2026 Goals: Spring Revisit

It's springtime! I wanted to take a moment, now that I'm fully caught up on my journaling (sans photos) to revisit the hiking goals I set for 2026 and see how I'm doing with them, see if there's anything I want to add, and see if there's anything I want to change. I know I hiked less this winter (especially in January in March) - partially because of diving head-first into dating and also ski season being alive and well, and I don't view that as a negative, but something worth acknowledging! I'm curious if this will be the year where my year-end stats do not go up, and as long as it's over the 100/500/100,000, I'm fine with it! I also know summer is just around the corner and I'm hoping the weather cooperates this summer so I can go borderline crazy. We'll see!

Here is the list of goals I set in January:

1. 100 hikes, 500 miles, 100,000 feet

            In Progress: 28 hikes, 92.3 miles, 14,320 feet.

2. 52 Hike Challenge

            In Progress: January, February, and March all complete.

3. Hike at least two new trails in the Belknap Range.

            No progress yet.

4. Hike at least two new Terrifying 25 Trails.

            No progress yet.

5. Hike at least two Maine 4,000 Footers.

            No progress yet.

6. Hike at least two Downstate New York peaks.

            No progress yet.

7. Complete either the winter or 3-season map of the Blue Hills (again).

            In Progress: Did not make much progress on the winter map, but I feel good about the 3-season one.

8. [NEW] Complete the MA/NY/CT peaks on the Taconic 12er challenge.

            In Progress: Accidentally started this one last weekend with Beebe Hill and Mt. Everett. I have two hikes left outside of VT and I can do them in one hike day.

9. [NEW] Hike a MA Fire Tower hike in Hampshire County.

            Only county I need in Western Mass, might as well go for it!

I always love how many challenges there are. I love not committing to one challenge, either. It's so much fun for me to just chip away at different ones whenever I want to!

I also didn't remember making ski goals, but apparently I did! Here they are:

1. Keep having fun.

2. Actively think about turns 75% of the time.

3. Continue to challenge myself with steeps, bumps, trees, "thin cover," and "variable conditions."

4. Look better than I did last year on closing day(s).

5. Ski as many runs at Jay Peak as I humanly can.

Easy to say I'm crushing the ski goals - yay!

Cheers to more outdoor adventures as we navigate the sloppy season that is springtime!

Buck Hill, Fern Spring, Pig Rock, Bugbee, Forest, AMC Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Buck Hill, Fern Spring, Pig Rock, Bugbee, Forest, AMC Paths (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Figure-8 Loop w/ Spurs

Distance: 4.86 miles

Elevation: 704 feet

Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills

The Hike 

I had a MUCH better drive this time around to the Blue Hills after school. It was a cooler day in the upper 40s with clouds. Some mist on the drive, but overall it was dry. I did break out my emergency long sleeve from my pack since I foolishly only brought a t-shirt. The goal was to finish the Houghton's Pond section of the reservation today - we'll see how it goes!

Since it was a little chilly (and I had to pee), I went for the Buck Hill Summit Trail to get things started to warm up and get just a little bit of privacy. The trail was a little obscured in the beginning, but soon revealed a clear footpath. I will say, though, the old summit trail seemed to still be much more traveled. 

I noticed the area that burned either last spring or two springs ago was significantly less burnt-looking, and I could hear Peepers in the distance. The trail itself really is lovely. Easy grades and winding through a younger forest. I also love "breaking treeline" on Buck Hill! 

There were misty views from the top, still lovely though. I continued on over the Skyline Trail and onto the Fern Spring Trail, passing a bolt that I assume was once used for survey work (like the bolts on the northern Presidential peaks). I heard a WILD amount of Peepers from the view on Fern Spring Foot Path, and also noticed an old "trail closed" sign where the trail goes, but the sign was an OLD one. Like, still labeled as M.D.C. old, have I always just missed it?

I looked around for another footpath or an arrow, but saw nothing! I continued on business as usual, but futher down the trail noticed that it was CLEARLY obstructed with every fallen branch and limb in a 0.5 square mile radius. Oops! The reroute was much more obvious from the other side, with two closed signs (also old, though) and a new "Trail ->" sign. I vaugely remember reading something about trail work on Fern Spring, but I simply cannot find it anywhere, so it'll remain a mystery!

