Brrrrrrr....

I took a friend up on the PKR trails on a frosty late November day. It was his first time up and I think that he enjoyed his hike. This little preserve has a way of growing on you.

I didn't see anyone and only saw a few squirrels and a late in the season chipmunk. That was a little surprising as they usually are are all tucked in for a long winters nap by now. With the cold snap that we are having the ground is frozen solid, so the flurries that have fallen over the past couple of days have stuck in isolated pockets creating some beautiful scenes.

The waterfall is stunning as it is an ice falls already!!!! Last your it was flowing free into late December.

Looking out from the Gazebo, we could see that Warner Bay was frozen from shore to shore to the 5 mph zone. I feel bad for one pontoon boat owner, whose boat is frozen solid in the Lake. It was nice at the Gazebo as the air was crystal clear and we could see north far into the Adirondacks. You can see that the snow guns were blazing on Gore. I hope that the ski areas have a good year. The irony will not be lost on me if this year turns out to be one of the best for snow, but no one has any money for a ski pass.

Use care on the trails as there are a couple of icy spots, but other than that there are no issues effecting you travels on the PKR.

Leave No Trace Part 2

2. TRAVEL AND CAMP ON DURABLE SURFACES Hike in the middle of the trail; stay off of vegetation.Camp in designated sites where possible.In other areas,
don't camp within 150 feet of water or a trail.

While camping is off limits on Pilot Knob Ridge, making sure that you stay on the trail is the important thing to take from this rule. The trails on the PKR are, even in the wet season good, but even when there is water on the trails you still want to stay in the trail's thread. I know, who wants to walk through the mud? However, keeping in the trail's thread is important in keeping the trail from widening past it's intended width. You will notice on very busy, wet trails that there will be areas where a 3 foot wide trail widens to 6 or more feet to avoid a wet area on the trail. This will cause the wet area to increase in size as hikers try to keep their feet dry and becomes a vicious cycle. So if you think that you will be slogging through some early spring hiking you will want good water proof foot gear and gaiters to keep you pants dry. You may find that depending on the time of year that you may have over prepared for the hike, but when you are hiking a trail for the first time it is best to be prepared.



Also, do not cut switchbacks to shorten your walk. This is a problem that we continue to have on the Orange trail near the driveway. There are two heard paths that if they are allowed to continue will end up causing the trail to eroade faster as the water from the hill is beginning to run straight down the herd path. remember that Leave No Trace means that you do not want to create a new path.

Leave No Trace

I have been doing a little research and thinking about the principals of Leave No Trace. The way they are written they are met to be applied to a variety of situations. I thought it would be good to take each of the 7 principals and see how they should be applied to our Pilot Knob Ridge Preserve. I also will break this down into seven parts.

1. PLAN AHEAD AND PREPARE Know the regulations and special considerations for the area you'll visit.Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies. Travel in groups of less than ten people to minimize impacts.

This is fairly straight forward. At PKR there are only a few rules, but there are some.

No Hunting
Please stay on the marked trails.
Please be courteous of other guests at the preserve.
Please do not harass or harm any of the plants or animals found at the preserve.
No removal of plants or animals without permission.
No camping, littering, fires, motorized or non-motorized recreational vehicles allowed on the preserve.
Leashed dogs are permitted except at the Gull Bay Preserve due to its ecological sensitivity.
Please park only in the preserve’s designated areas. If all spaces are full, please reschedule your visit. Do not park on neighboring properties.

Now you know. Many of these are tied into the other 6 principles as we will see later.

While this trail system is only four miles long, you don't have pack for the high peaks, it still is a good idea to bring along a couple of snacks, something warm to put on, a first aid kit and some water. just because you never know. In general it is always good over prepare within reason. My father always used to say that you cannot put on what you don't bring.

It is always better hike with someone even on a small preserve like the PKR again for safety's sake. If you don't, this is something that I am guilty of, you should always let someone know where you are and when to expect you back. This is very important. When I go up, solo to do tail work, my wife knows where, when, and how.

That is it for the first principal. As you can see this may be adapted and expanded to where you are going.

Fall at Pilot Knob Ridge

Finally made it up to the PKR after a month away. I missed this little preserve. I took some pics for you to enjoy.


You can see the mist on Lake George as there was frost on the pumpkin and the water is still a balmy 60 F. Anyone want to go swimming?

Here is a good example of why it is a good idea to hike at different times of the year. This is a 30 foot high rock face that is obscured when the leaves are out, but is as clear as day when the leaves have dropped. Another little feature of this marvelous preserve.

Here is a shot that shows some of the color this young hardwood forest offers.

Shot from the gazebo at early morning.

Here is an example of how the trail can disappear in the fall. You are looking up a well trod section of the blue trail and it is almost gone. If you look close in the picture you can see the blue trail markers. At this time of year it is good to keep a close eye on the trail markers. During the fall season sometimes the trail can vanish. This is also why you will notice that the PKR trails are a little over marked. There is a reason to our madness...sometimes.

Anyway the trails are great and this is a good time to be outside. Cool weather and no bugs. Also you can enjoy the army of grey squirrels scurrying through the leaves burying there acorns for winter use.

"Early Bird Gets the Worm"

I am soo embarrassed. This is probably one of the busiest hiking weekends in the Adirondacks and I had planned on putting in a waterbar on the blue trail above the waterfall. I got up late and when I reached the parking lot at 9:30 it was full with no legal place to park.

I always get up early and never am on the trail later than 8:00 am. My mistake. I feel bad as I have not been on the PKR for three weeks and I am having withdrawals. I know that through this month that there is still a Stewards Assistance making sure the trails are in good shape at all the preserves, but still I was looking forward to going. Next week then.

I did make sure the kiosk was filled with guides and such.

Fall Foliage is at It's Peak!!!

The weather is going to be gorgeous this weekend and the leaves are just about at peak. It is a wonderful time to visit Pilot Knob Ridge or some other hike and get out and enjoy some of the best that the region offers without the crowds of the High Peaks. It is a cheap why to enrich your life.

I will be back

I just made my last hike into the adirondacks and I will be back on patrol this coming weekend. I will have the kiosk stocked early Saturday for the hoard of leaf lookers who will hopefully visit this weekend