Shawn Dempsey of Hickory Ski Center

I drove to Hickory Ski Center last weekend to check on progress at New York’s most recent New England Lost Ski Area Project (NELSAP) alumnus. The recently reopened ski hill is five miles from Warrensburg, New York. The terrain of the area is unique — round, steep hills are separated by a beautiful, broad valley.

Hickory Ski Center

Shawn Dempsey, the General Manager of Hickory, met me at the hill early Saturday morning. Before we went exploring we spent some time in the Base Lodge chatting. It is in nice shape both outside and in.

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Chimney Mountain, NY

Kings Flow is a large manmade lake at the end of Big Brook Road near Indian Lake. The body of water is named for the King family, who logged and farmed the area in the late 1800s.

Kings Flow

The Kings Flow trailhead is a primary access point for the northwestern Siamese Ponds Wilderness. The Flow is primarily on private land, but the current owners allow access to Puffer Pond and Chimney Mountain.

Chimney is a well-known, traditional destination. The 900-foot climb is steep, but short, and leads to expansive views, caves, and the Chimney itself: an interesting geologic formation.

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The Fifth Season

Some label bug season the Fifth Season. In my mind, the Fifth Season comes after fall and before winter. Maybe hunters think this way too.

Days like today defy categorization. It’s November. As a skier, you want it to be cold. You can’t call it Indian Summer — while it’s way above the average temps for this time of year, it’s still cool. If it has to be 55 degrees, in November, in the mountains — I’ll just have to enjoy it. Today challenged my ideas about this time of year.