On the plus, the frogs were CRAZY at the swamp between Fern Spring, Pig Rock, and Fells Paths. Like, LOUD. Peepers, Wood Frogs, and some other species I do no tknow. It was such a treat. Anyway, I turned onto Pig Rock and made a little loop with Pig Rock, Bugbee, and Fells, all of which were lovely. I worked my way toward Skyline Trail and climbed back up Buck Hill for round two.

It was much cooler back on the Skyline Trail overlooking Hawk Hill, but I was soon back into the woods and onto the Forest Path, which was a little wet, but still no problem. I continued onto the AMC Foot Path next, which is a fun little trail that is easy to lose if you're not paying attention. The skies were getting darker, but I SHOULD be fine, since rain isn't expected until later tonight. I made my way to the old school house and had a mindless walk back to my car along Headquarters Path. Houghton's side of the Reservation was complete (minus Hillside Pond but I don't count that)!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Forest Path trailhead.

- Start hike on Forest Path.

- At 2175, turn right onto Headquarters Path.

- At 2153, turn left onto Buck Hill Summit Trail.

- At terminus, continue onto Fern Spring Foot Path.

- At 2154, turn left onto Pig Rock Path.

- At 2172, continue left onto Bugbee Path.

- At 2190, turn around.

- At 2172, continue left on Bugbee Path.

- At 2140, turn right onto Fells Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Doe Hollow Path.

- At 2141, turn right onto Skyline Trail.

- At 2210, turn left onto trail.

- At jct., turn right onto Forest Path.

- At jct. with Skyline Trail, turn around.

- At 2194, turn right onto AMC Foot Path.

- At terminus, turn right onto Headquarters Path.

- At MA-28, turn around.

- At 2175, turn right onto Forest Path.

- Return to Car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Houghton's Pond, Old 128, Pipe Line (Blue Hills Reservation)

Houghton's Pond, Old 128, Pipe Line (Blue Hills Reservation)

Hike Type: Tracing Loop

Distance: 5.80 miles

Elevation: 266 feet

Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Trail Trace the Blue Hills

The Hike 

My first after-school Blue Hills hike in a WHILE! The first half of my drive was quite pleasant and the back half was BAD. A van tried to run me off the road in standstill traffic bad. Thankfully, eventually I made it to the Houghton's Pond parking area and got ready for my adventure. It was a cloudy day, 60 degrees with a breeze at the pond. There were a LOT of people out and about - walking, fishing (literally IN the pond), playing in the playground, etc. And then there was me! Full pack "hiking" around. I needed the series of trails around the Nursey Trail and then also the far end of 128, so I'd see what I'd accomplish!

I started with the trails over by Nursery Trail, which were underwhelming and totally fine. I then worked my way back to the parking lot to get the parking lot spur and the Headquarters Path towards the Skyline Trail. Happy to get these trails out of the way, I did get blessed with some Peepers peeping along Hillside Street, alongside just a touch of shining sun.

I turned onto Bugbee/Skyline and then turned again onto Paddock, first hiking the paved portion and then the trail portion before going toward Andover Path, which was surprisingly dry and had a new-ish looking bridge (it could be year old in fairness, I'm rarely over there). I spent a lot of this time fighting with my pack straps - I just couldn't figure it out today!

Continuing my journey, I planned to wiggle to MA-28 and then come back via Old Roue 128 (literally just so I could play Pokemon Go), but I accidentally took a wrong turn and landed on Old 128 early, which was literally fine. I jumped back in the woods for the lower Oblique Path and then decided I wanted to do Monatiquot Path and Pipe Line the LEAST, so I'd bang them out today since the hike was decently overwhelming anyway. 

I hiked onto Monatiquot Path and took in the sights, smells, and sounds of I-93, eventually turning the corner and going into a deeper, prettier woods. I hit the spur to MA-28 and the rest of Monatiquot to Bugbee before closing the loop on Pipe Line, where there was a deer munching on some grass! To no surprise it ran away once I got too close. 

I zoned out for a while on Old 128 playing Pokemon, which was nice and helped the time go by quickly. Near the end, the flooded area around the Blue Hills River was LOUD with Peepers, which was lovely. Back at Houghton's Pond, I got a photo of Great Blue Hill and the pond, and back at the parking lot, I was horrified to see that the stop sign traffic was still backed up - rude! Anyway, even though it was a lackluster adventure, I was still thrilled to have gotten out.

