Balsam Lake Mountain via Mill Brook

I joined the Catskill 3500 Club for a hike for the first time in over a year (thanks vaccines!) for hike up Balsam Lake Mountain via Mill Brook Ridge. My previous two jaunts up that peak had been round-trips from the north. Mill Brook is a longer hike, making it perfect for a shuttle and thus for a group hike.

We started at Alder Lake, following the north shore of the lake, then began the gradual climb to the top of Mill Brook Ridge. This is one of the Catskill 100 highest and was as a stand-in for Doubletop during the past year. (It only misses the 3500 criteria by 20 feet.) We followed the trail as it descended, followed a ridge, and climbed again to end at a junction with the Balsam Lake Mountain Trail. From there, it is only .25 and mostly flat to the tower. 

While the tower cab wasn't open, we could walk to the top of the stairs and get a fine view. 

Hiking out was only 1.5 miles, starting out quite steep and moderating to flat at the end.

A couple of us returned to the start and did a full loop around the lake. This is almost entirely flat - there is one very modest hill. 

Total mileage for the day was 10.8 miles.

Rockefeller State Park

As I am finally all vaxxed up, I went on what was only my third hike with my club, and the first out of the city, in 14 months. A hike from Tarrytown to Rockefeller State Park Preserve sounded perfect as a way to ease back in - long mileage, but gentle hills only.

From the train station, we walked along the water, past the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, finally turning inland towards Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. From there, we entered Rockefeller State Park and took a circuitous route through it, returning eventually to the western side. We followed the Old Croton Aqueduct back to Tarrytown.

Much of the park is open fields, and nearly all the trails are wide carriage roads, so it has a very different feel than the areas I typically hike in. I suspect that at the peak of summer, the open areas may be uncomfortably hot and sunny, but it was perfect for a nice spring day. The carriage roads had the benefit of more easily allowing club members to chat as they walked.

Industry City Fire Tower

This isn't a hike, but I'm writing about the Industry City Fire Tower here as part of my quest to visit fire towers. 

It's one of two fire towers in NYC. The other, at Marcus Garvey Park, was actually used in that location as part of a network of urban towers. This one was rebuilt in Brooklyn as a landmark in a gentrifying warehouse-to-mall development. In its past life, it was atop Moosehead Mountain, upstate.

Alas, you can't climb the tower - the first flight of stairs has been removed. 

Taking newbies to the lighthouse

I've been to the Little Red Lighthouse many times, but K had never been. So we took a walk up there last weekend.

Hiking the Bridle Trail and "Hiker's Choice"

I went up to VCP yesterday to finish removing wineberry from my trail section* and also to get in one, let's say two, more trails in.

The Bridle Trail is a trail I've been on many times; a few years ago, we did quite a bit of work at the north end, removing mugwort and other invasives and planting trees. But it's another trail that I rarely walk the length of, particularly the lower section connecting to the Parade Ground.

Like it says on the tin, it's a wide, flat trail, suitable for horses. One of the neater features is this roadcut. However, if you're going to paint over graffiti, use paint that matches the rock. Otherwise, you might as well leave the graffiti.

The 21 in 21 Challenge also requires you to hike at least 1.4 miles of your choice of trail, so I decided to use yesterday's walk on the John Muir and my loop as my "hiker's choice."

* Yes, I realize you can't eradicate it in one season. Also, I'm working near the trail, and therefore possibly missing thickets elsewhere. But let's say that any wineberry visible from the trail has been pulled up, for now.