January Newsletter 2022

Happy New Year!

2021 In Review

The New Year is finally here, and we extend greetings to our members for a healthy and safe year to come. Like other organizations, the Taconic Hiking Club (THC) has faced challenges with the ongoing pandemic. Outings were on hold throughout the winter. We were finally able to start to offer outings again in March, as vaccinations became available, and we felt more comfortable being with others outdoors. We thank you for renewing your memberships and supporting the work we do to maintain our signature trail, the 37-mile-long Taconic Crest Trail, and to partner with other organizations to preserve and protect the Taconic Range. We’ll hope to see you on an outing or a volunteer work effort in 2022.

Despite the ongoing pandemic the THC has been very productive in 2021. Here are the highlights of our activities and achievements.

We completed the year with a robust 254 members.
Our outings volunteers offered 45 outings during the year, including hikes, snowshoes, cross-country skiing, cycling, and paddling.
The Club held its second enjoyable Fall Gathering at Grafton Lakes State Park.
Our trail workers toiled on the trail and recorded a total of 507 trail work volunteer hours. We have a handful of reliable and energetic new trail workers who assisted on the trail. We also performed trail work at three trail workdays with our partners at Grafton Lakes State Park.
47 hikers were awarded a cumulative End to End TCT patch in 2021! See the Who finished hiking the TCT article below for more details.
The Club initiated a Hemlock Wooley Adelgid training session by PRISM – Partners for Invasive Species Management - at Grafton Lakes State Park (GLSP). Seven THC members attended the training. Some of us are now using the skills learned to periodically inspect for HWA wherever we hike.
Approximately 30 volunteers were recognized and awarded THC Volunteer blaze orange vests. Some vests were awarded to volunteers at the Fall Gathering, others are being handed out as we see the volunteer. Additional vests are available to give to End to End volunteers.

The club is fortunate to have some terrific volunteers who make all this possible. Many thanks to all THC volunteers and we welcome anyone to come out to join in!!!

Looking to 2022: With hope that the pandemic will wind down, we endeavor to find and train additional new outings leaders, trail workers and other volunteers who may be interested in chairing positions such as Outings Chair or assisting with the newsletter and website. If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity with the club, or would like more information on volunteer opportunities email us at taconichikingclb@gmail.com

Renew your membership now for 2022, click here Membership — Taconic Hiking Club

Who finished hiking the TCT in 2021? What did they say?

Forty-seven hikers reported finishing the trail in in 2021! Of these:

39 hikers were awarded the TCT cumulative “Summer” patch and 8 were awarded the TCT cumulative “Winter” patch.
24 completed the trail in sections, 23 completed the trail in one day.
Of the hikers completing the trail in 1 day, 19 hiked it as part of the Northeast 8 Ultra Challenge and one did it as a trail run.
29 were from NYS, 14 were from MA, the other 4 were from ME, CT and NJ.

The following statements are from some of the hikers who finished the trail. “It was magical!” “The trails are in good shape and great signage!” “Will forever be a great memory!” “Definitely a fun challenge!” “What a spectacular trail system! I had such a great time knocking it out piece by piece… Thanks for all the club does to maintain the trail! "

If you are interested in taking on the fun challenge of hiking the entire trail, be it winter or summer, click here Trail Patches — Taconic Hiking Club . We will also be on the lookout for people hiking the trail as part of the new Northeast 8 Challenge (w/o the ultra).

Congratulations to all finishers for your athletic ability and perseverance!

End-to-End Challenge - 2022

After having to postpone the 2020 End to End Challenge twice due to the pandemic, we are planning to go ahead with the event on May 14, 2022. Most 2020 registrants had opted to maintain their registration for the 2022 event. Therefore, we will not be taking new registrants for the 2022 event. To all those who were eager to register now for the 2022 event, hopefully you will get into the 2024 event! We will be using the existing wait list from 2020 to back-fill if an opening becomes available. While we do have a list of potential volunteers from 2020, we welcome new volunteers to assist with the planning and the event. For more information click here: End to End Challenge — Taconic Hiking Club

We notified the 2020 registrants via email on December 19, 2021 of the new date. They have until January 14, 2022 to email us to let us know if they still plan to participate or not.

Heath experts expect that Covid 19 and the Delta and Omicron variants will continue to be a threat next spring. With an abundance of caution, we will require that all participants and volunteers, such as sweeps, sweep shuttle drivers, food handlers, etc. be fully vaccinated against Covid 19 in accordance with the CDC and NYS & MA recommendations at that time.

**TCT End-to-End Challenge - Event Patch**

Winter waterfalls—A Seasonal Delight

Visiting the Berkshire/Taconic region’s waterfalls is wonderful in any season, but it becomes an extraordinarily beautiful experience in winter. If we’re lucky enough to have had freezing temperatures and snow, these tumbling waterways create architectural wonders of layered ice, crystals, sculptures, hanging icicles, and often a shifting array of moving forms beneath ice formations. On a cloudy day, the beauty is more subtle, but on a sunny day, the reflections of light on ice are dazzling.

