Baltimore Woods: Valley and Overlook Trails

Baltimore Woods is a nature center and natural area managed by the Central New York Land Trust.  Despite Frankie attending summer camp here for the last few years, and it being in semi-regular (though infrequent) rotation, I have somehow never dedicated a full post to our hikes here.  Today we met Erin and Alden, and made our default circuit.  This loop follows the Valley Trail down the steep hill, then crosses the stream and turns right, following the Boundary Trail east until the small gravel bed on the left.  With the labyrinth buried under the snow, we moved on, climbing up the hill on the Overlook Trail.  Of course we stopped for a snack at the eponymous overlook, then continued along, dropping back into the valley and following the Boundary Trail until the turnoff to the other side of the Valley Trail, which we climbed back up to the parking area at the top.

Northern Exposure Trail, Beaver Lake

Frankie got his first pair of snowshoes as a Christmas gift when he was three years old.  Obviously he has grown a lot in five years, so it seemed like a new pair was in order.  I wanted to get him cross-country skis, too, but my December (and this January too) involved way too many extra work hours to have time for figuring out skis.  I did manage to get him the new snowshoes to put under the tree though.  Then we just had to wait for some good snow.  We wanted to meet up with Erin, so we could pass Frankie's old snowshoes onto Alden, who is 3 years old now and ready to start his own snowshoeing adventures.  I suggested Beaver Lake, because there are two seasonal trails designated for snowshoeing there.  It is fun to go out on trails that only exist in snow cover, secret passages that are all but invisible other times of year.

Great Bear in December

Erin had mentioned a while ago that on their last visit to Great Bear, she and Alden had ventured along the river beyond our normal turnaround point, coming back a different way, via the Root Hill Trail instead of Great Bear Road.  This is not significantly longer but adds great interest, and avoids a big climb at the end of the hike, which is advantageous when hiking with young kids.  Frankie and I were immediately intrigued, and excited to join in another time.  Today proved a perfect opportunity!  We hadn't made advance plans and had a lazy morning, but it looked so nice outside, I started to get itchy.  Alden has stopped napping, which makes it easier to wing it with haphazard adventures, so Erin and I texted back and forth a bit and decided to go for it.  Neither of us had packable lunch supplies, so we met at Friendly's for a bit of lunch first.  The boys were thrilled, of course.  Then... off to the woods!!

Kane Mountain Redux

I love traveling and I love days trips.  Hiking Bald Mountain a few weeks ago just ramped up my always latent desire to be in the mountains, to be adventuring.  I immediately began scheming about how we could get back up to the Adirondacks.  We have not tested Alden's range yet, and don't want to overdo it and burn him out on hiking mountains.  However, Frankie and I hiked Kane Mountain together back in 2015, and knew from experience that it is comparable to Bald Mountain in both distance and elevation gain.  If anything, it might be a little easier, because there is less scrambling and exposure.  Based on how easily Alden scampered up Bald, we knew he could handle Kane.  Now we just had to wait for good weather.  Ha!

Bald: the Perfect First Mountain

Bald Mountain, a.k.a., Rondaxe Mountain, is located a short distance outside the tourist mecca of Old Forge.  It is a short hike to the top, about 0.9 miles, and with an elevation gain around 500 feet, is quite easy.  This accessibility, coupled with the gorgeous views out over the Fulton Chain Lakes, plus the thrill of the fire tower, makes it a very popular hike.  Sometimes when things are popular for a good reason, it is worth it to deal with the crowds, and such is the case here.  Since it is a two hour drive for us to get to the trailhead, we don't hike it frequently, but it a fun treat every few years.  For example, I hiked it in 2010 with Erwin, when I was pregnant.  In 2014, when Frankie was three and a half years old, Erin and I took him up it for his first entirely self-propelled mountain hike (he had hiked up Owl's Head in Keene before that, but I carried him back down that one).  Then last summer, Frankie and I hiked it again on the same day as Rocky, in pursuit of the Fulton Chain Trifecta.

Great Bear in July

Somehow almost a year has passed since Frankie and I last visited Great Bear.  Last time we'd planned to go, Erin discovered there was a mountain biking event, so we elected to go elsewhere instead to avoid the crowds and speedy bikes.  I was honestly a bit surprised to find it had really been so long, as it feels like a frequent destination.  Nevertheless, Frankie and I were both excited to go there, and excited to see Erin and Alden for the first time since before our trip.  We set off along our normal route: Great Bear Road > Alec's Trail > the River Landing, and then had the obligatory long play session by the river.  When the madness became too much, we decided to start hiking back. 

