Tough Choice Tonight.

I would like to cruse Pilot Knob Ridge and work a little on the shrubby honey suckle infestation in the gazebo clearing, but I have an opportunity to work on the blue trail at Cat Mt. I have a rare entire day to do trail work and I think that given the state of that trail and that fact that we are at the start of the hiking season, that I will go there tomorrow. Before I go though I am going to stop at the PKR Kiosk and drop of a stack of trail maps.

We have had wet weather, but no bad weather since I last hiked the trails so I am confident that the trails are in good shape. I only have couple of trail markers to replace and the post at the gazebo clearing needs a couple of new markers, but these are minor fixes that can wait a week. I also would say that the waterfall is flowing well and will be worth a hike up to the falls.

Have fun

Spent a Day on Cat and Thomas Mt in Bolton

With Pilot Knob Ridge in fairly good shape I was looking for something different so I decided to visit the Lake George Land Conservancy's Cat and Thomas Preserve this past Sunday. I am so glad I did on many levels. First, the views from the top of Cat Mountain are nothing short of stunning. Start early in the morning and get up there before 8:00 on a clear morning and you will be rewarded with a new and spectacular view of Lake George. This Sunday there was not one boat or wake of a boat to be seen and the water was like a blue placid crystal the way the sun had shone on it. The hike up is easy and only takes about an hour. Most of the distance is flat with a little up hill at the end.

I said that I was glad that I went up on many levels, well one of the other levels is that I ran into a large amount of blow down concentrated on the ridge trail (blue) that leads from Cat to Thomas. It was passable, but a little difficult to follow at times. I have contacted the LGLC and they are right now putting out a call for help and will shortly be organizing a work gang. I will attempt to clear some of the blow down within the next couple of weeks as my schedule allows. I was a little concerned that this may have happened as I have been hiking a lot in the Lake George Basin and there as been a lot of ice damage above 1500 feet. Some of the stories I have been reading are saying the same for the High Peaks. Even with the blow down, the blue trail is fun to hike. It is a true woods trail that are a bit of a rarity with all the hiking that is going on. It is marked with blue disks and cairns in spots and offers some interesting views from time to time.

I didn't bring my camera as I was afraid of a rain shower, but I want to bring it to show some of these interesting aspects of the blue ridge trail

Hike Cat and Thomas, just use care, keep an eye on your back trail and hike with a buddy.

A little brushing today

I went up to the Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve today to brush out the trail. Brushing the trail for the most part is taking a pair of limb loppers and cutting anything that falls with a 4x8 window with the center line of the trail. Like if you were carrying a door in front of you and cut anything that hits the door. Also, I had to cut away any new growth that blocked some of our trail markers. I did not have too cut much and the trails are for the most part dry and all clear waiting for hikers to enjoy it's winding spender!

Took a couple of pictures today something to show the kids to help motivate them to join you. I always find and see something every time I go out to visit the PKR.

This rock feature is located on the blue trail loop just up from the intersection at the falls. With a little imagination and story telling it could become a wood elf house. Okay I'm reaching, but I used to have to get creative with my kids.

This is one of many open wood areas that offer the birders a chance to see birds they are watching a little more upobstructed. I am not great at bird identification, but I heard a bunch of different calls today and saw a lot of movement as I worked up the trail. I think that if you are a bird watcher this would be a great place to sit and quietly watch the birds flit around in there quest to survive and thrive.

Saw this little nest right next to the trail. Looks like last years.

All in all it was another great day at the PKR. One sour note. At the beginning of the blue trail there is a 4x4 post with trail markers on it, well someone decided to take a couple of trail markers as souvenirs and the post my be a little confusing, so when you are at it just look around for the blue and orange markers to pick up the trails. You will spot them easily. I will fix it when I go up again within two weeks.

Oh, to leave on a positive note. My first waterbar that I put in on the blue trail above the falls worked great and held up to all the rain we had. I learned a lot for making that one and feel confident that I can construct more to help keep the PKR trails in good shape.

Signs of Spring

I went up the trails of the Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve again today and took a couple of pics that are sure signs of spring.

The first wildflowers of the year. The image doesn't do them justice.

This for me is a view that I love. There is no ice on Lake George. Let the Summer begin!!!!!

A beautiful day for trail work.

I worked on some lingering trail work today. I missed going up to the PKR last weekend as the cold finally caught me. I removed two large fallen trees that were blocking the treadway and I placed a waterbar on the upper blue trail loop to attempt to remove some of the water from the trail and help slow a little erosion problem that is occurring there. This is my fist waterbar and I want to see how this works before I do another a little south of that one.

One thing I learned today is that there are a lot of rocks on the preserve. I never used the shovel, I had to did it all with a mattock.

Tomorrow I may have an opportunity to go back up and I plan to take some pics and work on the shrubby honeysuckle infestation at the gazebo clearing.

A different look at the Driveway trail

I would like to take a few moments to discuss one of the many unique features that the Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve (PKR), located on the eastside of Lake George, has. I feel the need to talk about this attribute because I believe that many people, especially first time PKR hikers, are surprise and feel disappointed when they see it. I did. I have even read some trail accounts that mention this man-made feature negatively. What I am talking about is a short section of the orange trail loop that includes the original driveway which leads up to the gazebo clearing. What I would like to suggest to the hiker who walks on this path is that this driveway, gravel and macadam in spots, is that the drive has many benefits and lessons for the hiker if one takes some time to think about them. The drive provides us with an existing hardened surface to hike, an educational opportunity for adults and children, a reminder of why we have access to this land in the first place, and an opportunity for people who want to hike, but find the rocky uneven trails painful on their knees, a somewhat less taxing path to the views at the gazebo.