Step-by-Step

- Park at Houghton's Pond main parking area.

- Hike needed network of trails around the cirlce, and then continue west on Headquaters Path.

- At terminus, turn left twice onto Nursery Trail.

- Follow paths around Houghton's Pond's north side.

- After bathrooms, follow path to parking lot.

- From parking lot, turn right onto Headquarters Path.

- At jct., turn right onto Bugbee Path.

- After 2054, turn right onto Paddock Trail (paved).

- At jct., turn left onto Paddock Trail (footpath).

- Hike network of trails on west side of Houghton's Pond, turn hike west from 2053. 

- At jct., turn right onto Andover Path.

- At terminus, turn left onto Burnt Hill Path.

- At 2092, turn right onto Angle Path.

- At 2100, turn left onto Old Route 128.

- At 2123, turn left onto trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto Beech Hollow Path.

- At 2146, continue left onto Oblique Path.

- At 2150, turn right toward Old Route 128.

- At terminus, turn left onto Old Route 128.

- At terminus, continue onto Monatiquot Path.

- Hike spur to MA-28, then continue on Monatiquot Path.

- At jct., turn right onto Pipe Line, then turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Monatiquot Path.

- At 2190, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto Pipe Line.

- At terminus turn right onto Old Route 128.

- At parking area, follow paths back to car.

Blue Hills Reservation Map

Photo Album

Mt. Everett via Guilder Pond and AT (Mt. Everett State Reservation)

Mt. Everett via Guilder Pond and AT (Mt. Everett State Reservation)

Hike Type: Figure-8 Lollipop Loop

Distance: 4.25 miles

Elevation: 942 feet

Time: 1 hour, 37 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er, Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

From Catamount, I had a lovely 15-minute drive over to the Mt. Everett State Reservation road. I would have rather hiked from the other side, which climbs along waterfalls, but that hike was two miles longer and I was still 2.5 hours from home, so the easier side it is! From the entrance, there is a short dirt road that leads to a small parking area at a gate. It was 50 degrees and sunny out - just beautiful! I quickly put my hiking clothes on, and got started!

The gated road was no problem at all and just a little soggy from spring. On the left was Nature Conservancy land managed by DCR, and on the right was Massachusetts State Forest land. I took my fleece off 6-ish minutes in, leaving me down to my long-sleeve base layer and shorts. I passed a man with his unleashed daschund that charged at me, and then had most of the rest of the hike to myself. 

The road crossed a mossy stream on a culvert with a few cascades off-trail - just beautiful! The sun felt absolutely amazing on my body, and soon enough I came to the Guilder Pond Loop. 

I turned left onto the Guidler Pond Loop, faintly blazed in blue, crossed a small bridge over a dam and then came out onto a dock that provided a stunning view of the pond, blue skies, and Mt. Everett behind. Most of the trail on this side alternated between narrow trail on the pond's bank, mountain laurel groves, and an occasional patch of snow with a view to the pond. Once further in, I realized that the pond was much bigger than I initially thought!

The trail continued to undulate around the pond with tree views to Mt. Everett. There were a couple confusing sections that were thankfully well-blazed, especially on the far side on the pond, and on the return side of the loop the mountain laurel and views were more abundant.

Eventually, the Guilder Pond Trail joined the Appalachian Trail (I didn't realize the AT came over here!) in a wet area with boardwalks and gently rose to another parking area along the Mt. Everett Road. It looked like cars might be allowed up here in the warmer months? I couldn't find any information online about it.

I continued past the large "Appalchian Trail" sign and back into the woods, where the trail climbed more steeply, briefly turned back onto the road, and then continued off the road again. The Appalchian Trail paralleled the road for a bit while I navigated a barely-avoidable ice flow. The trail turned as the road turned and began to ascend via a couple of snowy switchbacks. The road soon ended at what looked like an upper parking area as I continued my final push to the top.

The trail mellowed and narrowed with lots of mountain laurel on the right and tree views out on the left. Interestingly, I passed a sign indicating the summit was 0.1 miles away in effectively the middle of nowhere - no features or junction, just a sign. I passed two weirdly quiet people just after the sign, and after them I hit a blue arrow that led to an absolutely wonderful view down into what I think is Connecticut!

Past here, the trees got a bit scrubby, almost like I was breaking treeline without entering an Alpine Zone. It also felt like hiking in the Cape, but just with smaller trees. 