Clark in June

I don't post about the majority of our hikes at Clark Reservation State Park, just because we go there so often, and I have posted about it so many other times.  I have never bothered documenting solo hikes here, and have mostly transitioned to posting only hikes that include family members beyond Frankie and I, just for the fun of looking back at the pictures later.  Even on this front I have been slacking: Frankie and I hiked here with Mary in October 2017 and with Erin and Alden in September 2017, and I didn't document either hike.  In fact, it's been almost a year since I last posted a Clark hike. 

Searching for Bobolinks at Three Rivers

My Dad's birthday was this past week, on a work/school day, and we didn't get together then; he had dinner plans with extended family.  I suggested we get together for a hike today and go look for the bobolinks at Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area.  Bobolinks are migratory birds that return to the area this time of year.  They nest in grasslands and the big open fields east of Sixty Road are a good place to find them.  Bobolinks are funny little birds, the way they perch on plants bobbing in the wind.  Bruce and Debbie always enjoyed birding together, and looking for bobolinks on his birthday has long been a fun way to mark the season.  I haven't accompanied them/him on such a mission since Frankie was born, and we weren't sure how much luck we'd have today... would two noisy little boys and a rambunctious dog keep the bobolinks away?

Mt. Jo

Mt. Jo 

2,876 feet

Frankie's favorite part of our frequent hikes at Clark Reservation is all the scrambling over rocks, so when it came time to select his next Adirondack hike, Mt. Jo seemed like a good choice: it's short and sweet with lots of rocks to climb.  Before leaving for the holiday weekend in Keene, Frankie and I sat down and looked at photos of his previous Adirondack adventures.  Erwin and I had already been talking up the hike for a few days, but I wanted the visual reminder that the mountains are different from our local hikes.  Looking at the old pictures from Owl's Head also reminded him of 'Murfy, so the smurf came along on this hike, too.  

Chemin de Nietzsche, France

"All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking." 

- Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, Or, How to Philosophize With the Hammer

Èze is the only locale in which we stayed during both 2013 and 2014 France trips.  We flew out of Nice both times, and ended up returning simply because our first stay there was so charmed... it felt too short.  The village is storybook, perched high above the Mediterranean.  The views are beyond amazing.  Plus, it is super convenient to the airport: a quick, easy, and scenic jaunt up the coast.  It was when researching the area before our first stay that Erwin read about the Nietzsche Trail.  The path is named for the German philosopher, of course.  Apparently he spent time in Èze-sur-Mer, frequenting the steep path up to Èze village, and perhaps even conceived some of Thus Spoke Zarathustra* on these hikes.  We saw the trailhead when staying in Èze the first time, but we did not attempt the hike.  The trail is approximately a mile and a half with roughly 1,400 feet in elevation change (each way).  Frankie was still 2, not yet ready to navigate such terrain independently, but too heavy to carry without the carrier.  

Bald Mountain Fire Tower

Bald Mountain is under 2 miles roundtrip, with about 500 feet elevation gain, and was a natural choice for Frankie's next Adirondack hike.  I've been up Bald before, most recently in 2010 when pregnant, so knew the trail was something Frankie could handle.  The summit ridge has beautiful views out over the Fulton chain of lakes, and an open fire tower – always fun.  Plus, the Old Forge area is much closer than the High Peaks, just a 2-hour drive each way, so within reach for a day trip.  I had this notion we could squeeze in a hike before the bugs came out.  Unfortunately, that part of the mission was not entirely successful, as the black flies were out already.  However, despite the early fliers, we had a great day in the woods.

Baby Turtles at Three Rivers

Photo by Erin

Having already been to Clark Reservation once so far this month, and twice in April, we were looking for a change of scenery and decided to hike at Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area.  We met Erin at the parking lot along Sixty Road.  First we checked out the short wildlife viewing boardwalk, then headed westward on the two track north of what is variously called either Green Pond or the 100 Acre Swamp.  Frankie and I hadn't been on this trail in two years, back when he would start hikes on his own power, then ride in the big external frame Kelty carrier when he was tired.  It is fun taking him back to such places so he can claim them for his own.