The weather forecast for today included snow squalls, but it was clear and sunny in the morning when Frankie was getting ready for school, right up until about 5 minutes before we had to leave. We went upstairs to brush our teeth and when we came back down, darkness had descended. It snowed enough in just those few minutes that I had to clean the car off, and was snowing hard enough that the window I cleaned first was already completely covered again by the time I did a lap around the car. Not exactly ideal... I dropped Frankie off and headed south toward Mariposa State Forest, which I had been looking forward to exploring after knocking out a Finger Lakes Trail roadwalk leading there during hunting season.
However, the snow was continuing to dump down, and the roads were atrocious. My progress was slow and I started to worry about parking. The trailhead at Mariposa State Forest has no parking lot; it requires parking on the shoulder of a rural county road that likely receives less attention than the State routes I was currently negotiating. So I changed my plans and went to Highland Forest instead. Not as exciting, since I've been there many times, but it seemed prudent. Highland Forest is a county park, with a staff that plows the parking lot: I knew I would be able to get in and out safely. I popped into the Lodge, paid $3 for a hiking pass, signed the register, and headed back outside to hit the trails. In the short time I was inside, the squall passed and it was back to blue skies. It was somewhat of a shock after 45 minutes of white knuckle driving through blizzard conditions.
I set off down the main trunk trail, initially intending to do one of the park's nested circuits, but not thrilled with my choices. They are nice trails, but it was a bit of a Goldilocks conundrum: they were all either too short or too long. Seeing the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) markers cheered me up, though, and reminded me of the option to stick to the NCT, which I ultimately did. An out-and-back to Cowles Settlement Road was the perfect "just right" hike I was looking for. This is the reverse of a hike I did with Frankie in the fall of 2018.
The NCT follows the park's hiking loop for about 2 miles or so, and then after descending into a gully, fording a stream (above), and climbing back out, the trails split. The park trail diverges left, while the blue-blazed NCT bears right to the right (below). This section is charming and lovely, single track rather than the wider trails maintained by the park.
 |
| ostrich fern (Matteucia struthiopteris) |
When I reached my turnaround point at Cowles Settlement Road, I was shocked to see it had been plowed. It confirmed that my concerns about parking had been valid though. The shoulder parking here is wide, with space for several cars, not narrow like where I'd been planning to go -- and it was all full of snow. Roadside parking would not have been a good choice for me today.
 |
| Cowles Settlement Road, looking southeast |
 |
| roadside parking, full of snow |
Right after I turned around and started back, another squall blew in. There is a little thrill being utterly alone out in the elements, especially during extreme events like this. It was much closer to a white-out than the photos show -- pictures never really capture the density of snow or fog.
MapMyRide tracked this hike at 5.7 miles with 700 feet elevation gain. Not a bad little adventure for such a dodgy day! I was honestly pretty proud of myself for not letting the poor road conditions keep me out of the woods.
No comments:
Post a Comment