Gore Mountain Topography

I hear a lot about the flat spots at Gore — like it or not, they’re part of the Gore Brand. In the beginning during the ride up and slide down days, heels were free and trails like Rabbit Pond followed rolling terrain going both up and down. Nobody seemed to mind the exercise.

Gore Mountain 1965
Gore Mountain 1965

During the early period of lift served skiing on Bear Mountain, in the mid-sixties, there were no flat spots. The East and the North Sides functioned nicely as a mountain with higher elevations, more vertical and more terrain than the Ski Bowl.

In the late sixties, the funds became available to develop the true summit of Gore. Some of the very best terrain at Gore Mountain was added under the Straightbrook and Summit Chairs.

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Thirteenth Lake Hike, NY

I spent the morning stacking wood and getting ready for next ski season. By the early afternoon I was ready for a break and decided to check out the “new” trail that allows you to hike around Thirteenth Lake without bushwacking. It connects Peaked Mountain trail to the Hour Pond trail on the western side of the lake.

View of Thirteenth Lake from NY state campsite

I’ve been thinking a lot about Thirteenth Lake lately — it just seemed appropriate to hike the newest trail in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness and complete a loop around the lake.

There has been so much rain that the trail was being drenched by “streams” that have sprung from the steep slopes of the lake’s western shore. Peaked Brook was raging. I followed the red trail up to the bridge that now crosses the brook and made my way along the new trail.

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