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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Finding the Mountains of New York

Highpeaksdrifter’s tale about how he found Whiteface got me thinking about how I came to the mountains of New York.

Twin Ponds

I could pretend that it was part of a grand plan — but it wasn’t. The summer after my junior year in college, I was looking for an adventure. I pulled out a map of the northeast and looked at the big patches of green: the Catskills, the Adirondacks, the Greens and the Whites. The Adirondacks looked especially wild and untamed to me.

My best friend and I spent 10 days cycling and exploring the park. We had the time of our lives. This was my first experience with the idea of “Forest Preserve.” Huge areas of wilderness, without rules or fees. The feeling of freedom was liberating.

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Spring Weekend in the Adirondacks

I usually head up to the Adirondacks in May, by myself, for a work weekend. Split the wood for next season, and handle other chores that bore the women folk. Last year, on May 2, I found it to be surprisingly buggy. With the early end to winter this year, I moved the work weekend up. This year CB and Neve really wanted to come.

Jeff, Beth Daniel and Sylvie, came up on Saturday, to check out the cabin, go for a hike and have a cookout.

It’s a short hike that starts by circling the base of the mountain crossing a few streams, and then it heads straight up for maybe 500 vertical feet.

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