Author: Peter Minde

Escarpment Trail Run Escapade

Posted on by Peter Minde

Memorial Day. No Indianapolis 500 for me, we don’t own a television. At 6 AM, I set out for a raid in the Catskills. I wanted to reprise a run I did 15 years ago as training for the Escarpment Trail Run.

Windham High Peak
Somewhere on Windham High Peak

Setting out from the western terminus of the Escarpment Trail on Route 23, I planned to go over Windham and Blackhead, the first two peaks in the race. Then turn right, go over Black Dome, drop in to Big Hollow, and return to my car going over Windham again. It’s a bit over 19 miles, longer than the actual Escarpment race.

Clouds and low fog covered the mountains as I drove up Route 23 from the Thruway. By 9 AM, I was moving.

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Tagged: Hiking5 Comments

Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest Hike

Posted on by Peter Minde

Since my last trip to Lake Placid in March, I’ve stayed close to home. But recently, being fully vaxxed and in need of a change in scenery, I headed northwest. There’s a last segment of the Shawangunks that I’ve not explored, southwest of Sam’s Point.

Diving off Route 17 on to Roosa Gap Road, I picked my way up to Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest. The roads here are narrow, with blind rises and blind curves. For a change, I was content to drive below the speed limit.

Parking at the trail head, I set out. On a rough trail, In the first kilometer, I descended a rough trail to a valley floor. At the bottom, running through a dry stream bed littered with glacial rubble, I ran into the Long Path and took a hard right.

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Tagged: Gunks, Hiking5 Comments

Taking the Pineridge Plunge

Posted on by Peter Minde

Turning off of I-90, I headed east on state highway 43. Albany suburbs fell away swiftly to more rural scenery. The road began to climb and twist, and snow swirled in the air as I headed towards Petersburg NY.

Stoney Brook Trail

Being an essential worker in the retail booze business these days, my weekend consists of Wednesday and Thursday. With Vermont’s travel restrictions, Prospect Mountain, my go-to day trip destination, isn’t on the table this winter. Unfortunately, Bearpen, is only open on weekends. North Creek is too far for a day trip. Then I remembered Pineridge.

When I was putting together NYSkiBlog’s nordic directory, I ran across Pineridge, but I’d never been there. My goal is to get to at least one new ski trail each winter, so here we go.

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Tagged: Nordic Skiing4 Comments