When I first hiked PKR last spring I headed up from the kiosk, as everyone does, and when I reached the first intersection on the orange trail loop I went to the right instead of going straight. I was greeted with a nice hike through some stunning open woods along a slope with a couple of sharp switchbacks. This led me out to what looked like an abandoned gravel road. I thought that I missed a turn, but then caught sight of an orange trail marker when I looked uphill. As I started up, the road turned from gravel to asphalt and back again, and I felt a slight disappointment as I walked on it. I wanted to go for a walk on a nice nature trail, not some paved road (only a very short section) in the middle of the woods. Before long I arrived at the gazebo clearing and took a moment to take in the beautiful views of Lake George and the surrounding mountains. The feeling of disenchantment had not left me until I decided to hike the blue trail, soon forgetting about the walk on the driveway. When I was done and had been to the waterfalls and completed all the loops of the trail system I was thinking less of the drive and more of what this little gem of a preserve provided me with. The PKR trails afford me a couple of hours of quiet hiking through open woods with chances to enjoy scenic views and opportunities to see and hear Adirondack wildlife. I had a wonderful trip.

Fast forward to September and I was looking at the Lake George Land Conservancy’s (LGLC) web site and asked them if I could become a volunteer Preserve Steward at the PKR. They thankfully allowed me into the program and I started hiking the trails each weekend. That is when my attitude about the drive began to change. When I had my first meeting with my contact at the LGLC, I mentioned my disappointment at the drive being part of the trail system. The gentleman that I met with said they considered rerouting the trail, but decided not to, due to the lack of better options. As I became more knowledgeable about trail building and maintenance, I realized that it would not be environmentally responsible to reroute the trail when you have a hardened trail already in existence.

I started to ask myself questions like why create yet another thread up to the clearing that could potentially erode? For that matter instead of abandoning the drive, I thought why not just reclaim it and turn it into a nice little foot trail? Again that would be environmentally irresponsible as it really would be a waste of energy, material, and labor when nature will eventually reclaim the trail anyway. During my first few weekends hiking this part of the trail, I realized that nature was already removing the drive and if you look you will see examples of this all the way up the trail: frost heaves, water erosion, plants encroaching onto the road and roots buckling the pavement in spots, just to name a few. In fact there is one spot on one of the switchbacks where I may have to fix a section before the entire drive is washes out. This drive provides a lesson in the persistence and permanence of nature. A lesson that can be taught to youngsters who are visiting the PKR and offers them an example of how nature acts and changes things that we mean to be permanent. There is something to be said when you see a tree sprouting from a crack in the pavement. So this driveway provides us with an educational opportunity as to how nature becomes part of the reclamation process. An example of how nature is at times the best “reclaimer.”

Another feature that this driveway provides the hiker with is that it reminds us of why this little jewel hidden away in the southern Adirondacks is allowed to be used by the public in the first place. The story that I heard was that the high cost of the drive alerted the authorities that the people who were building it may be getting their funds from illegal sources. After an investigation, the house, drive and all the land were confiscated and put into a trust. In other words, a person who is hiking and enjoying this property today can be thankful for the existence of the driveway.

One last benefit the drive offers is that it provides people who have trouble on steep uneven trails with a short respite from the pounding that trails can give ones joints. This route up allows people who normally would not be able to enjoy a preserve like the PKR an opportunity to hike up and have lunch at the gazebo while they wonder at the spectacular views a short walk up a hill can offer.

For some hikers this driveway that may take the “nature” out of the nature hike for a short section of the trail system; however, it really provides a solid logical tread up to the clearing without the loss of labor or material, it offers an example of how nature acts on man made structures, it gives us an example of some of the thoughts that go into the reclamation of lands, it reminds us why we are allowed on this property in the first place, and it even provides those with bad wheels a route up so they can enjoy one of the best views in the southern Adirondacks. These thoughts are what make me view and think of this drive in a much more positive way.

If you are still turned off to walking on the driveway, you can go straight at the lower orange trail intersection and just head down from the gazebo using the same path and not do the orange trail loop…but do the loop, the walk along the slope is worth it. I have seen a lot of wildlife there.

Early Spring

What a difference a week makes. Finally signs of spring. Last week the trails where either icy or covered with 12 inches of snow. Today, most of the snow is gone, the birds are singing and I saw 4 deer at the first orange trail intersection. Wonderful day to hike!!


This is a shot from the gazebo clearing at Pilot Knob Ridge. Look at the lake ice in the far center, see the space in the ice? The ice is beginning to break up.

This is very recent wood pecker activity found on the Blue trail.

Here is a view looking south away from the gazebo at the post that marks the beginning of the blue trail. The blue trail heads east (left in photo) from the post into the woods.

Last week the falls was encased in ice, now it is freely flowing and beautiful!

This is an impromptu fire pit at the gazebo clearing is the only bad thing that I found today. The trails are relatively clean of trash :-) Having a fire at the Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve is not allowed by the Lake George Land Conservancy. The carbonized wood that you see from the remains of this fire will have to be raked up and scatted to hide the evidence that this fire existed. If I don't, this pile of carbonized wood will be around for a long time. Please remember that when you hike in any woods that you do not want to leave any evidence that you have been there. Even a seemly harmless fire in the winter scars the earth and will be visible for years.