ORDA’s Ski3 Opens Early

Opening weekend in New York is always a special time. After months of summer heat we anticipate autumn’s first frost. Skiers often get a first glimpse of the winter season once the resorts fire up their snow guns.

Whiteface view from the base

In a typical year, Whiteface works to open on Black Friday. While this fall hasn’t been exactly cold, the temperatures and humidity aligned this past week to allow each of the Ski3 mountains to start making snow on limited terrain.

Whiteface, the tallest of the three, opened up 1.3 miles of trail with 1,840’ of vertical that ran from the top of the Summit Quad from Riva Ridge down through Paron’s Run, over to Lower Northway and finally exiting off of Summit Express.

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The Bristol Hills Trail

As seasons change, so do our methods of outdoor recreation. When ILoveNY starts to put out their Fall Foliage Report, it ques my brain to contemplate hiking in the Adirondacks.

Naples Creek Trail Head

The ADK region is usually first for peak foliage in early October, and I wasn’t able to make it work. Luckily here in the Finger Lakes, peak is much later. The large bodies of water hold heat and delay the onset of cooler temperatures needed to trigger the color change in leaves, and extend the fall foliage season. The FLX has some challenging hikes, and I set my sights on Naples. The Bristol Hills Trail is a 50-mile branch trail of the 900+ mile Finger Lakes Trail System.

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Goodnow Mountain Ramble

As I wrote this on 14 October, fat, waterlogged snowflakes were pelting out of the sky and accumulating in my yard. The upcoming weekend was Columbus Day, the swan song for hikers. On Sunday, I got out into the woods, hoping to get a measure of solitude. I gazed at the bottom of the map. Hoffman Notch or Goodnow Mountain?

I chose Goodnow. The trailheads alongside Route 73 confirmed my decision. They were all stuffed to the max with cars. I wouldn’t mind climbing Cascade again, but not with 500 of my closest friends. I turned onto the Northway to dash down to exit 29 and Blue Ridge Road.

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