October Newsletter 2022
Mount Raimer and Berlin Mtn, pic by M Waldman
REMINDER: FALL BANQUET: Join us at the Fall Banquet! It is a couple years overdue! See old friends, make new friends and enjoy a nice meal.
Where and when: Moscatiello’s Italian Restaurant, 99 North Greenbush Rd (Rte. 4), Troy, on Sunday, November 6, 12:00 to 3 - 4:00 PM
Cost: $20 per person. The Club partly subsidizes the meal.
Meal: Sit down luncheon, including salad, penne marinara, menu choice of chicken parmigiana or salmon florentine, followed by mini cannoli.
Meeting: After the meal we will have a brief business meeting and Election of Officers, followed by our feature presentation.
Presentation - Follow the Forest: Julia Rogers of Housatonic Valley Association will provide an interesting presentation on the Follow the Forest initiative https://followtheforest.org. The initiative strives to protect and connect forest habitat throughout the Northeast, bringing together conservation partners in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont, under a unifying vision that connects us to the places we love and the wildlife that depend on a conserved forest landscape. The long-term goal is to strategically protect a minimum of 50% of each core forest habitat to anchor this great wildlife corridor. Additionally, they aim to secure at least one habitat linkage in between each forest, connecting the large blocks of forest to allow for wildlife movement. This initiative builds on and relates to conservation and planning work in our area. Join us to learn how important the initiative is, the steps conservation groups are taking, and how we can join in this effort.
Make your reservation now! Mail your $20 check made out to Taconic Hiking Club, include your menu choice of Chicken Parmigiana OR Salmon Florentine and your email address or phone number to Taconic Hiking Club, c/o Margaret Parks, 9 Tokay Lane, Schenectady, NY 12309.
Due Date: Saturday, October 29.
MARGARET LINDLEY PARK
Our series on parks around the Taconic Range continues with the Margaret Lindley Park, Williamstown, MA
In June of 2022 the Berkshire Eagle listed this park #1 in their article on the “Most Underrated Spot in the Berkshires” for best beaches and swimming spots.
Where is this gem? The address is 1201 Cold Spring Rd., Williamstown, MA, at the intersection of Rts. 7 and 2. THC hikers know this area well; it’s just down the “hill” on the east side of Petersburg Pass. This intersection has the added delight of the A-Frame Bakery located across from the Park on Rt. 7, where fresh-baked goodies are sold quickly Thursday through Sunday. Farther south on Rt. 7 at the intersection of Rts. 7 & 43 is the newly re-opened and historic Store at Five Corners, a café and market serving visitors 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.
Harmon Pond.
Named for longtime area educator Margaret Jones Lindley, the park’s 13.5 acres were purchased and dedicated shortly after her death in 1966.
OK, that all sounds good, but what about hiking and swimming?
The Williamstown Conservation Commission fills and operates a lovely large pond open during the summer season from dawn to dusk, while the well-maintained trails are open year-round.
Summertime at Lindley means a sweet place to take the kids—or a worthy adult--and cool off. The large swimming area has a nice sloping sandy beach and a pond that has a long shallow entry area—perfect for kids learning to swim. The water is cool and refreshing. A large, mowed space with picnic tables and tetherball courts, along with bathrooms, make this a pleasant recreational space. They do ask that dogs be left at home for the swimming area and be leashed for any walking. Needless to say, pick up after them!
Spillway near the swimming area and beach.
Trails lead off from the picnic area and wind for 2 miles around the property. The main trail, the Hemlock Brook Trail, follows under towering hemlocks along the banks of Hemlock Brook--a water source that originates in the Taconic Mountain Range before emptying into the Hoosic River—and leads to beautiful Harmon Pond, where you can take in some sun on the dam while observing an abundance of waterfowl and turtles.
Visitors say Lindley Park has always been a sweet place to visit with clear clean water where parents, grandparents and friends can relax and watch kids frolic. It’s a perfect blend of recreation and nature. All can keep an eye out for Eastern Hemlock, Silver Maple, Striped Maple, Paper Birch, Carolina Spring-Beauty (spring), Fiddlehead (spring), Mapleleaf Viburnum, Mosses and Lichens, Chipmunks, Tadpoles, Red Efts and more.
A series of footbridges connects the Hemlock Brook Trail with the Torrey Woods Trail. Distances are short and signage is good. The trails are described here: https://www.hikingproject.com/directory/8022149/margaret-lindley-park
Williamstown Rural Lands has been a steward of these trails since 2011. Read more about Harmon Pond and the Hemlock Brook Trail at https://rurallands.org/properties-index/
What a gentle, relaxing, and soothing place we’re lucky to have flanking the Taconics. Stay for an hour; stay for the day. Enjoy your visit during any season.
Walking thru the hemlocks on Hemlock Brook Trail.
HUNTING SEASON IS HERE! Grab your blaze orange vest!
It is now hunting season. You can find specifics on dates for your region, seasons for specific game, and which firearms are allowed on these links: NYS: NYSDEC 2022-2023 Hunting Seasons, MA: MA Hunting Seasons, 2022-2023 and VT: Hunting Seasons | VT. The good news for hikers is Massachusetts does not allow any hunting on Sundays. Spread the word!
For hikers, the season to pay extra attention to is the regular deer season. This year, deer hunting season with rifles in the southern region of NYS runs from November 19 through December 11. In the western region of MA shotgun season for deer is November 28 through December 10. Vermont has an earlier regular deer season of November 12 thru November 27.
In addition to wearing blaze orange or fluorescent pink vests, hats, or other articles of clothing, it is recommended that you stay on well-used trails when hiking. Note: bushwhacking during hunting season is not recommended! Let the hunters enjoy their limited time in the woods.
Don’t forget to put some blaze orange on your dogs too!
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.
Tuesday, October 4: Alford Springs – Saddle to Father Loop trails B
Wednesday, October 5: Kunjamuk River - Paddle B
Thursday, October 6: Mount Greylock via the Gould Trail B+
Monday, October 17: Grafton (Dickson) Fire Tower C
Wednesday, October 19: Albert Family Community Forest C+/B-
Fall Banquet: Moscatiello’s Italian Restaurant, Sunday, November 6, 2022
Friday, November 11: Perry’s Peak & Hollow Fields B
Tuesday, November 22: TCT – Petersburg Pass to Rte 346 B
For perspective: the hiking pole is 42 inches. Pic by M Waldman
Alongside a trail in Acadia National Park, pic by M Waldman
Pic by M Waldman