March Newsletter 2021
Taconic Crest Trail. The trees are adorned with green lichen. Pic by J Berringer
Dick Hughes Remembered
Life member Dick Hughes recently passed away at age 89, (not from Covid) on February 21. His obituary is on the Catricala Funeral Home website. It mentions that he was treasurer of THC.
Dick was a major player with the club for a long time. He was treasurer and maintained the membership roster for several years. He created the template and cut the lumber for the memorial benches on the trail and he made the wooden End to End plaque. Dick was involved in revisions to the old “A Trail Guide for the Taconic Crest Trail” (2002, 2006, 2008, and 2011) and he GPS’d the trail for the multi-page maps used with the guide. He also did lots of trail work and led outings. He was active with the Club until the past 4 years or so. In addition to his many contributions to THC, Dick was kind, genial, affable, and good-humored. It was a pleasure to share THC work and outings with him.
The club has purchased a Tribute Tree in his honor.
Grafton Lakes State Park 50th Anniversary!
Grafton Lakes State Park (GLSP) is celebrating its 50th Anniversary throughout the year! Save any of the dates in the poster on the left to participate in the celebration. Go any day of the week to enjoy the park and/or join the Taconic Hiking Club (THC) for an occasional outing at the park.
The THC is currently planning to participate in the April 17th Earth Day trail work event. We will update you on this and any other THC participation in events at the park.
If you haven’t been there recently, there is something for everyone at the GLSP. With 25+ miles of trails you can hike, walk, cross-country ski, snowshoe, mountain bike and even ride your horse if you have one! There are six ponds, the most notable is Long Pond with the large sandy beach, perfect for swimming and picnicking. Long, Shaver, Mill, and Second Ponds as well as the Dunham Reservoir provide opportunities for you to paddle, fish or do some bird watching. There is an interpretive trail to the Dickson Fire Tower, where from the top there are great views of the Rensselaer Plateau and surrounding area. When the conditions are right you can ice skate or ice fish in designated areas.
Check the GLSP website for more information and trail maps.
Find a new trail: RPA’s Albert Family Community Forest
The Taconic Hiking Club is part of an alliance of nonprofits and agencies called the Berkshire Taconic Regional Conservation Partnership (BTRCP) that is working to protect lands and create recreational opportunities along the Taconic range in four states—NY, MA, CT, and VT. You can learn more about this work here: www.taconics.org/
Over each of the past several months we’ve been featuring one of our partners--like BNRC, the Rensselaer Land Trust (RLT), and Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF)--and offering a selection of outings from each that our membership might sample and enjoy.
This month we are highlighting The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance (RPA) and one of its premier properties. See www.rensselaerplateau.org
RPA’s main thrust is “Conservation Through Community,” and they have had remarkable success in bringing together landowners, neighborhoods, and volunteers to create a series of “Family Community Forests.” These gems, serving locals and visitors, offer user-friendly trails that wander through former farms, forests, bogs, and streams. Beyond this, they have worked to conserve thousands of acres of unbroken forests on the Plateau, sponsored education outreach and lecture series, and have developing new trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, horseback riding, hiking, bird watching, and many other family activities.
The Albert Family Community Forest (AFCF) is a shining example of their work. Located at the end of Hayes Road in East Nassau and opened in the spring of 2017, this 353-acre parcel was made possible by a generous bargain sale by Kevin and Mary Albert and a grant from the U.S. Forest Service Community Forest Program. The support and engagement of the local community through a Community Forest Committee was critical to its creation and development. This year RPA is turning a former hunting cabin there into an accessible nature classroom and meeting space.
The trails at the Albert Community Forest form a very enjoyable series of loops that return back around to the parking area and cabin where picnic tables and swings provide resting places. Color-coded for easy trail finding, the trails—each close to a mile in length-- pass through gently rolling terrain and a variety of habitats, including a hemlock swamp, bog swamp, and deep woods. The Homestead Trail passes a former farm home site and well; Susan’s Ramble commemorates long-time THC member Susan Roberts; the Orchard Trail takes you through a large former orchard; and the Cascades Trail, our favorite, loops and follows a cascading stream. All are a delight and can be tailored for an excursion of from one to three hours and from 1 to 4 ½ miles.
So pick a lovely day in any season, grab a kid or a friend, check out this beautiful resource that is part of our beloved Taconic region, and find out why the RPA are such good stewards of this land.
New map available for the Tenney Hill Trail to go with last month’s article!
If you read the article last month about the new Tenney Hill trail you may have been wishing that you could find a map of the new trail, as were we! We found the map!
Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF) has installed new maps in 10 trailhead kiosks in the Williamstown area. The map to the right is installed in a kiosk on the north side of Rte 2, across from the parking area for the Sarah Tenney, RRR Brook and Tenney Hill trails. This is the first map published that we know of which includes the new Tenney Hill trail. The new kiosk maps include trail descriptions to help you decide which trail or set of trails you wish to take. Now we know to look for the kiosk! Thank you, WRLF!
Outings
Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. Social distancing protocols, wearing face coverings when within 6 feet of others are still being followed. We are scheduling on a short-term basis rather than seasonally, so check the website periodically.
Wednesday, March 10: Thacher State Park, Horseshoe II to Hang Glider
Wednesday, March 17: Saratoga Spa State Park 5 Mile Trail
Thursday, March 25: Harvey Mountain and Pinnacle Point
WRLF kiosk map: RRR Brook, Sarah Tenney, Tenney Hill, Bob’s Ski Loop and Hunter Family Loop trails.
Photos: Below are photos taken by our members of places they have recently hiked or snowshoed. If you have a beautiful, whimsical, dramatic, or otherwise interesting photograph taken on a local trail or preserve that you would like to see posted in the newsletter, feel free to send a full resolution copy to taconichikingclb@gmail.com (reminder, no u in club). Wildlife photographs are also welcome! We will give credit to the person that took the picture! Thank you in advance!
Lake George from Buck Mtn. Pic by E Kozlowski
Snow flurry on TCT. Pic by J Berringer
Greyloc from Taconic Crest area. Pic by M Waldman
A well dressed tree stump along the trail at AFCF. Pic by K Ross
Trail named for Susan Roberts, AFCF. Pic by K Ross
AFCF, picnic area, winter or summer! Pic by K Ross
Multiple cascading waterfalls can be seen along the trail at Wolf Creek Falls Preserve. Pic by J Berringer
Stone wall at Wolf Creek Falls Preserve. Pic by J Berringer
Yes, you do need snowshoes! Trail to Snow Hole 2/20/21. Pic by M Waldman
Early winter at AFCF. Pic by K Ross
Summer at AFCF. Pic by M Waldman