to the AT in Maine this summer.

    • Drove out to a county park campground Thursday evening and spent the remaining hours of the day transitioning into relaxation mode.
      It rained pretty good during the overnight but our Tarptent Rainshadow did it's usual good job and kept us dry. After a leisurely start to the day we eventually walked the marked hiking trail, all 2 miles of it. Back at the campsite it was time for lunch and a well deserved nap. Then we set out to follow the mountain bike trails. These trails turned, turned back, and wound around so much that we would have got lost if it wasn't for being able to see where the sun was, I think I'm still dizzy. Strictly as a guess I think we walked about 5 miles on the bike trails and only had to jump out of the way of bicyclists twice. Then it was back to our site to do some more resting and eventually eat dinner. Then I decided to do I something I almost never do, build a camp fire. I got a good roaring fire going and then we just sat around watching it die. It was well past dark by then so we lay us down to sleep, me Kathy, and our dog Tora. Tora is very well behaved in the tent and loves laying at the foot end of the tent, which is mesh because she can look out easily. Morning came too soon and we packed up and headed out, with a stop at a diner for breakfast. It was good time but I feel foolish for getting the weekends for the RPH Cabin work weekend confused, Oh well. And as usual, we both forgot our cameras.

    • FINALLY took a walk. It wasn't the longest but man 2.2 miles up the side of a mountain sure wasn't the easiest either. My first Alaskan summer hike/walk. No pack, just a camelbak, bear spray, my cell and some poles to keep me from sliding back down the scree. I figured there was no point in continuing to just sit at the bottom while my husband rides the lift up and then rides his bike back down, so I hiked up and rode the tram back down, then had to walk another roughly 1.5 miles back to the car, since the tram line does not dump out near where parking for the bike park is located. It was hot (for Alaska) and sunny. Beautiful day and beautiful scenery. I took the Tanaka Cat Trap Trail up Alyeska Mountain instead of opting for the more popular North Face Trail. I only encountered one other hiker/walker but on the way down saw probably 100 on the other trail, so I'm glad I went with the one I did.

      The pics aren't the best because they were shot blind with my cell phone, since I couldn't see the screen at all and just had to hope I got something resembling a photograph.
      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot

    • I'm doing a ton of walking in Seattle. Been here for a few days but can't get used to the time change.

      Had my debit card number stolen and my bank acct depleted on Wednesday but got reimbursed. Dropped a $20 on the ground yesterday and some asshole picked it up and stole it.

      Big cities are ok for a few days but I couldn't live in one.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • I took a walk today up to Rendezvouz Peak. It was 55 and sunny in the valley and probably no warmer than 30 at the top with a nice breeze of about 15 mph with gusts every 30 second or so of 30 mph or more. Supposedly it's still August but Alaska begs to differ.

      The trailhead starts at 2600 feet and the peak sits at 4101 feet. We opted to take the shorter, but much steeper side trail up and the actual peak trail back down. It was the opposite direction of travel most people were going but I think I like having the gentle slope on the way back down where there was almost no scree.

      That's Anchorage, JBER and the Cook Inlet.

      That out of focus blob in the background is the top of Denali peeking out above the clouds. To the left under the clouds is the smoke plume from the latest wildfire up that way, I believe.


      Site Summit - a former Nike Missile facility, in the background behind my husband.


      Looking back up at the peak from the trail head/parking lot.


      Eagle River, AK in the valley and a bunch of recently snow covered mountains whose names I do not know.

      “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T. S. Eliot

    • Wow! Everybody went hiking today. My niece and I did 6 miles on the FL Trail in Etoniah looking for BF and doing calls. We started late. No pics cuz of the rain. There must have been a gully washer, toad strangler before we got there cuz some of the roads were turned into pretty swift creeks. Got really wet but enjoyed each others company, She is a sport. She said that was the most exersize she ever got. Good thing she is in marching band. They keep changing the trail in Etoniah. There is a different route every time I go there.