I was delighted to reach the summit after turning a corner, and even more delighted to see 1) a summit sign, 2) old firetower footings, and 3) a sign for the old fire tower - how fun! I didn't realize this hike had fire tower remnants. There were a few obstructed views from the top, and in my hunt for views, I stumbled upon a USGS disc - how fun, again! I noticed a little herd path in the direction the disc was pointing, so naturally I had to follow it. It led through scrubby bushes to... MORE old fire tower footings! I really enjoyed this little exploration. I looked for another disc, but came up short, only finding deer poop and old paint indicating the trail used to go this way.

I made my way back to the summit area, and found a second disc anyway! Yay! I explored just a little bit more before officially calling it and starting my return. What a fun way to cap off this hike! A few quotes that I found from Wikipedia:

"Its upper dome is noted for expansive vistas and an unusual dwarf forest of pitch pine and oak."

"A seasonal auto road approaching from the west climbs past Guilder Pond and continues nearly to Everett's summit, but its upper reaches have been long closed to automobiles."

Wikipedia also made note that Mt. Everett is the highest peak in the Southern Taconics. I followed the AT back down the lovely trail and turned onto a spur to the upper parking area, which was actually a picnic shelter with a stunning view! Just past the shelter was the upper parking area, which looked lightly used (which Wikipedia later explained to me). 

The upper trip down involved me mostly thinking "do people actually drive up here?" Again, thankfully Wikipedia had an answer for me! I passed the quiet couple again as the AT crossed the road, and I continued to make my way down past the upper gate and back onto the main Mt. Everett Road that may or may not be open to the public in-season.

I also found this annecdote from berkshirehiking.com: 

"NOTE: There seems to be every varying reports about the summit road to Everett. Their website states that the road is open up to Guilder Pond during warmer months. However, at times during summer the road is closed at the base parking. There seems to be an ongoing discussion (friction?) between reservation stewards and state park system as to how the state reservation should be accessed. As a result, some changes have taken place such as tearing down the old fire tower on top and closing all or part of the summit road most of the year (if not entirely depending upon who you talk to). It's an amazing place to hike around but you may want to call/email ahead to get the latest information (official website). It's an out of the way place so just be aware that the long drive there could lead to a closed summit road. As of this writing (July 2010) their website says the summit road is open during summer. But you should contact them first if you are traveling far just to be safe."

I had my spikes danging from my pack for most of this hike, but I HAD to stash them because the clanging was driving me bonkers! I passed the pond, which had another lovely view, and had a bit of a boring final descent along the road back down to the car. I was mighty relieved to see the gate at the end, and soon I was in the car, in dry clothes, driving to McDonalds and then back home! I'm looking forward to exploring more of these Taconic 12er peaks!

Step-by-Step

- Park at lower gate on Mt. Everett Road.

- Hike up Mt. Everett Road.

- At jct., turn left onto Guilder Pond Loop.

- At next jct., turn right and the AT joins.

- At road, Guidler Pond Loop terminates and the AT continues.

- Follow AT to summit of Mt. Everett.

- At summit, turn around.

- At jct., turn right onto view spur.

- Continue right onto Mt. Everett Road.

- Follow Mt. Everett Road down to car.

Mt. Everett State Reservation Map

Photo Album

Skiing Catamount Mountain (Day 38/Indy Day 30)

Skiing Catamount Mountain

Sunday, March 29th, 2026

Runs: 13

Distance: 11.27 miles

Elevation: 12,034 feet

Max Speed: 36.8 mph

Avg. Speed: 16.6 mph

Moving Time: 40 minutes, 42 seconds

Total Time: 2 hours, 38 minutes, 29 seconds

I had a wonderful hit-and-run trip to New Jersey, got my haircut, and was back on the road around 9:00am! I was between skiing Catamount and Berkshire East, and ultimately decided I'd ski Catamount since it would save over an hour of driving and I had more opportunites to possibly hike afterwards. I had no idea what the conditions would be like, but I saw at least one of their double blacks was open (I'd never skied any of them), so I made my choice! I made my Indy reservation before leaving, and I was off! 

I had a great, easy drive up, and the parking lot wasn't even half full when I arrived just before 11:30am. I first ran into the bathroom and got my pass for the day and then booted up at the car - it was so wonderfully quiet on the mountain, and coverage still looked decent (for snowmaking trails, that is). Classic spring - white ribbons bordered with brown woods.