Here is a brief sampling of waterfalls that will make your winter outings unforgettable.

Wahconah Falls in Dalton, MA, Bash Bish Falls in Copake, NY, and Race Brook Falls (five waterfalls in one!) in Sheffield, MA are deservedly popular and well-known. Each of these enjoys a long and dramatic fall from a good height and is worth a visit in winter.

The Cascades off Rt. 2 in N. Adams. This lovely 40-foot cascading waterfall on Notch Brook is part of a short trail found at the end of Marion Ave. Please note: parking is very limited and if possible, park at one of the business centers and walk over.

Mount Greylock offers multiple opportunities to enjoy its ice-laden cascades. Check these out on the Greylock map. The easiest one to access in winter is Pecks Brook Falls in the Greylock Glen. It is not far from parking on Gould Road. Ribbon Falls is part of a new network of biking trails that ascend the east side of Greylock, while March Cataract Falls will involve a hike up the Hopper Trail or Roaring Brook to Sperry Road. This 70’ falls is rather spectacular in winter and is worth the trek. Money Brook Falls, cascading 80 feet, is at the end of a 2.5 mile hike from the trailhead on Hopper Road.

**Wolf Creek Falls, pic by J Berringer**

Right on one of the access trails to the Taconic Crest Trail is Kronk Brook Falls in Mattison Hollow off Rt. 22 in Cherry Plain. Here you can see the falls in action in summer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhKCeTsW-cA. This cascade is accessed via Mattison Hollow Road in Cherry Plain, New York, where there is limited roadside parking. You can take the 2.6 mile Mattison Hollow Trail up into the Misery Mountain section of the Taconic Crest Trail and go north or south from there.

Pittsfield State Forest runs along the Taconics and offers a gorgeous hike along a long series of cascades on the Lulu Brook Trail. Access is through the main gate off Cascade Street with ample parking at the Lulu Brook trailhead. Take your time here; it’s a wonder, and you can loop back via the Taconic Crest Trail, Berry Pond, and the Turner or Parker Brook Trail.

In South Berkshire County you can enjoy a one hour round-trip hike to the very narrow falls of Stevens Glen on Yokun Ridge off the Lenox-W. Stockbridge Rd. and savor the new bridging that BNRC recently completed.

In Lenox, try Roaring Brook off Roaring Brook Road for a long and beautiful ascent along this cascading river. Continue by looping around to the Farnham Reservoir and back to your parking

Finally, the tumbling series of cascades along Sages Ravine in the South Taconics are enhanced by the grove of hemlocks that shelter them. Here you can walk above a series of terraced falls on the Appalachian Trail accessed from a number of trailheads in the area.

Enjoy these winter sculptures and take lots of pictures!

Cabin Fever Event: Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host a Cabin Fever event on Saturday, January 22, 2022. The event is free of charge and runs from 11:30 AM-3:00 PM. Activities include the popular polar plunge, snow bowling hill, snowshoe races, a snowball toss, as well as guided snowshoe outings. The THC will be offering one of the afternoon snowshoe hikes. Other outdoor offerings this year include free snowmobile rides, sensory walks, and an ice dive demonstration. Check Grafton Lakes State Park - Posts | Facebook for more information. Registration for the snowshoe hikes will open January 2.
For visitors who need to warm up there will be many large fires outside by the Welcome Center and the beach. Live animals will also be present at the festival in the Welcome Center. Visitors will not be disappointed with the refreshments available both inside the welcome center and outside by the main parking lot.

Renew your membership for 2022 now!

You may renew online or by mail. Be sure to update changes in your contact information: email, phone, or address. (Thank you to all who have already renewed!)

To renew a membership by credit card or PayPal, go to the membership page of the Taconic Hiking Club website, or click here https://taconichikingclub.org/membership

To renew by mail, make out a check payable to the “Taconic Hiking Club” in the amount of $10. (per person). Send completed check to:

Taconic Hiking Club

c/o Sue Jordan - Membership Chair

276 South Manning Blvd

Albany, NY 12208

**Birch trees in Greylock Glen, pic by K Ross**

OUTINGS: Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. We are scheduling on a short-term basis rather than seasonally, so check the website periodically.

Saturday, January 1, Pine Bush Preserve
Wednesday, January 5: Moreau Lake State Park: Lake Bonita – Ridge Loop B-
Wednesday, January 12: Moxham Mtn, Minerva B
Tuesday, January 18: Burbank Trail & Parson’s Marsh Overlook C/C+
Wednesday, January 19: Windham High Peak B
Saturday, January 22: Grafton Lakes State Park Cabin Fever Event
Thursday, January 27: XC Ski, location TBD