Spring Hiking in New York

Ski season gave way to hiking season in April for me. After a few local hikes to stretch out the legs, in late April, my dog Stella and I joined my friend Ken for a hike up Wittenberg Mountain in the Catskills. This was my first “big” hike of the season, with the goal of meeting up with my daughter Alison and her friend Alice as they completed their Catskill 3500 peaks on Wittenberg.

Climbing Wittenberg

Ken, Stella and I started at Woodland Valley, trudging along to the base of the steeps of Wittenberg. The climb up the steeps was a great challenge so early in my hiking season and it went well for all three of us. There was one spot where I had to hand off Stella to Ken to pull her up a tall, steep section.

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A New York Skier’s Season in Photos: 2023/24

As I write this in May, some of us are still skiing Killington, but for me the season ended in April. Much like last season, this season started with optimism, followed by a mid-season lull due to poor weather, and it wrapped up with an absolutely amazing season end. As a photographer always carrying a camera when skiing, here are my favorite photos from the 2023/24 season.

Snowmaking Cloud On Hunter

This December photo from Hunter looks mundane at first glance. It’s a nice clear day, not too cold — very nice early season conditions. Interesting to me is the cloud created by the snowmaking. Follow that cloud downslope, then off the ski area far into the Schoharie Valley off to the right.

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Killington: Colorado in VT

Lucky for me I had plans to ski Killington with my friend Mark on Sunday March 24. Due to personal commitments, I couldn’t make the trip until Saturday, and knew driving conditions might get tricky going into the storm on Saturday. Just after getting on the Northway at Albany, Waze started giving reports that traffic was building ahead, which was the first sign of travel issues.

Killington summit view
Killington summit view

A few miles north, the pouring rain started to freeze, which is where things got interesting. After crossing the twin bridges into Saratoga County, there were cars all over the place — off the road, in ditches, in the woods and pointed in all directions.

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