Conditions Outlook

Sunday, March 29th

21 Open Trails Serviced by 2 Lifts (Ridge Quad & Meadows Triple) and 1 Carpet.

Mostly cloudy skies in the morning today before sun comes out in the afternoon; temperatures will increase throughout the day, starting in the 30s and getting up to close to 50s. Plenty of well-groomed trails are still open across the mountain. 

Our mountain ops crews are working hard to keep the conditions strong. 
Don't miss out on some of the last skiing of the sesaon!

Runs 1-5

Run 1: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Lower Sidewinder

[1.08 mi; 4:05; 1,004 ft; 28.9 mph max; 15.8 mph avg]

Run 2: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Shawenon

[0.86 mi; 3:13; 981 ft; 32.8 mph max; 16.0 mph avg]

Run 3: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Chute - Lower Alley Cat - On-Stage

[0.72 mi; 2:34; 978 ft; 26.8 mph max; 16.8 mph avg]

Run 4: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Chute - On-Stage

[0.77 mi; 2:38; 1,001 ft; 30.4 mph max; 17.6 mph avg]

Run 5: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Upper Glade - Lower Glade - On-Stage

[0.74 mi; 2:46; 1,001 ft; 31.0 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]

I decided I'd mostly ski looker's right to left and just see what was open! It looked like more trails were open than the online report said, which was exciting! I rode up the Ridge Quad almost exclusively, and only had to share it once out of my 13 runs. Run #1 was down Upper Sidewinder, which had a mixture of spring corn and uncarvable ice, down onto Upper Alley Cat, which was short, steep and fun, and then I cut-through to Lower Sidewinder, which was super fun and had some rollers that made me go "whee!'

Run #2 started the same and then went onto Shawenon, where I vividly remember going WAY too fast on my first season on the Indy Pass. This snow was delightfully fun and springy with just a few narrow spots to navigate. Run #3 followed Chute to Lower Alley Cat to On-Stage and some of my favorite snow of the day. #4 was Chute all the way to On-Stage, and #5 was Upper and Lower Glades to On-Stage. Really all of these runs were super fun to ski with that lovely spring snow - my only wish was that the upper bit on Upper Alley Cat was a little softer!

Runs 6-9

Run 6: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Catapult - On-Stage

[0.69 mi; 2:42; 945 ft; 26.8 mph max; 15.3 mph avg]

Run 7: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Christopher's Leap - Holiday

[0.90 i; 3:07; 925 ft; 33.9 mph max; 17.3 mph avg]

Run 8: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Mountain View - Upper Colonel's Caper - Ali's Alley - Holiday

[1.28 mi; 3:48; 1,122 ft; 31.4 mph max; 20.2 mph avg]

Run 9: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Upper Promenade - Lower Promenade

[1.35 mi; 4:29; 942 ft; 31.7 mph max; 18.0 mph avg]

Now I'd be turning left off of the Ridge Quad for some runs, starting with the double-black Catapult! This one was always super daunting to me due to it's pitch and closeness to the quad, but I really went in with no fear and just had a wonderful run down! Skier's right had more corn with a few cookies, while skier's left started harder but ended up buttery and wonderful. It didn't feel that steep in the grand scheme of things, either.

Run #7 brought me down the other open double-black, Christopher's Leap, which was objectively super steep. What didn't help was that it was also hard as a rock - one of those runs where you turn just for the bit. I basically scraped right on down this one, which was simply unpleasant. It would be fun with spring bumps, though! Holiday skied wonderfully and I got enough speed to get right back to the Ridge.

#8 was more of a leisure run. I followed Ridge Run to Mountain View, both were soft and lovely, and then onto Upper Colonel's Caper and Ali's Alley, which were barely-touched corn havens. I giggled! Holiday brought me right back to the quad.

Run #9 was the big winding one, down Ridge Run and both Promenades. I wanted to ski back to the Ridge Quad, but springtime left it's mark and the only way back would be a slight uphill through the beginner carpet area, which was running! Instead, I finished up at the Meadows Triple and hopped on there for a few more runs.