    • TrafficJam wrote:

      I introduced a friend to hiking today. :)

      We got a really early start and hiked by headlamp for a while. Temps were in the low 50's, damp and chilly.
      To make the first hike truly memorable, you have to get lost and finally return to the start sometime past midnight. I did this to someone while living in Luxembourg. Fortunately she became addicted to hiking.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • Dan76 wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I introduced a friend to hiking today. :)

      We got a really early start and hiked by headlamp for a while. Temps were in the low 50's, damp and chilly.
      To make the first hike truly memorable, you have to get lost and finally return to the start sometime past midnight. I did this to someone while living in Luxembourg. Fortunately she became addicted to hiking.
      At least Luxembourg is a relatively small country.

      I believe that is one where they had the decorated cow statues everywhere (like Berlin's bears).
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Dan76 wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      I introduced a friend to hiking today. :)

      We got a really early start and hiked by headlamp for a while. Temps were in the low 50's, damp and chilly.
      To make the first hike truly memorable, you have to get lost and finally return to the start sometime past midnight. I did this to someone while living in Luxembourg. Fortunately she became addicted to hiking.

      I got lost one tmie years ago, could happen agani, anways.

      We were out camping and had walked off from camp. Climbed a small hill, flat on top. Sort of a small butte, about 50 feet high.

      After walking around for a few hours, it wasgetting late and I wanted all of us back in camp before dark. So, I asked the kids 'which way back to camp ? Anybody know ?'

      Much yelling, running back and forth. I sat down on a long, first checking for snakes and insects.

      After about 20 minutes, they stopped and asked me, between trying to catch their breath, why was I so calm ?

      I mentioned that we had talked about this just a few weeks bezfore, not to panic. So they sat down.

      I said, Well, we aren't lost. We kow we are on planet Earth, central time zone, July, we haven't walked long enough to be outside the county we live in. Now, be quiet and listen. We could hear earth moving equipment off one direction and cars driving down pavement in another direction. So I pointed out the lake dam construction had to be off to the west of camp. The paved road was east of camp. And I hear someonie chopping firewood. Since we are the only ones camping out here, then camp is in the direction of the wood choping.

      We did have to find a way back down, but we just spread out along the rim and looked. Got back to camp in about 20 minutes.

      All of that area is under water now. Hopefully I taught those kids not to panic and think it out.

      About 5 months later I went into the U.S. Navy.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

    • SAR folks were out in the Unitahs last week looking for a 77 year old man separated from his group. He had proper clothing, sufficient H2O, and a few snacks. He spent 4 nights in cool temps without ill effects.

      Proper mental attitude and a bit of kit go a long ways to ensure one has bragging rights.

      Lest we forget.....


      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC

    • On Tuesday I hiked Curry Mt. Trail and a section of Meigs Mt. Trail for a total of 11 miles.
      Curry Mt. Trail is close to some very popular trails in the Smokies (the Sinks, Alum Cave, etc.) so it's overlooked and rarely used. It's a perfect trail for a day of solitude.
      I've hiked most of the network of trails in that area but never that section of Meigs Mt. It was eerie at times with close, viney trees, a light breeze, and lots of fresh bear scat.

      It's really dry here. 4(?) streams on this hike were completely dry.
      Lost in the right direction.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Traffic Jam ().

    • Did an out and back trail run on Saturday - 12 miles total - Rock Gap to Albert Mountain Fire tower - this 6.2 or so miles put me over the half way mark on re-walking (and sometimes running) the whole trail.
      Hope all of your guys are well - I have been off the computer for about a year now - I just show up now and again - anyone have a cold beer?

    • PapaD wrote:

      Did an out and back trail run on Saturday - 12 miles total - Rock Gap to Albert Mountain Fire tower - this 6.2 or so miles put me over the half way mark on re-walking (and sometimes running) the whole trail.
      Hope all of your guys are well - I have been off the computer for about a year now - I just show up now and again - anyone have a cold beer?
      o'douls.
      its all good