Vroman's Nose

Barely noticeable from here

Town of Middleburgh

Pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but an interesting town

A good view from the village

Vroman's Island would have been an interesting spot a long time ago

Gradual climb until near the summit

Middleburgh.  In a month this view will disappear

Along the ridge of the summit

Lots and lots of farmland

The Shoharie valley and Catskills in the distance.

Taking a rest at one of the benches built around a tree

Route 30

I'd like to come up here in a month when everything is green

Surprisingly, this was all the ice I encountered

Vroman's Nose from the south

I like these old estates

Vroman's Nose from a nearby farm

This is one of those hikes that I've known about, but I have just not gotten around to.  It's also one of those hikes where I had a crazy idea of how to do it and failed. 

A few years ago I lived about 30 miles away.  I decided to bike to the trailhead then walk up to the summit.  This was very doable.  If I left before noon.  Once I reached Middleburgh, I just decided to grab a little something to eat before heading back.  I still returned in the dark. 

Today I used the automobile to get to the trailhead.  When first arriving into Middleburgh, Vroman's Nose does not look like much of anything (in actuality, it really isn't) because there are hills behind it higher.  Vroman's Nose rises sharply a little more than 500 feet above the surrounding farmland.  It is quite distinctive, despite its relatively small height. 

Before hiking up the backside of the Nose, I took a few fotos of it from different areas.  It really is a pretty cool geologic sight.  Upon reaching the summit, I immediately realized how mistaked I was thinking the best views from the bottom.  The views from the summit were outstanding.  From above one can imagine Indian settlements along the plains of the Shoharie Creek.  Today there's quite a bit of farmland.  A little to the east, the picturesque village of Middleburgh is in view. 

This easily is one of the best hikes I have done in quite a while.  Vroman's Nose is one of those places that can be visited repeatedly without ever getting boring.  I most certainly will visit this spot in each season to see the changes in the landscape.    

Thacher State Park

One of the meadows along the way

Snowmobile tracks back into the hardwoods

The LP seems quite interesting north of the Catskills

One of the world's worst cities, especially considering the people in it

Altamont

Green Mountains, possibly Killington

The Escarpment, to the south

Some ice fisherman on Lake Thompson

Another look at the escarpment

A small brook before it drops off the cliff

Despite living within a half hour drive of Thacher for the past few months, I had yet to make a trip out there.  I had seen the park listed as a site for some trail runs and it has a spot in one of my guide books, but other than that I never heard any mention of it.

In my web search I came across a map of the park on the NY-NJ Trail Conference site.  I headed for the remote northern portion, which does not even show up on Google Maps.

The small parking lot was full so I parked along the road.  This would be a short walk following the Long Path for a mile to an overlook.  The Long Path passes through the entire park along an escarpment.  I have to imagine this is the last appealing section of the Long Path until it reaches the outskirts of Albany.

Unfortunately the walk followed a path that snowmobilers created.  Fortunately though, there would be no sight, sound or smell of them.  The path made its way through a lovely hardwood forest with some open meadows.  On such a beautiful day, the views were stunning.  The Green Mountains and the Taconics formed a line of mountains to the east.  To the North, the village of Altamont could be seen below in the foreground.  Looking farther north, one could see the foothills of the Adirondacks.  Further away than I thought it would be and smaller, I could see the city of Albany to the east.  A great day and probably the last walk in the snow.  

New York City Urban Hike

This predates the similar Carbide & Carbon building in Chicago

I love these really old buildings

Empire

From the high line

Sun setting over Hoboken

Clock Tower at Hoboken Terminal

The Freedom Tower

Jersey City and the Colgate Clock

Downtown Manhattan

The Hudson and Jersey City

Some more of the gorgeous sunset

While in Manhattan to take a class, I set out to check out some of the buildings.  Fortunately the class finished early enough for me to head over to the west side and watch the sunset.

Stissing Mt, Pine Plains, NY

Stissing Mt from Thompson Pond

Winter is still hanging on

The tower that provides some great views

Pine Plains, Twin Island Lake, Stissing Pond

The Catskills

Looking out toward Shaupeneak Ridge

I was definitely listening

Stissing Mt from Stissing Pond

Stissing at sunset

I've been up here several times in the past, but it had been a while.  I decided to not where any traction device, despite my past recollections of it being quite icy.

Fortunately there were only a couple areas that required a little off trail navigation.  A windy and cold day, but that's what my cup of coffee was for.  I have to say I was quite surprised there was no ice to be found on the lower half.

The trail up is quite relentless, with some sections steeper than others.  The hike is about a mile with 700-800 feet elevation gained.  This is a great hike to have so close.  It also provides one of the best panoramas of the Catskills I've seen.  I think it'd be especially great when the mountains have a nice coating of snow and viewed in the early morning light.