Runs 10-11

Run 10: Meadows Triple - Walter's Way - Lower Promenade

[0.63 mi; 2:11; 551 ft; 35.4 mph max; 17.2 mph avg]

Run 11: Meadows Triple - Mountain View - Holiday

[0.62 mi; 2:18; 584 ft; 30.3 mph max; 16.3 mph avg]

My first run up the Meadows Triple was down Walter's Way to Lower Promenade - Walter's is always a favorite of mine! Run #11 went back up the Meadows and down Mountain View to Holiday and back to the Ridge for a couple last runs. Also fun moment - the mid-station on the Meadows was BLASTING 2012-era music that echoed throughout the birch woods, a beautiful dichotomy. There were a few more trails I needed to ski everything in the Meadows area, but I was satisfied skipping them.

Runs 12-13

Run 12: Ridge Quad - Upper Sidewinder - Upper Alley Cat - Shawenon

[0.85 mi; 3:01; 991 ft; 33.2 mph max; 16.9 mph avg]

Run 13: Ridge Quad - Ridge Run - Catapult - On-Stage

[0.79 mi; 3:50; 1,007 ft; 31.4 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

My final two runs were just joyful repeats! Run #12 was aimed at Lower Sidewinder, but a bunch of teens went down that way so I hit Shawenon instead (and almost barreled over someone side slipping down the narrow headwall... oops... she didn't notice I almost killed her though, and told me to go around in a lovely French accent). My final run was another lap down Catapult, which was just a fun time! I was thinking about hiking on the lift, and saw that a few peaks on the new Taconic 12er Challenge were less than 10 miles away, so I set my sights onto Mt. Everett! I debooted, used the bathroom again, had a quick snack of lackluster energy gummies that had been sitting in my hiking bag for who knows how long, and was off for adventure #2!

Map of Catamount Mountain

Beebe Hill Fire Tower (2x) (Beebe Hill State Forest)

Beebe Hill Fire Tower (2x) (Beebe Hill State Forest)

Hike Type: Loopty Loop

Distance: 4.69 miles

Elevation: 814 feet

Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er

The Hike 

The drive from Ludlow to Beebe Hill was nice and simple, and featured a stop at the lovely Loves truck stop right off of I-90 once in New York. There were 10-15 more minues of driving once off the highway, and it was lovely! I drove past a different trailhead for Beebe Hill State Forest, which confused me, but I trusted my GPS and it was correct. The driveway to my trailhead was pretty rutted, but thankfully short. It was a chillier 19 degrees now. The AllTrails route I had was a short hike, less than two miles, so I figured I'd start there and extend it if I was feeling good. The start of my hike did get slightly delayed, because there was a super old cemetary right next to the trailhead (which is apparently known as Fog Hill Cemetary and/or Frenchman Cemetary, but I couldn't find out any more information on it). There were some graves from the 1800s!

From the trailhead, I followed blue blazes over a bridge and trampling needle ice, which soon leads to a register box. The blue blazes stop here, and red blazes go both left and right - I went right to climb up Beebe Hill. I crossed another little bridge in beautiful woods and wiggled around some blowdowns after the bridge. There was a comical amount of needle ice on the trail - it almost felt like a gravel trail. There were a few short steep sections before crossing a stone wall and a few woodpeckers.

I was looking around, enjoying the open forest views, and feeling grateful to actually enjoy stick season (but to be clear, I'm excited for leaves again, too). The trail continues to climb and eventually levels out for a while, which was lovely. The trail crossed a spur to a shelter, that gave off spooky vibes on which I truly cannot elaborate.

After the shelter, the trail crosses a bridge over wetlands and what I assume to be a vernal pond, and there were raccoon tracks frozen to the bridge (actually, looking at the photos again, I think they were beaver tracks! - WAIT NO just kidding definitely raccoon). Anyway, the trail continued, easily climbing, past a privy in the woods, and soon entered the summit clearing!

There was a cabin that appeared to be mid-refurbishment, and to the right down the road was the fire tower, which also looked recently refurbished. I climbed up the shockingly not-sketchy fire tower (recently painted, not wobbly, and EXCELLENT traction). The stairs did get skinny near the top, but the cabin had all of it's windows and just wonderful views! The best views were towards the Catskills.

I climbed back down, lamented about not finding a disc, and continued my hike. I hiked down the fire tower road, turning left onto what seemed like an older road. At the next junction, I turned left again onto a blue-blazed trail, the Upper Horse Trail Loop, that had a "Caballero" sign further down. I noticed a spur to the shelter partway down the trail - noted! The blue trail undulated for a bit before descending, past a confusing area, through an area of new growth, and then down toward the big pond which abuts the trailhead. 

Here, I took off my fleece and turned right onto an unblazed old road (the same old road I turned onto from the fire tower road). There was a lot of logging evidence down here and lots of birds singing to each other! I followed the road for a short while and then turned left onto the yellow-blazed Lower Horse Trail Loop, parked with normal NYDEC plackards and also older yellow ones with horse heads!

I caught my first spiderweb of the year while descending on the yellow trail. I noticed most of the NYDEC blazes looked brand new. I continued to descend for longer than anticipated, eventually hitting a low spot with an easy creek-hop crossing. From the low point, the trail easily climbs up switchbacks. It climbed just enough to keep me warm, which was welcome especially now because there was a cold breeze. 

The yellow trail meandered around a few stone walls (or one big one?), joining, leaving, and joining another old road later on, eventually terminating at the tower road! The walk up the tower road was nice and easy, and it felt much chillier now that the clouds had rolled in. I checked out the cabin and fire tower again, hoping to find a disc, but I was unsuccessful.

To mix things up, I follwed the red trail down, turning to check out the shelter and following the spur down to the blue trail (I did get a little off-trail, but AllTrails got me back on). I turned right on blue, and then left onto the old road, whic I was able to follow all the way back to the car. I enjoyed some nice views of the pond with the world's loudest geese near the end. There was a trail that looped the pond, but I needed to get to New Jersey! This was such a lovely way to start my weekend!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Beebe Hill State Forest Parking off of CR-5 (Barrett Pond).

- Start hike following blue markers. 

- At trail register, continue right, now following red markers.

- At terminus, turn right onto road.

- Climb fire tower, turn around.

- Follow road toward next jct.

- At jct., turn left.

- At jct., turn right onto old road.

- At jct., turn left onto yellow.

- At terminus, turn right onto road.

- At summit, turn around.

- At jct., turn left.

- At jct., continue right.

- At terminus, turn left onto old road.

- Follow old road to car.

Beebe Hill State Park Map

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Ludlow Fire Tower via Tower Road (Ludlow State Forest)

Ludlow Fire Tower via Tower Road (Ludlow State Forest)

Hike Type: Figure-8 Lollipop Loop

Distance: 0.90 miles

Elevation: 164 feet

Time: 18 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Massachusetts Fire Tower Challenge (11 and 45), Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike 

And for once, I'm not driving up to NH or VT to go skiing (I might ski tomorrow TBD)! It's truly time for my annual "go to New Jersey in March becuase my hair is out of control and my mom still cuts my hair" trip! Naturally, I got started early (not ridiculously, though) at 5:00am and had two stops planned: 1) the Ludlow Fire Tower for the Massachusetts Fire Tower Challenge (both the counties and individual towers challenges) and 2) Beebe Hill for the Taconic 12er Challenge. I made it to the Ludlow Tower Road around 6:30am. It was a chilly 24 degrees, but I knew it was going to be a short, easy hike.

I had my hiking pants, long sleeve, fleece, and nano puff on. I left my pack in the car since it was so short and swapped my camera wrist clutch for a neck strap (which I bought years ago and JUST remembered I had) and got started, ushered in by the SCREAMS of a nearby rooster. There's not designated parking, but there's also no "no parking" signs on the side of the road. Plan was to hike the road up and down!

The road was a wide, dirt access road that wound it's way up 0.4 miles to the top. I noticed shortly after entering the woods that there was a red-blazed trail on the left - interesting! I then noticed the power line was also clearly a used trail that skipped a few turns in the road - interesting!

Before I knew it, I was at the top! It was just before sunrise, so I hiked a few laps around the fence around the tower until I could see the sun. There was a survey disc at a footing of the tower, but it was fenced off (still counts!). The sun poked through a cloud, and I was satisfied! I also noticed three more blazed trails off the top. Going clockwise from the road, orange, green, and blue. I scoured the internet and can't find any information on them, so I didn't extend my hike just incase.

I followed the power line down just to mix things up, and it was covered in needle ice. Soon enough, I was back on the road and back at the car! It would be a little over an hour to my next stop - this was a great start to my day!

Step-by-Step

- Park at junction of Tower Road and Margaret Lane.

- Start hike by following Tower Road.

- Circle the fire tower a few times for fun.

- Descend first via power line, and then via Tower Road. 

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